The invention of shoes

Many years ago, when poverty was prevalent everywhere, a king decided to make a long voyage on foot. Back then everyone walked in bare feet, so this king didn’t know what to expect for his trip. He had to walk on rocks, soil, pebbles, splinters and sand. The soles of his feet were butchered with sores, and yet he reached his destination, quite a few miles, in utter anguish and pain. In his frustration, he ordered that all the roads should be covered with leather, so that no one will ever have to suffer as much as he did. He ordered that they should use the skin of cows to cover the roads. Of course the farmers and ranchers were up in arms with the king, and it was no use for them explaining how many cows they had to kill to finish the job he had just ordered. Not to mention the loss of milk and meat and the livelihood of so many farmers and their families. Everyone was so upset with the king’s decision, but no one had the nerve to confront him about his proposal to kill so many hundreds of cows to cover the roads. One courageous farmer decided to go and speak to the king and propose an alternative suggestion. The humble farmer spoke up....’Your Highness, may I suggest something very practical instead of killing all these cows and starving all your people without milk and meat.....so I suggest that instead of covering all the roads, you cover with leather the soles of your feet, this way you don’t have to struggle walking on pebbles and thorns and rocks, and this way you won’t get hurt at all, but at the same time, we’ll save the lives of so many cows.‘ The king was delighted with this idea and thanked the farmer for his brilliant suggestion. And from that day on people fixed pieces of leathers and placed them under the soles of their feet, tying them with a string. And so, moccasins were invented, which eventually became shoes, for the warm days they used sandals and for the athletic ones, in our time, we have tennis shoes, which became sneakers. The moral for this story: don’t try to change the world, but start by changing yourself.

Hope

This being the Jubilee year dedicated to Hope, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some meaningful definitions of Hope from various sources.

Hope is ‘the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.’ - Catechism of the Catholic church.

Hope is ‘the virtue by which we trust God to give us everything that we need to get us to heaven’ – St Thomas Aquinas.

Hope is ‘a distinguishing mark of Christians by the fact that they have a future: It is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness.’ – Spe Salvi, encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI.

“Hope represents a destination, and living in hope is about having the certainty that life has a purpose, that it moves towards a goal and that, consequentially, the choices and the steps I make today are of importance and not just insignificant or a matter of waiting for something to happen.” - Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, Norway.

“O Lord God, I hope by your grace for the pardon of all my sins and after life here to gain eternal happiness because you have promised it who are infinitely powerful, faithful, kind and merciful. In this hope I intend to live and die. Amen.” – the Act of Hope.

You can share hope by offering ‘a smile, a small gesture of friendship, a kind look, a ready ear, a good deed, in the knowledge that, in the Spirit of Jesus, these can become, for those who receive them, rich seeds of hope.’ – Papal Bull by Pope Francis for the Jubilee Year of Hope.

Night Prayer

Almighty God, during these solitary hours of night, I give you my thoughts, my joys and my worries too. Be the Light in the darkness that every night creates, and let me sleep in the care of Your Love. As I sleep, please renew my mind with Your Spirit. Show me in my dreams what you prepared for me, because I know for sure that it is much bigger than what I can even begin to imagine. Fill my heart with Peace, and eliminate all my anxieties. I trust in Your comforting arms my loved ones, and all those who tonight will need your consolation and support. Let Your Light shine upon us, so that we may wake up in the morning with renewed energy, and grateful for your Grace and  Love.

Malta marathon

At the end of the 1985 NYC marathon.

Today Malta hosts the annual marathon around our small island, the 40^th edition. I am of course beyond my marathon days, although my nephew Julian has taken part in a few marathons or half-marathons with very good times. This event brings back nostalgic memories when I took part in the New York City marathon three times, in 1985, 1986 and 1987. It all started when a parishioner asked me if I wanted to participate in the marathon, because he got the official number, but could not go. So, without any training and with no idea what running 26 miles and 385 yards meant, I was on the starting line-up with 30,000 other athletes. Of course I walked all the way to the end, but successfully finished and received the medal, which I treasure.

My three medals I won in 1985, 1986 and 1987.

 Two more medals later I retired from running, and even though I did not win the race, I always cherish the immortal words of Pierre Rene de Coubertin, the founder of the Olympic Games...’ the important thing is not to win, but to participate.’ Orlando Pizzolato, the 1985 winner took home $100,000 and a Mercedes Benz, but I took with me many happy and precious memories. 

And this is a photo of my nephew and namesake Julian Cassar during one of his half-marathons. Today's time for him was 1 hour 40 minutes, which is quite impressive. An athlete from Morocco won today’s Malta marathon. Over 5000 athletes took part in today's race. Quite a few athletes did a shorter distance and raised money for charity. This year actually is also my 40th anniversary of my first marathon, which was held in November 1985. Congratulations Julian, and I hope one day you can do the New York City marathon.

The Chair of St Peter

Today we celebrate the feast of St Peter and precisely the authority of St Peter in a feast called “The Chair of Saint Peter.” On this day also, the Pope usually announces a new group of Cardinals, but I doubt if this will happen today as the Pope is in hospital recovering from broncho-pneumonia. Of course, we do not venerate chairs as such, but the ‘chair’ or ‘cathedra’ of St Peter is very symbolic, to such an extent that his chair has been immortalized in a magnificent sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini behind the main altar at St Peter’s Basilica. It is actually a part of the colonnade above the main altar, the massive chocolate-colored Baldacchino that dominates the interior of the basilica, and which was recently restored. Next to the chair are the 4 Fathers of the early church, St Ambrose, St John Chrysostom, St Augustine, and St Athanasius. Above the chair is a stained-glass window of the Holy Spirit in yellow texture. The bronze sculpture was crafted between 1647 and 1653 by Bernini.

The original chair of St. Peter, last seen in 1867

The original chair of Peter is preserved, although in a very worn-out state. It was transferred from the church of Santa Prisca to the Vatican and was exposed to the public once a year. However, it was encased with the Bernini masterpiece, where it still is, protected mostly because of its fragile structure. For 200 years it was kept hidden and protected, often broken up in small pieces to make relics out of it, but in 1867 it was exposed to the faithful for the last time  to commemorate the anniversary of the martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul. 

Prayer for the true freedom

Lord Jesus, help me taste and offer the true freedom......

Help me release my parents  for feeling that they have failed in my upbringing.

Help me release my children from the need to make me feel bigger than I am, but let them follow their dreams, and not my own dreams for them.

Help me release my spouse from the need to fill the emptiness he/she sees in me. Help me not to make them feel like crutches when I limp, but teach me to dance happily embracing them tightly.

Help me to say ‘Thank You’ to my grandparents as it was because of them that I can breathe and live my life – may I forgive their shortcomings and disadvantages since they didn’t have all the things and gadgets we have today.

Help me be sincere with them and with myself, and make them happy with my own accomplishments.

Help me say ‘Thank you’ to my family who lived the best way they could with their own limitations, so that today I can live the best possible life by the example and values they gave me.

Help me to realize that I am not a savior who can find the solution for all the problems of this world.

Help me to love sincerely by what I am and what  I have, even those who do not understand me or accept me.

Help me to understand myself, so that I can love my story and understand who I really am, and who I can become.

Help to really get to know myself, accept and understand what I feel, recognize what I do and why I want to do it.

Help me above all to recognize your Divine Presence in my life.

Help me to recognize and attain the true freedom.

Saints Giacinta and Francisco

Saints Francisco and Giacinta Marto

Today we honor two of the youngest saints in history, the visionaries of Fatima, St Giacinta and St Francisco Marto, brother and sister to whom the Blessed Mother appeared in 1917, along with Lucia dos Santos. In fact both of them died of the Spanish flu a few years later, but Lucia survived and lived into her 90s at a Carmelite Convent in  Portugal, also visited by two Popes. Francisco died on April 4, 1919 aged 10, and Giacinta died on February 20, 1920, aged 9. The Blessed Mother trusted the children with a few secret messages, which were shared with Popes and revealed only after the war ended and Communism was abolished from Russia. According to the memoirs of their cousin Sister Lucia, Francisco had a placid disposition, was somewhat musically inclined, and liked to be by himself to think. Jacinta was affectionate with a sweet singing voice and a gift for dancing. Following their experiences, their fundamental personalities remained the same. More investigation had to be carried out before Lucia is also canonized, since she lived a long life, and all her life, letters and writings will be examined and recorded through available documents, witnesses, etc. The two Marto children were solemnly canonized by Pope Francis at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal on 13 May 2017, the centennial of the first Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.

Praying for our Pope

A set of stamps honoring Pope Francis from Vatican City state

The Vatican said Tuesday that Pope Francis, who had the upper lobe of his right lung removed when he was 21 years old, had been diagnosed with pneumonia in both his lungs and that laboratory tests, chest X-ray and the pope's clinical condition "continue to present a complex picture." The chest CT scan that the Holy Father underwent yesterday demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia that required further pharmacological therapy. But the Vatican said Wednesday that the Pope remains in good spirits and is grateful for the prayers for his recovery. Last Friday, Pope Francis, 88, was admitted to the hospital in "fair" condition after a week of bronchitis worsened. On Monday, the hospital determined that he was suffering from a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, which means that a mix of viruses, bacteria and possibly other organisms had colonized in his respiratory tract. Bronchitis can lead to pneumonia, a deeper and far more serious infection of the lungs’ air sacs. Pneumonia can develop in part of or the entirety of one lung or both lungs, and it is typically more serious when both lungs are affected, because there is insufficient healthy lung tissue to compensate. Treatment may vary but can include providing oxygen through a nasal tube or mask, intravenous fluids and treatment of the underlying cause of the infection. Francis is not believed to be using supplemental oxygen. He has eaten breakfast every day, read the newspapers and done some work from his hospital room. We ask everyone to pray for his full recovery.

Be the best you can be

Martin Luther King, in a speech he gave at Glenville High School, in the state of Ohio in 1967 (with a few additions):

Try being a bush, if you cannot be a tree.

If you cannot be a highway, try being a pathway.

If you cannot be the sun, try at least to be a star.

If you cannot be a symphony, at least try to sing a song.

If you cannot be a rose-garden, try being any flower.

Try being a book, if you cannot be an entire library.

If you cannot be a supermarket, try being a tuck shop.

If you cannot be in a Cathedral to pray, try being in a chapel, or even in your own room.

Be the very best you can be !

Prayer for Priests

Lord Jesus, we need priests with your own footprint. We do not need priests who worry too much about themselves, but priests who are authentic, and who transmit Your image without any fear. We need full-time priests, who consecrate Hosts, but also consecrate people, and change them into true Christians. We need priests who speak through their own lives, through what they write and what they preach.  We need priests who live their priesthood daily, more than worry about their own dignity and image. We all know Lord that the common person has not changed much from your time. He is still hungry and thirsty, he is worried and is tempted, but above all he is hungry and thirsty for You, having needs that only You can satisfy for all of us. Give us priests filled with Your image, like the Cure of Ars, and so many other holy priests. We need priests with an open heart, with pierced hands and a pure countenance. We look for priests who are more keen on praying than organizing. We look for priests who constantly talk to You. Because when a priest prays, the people he serves are safe. We need priests grafted and moulded in prayer. Give us Lord priests with strong knees. Give us priests who have no contact numbers other than the Tabernacle. And above all, make us, their people, worthy to have such priests.

I AM

One day I was wondering about my life, crying over the time I wasted and the good I could have done. I was afraid of the future and what was ahead of me. But the Lord spoke to me and told me ‘My name is I AM.’ He stopped, I waited, and then He continued ‘When you live in the past, with your mistakes and disappointments, you will suffer because of them. You won’t find me there. Because my name is not ‘I was.’ Then when you constantly think about your future, you will also suffer a lot, because of the unknown and the unpredictable. You won’t find me there either.  My name is not ‘I will be.’ When you live in the present, you will not suffer, because that’s where you will find me. Remember that my name is ‘I AM.’ I am always with you.’

The face of Jesus

There is a story from Sicily of a certain monk Father Epifanius who loved to paint. He wanted so much  to draw a picture of Jesus before he died. He visited many places and looked at many young men who could pose for him as Jesus. But he couldn’t find the right person. But one night, while he was sleeping, an angel appeared to him, and told him ‘If you ever want to leave an image of Jesus for posterity, make sure you include in the image you paint – the joy of a girl on her wedding day, the innocence of childhood, a farmer bent on his tools in his field, the suffering of a sick person, the tears of a broken-hearted man who just lost his wife, the heart of a devoted mother, the uncertainty of an orphan, and the forgiveness of a priest confessor.’ When the dream ended, Father Epifanius got up and painted the face of a man who had all these feelings and emotions:  joy, sorrow, mercy, suffering, health, sickness, beauty and everything related to the ups and downs of life. May we always see the face of Jesus in those around us. When we can really see Him in others, Jesus will forever be close to us. 

20 years of YouTube

YouTube started 20 years ago in 2005 on Valentine’s Day, and since then millions of videos were  posted on it and are still accessible for free. To celebrate this historic milestone, I share with you a video of 25 of the most scenic views and events in the world. YouTube’s headquarters is in San Bruno, California, and was founded by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. It is the second-most-visited website in the world, after Google Search. In January 2024, YouTube had more than 2.7 billion monthly active users, who collectively watched more than one billion hours of videos every day. As of 2023, there were approximately 14 billion videos in total. Enjoy this video in celebration of a great service that is very much appreciated by everyone.

The King of Discos

This is a flashback from my past journals, precisely from 1980, when I was an assistant parish priest in St Julian’s, and was responsible of the Youth Group.....a group of active energetic young men who are now in the early 60s. But back then, they were fans of disco music, and even though my intention was to keep them close to the church, they also had other interests, among them Discos....so read on to find out how I became the King of Discos....

And all of a sudden Father Julian became everyone’s hero as he gave into the idea of having Discos on a Saturday evening in our parish hall. It all started with having an old record-player in the club, and someone brought in a vinyl record which was ‘Smoke on the Water’ by Deep Purple. And every time the youth started arriving, I would play this record with its 3-4 opening bar, which in a way became our signature tune....ta ta taaaa, ta ta ta taaa! Of course they got bored listening to the same record, and more records were arriving. However the record player was too old, and they were afraid of using the old needle on their new disco records. And one thing led to another and they convinced me to organize a simple disco dance, offering Kinnie and Trufrut, Twistees and Lucky Charms as the most popular snacks. No smoking or beer was allowed, and I even got the help of some of the adult chaperones to help monitor the situation, mainly members of the Balluta Waterpolo Club. Within a few days, some colorful characters like Martin Muscat, Pierre Rapinett, Noel Pace, Martin Taliana, Norbert Dalli, Peter Tonna, Anthony Borg and others, set up their mini-studio in the hall and we were all set for our first Disco Dance. 

I had no idea what to expect, but they assured me that everything will go well, and if it was possible for them, they could have canonized me, as they were thrilled to do something they truly enjoyed. This was the time of Saturday Night Fever, and so John Travolta, Olivia Newton John,  the Bee Gees, Donna Summer and Boney M became household names in town. Everything went well and I was glad none of the neighbors complained, especially since the decibel level must have reached 150 at times. I remember the first time there must have been around 40 youth, all boys. And of course the subject came up to open it up for girls too. 

Some of the youth that attended the Club and Discos

The following Monday the talk was of course a post-mortem of the dance, and after we cleaned the hall, they all turned to me, being so nice and so complementary, hoping they will twist my arm and convince me to schedule another dance, this time open to boys and girls. The logistics were pretty simple – get enough chaperones and even ask a policeman to stand by, in case trouble erupts. So a month later, our second Disco Dance was advertised for all young people. More records showed up, more lights and laser beams were set up, the music of course was loud, and Father Julian had become everybody’s hero, the King of Discos. Word spread around Malta, and quite a few new faces showed up, and I kept asking, ‘who are they?... who is she?.....where is he from?......do you know them?.....is everything going well?’

I am not used to dealing with tough guys and I like to avoid confrontation as much as possible. A few of the guys appeared to be like a gang, not what the opposing Jets and Sharks looked like in West Side Story, but to Malta’s standards, any gang seemed dangerous and obnoxious to me, and I was terribly afraid they would cause some trouble. A few girls showed up too, not too many, but friends of our members, from the St Julian’s area, and they all seemed pretty shy and reserved. Possibly for some of them it was the first dance they’ve been invited to, and since their parents heard it was ‘Fr Julian’s Disco’, they gave them their go-ahead. Most of them hung out outside the hall, and coming in to dance when a particular song came up, like the popular ‘YMCA’ by the Village People, or ’ Staying Alive’ by the Bee Gees. The problem of drugs was inexistent at that time, and nobody ever mentioned them – it was definitely still a time of innocence and naivety, a time when hormones in young people were obviously jumping up and down, but none of the problems that Malta would be facing in the decades preceding and following the new millennium.

Our Disco Dances went on for a few more Saturdays, maybe monthly, but by the arrival of summer, their attention turned to the sea, and they only dreamt of resuming the dances in October 1981. But of course by then I would be back in New York for good, and the dances stopped. However, my name remained a topic of discussion, when the area around Paceville started to open up with clubs, bars and night clubs, and in the 1980s and 1990s, it became the hub where all young people would gather, with all the resulting problems that exploded in the new millennium. On my visits to Malta over the summer months, I would occasionally meet some of the young people of our Youth Club and the most common comment was ‘Those were the days! The Disco Days were immortal. Then Father Julian went to America and trouble started in Paceville.’ So I take the blame for the situation in Paceville, but am always at peace with the fact that when my discos were organized, we had no trouble at all – they all had fun and they all cherish those happy days. 

The wallet

A train conductor found a wallet on one of the trips on the train. After checking to see if there is a name, he found in it just a few dollars and picture of Jesus on the outside of the wallet. He quickly made an announcement to see if someone lost the wallet. On old man raised his hands and was delighted to his missing wallet. He verified that he only had a few dollars and a picture of Jesus Christ on it. But the conductor was not satisfied and asked the elderly man a few questions. Finally the man said, ‘let me tell you my story, so that you can believe me. My father gave me a wallet when I was in junior school, and inside the plastic cover I placed a photo of my parents, besides some money. When I became a teenager, I replaced my parents’ photo with one of my own. Then when I got married, I replaced my photo with one of my beautiful wife.  When we had our first baby, I placed her photo too along with my wife. Now my parents are dead, last year I lost my wife, my daughter lives far away, and so I decided to buy another wallet with the image of Jesus. Because I realized that He is the only one who would never leave me.’ The condictor had no doubt that the wallet belonged to that man. Later that week, the conductor went to a religious store and bought a nice leather wallet with the image of Jesus on it.

Our Lady of Lourdes

On three occasions, I was privileged to visit Lourdes for a week each time as a chaplain, a truly special time for me and those who came in my group. What impressed me the most was the holiness of the entire place, and even though the sanctuary and its grounds extended to a few square miles, once you entered the gates, it was like entering a church - everyone was reverent, respectful of each other, and of course there was a mystical aura of prayer all around. On one occasion, I was also privileged to lead one decade of the Rosary in Maltese while pilgrims walked aux flambeaux around the promenade, leading to the sanctuary. 

Leading a Mass at the Grotto in Lourdes

The Marian Apparitions at Lourdes were reported in 1858 by Saint Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old miller's daughter from the town of Lourdes in southern France. From February 11 to July 16, 1858, she reported 18 apparitions of "a Lady," and despite initial skepticism from the Catholic Church, these claims were eventually declared to be worthy of belief after a canonical investigation, and the apparitions were approved by Pope Pius IX in 1862. So far 72 miracles have been scientifically approved, and between 6 to 8 million pilgrims visit Lourdes every year.

Shipwreck of St Paul

The statue of St Paul in procession

February 10 has always and will always be a special day for me and for all Maltese Catholics - the day we celebrate the shipwreck of Saint Paul on the island of Malta, as it is recorded in chapter 28 of the Acts of the Apostles: “Once we had reached safety we learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us extraordinary hospitality; they lit a fire and welcomed all of us because it had begun to rain and was cold. Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire when a viper, escaping from the heat, fastened on his hand. When the natives saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must certainly be a murderer; though he escaped the sea, Justice has not let him remain alive.” But he shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm.........the rest of the sick on the island came to Paul and were cured. They paid us great honor and when we eventually set sail they brought us the provisions we needed.” This reading is a great tribute to the Maltese, showing them welcoming, hospitable and generous. The feast is commemorated with a solemn procession in the streets of the capital city of Valletta, where the church of the Shipwreck of Saint Paul is situated. The beloved statue of Saint Paul was carved out of wood by Melchiore Gafa and is carried in procession today.

Short and Sweet

These are some short and sweet quotes, worth reflecting on:

Live life to the fullest. - Robert Louis Stevenson

Make each day your masterpiece. — John Wooden

While there's life, there's hope. — Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow. – Albert Einstein.

You are never too old to dream something new each day – C.S. Lewis.

The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you’re in control of the steering and braking and the speed by which you move along.

We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are.

God will always be there for you.

No God – No Peace; Know God – Know Peace.

Back Home

Hummingbirds at Mt Angel Abbey, Oregon

In the animal world, there are some animals that after spending their lives wandering around, as they approach their death they always return home. Incredibly enough, some of them fly thousands of miles and other swim against a torrential current to reach home. This is the case with hummingbirds who fly more than 6,000 miles to reach the place where they were born. Salmon also have an interesting way of swimming against the current in rivers and creeks to get to their place of birth. This instinct is also visible in humans as many who worked for a lifetime, at the end, they always search what was familiar with them from the beginning. Besides we were created by God, and we hope to end up with Him again for eternity.

Pope Pius IX

Blessed Pope Pius IX with some of his close prelates

Today the church celebrates the feast of Blessed Pope Pius IX, the longest reigning Pope in history. Born in Senigallia, Italy, on May 13, 1792, as Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, he was head of the Catholic Church from June 16, 1846, to his death on February 7, 1878. During his pontificate, Pius IX convened the First Vatican Council (1869–70), which decreed papal infallibility. One interesting fact that many people don’t know is that he was ordained a priest by a Maltese Cardinal. It was Fabrizio Sceberras Testaferrata (1 April 1757 - 3 August 1843) who ordained Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti a priest on April 10, 1819. The Maltese prelate served as Bishop of Senigallia from 1818 until his death in 1843. In his younger years, Pope Pius IX was Archbishop of Spoleto between 1827 and 1832. He was a Marian Pope, who in his encyclical Ubi Primum described Mary as a Mediatrix of salvation. In 1854, he promulgated the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, proclaiming that Mary was conceived without original sin. Pius IX will always be remembered for the many concordats agreed and signed, and helping many developing nations. On another note, Pope Pius IX was instrumental in erecting the Diocese of Gozo as a separate Diocese from mainland Malta in 1868. Pius IX celebrated his silver jubilee as a Pope in 1871, going on to have the longest reign in the history of the Papacy, 31 years, 7 months and 23 days, possibly second only to St Peter. Together with Pope St. John XXIII, he was beatified on September 3, 2000, after the recognition of a miracle. Pius IX was assigned the liturgical feast of February 7, the date of his death.

Remembering my Seminary Rector

Fr Victor with my family after my Diaconate ordination in 1976

After 95 hard-working years with utmost dedication and commitment to the church in Malta, my Rector at the Seminary, Monsignor Victor Grech was called to eternal life yesterday February 5. He followed his brother Joe, a popular singer in Malta, who passed away just a few weeks ago. Dun Victor, as most of the priests still call him, spent the last part of his life working for an organization CARITAS that helped rehabilitate drug addicts and other young people with various behavioral issues. But I remember him mostly as our Rector, serving from 1962 until 1977 in that responsible role, as he also acted as a spiritual father and mentor to all of us seminarians. He was a role model to all future priests, most of whom are still actively involved in various parishes or Diocesan organizations. It’s worth noting that under his leadership, over 150 priests were ordained, while the Archbishop's Seminary was still in Floriana, presently used as the Chancery. During that time, he would spend a lot of time counselling families and couples who would be waiting outside his office until very late at night to talk to him. Moreover he would give Lenten Spiritual Exercises to various large groups who would pack the largest churches, and in auditoriums that would accommodate the largest possible crowd. He was very gentle with us, disciplined, yet very kind. He had a great influence on my whole family as my parents respected him, and my two brothers Paul and Marcel also attended the Minor Seminary during his time as Rector.

My Class of 1977 sharing a drink with our Rector before our ordination in 1977

I have a nice anecdote about him that happened to me in one of our talks which we were obliged to do every two months or so in his office. It was 1974, mid-way through my Seminary formation. Since I always loved audio-visual aids,  someone had told him that I had a camera and a cassette tape-recorder. So his introduction was ...’Julian, I heard you have a camera and tape-recorder.....don’t you think you are showing a mundane side of yourself as a seminarian?’ Of course I was speechless and mumbled a few words to justify my point that I only used them to serve the community, playing music during religious features and the silent retreats at lunch and dinner, and taking an occasional photo of community events. Of course I kept all the gadgets that I owned, and continued using them. But if Fr Victor only knew how the world would change and gravitate towards a technological revolution within a few years, and that the presence of cameras, CDs, cell-phones, videos, Ipads, TVs, and so much more would become an indispensable part of our lives! I never reminded him of this remark he made to me 50 years ago, but I’m sure he would tell me ‘Julian, you were right, I had no idea you had such foresight of how things would develop over the years.’ Fr Victor himself used the media most of his life and consoled many people who would call him on local radio stations to find comfort  in his consoling words. May he rest in peace. It is fitting that the state of Malta is giving him a state funeral on Saturday February 8.

St Agatha

St. Agatha was born in Catania, Sicily, and died there a martyr in approximately 251 AD. In the legend of her life, we are told that she belonged to a rich, important family. When she was young, she dedicated her life to God and resisted any men who wanted to marry her or have sex with her. One of these men, Quintian, was of a high enough rank that he felt he could force her to acquiesce. Knowing she was a Christian in a time of persecution, he had her arrested. He expected her to give in when faced with torture and possible death, but she simply affirmed her belief in God by praying: "Jesus Christ, Lord of all, you see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am your sheep: help me to overcome the devil." Quintian imprisoned her in a brothel in order to get her to change her mind. He brought her back before him after she had suffered a month of assault and humiliation in the brothel, but Agatha had never wavered. Quintian sent her to prison, instead of back to the brothel - a move intended to make her more afraid, but which probably was a great relief to her. When she continued to profess her faith in Jesus, Quintian had her tortured by cutting off her breasts. He refused her any medical care but God gave her all the care she needed in the form of a vision of St. Peter, who healed her breasts. Saint Agatha is often depicted in paintings carrying her excised breasts on a platter. The shape of her amputated breasts, especially as depicted in artistic renderings, gave rise to her attribution as the patron saint of bell-founders and of bakers, whose loaves were blessed at her feast day. More recently, she has been venerated as patron saint of breast cancer patients. Because she was asked for help during the eruption of Mount Etna she is considered a protector against the outbreak of fire. She is the patron saint of Catania, Molise, Malta and Gozo, San Marino and Segovia in Spain. She is also the patron saint of breast cancer patients, martyrs, wet nurses, fire and earthquakes. The above statue/bust  is carried in procession in Catania on her feast day. On either side of the bust representing St Agatha are two angels. She is crowned, and in one hand holds a crucifix and in the other she holds an inscription. The whole thing is covered with votive offerings, pectoral crosses from bishops, episcopal rings, jewels etc. According to tradition, the crown upon her head was put there by King Richard the Lionheart.

Hill of Crosses

Three quarters of the Lithuanian population are Catholic, and they have great respect and devotion for the cross. You’ll see crosses everywhere you look, in streets, parks, countryside. They erect them to remember special events, baptisms, weddings and other historic milestones. They are especially proud of the Hill of Crosses in Siauliai where they placed thousands of crosses. But they also had experienced the atrocity of the Soviet oppression which destroyed many of the crosses, especially between 1961 and 1975. Yet the people persisted with placing even more crosses on the hill. By 1980, finally the Soviet persecution ended. Thousands of pilgrims visit this hill and they calculate there are presently over 200,000 crosses, which remind them of what they’ve been through as a nation – tragedies, joy, hope, sacrifice and faith, failure and redemption.

St Blaise

Many people today head to churches to have their throats blessed on the occasion of the feast of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr. St Blaise lived in the 4th century and was a physician, and bishop of Sebastea (modern Sivas, Turkey). He was martyred by being beaten, attacked with iron carding combs, and beheaded. In iconography, Blaise is often shown with the instruments of his martyrdom, steel combs. The similarity of these instruments of torture to wool combs led to his adoption as the patron saint of wool combers in particular, and the wool trade in general. He may also be depicted with crossed candles. Such crossed candles are used for the blessing of throats on the feast day of Blaise, the day after Candlemas on the Roman Catholic calendar of saints. Blaise is traditionally believed to intercede in cases of throat illnesses. He was particularly remembered for dislodging a fish-bone in the throat of a young child, a miracle just before his death which led to many invoking prayers to him for protection of all throat ailments. This is the prayer that is said by a priest while holding the candles criss-crossed around the throat of any parishioner. Particularly in New York, people would line up outside churches to receive this blessing. Apparently it helps because they always come back the following year.  “Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, may God protect you from all ailments of the throat and every other illness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN”

Candles in our lives

Today happens to be the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. It was a custom that any woman who had a brush with birth or death was considered impure for 40 days, and so the purification of that woman had to be done on the 40th day, so that she would be allowed to even enter the temple. So was the case with Mary who also presented Jesus at the temple, both for his circumcision and to be consecrated to the Lord. The parents had to present a pair of turtle doves if they were poor, or lambs or sheep if they happen to be wealthy. The mother frequently presented a candle also to the High Priest. And so on this day, which is also called Candlemas Day, candles to be used during the year are blessed. 

Candles for burning, candles for praying,
The Paschal Candle representing the Risen Christ.
Votive candles offered by people in memory of a loved one.
Candles placed in front of statues, images and paintings of Saints.
Candles used to break the darkness, especially when a power failure kills all electricity.
Candles used aux flambeaux during the daily procession in Lourdes.
Candles used to create ambiance at dinner tables.
Candles carried by altar-servers during Mass.
Candles on the altar, to emphasize the present of the Body and Blood of Jesus.

Agnes Keleti

Agnes Keleti, in 1956 and in 2016

Agnes Keleti, the world's oldest Olympic champion and Holocaust survivor, has died at the age of 103 in early January in a Budapest hospital, just a few days before her 104th birthday on January 9th. Agnes was the oldest living Olympian and as Hungary’s most successful gymnast, she won 10 Olympic medals, all of them after reaching the age of 30, against much younger gymnasts. She won 5 medals in Helsinki (1952) and 5 in Melbourne (1956.) Born as Agnes Klein in 1921, she changed her last name to Keleti and was soon called the ‘queen of gymnastics’ in Hungary, but in 1940, she was barred from any sporting activity due to her Jewish background. She was sent to a concentration camp but in March 1944 she obtained false documents and was able to escape, assuming the identity of a Christian woman. Agnes worked as a maid and kept training on the banks of the river Danube. Her father and other family members were killed in Auschwitz, but her mother and sister were rescued thanks to a Swedish diplomat. Then after the Melbourne Olympics, she never returned home but settled in Israel where she met and married her Hungarian sports teacher Robert Biro, with whom she had 2 children. After retiring from competition, she worked as a physical education teacher and coached the Israeli national team. She only moved back to Hungary in 2015.

Praying for the skaters

First responders searching for victims in the frozen Potomac

Around 9 PM Jan. 29, a regional jet flying from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a U.S. Army helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The aircraft plummeted into the Potomac River, and more than 60 passengers and crew members on board American Airlines Flight 5342 were feared dead. Pope Francis, in a telegram sent Jan. 30 to President Donald Trump, expressed his "spiritual closeness to all those affected, including his prayers for the first responders who have been retrieving the victims' bodies. In commending the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, I offer my deepest sympathies to the families who are now mourning the loss of a loved one. We praise God for the generous assistance of our courageous first responders, and may this disaster serve as an impetus to strengthen our unity and collaboration." Among the victims were many young ice-skaters who had just competed in a competition in Wichita, Kansas. There were also a husband and wife ice-skating champions from Russia, besides coaches and parents. Other Washington and Kansas bishops commented, "We are able to gather here today in faith, and to entrust all those who have died to God's loving embrace, to ask the Lord to bless and console family members and friends, and to watch over all the first responders. How fragile life really is. Each new day is a gift. Each moment we have with loved ones is a gift. Each day we have to do good for others is a gift. So perhaps the most powerful way we can honor those who lost their lives last night is to make sure we never take these gifts for granted."