Totus Tuus - Totus 2us

_{Week of 16th April - Unreported World, ;a News Documentary series on Channel 4, is for me 1 of the best reasons to have a TV ... as I kept missing episodes, I'd signed up for the audio podcast on itunes & so up popped the 1st of the 2012 series last Friday. It's on Sudan & the genocide of the Nuba people by al-Bashir's goverment forces. It seems most especially fitting to have been broadcast in Easter week, the week of the Divine Mercy novena, as the only hospital available for the many innocent victims of the bombing attacks (& politically generated famine) is the Mother of Mercy Hospital, with 1 missionary doctor from the US (remarkable) & Catholic nuns who are learning the skills of nursing on the job. It's deeply shocking to hear but I then watched the film & it was doubly distressing to see the truth of what's going on. It's superb journalism by Aidan Hartley, who leaves the last words to the Sister in charge of the hospital: "Is there nobody there who can hear the cries of the Nuba people .. Is there nobody who can speak on there behalf, who can say 'Stop. People have died enough.' So I asked myself: Where is the international community? .. where are they?" Watch here.}

_{There is only 1 road into the Nuba mountains from the south and this will be blocked off when the rains start in a couple of weeks. So we all need to act NOW & do what we can to spread the word and support the hospital. You can follow journalist Aidan Hartley on Twitter & read his superb As to Qs on reddit here; donate to Mother of Mercy hospital here.}

_{Week of 26th March - When there isn't a wonderful gathering of millions of young people at an international WYD / JMJ (Rio next year), World Youth Day is celebrated on a diocesan level on Palm Sunday (there's always a great celebration at St Peters). Our Holy Father, Papa B, has just written his message for this 27th Jornada Mundial de la Juventud, which is on the theme of joy. And, no surprise, it's BEAUTIFUL!}

_{"Dear friends, to conclude I would encourage you to be missionaries of joy. We cannot be happy if others are not. Joy has to be shared. Go and tell other young people about your joy at finding the precious treasure which is Jesus Himself. We cannot keep the joy of faith to ourselves. If we are to keep it, we must give it away. St John said: “What we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; we are writing this so that our joy may be complete” (1 Jn 1:3-4). Christianity is sometimes depicted as a way of life that stifles our freedom and goes against our desires for happiness and joy. But this is far from the truth. Christians are men and women who are truly happy because they know that they are not alone. They know that God is always holding them in His hands. It is up to you, young followers of Christ, to show the world that faith brings happiness and a joy which is true, full and enduring. If the way Christians live at times appears dull and boring, you should be the first to show the joyful and happy side of faith. The Gospel is the “good news” that God loves us and that each of us is important to Him. Show the world that this is true!.."}

_{Week of 5th March - Ooberfuse, 1 of the bands chosen to play at JMJ Madrid & featured on Totus2us' World Youth Days, TOP CHAT & Word on the Street podcasts, have released a song & video in memory of Shahbaz Bhatti, who was murdered in Pakistan on 2 March last year for speaking out against the blasphemy laws under sharia. The song is entitled Blood Cries Out & is as compelling & powerful as it is eloquent & impressive. It shows what music can do when at the service of culture / truth. Thank you, Ooberfuse, for helping Shahbaz Bhatti's blood cry out with a message for peace.}

_{As Hal said in interview: "In our research for the song we looked at extremely disturbing footage. Shahbaz’s car, after a visit to his elderly mother’s house, was riddled with bullets and spattered with blood following his assassination. ..We also watched an interview with Shahbaz weeks before he was killed in which he anticipates further suffering and continuing death threats. The song, Blood Cries Out, samples a phrase from the interview in which Shahbaz says he has experienced already the suffering of the cross. It is a tragic irony that Shahbaz’s message to those who would listen was Christ’s very own ‘Do not kill in the name of religion, but love each other.’” Ooberfuse will perform the song at a rally in London this Saturday 10th March, sponsored by the British Pakistani Christian Association and Aid to the Church in Need. The march will kick off at the Pakistani Embassy in Lowndes Square and culminate with the rally and concert in Trafalgar Square.}

_{Week of 6th February - this week I'm especially aware of Our Lady of Lourdes & thanking her for all that she has done for me. The first priest to do a recording for Totus2us was Mgr Leo Maasburg (I know him through friends with a Lourdes link) - he gave 3 2us on Our Lady's birthday .. which was a WONDERFUL way to begin (with many more reflections since) & this week he's giving 3 2us on Our Lady of Lourdes, so it seems the week to rave about the book he's written about Mother Teresa of Calcutta: 'A Personal Portrait'. It came out in German over a year ago (I think it's in over 10 languages now) but not till last October in English. I ate it up over a week-end, by the end of it feeling as though I'd spent it with Mother Teresa herself. It's jam-packed with riveting stories that regularly brought a smile to my face and gave me new 'respect' for my Miraculous Medal (amongst many other things). Fr Leo is able to give such a personal account because he worked closely with Mother Teresa (as her spiritual advisor, translator, and her confessor) for over 15 years, particularly in Eastern Europe. I'd give this book to anyone and everyone .. as it is engaging and engrossing on so many levels, full of faith, hope & love.}

_{Week of 2nd January - wishing everyone a very blessed 2012 ... may it be a year full of God's grace for each one of us.}

_{I saw this superb photo on a friend's FB page & I don't know who to 'thank' for the gift of it! It made me think of what it must be like if we could see each other from the inside (rather than the out). Another friend posted this charming dance skit by Laurel & Hardy. I LOVE beginning each new year with the Feast of Mary, Mother of God (also the World Day of Peace) & this skit reminded me of the joy of life!}

_{Week of 7th November - in this week commemorating 11th of the 11th & remembering all those who've died in war, John Jeffcock has launched Heroes - 100 Poems from the New Generation of War Poets. I know about the book because John, the editor, is a friend. I bought a copy last night at the book launch, but it wasn't till I got home that I took a look - the result was I went to bed very late! Before each poem you're given the author, their age & the operations/wars they've fought in (except for the poems written by members of soldiers' families). The experience of war and the real human cost of war strikes home powerfully, without any sermonizing but much eloquence and insight.}

_{In his introduction, John explains: This is not my book: it is the unheard voice of the many people who endure enormous sacrifices so that others need not suffer. They are not heroes but ordinary people in exceptional environments who risk body, mind and soul for others. .... We have seen 250 poems from all ranks, all regiments and all 3 branches of the service (Army, Navy & Air Force). We received excellent submissions from regular soldiers, the Territorial Army, parents, spouses and children. Selecting the best 100 was an incredibly difficult task as every entry represented an indelible mark in the writers life. Fortunately, we had help from Carol Ann Duffy (the Poet Laureate), Simon Rad & General Sir Richard Dannatt ..The scores given by the professional poets and the professional soldiers varied in some places considerably. The question 'What is more important: the poetic quality or the integrity of the experience?' was brought painfully to the fore. As a soldier, I put integrity first and as a result you may find a few pieces which would not win a poetry competition but will touch you as a human being. My view is that poetry should touch us intimately and leave the reader changed.}

_{That's just what reading the poems last night did to me!}