POPE FRANCIS CHALLENGES THE FAITHFUL
Religion News Service reports that Pope Francis used the Easter Saturday service to invite the faithful to “begin anew”, to follow Jesus by letting go of the nostalgia for the past. In his homily, Francis said going to Galilee means “it is always possible to begin anew, because there is a new life that God can awaken in us in spite of all our failures. “From the rubble of our hearts, God can create a work of art; from the ruined remnants of our humanity, God can prepare a new history,” he said.
“HEALING THE WOUNDED HEART”
US prison inmates who participated in a Bible-based trauma healing ministry program showed enhanced emotional well-being and a significant decrease in the negative consequences of trauma, a recent study by the American Bible Society and Baylor University revealed. The Christian Post reports that through participating in “Healing the Wounded Heart,” ABS’ Bible-based Correctional Trauma Healing Program, participants experienced a decline in PTSD and vengefulness. Also, they experienced increases in forgiveness, resilience and meaning in life.
“A WEEK AWAY”
A new faith-based musical debuted recently in the Netflix Top 5 and even reached No. 3 on the worldwide most-popular list. According to christianheadlines.com A Week Away, a faith-based movie featuring popular Christian songs, reached No. 8 on Netflix’s list for most popular titles in the U.S. and No. 4 on Netflix’s list for most-popular movies. The film tells the story of a troubled teenager who finds Christ – and romance – at a summer church camp. It includes music by Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant and For King and Country. The soundtrack reached No. 1 on the iTunes Christian album chart and No. 18 on the “all genres” chart.