Totus2us is giving voice to faith, hope and love from all around the world, especially among Blessed John Paul II's and Benedict XVI's 'dear young people', as witnessed to at World Youth Days; highlighting what's good & fun, and helping us to pray & not be afraid. There are voices from 81 countries so far, here on Totus2us & on Totus2us's 30 audio mp3 podcasts. All free, all with music, most episodes are under 10 minutes and the podcasts fall broadly into 3 areas: teaching (faith / way), prayer (hope / truth) & witness (love / life).
There's Something about Mary, Word on the Street, Man for Others, In Memory of Me, Blessed JPII We Love You & Papa Bene We Love You too, World Youth Days, To be a Pilgrim, The Incredibles, In the Family, TOP CHAT, Journey to Freedom & Does God have a sense of humour. Then there's 3 2us, Sunday Evangelium, Philosophy & Faith, Catholic Catechism & Talks 2us. The prayer podcasts are the Rosary (in English, French, Italian & Spanish), the Stations of the Cross, Novenas (16 so far, mainly including the writings of JPII/BXVI) & Jesus I trust in you (the Divine Mercy chaplet is in 11 languages). You can listen / subscribe to all these podcasts & download the free mp3s on itunes or here on Totus2us where you can also download individual recordings by right clicking where you see this diamond ♦
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Today's Something about Mary
on Ash Wednesday is by Bernard, who's 24 & from Germany; he gives his response in English & German:
"I like Mary because she is the best way to come to Christ, because she bore Him in her womb and lived her whole life together with Him."
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Lent begins on 22 February
3 2us by Father Francis Selman ♦
"Several of the saints, for example St Augustine and St Catherine of Siena, teach us that the first step to knowing God is to know ourselves. Lent is a time for being truly free and discovering ourselves in the presence of God. .. Lent is a time for reflecting more on the central mysteries of Christ's life and our life - it is by dying to ourselves that we come to new life in Christ."
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Our Lady of Lourdes
3 2us by Monsignor Leo Maasburg ♦
"Sickness and suffering are a big puzzle to human beings. We're all created for health - health is the normal state of man. But sickness and suffering are a reality of our life, nobody can avoid it completely, it will hit everybody at a certain moment in their life. Since we believe that for God there is no trash, everything he has permitted he can use for a good end, the secret of suffering and of sickness reveals a big mystery, a mystery of God's greatness. I believe this was the reason of Our Lady's appearing on 11th February 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous. But she didn't appear to explain suffering, she appears silently, she doesn't say anything the first three apparitions, and she just holds a rosary in her hand and Bernadette prays the rosary. The beginning of that revealing, of the understanding of the mystery of suffering is prayer. If we ask Our Lord, if we enter, if we approach Him in prayer, He can reveal to us the mystery of suffering." Feast Day - 11th February
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To Be a Pilgrim to Lourdes
Frankie: "As you get nearer and nearer to the Grotto, you can feel the peace, you can feel the quietness and I really do think Our Lady literally leads you by the hand to bring you closer to her son's heart in Lourdes. And I think it's a great place of challenge, but also as well in the silence realising what's important, what's worth living for and fighting for. I've been very blessed as well to witness young people go to confession out in Lourdes, young people go to confession who haven't been for a number of years, and I've really seen them be touched by God's spirit of love; the Holy Spirit has really touched them in the Sacrament of Confession and I've really seen lives changed. I think it's to do partly with the powerful intercession of Our Lady, who invites people to come closer to the face of love, which is the face of Christ Himself as they encounter Him, not only in the Eucharist and in the Sacraments but in the face and love of other pilgrims." ♦
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Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes
With quotes from Blessed John Paul II's apostolic letter, Salvifici Doloris, on the salvific meaning of suffering, this novena is beginning on 2nd February in preparation for Our Lady of Lourdes' feast day on 11th February, which is also the World Day for the Sick. The daily prayer is by JPII in Lourdes in 2004 (on his last pilgrimage abroad); the music is sung by the Holy Redeemer Choir.
Day 9 - 10th February ♦
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Man for Others
Fr Philip Conner, the diocesan youth chaplain for Lancaster: "John Paul II really, really inspired me at World Youth Day in Rome and I suppose in my journey to be a priest, he helped me to understand how actually priesthood isn't just something we do for God, or that we've got to sacrifice my life for the Lord, it's a gift. When I came to understand it as a gift, it transformed everything; when you realise something is a gift, you learn how to receive and this changes your whole attitude. It's not something you do for God, it's something God is doing for you; He chose us; we didn't choose Him, He chose us and we respond. John Paul II helped me to understand how it's a real mystery we're entering into and a really amazing privilege to participate in Jesus' life today and to make His life present, and to continue to receive this as a gift." ♦
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Papa Benedetto, We Love You
Doug, who's 22 & from the United States, is currently studying in Rome and has been reading a lot more by Pope Benedict (eg his interview with Peter Seewald in Light of the World). This Christmas Doug served for BXVI at Midnight Mass at St Peter's: "It was a very powerful experience ..filled with grace. Just seeing the man, who is old and fragile, this man who the Lord entrusted the Church with, through Peter, Pope Benedict still has the same duties given to Peter: he's given the keys of the Church, he's the rock on which our Church is built, and that strong, central figure of the Catholic Church was incarnate in Pope Benedict and for me it was just good to see that and to see him." ♦
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The Incredibles
Marijke, who's 23 & from the Netherlands, chose St Mary Magdalene as her Incredible Saint: "When I became a Catholic I chose St Mary Magdalene as my patron saint because she really was focused totally on God, on Jesus, and she didn't care what other people thought about it, she just completely lived for Him. She helped me to keep focused on Jesus and to completely live only for Him in my day to day life." ♦
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In Memory of Me
Paschal, who's 22 & from London: "Pope Benedict said the Eucharist is the proof of God's love. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen said that when you really love somebody you might write them a letter or better than that you might speak to them on the phone, but love's deepest desire is for union and, in the Eucharist, there is partly our desire to be with God but more than that it's God's passionate desire to be with us. It's the proof of his love." ♦
Blessed John Paul II
"Fear not to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and by his power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind.
Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ. To his saving power open the frontiers of states, economic and political systems, the vast realms of culture, civilization, and development.
Do not be afraid. Christ knows 'what is in humans'. He alone knows!" (16th October 1978)
With JPII's beatification on 1st May 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday), Totus2us has been focusing on some aspects of Blessed John Paul II's remarkable life. Take a look at the 129 countries the Pilgrim Pope visited over 26 years (the Vatican's new JPII youtubes are all featured), listen to some of his 14 ACE encyclical letters, & read his messages to young people (talks with his 'carissimi giovani' on his trips are also included by country) - some of the many reasons why ... Blessed John Paul II, We Love YOU!
JPII: "Today's world needs many apostles - especially apostles who are young and courageous. You young people have in a special way the task of witnessing today to the faith; the commitment to bring the Gospel of Christ - the Way, the Truth and the Life - into the third Christian Millennium, to build a new civilization - a civilization of love, of justice and of peace. ...
Dear Young People, let us journey with Our Lady, let us promise to follow her son Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life, then we will become the burning messages of the new evangelisation and the generous builders of a new civilisation of truth and love." (World Youth Day Santiago de Compostela in 1989)
Papa Benedetto XVI
"After the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord.
The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with inadequate instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.
Let us move forward in the joy of the Risen Lord, confident of his unfailing help. The Lord will help us and Mary, his Most Holy Mother, will be on our side. Thank you." (19th April 2005)
Totus Tuus, Totus2us
Totus Tuus - All Yours - was Pope John Paul II's motto, having entrusted his life, his priesthood, his 'all' to Mary. Totus2us is being built with the same intention: to be all Mary's. The play on lettering gives Totus2us a 2nd meaning - Everything2us - as that is what Mary means to us.
This mosaic of the Madonna and Christ Child is on the front of the Apostolic Palace in St Peter's Square (near the Pope's window for the Angelus prayer). Beneath it is John Paul II's coat of arms and his motto, Totus Tuus; and beneath this is written MATER ECCLESIAE - Mother of the Church.
It is a tribute John Paul II wanted to make to Mary for her having saved his life in the assassination attempt on 13th May 1981, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Just 6 months later, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, John Paul II blessed the mosaic, a "sign of the heavenly protection of the Sovereign Pontiff, of the Church and of those who are in St Peter's Square."
All around the world
You can listen by country to the witness given, by young people in particular, on Totus2us's podcasts. Countries represented so far are: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, DR Congo, Dominica, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saint Lucia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, Western Samoa, Zambia Zimbabwe.
The countries not included above which Pope Benedict XVI, Blessed John Paul II &/or Pope Paul VI have visited are: Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkino Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Cuba, Curaçao, Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Fiji Islands, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Guam, Guinea, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,http://www.totus2us.com/universal/madagascar/ Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Palestine, Papua-New Guinea, Puerto Rico, La Réunion, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay.
