The Pope has great expectations for the “Youcat,” a text designed to teach young people the ABC’s of Catholicism using a language tailored to their generation.

The 300-page volume is the new and official Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church. A team has produced the volume and enlisted its translations under the guidance of Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, Austria, who also served as the editor of the universal 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church.

According to its American publisher Ignatius Press, the new text was produced with adolescents and young adults in mind as “an accessible, contemporary expression of the Catholic faith.” …

In the book’s preface, published in the Jan. 3 edition of the Vatican paper L’Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI himself calls it “extraordinary.”

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The Pope claimed Youcat is extraordinary “because of its content but also because of its format,” which he goes on to explain is based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

He spoke of the difficult times of the recent past, following the Second Vatican Council, when “many people no longer knew correctly what Christians should actually believe, what the Church taught, [...] and how all this could be adapted to the new cultural climate.”

Amid questions about if the Church can even teach, or if Christianity is obsolete, the Pontiff recalled, his predecessor “made an audacious decision: He decided that the bishops worldwide should write a book to answer these questions.” ”He [John Paul II] entrusted to me the task of coordinating and overseeing the work of the bishops so that a book would be born from the contributions of the bishops, a real book and not a simple juxtaposition of a multiplicity of texts,” Benedict XVI recalled. “[...] I was frightened by this task, and I must confess that I doubted that such a thing could succeed. How could it be that authors who are spread around the whole world could produce a legible book?”

Zenit.org has a translation to English of the Pope’s preface to YouCat.

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Related videos:

Fr. Robert Barron’s sermon on Weigel’s new book, Evangelization, etc.

Excerpts from The Catholicism Project:

]]> http://opusdeitoday.org/2011/02/youcat/feed/ 0 http://opusdeitoday.org/2011/01/pope-be-present-in-social-networks/ http://opusdeitoday.org/2011/01/pope-be-present-in-social-networks/#comments Sat, 29 Jan 2011 14:15:13 +0000 Aliza Racelis http://opusdeitoday.org/?p=1105 Pope’s 44th World Communications Day message “extraordinary potential of the internet”; “new communications technologies must be placed at the service of the integral good of the individual and of the whole of humanity”

On the occasion of the 45^th World Day of Social Communications, the Holy Father has shared some reflections that are motivated by a phenomenon characteristic of our age: the emergence of the internet as a network for communication. … “New horizons are now open that were until recently unimaginable; they stir our wonder at the possibilities offered by these new media and, at the same time, urgently demand a serious reflection on the significance of communication in the digital age. This is particularly evident when we are confronted with the extraordinary potential of the internet and the complexity of its uses. As with every other fruit of human ingenuity, the new communications technologies must be placed at the service of the integral good of the individual and of the whole of humanity. If used wisely, they can contribute to the satisfaction of the desire for meaning, truth and unity which remain the most profound aspirations of each human being.”

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On a Catholic News Service video posted on h2onews.org, Vatican reporters had this to say about the Pope’s recent comments:

“It’s not every day that a pope publishes a document talking about cyberspace and websites and digital profiles. But Pope Benedict and his advisers seem to understand that we’re living in a new world of online communication. Today, people increasingly share information through social network sites like Facebook. The pope said this is a good thing — it favors dialogue and the possibility of creating friendships that go beyond one’s own immediate neighborhood and culture.  And the Pope said that because the Internet has become a place where new relationships are formed, it’s a natural place for the church to be. But he insisted that there is a “Christian way” of being online — which is “honest and open and respectful of others.” That seemed to represent a challenge to some Catholic websites and blogs that have adopted a very aggressive tone. The Pope was saying here: people are paying attention to our tone, so let’s keep it civil.”

Here’s the RomeReports.com video:

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Other interesting articles here on this topic:

• Internet Tips
• CyberAwareness (slide presentation)
• 10 Facebook Tips

The Refrain of the WYD Madrid 2011 Theme Song goes:

Firmes en la fe, firmes en la fe

Strong in faith, strong in faith

Caminamos en Cristo, nuestro Amigo, nuestro Señor

We walk in (the footsteps of) Christ, our Friend and Lord.

¡Gloria siempre a Él! ¡Gloria siempre a Él!

To Him always be the glory, To Him always be the glory

Caminamos en Cristo, firmes en la fe.

We walk in (the footsteps of) Christ, strong in faith.

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The official JMJ Madrid 2011 website indicates that the Theme of this WYD is “Planted and built up in Christ, Firm in the Faith (St. Paul)”  The Bible passage is 1 Cor 16: 13 “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

A commentary on this and other similar ‘call to fortitude and vigilance’ passages found in the Navarre Bible is as follows:

• “In the preaching of Christ and of the Apostles we are frequently exhorted to be watchful (cf. Mt 24:42; 25:13; Mk 14:34)—for one thing, because the enemy is always on the prowl (cf. 1 Pet 5:8), and also because a person in love is always awake (cf. Songs 5:2). This watchfulness expresses itself in a spirit of prayer (cf. Lk 21:36; 1 Pet 4:7) and fortitude in faith (cf. 1 Cor 16:13).”

Let’s all learn the JMJ Madrid 2011 Theme Song and ask for the grace so that we may be firm in the faith!

]]> http://opusdeitoday.org/2011/01/firmes-en-la-fe-strong-in-faith/feed/ 1 http://opusdeitoday.org/2011/01/jmj-madrid-august-2011/ http://opusdeitoday.org/2011/01/jmj-madrid-august-2011/#comments Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:40:45 +0000 Aliza Racelis http://opusdeitoday.org/?p=1087 The Jornada Mundial de la Juventud (JMJ) (World Youth Day or WYD) 2011 in Madrid is fast approaching!

The official JMJ 2011 page, madrid11.com, is abuzz with information, updates and materials to prepare the youths from all over the world who shall converge in Madrid this August for the Jornada Mundial de la Juventud (JMJ)!

We’d like to highlight some important news and updates found on the website:

• Messages of Pope Benedict XVI to young people “These years of your life are the years which will prepare you for your future. Your “tomorrow” depends much on how you are living the “today” of your youth. Stretching out in front of you, my dear young friends, is a life that all of us hope will be long; yet it is only one life, it is unique: do not let it pass it vain; do not squander it.” Read the other messages.
• JMJ 2011 Theme Song: Download the different versions of the hymn, as well as the translations to various languages and the musical scores…
• World Youth Day Tips.

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Video “Days in the Diocese”, A Sneak Preview to JMJ

Video: The History of WYD

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Other JMJ posts on opusdeitoday.org:

• General Info on WYD/JMJ;
• JMJ places: Plaza de Cibeles (Pope welcome) and Cuatro Vientos (Vigil);
• Promotional JMJ Video;
• Announcement of JMJ 2011 Theme Song.

January 14, 2011. It has finally been confirmed, the beatification of John Paul II will be on May 1.“The Pope has approved for the beatification to take place on May 1 of this year. On the Sunday of Divine Mercy, an important date in his life and his encounter with the Lord.”

Announcement

Biography of Pope John Paul II

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THE WORLD REJOICES!