“In vast areas of the world today there is a strange forgetfulness of God. It seems as if everything would be just the same even without Him….But religion sought on a "do-it-yourself" basis cannot ultimately help us. It may be comfortable, but at times of crisis we are left to ourselves. Help people to discover the true star which points out the way to us:  Jesus Christ! Let us seek to know Him better and better, so as to be able to guide others to Him with conviction….I know that you as young people have great aspirations, that you want to pledge yourselves to build a better world. Let others see this, let the world see it, since this is exactly the witness that the world expects from the disciples of Jesus Christ; in this way, and through your love above all, the world will be able to discover the star that we follow as believers. Let us go forward with Christ and let us live our lives as true worshippers of God! Amen.” 

                                                                   – Pope Benedict XVI’s homily at World Youth Day
                                                                                                                  Cologne, Germany 2005
 

"Domine, ut Videam" - "Lord, that I may see."   (Mark 10:51)
 Vocation Awareness Wristbands for 2006!

The prayer and healing of Bartimaeus gives us hope when trying to discern or "see" our vocation in life. Whether we are called to the priesthood, religious life, married life or the single life, we are asking Our Lord Jesus Christ to help us grow in love of Him by healing us of our sins, and recognizing in truth what he is asking of us right now. The prayer of Bartimaeus is written in Latin to remind us of the Catholic faith tradition to which we belong and to provide a curiosity to those who see it to ask "what does that mean?" Our hope is that through prayer to God and conversation with others, many will listen to the Lord when He asks, "What do you want me to do for you?"; that person will open the eyes of their heart to pray, "Lord, that I may see."   (See Scripture passage of Bartimaeus below.)

Fr. James Hughes and Fr. Hien Nguyen are visiting our 9 Catholic high schools in the archdiocese of Vancouver to provide these wristbands for each student after they have prayed to the Lord through Eucharistic Adoration, "Lord, what do You want me to do with my life?" 

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight (Mark 10:46-52)

 ⁴⁶Then they came to Jericho, and as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road.

 ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

 ⁴⁸Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

 ⁴⁹And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him here." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you."

 ⁵⁰Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus.

 ⁵¹And answering him, Jesus said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And the blind man said to Him, "Lord, that I may see!"

 ⁵²And Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.