WHEN WE GIVE YOUNG PEOPLE THE TRUTH.....

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

Since my last update I have busy trying to
bring the Gospel alive in many places,
including a few parish missions in Ireland
and England before travelling to Hong
Kong and Australia.

During this year of mercy I have seen many
people brought back to the heart of Jesus.
At one mission in Ireland a girl in her
twenties, after going to confession for the
first time since she was seven, was so
profoundly touched that the next night she
brought six of her friends and by the end
of the mission, not only had she come
back to Mass but she had also joined the
choir.

I believe that part of the parish missions
is to bring people back to the vibrancy of
their parishes, where they can find the
wonder of the Sacraments and the depth
of our Catholic faith which is the fullness
of truth and everything we need to equip
us on our journey to heaven. I also find
that some of the parishes aren't as vibrant
as they should be and another aspect of
the missions is to reignite the parishes in
fire of God's love.

As you would know from my many updates
another aspect of my work is to speak in
a lot of schools and the more I encounter
the assault that the culture of death has
on our young people, the more vital I
think this work is. One priest said to me
after I spoke in a school to five hundred
teenagers "The devil is outrageous with
his lies and we need to be outrageous with
God's truth" Mother Teresa said to me
personally when I had the privilege of
meeting her "When we give young people
God's truth, they always have the choice to
choose it, but if we don't give them God's
truth they never have the choice"

I remember when I was giving talks and
running retreats in Manchester, I would
always stay with a lovely Catholic family
who had four teenaged boys. Each night
at 7.30pm the Father would say, "It's now
time for the rosary" and the four teenaged
boys would disappear to different parts of
the house. After the father had rounded
up the boys the rosary would be said. One
Sunday when their 18 year son told his
father he wasn't going to Mass anymore
(as they were preparing to go off to Church)
The Father said "No problem but make sure
you and all your stuff are out of my
house by the time I return from Church"
Needless to say this was the end of the
rebellion. This same boy, after getting
married named his first child after Pope,
Benedict, and all those teenaged boys
are now grown up and are solid in their
faith and one of them is in final vows
preparing to become a priest.

I am asked many times by parents how
should they bring up their teenagers to
go to Mass and pray, when they don't
want to. I tell them the story of two
girls playing outside and one girls mother
comes out and says "I want you in for your
tea in five minutes" So her daughter turns
to her friend and says "I wish my mum was
like yours and let me play out all night" her
friend replied "I wish my mum was like
yours and actually cared about me"

Sometimes it seems easier to give in and allow
young people to choose what they want to
do, but when we put in the effort, prayer and
witness it brings about amazing graces and
miracles.

I am now in Sydney giving a number of talks
and parish missions. Over the next couple of
months I will be going to Perth, Melbourne,
Brisbane, Canberra, Wagga Wagga, Albury,
Griffith and Leeton. So please keep me in
your prayers that God's love and mercy
might touch everyone I witness to.

God bless you in his deep love
You are in my heart and prayers
John Pridmore