A true conversion

A sister-nurse in a hospital stopped a priest walking through the corridors and asked him to visit an elderly man who was belligerent and anti-religious, as no one could talk to him. The priest went in to speak to him, but the elderly man cursed him and embarrassed himself refusing even to talk to the kind priest. He had no other choice than to walk out and leave the hospital. But the sister begged the priest again to try one more time. ‘I’m sorry, I tried but I can’t force him!’ the priest replied. Yet the sister insisted he should try one more time. Reluctantly, he did and the priest went in again and told him ‘Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to do confession or receive communion, but I just want to pray here by myself.’

The elderly patient had no remorse at all and told the priest ‘You’re just wasting your time.’ ‘That’s OK, I know that God is merciful and forgives everyone, even you.’ The man insisted ‘No, there’s no hope for me.....let me tell you what I did....25 years ago I worked on the railroad and my job was the put down the bar to stop cars from advancing when a train was coming. One day I was drunk and did not put the bar down. A car approached the tracks and proceeded just as a train was coming. The train crushed the car with two people inside and three young children, killing all of them. I destroyed a family that day because of my vices and drunkenness. God will never forgive me!’ The priest asked him where was he working when this happened. As soon as he told him the intersection where the train tragedy happened, the priest told him ‘25 years ago I lost both my parents and my three little sisters in that train wreck. I was not with them, because I was sick that day. Now you have to understand that God has forgiven you, and I forgive you too, even though I didn’t know you.’  The man cried and cried and asked to be forgiven in confession and received the Eucharist from that priest.

Now when the priest left that room, he searched for that sister who had encouraged him to persevere and visit that patient again. He felt it really strange when the other nurses told him that there was no sister around for days. So a few months later, the priest was saying Mass in a nun’s convent and on the wall he saw a painting of a nun, whom he recognized as the sister who had spoken to him that day in the hospital. The other nuns laughed at him when he told them the story. They told him ‘Father, that is St Faustina – she’s been dead almost 90 years. You could not have seen her in person.’  Truly God is merciful and He uses unpredictable situations to make miracles when we least expect them.

St Benedict

The feast of Saint Benedict, the founder of Monasticism is a very special day in the life of the church, as all Benedictines celebrate the life of their founder today. St Benedict devised his famous Rule, which is read by all his members, at times almost memorized. I am always fascinated by Chapter 4 of the Rule, which lists 61 tools for good works, all based on Scripture. Here they are, listed in order, which makes for a good meditation:

In the first place, to love the Lord God with the whole heart, the whole soul, the whole strength. Then, one's neighbor as oneself. Then not to murder. Not to commit adultery. Not to steal. Not to covet. Not to bear false witness. To honor all. And not to do to another what one would not have done to oneself. To deny oneself in order to follow Christ. To chastise the body. Not to become attached to pleasures. To love fasting. To relieve the poor. To clothe the naked. To visit the sick. To bury the dead. To help in trouble. To console the sorrowing. To become a stranger to the world's ways. To prefer nothing to the love of Christ. Not to give way to anger. Not to nurse a grudge. Not to entertain deceit in one's heart. Not to give a false peace. Not to forsake charity.

St Benedict handing the Rule to his monks

Not to swear, for fear of perjuring oneself. To utter truth from heart and mouth. Not to return evil for evil. To do no wrong to anyone, and to bear patiently wrongs done to oneself. To love one's enemies. Not to curse those who curse us, but rather to bless them. To bear persecution for justice's sake. Not to be proud. Not addicted to wine. Not a great eater. Not drowsy. Not lazy. Not a grumbler. Not a detractor. To put one's hope in God. To attribute to God, and not to self, whatever good one sees in oneself.  But to recognize always that the evil is one's own doing, and to impute it to oneself. 

To fear the Day of Judgment. To be in dread of hell. To desire eternal life with all the passion of the spirit. To keep death daily before one's eyes. To keep constant guard over the actions of one's life. To know for certain that God sees one everywhere. When evil thoughts come into one's heart, to dash them against Christ immediately. And to manifest them to one's spiritual guardian. To guard one's tongue against evil and depraved speech. Not to love much talking. Not to speak useless words or words that move to laughter. Not to love much or boisterous laughter. To listen willingly to holy reading. To devote oneself frequently to prayer.
Daily in one's prayers, with tears and sighs, to confess one's past sins to God, and to amend them for the future. Not to fulfil the desires of the flesh; to hate one's own will. To obey in all things the commands of the Abbot or Abbess even though they (which God forbid) should act otherwise, mindful of the Lord's precept, "Do what they say, but not what they do." Not to wish to be called holy before one is holy; but first to be holy, that one may be truly so called.

Pope Francis from the hospital

The late Pope Francis wrote this reflection while he was recovering in hospital, just a few weeks before he died:

“The walls of hospitals have heard more honest prayers than churches...they have witnessed far more sincere kisses than those in airports...It is in hospitals that you see a homophobe being saved by a gay doctor. A privileged doctor saving the life of a beggar...In intensive care, you see a Jew taking care of a racist...A police officer and a prisoner in the same room receiving the same care...A wealthy patient waiting for a liver transplant, ready to receive the organ from a poor donor....It is in these moments, when the hospital touches the wounds of people, that different worlds intersect according to a divine design. And in this communion of destinies, we realize that alone, we are nothing.

The absolute truth of people, most of the time, only reveals itself in moments of pain or in the real threat of an irreversible loss. A hospital is a place where human beings remove their masks and show themselves as they truly are, in their purest essence. This life will pass quickly, so do not waste it fighting with people. Do not criticize your body too much. Do not complain excessively. Do not lose sleep over bills. Make sure to hug your loved ones. Do not worry too much about keeping the house spotless. Material goods must be earned by each person—do not dedicate yourself to accumulating an inheritance. You are waiting for too much: whether it’s Christmas, Friday, next year, when you have money, when love arrives, when everything is perfect...Listen, perfection does not exist. A human being cannot attain it because we are simply not made to be fulfilled here. Here, we are given an opportunity to learn. So, make the most of this trial of life—and do it now. Respect yourself, respect others. Walk your own path, and let go of the path others have chosen for you. Respect: do not comment, do not judge, do not interfere. Love more, forgive more, embrace more, live more intensely! And leave the rest in the hands of the Creator.”

$20 worth of time

                    
A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5 year old son waiting for him at the door.  "Daddy, may I ask  you a question?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?" replied the man.  "Daddy,  how much money do you make an hour?"
"That's none of your business!   What makes you ask such a thing?"  the man said angrily.
"I just want to know.  Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy.
"If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."
"Oh," the little boy replied, head bowed.  Looking up, he said,  "Daddy, may I borrow $10.00 please?".
The father was now furious.  "If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you're being so selfish.  I work long hard hours everyday and don't have time for such childish games."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.  The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy's questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son.  Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
"Are you asleep son?" he asked.  "No Daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.
"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier," said the man.
"It's been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you.   Here's that $10.00 you asked for." The little boy sat straight up, beaming.  "Oh, thank you Daddy!" he yelled.
Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills. The man,
seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man. "Why did you want more money if you already had some?" the father grumbled.
"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.
 
"Daddy, I have $20.00 now.  Can I buy an hour of your time?"

Blessed Ulma Family

Yesterday was the feast of the Blessed Ulma Family who were beatified for helping Polish Jews during World War II and were martyred in the process. Yesterday was also the 90th anniversary of the marriage of the blessed Ulma couple. Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma had 6 children with another baby due to be delivered within days. They lived on a farm in Markowa, Poland, and were very devout Catholics, besides being great benefactors to those who needed help. Two families asked for help from them as they were Jewish and were afraid the Nazis would find them and kill them. Josef and Wiktoria were married on July 7, 1935 and had these children: Stanislawa, 8 years, Barbara, 7 years, Wladislaw, 6 years, Franciszek, 4 years, Antoni, 3 and Maria, 2 years old. The Szall family with 2 parents and 4 sons found refuge with the Ulmas, as did the Goldman sisters. They lived in an attic, but occasionally they came out to help in the fields. Yet on the night of March 23 and 24, 1944, someone spied on them, and the Nazis came over to the house and found the Szalls and Goldmans hiding. They were all killed on the spot. Then Jozef and Wiktoria were killed in front of the screaming and crying children. Lastly the young children were killed, one by one, all martyred for being kind and helpful to strangers. The stress that Wiktoria experienced made her deliver the baby she was carrying. Actually this was found out when exhumations of their bodies were done in January 1945, to have them buried in a Catholic cemetery. Wiktoria was found with the upper part of the baby’s body between her legs. These 17 martyrs were all beatified on September 10, 2023. The liturgical feast of the Ulma family will be celebrated on July 7 each year, the date of their wedding. A monument in memory of the Ulma family was erected in Markowa frequently visited by tourists and pilgrims. On September 13, 1995, the Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem posthumously honoured Józef and Wiktoria Ulma with the title of “Righteous Among the Nations”. In 2016, a museum named after them was opened in Markowa, which is dedicated to all Poles who saved Jews during the Holocaust. 

Blog visitors

I my homily this weekend I used the occasion of Jesus sending out his disciples on their mission, to challenge the congregation to do something similar. Towards the end I asked them to search this Blog and browse through it, and then share it with others on their mailing list. This was the mission I was sending them on, an effort that takes 2 minutes a day. Quite a few people picked up the strip of paper I gave them with the address of this blog, and I’m sure many of them were surfing along reading some of my posts. So, for those who are new to this Blog, ‘welcome on board.’ I hope you find anything that inspires you and motivates you. Make sure you look under the Older Posts link down at the bottom right, which would take you all the way to May 2016. The search link on the top right will help you find anything you are looking for, prayers, quotes, anecdotes, inspirational stories, photos, reflections and so much more. Some you may find interesting, others less, but don’t give up – I try to vary my posts and there’s always something surprising, a blast from the past, and of course it is not strictly religious.  You may be surprised who checks my Blog! – people from Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil, Thailand, Argentina, USA and of course Malta. This has been going since 2016, and it follows the previous Blog I started in January 2012 in Oregon, which you can still browse through here: www.fatherjulian.blogspot.com

More gems to treasure

I’ve been receiving many compliments for these gems I’ve been sharing from time to time. Keep them together in a folder and when you feel depressed, browse through them, and you are guaranteed to feel better soon.

Appreciate those who love you. Help those who need you. Forgive those who hurt you. Forget those who leave you. Bless everyone and you will be blessed.

The only people who deserve to be in your life are the ones who treat you with kindness, love and respect.

No matter what happens, where you go or what you do, always remember: no one can take the fire out of your soul, the stars from your eyes, or the passion from your heart. Those things belong to you always.

Raindrops may be tiny in shape and size. But their continuous fall makes the rivers overflow. Always remember that small and continuous efforts makes massive changes in life.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a hug, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

When thinking about life, remember: no amount of guilt can change the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future.

One of he best lessons you can learn in life is to master how you can remain calm.

The greatest value of having good people around us is not what we get from them, but the better person we become because of them.

We are all tourists and God is our travel agent, who already fixed our route, our destinations and reservations – so trust Him and enjoy the ‘trip’ called ‘life.’ 

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

He will be canonized on September 7, along with Blessed Carlo Acutis, both of them young Italian people who are admired around the world, not just by Catholics. Pier Giorgio died on July 4, 1925, exactly 100 years ago yesterday. He was a devout young man, who loved friends, mountaineering, and as a member of the Catholic Action spoke often against Fascism, which was getting stronger in the early years of the 20th century. He was born April 6, 1901 and had a sister Luciana who lived until her 105th year and died in 2007. He was a member of the Third Order Dominicans, lay people who follow the order founded by St Dominic. He developed polio suddenly and died within a few weeks of his diagnosis. He was beatified on May 20, 1990 by Pope John Paul II. He loved all kinds of sports, especially swimming, hiking, skiing but especially mountaineering. His motto was ‘Verso l’Alto’ (Towards High) which referred not only towards the peaks he conquered but also looking heavenward, anticipating reaching heaven.

Independence Day

Click to enlarge the prayer for America

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding.  His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. . . . . . He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. . . The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. . . The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. . . .Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.. . . . So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots.

St Thomas

St Thomas by Caravaggio

Today we honor St Thomas, one of the apostles of Christ, who will always be remembered for his doubting traits. When Jesus appeared to the apostles after the Resurrection, at first Thomas was not there, and told his friends that he would not believe that Jesus was alive, unless he saw with his eyes, and touched with his own hands the wounds of Jesus. Of course the second time, Thomas not only believed, but uttered one of the most quoted phrases in the entire Gospel, "My Lord and my God." This is a phrase that is frequently repeated by many people at the time of the elevation of the Eucharist. Tradition says that St Thomas went to India where he introduced Christianity, and where his remains were preserved, until they were transferred to Mesopotamia in 232 AD, a ceremony organized by an Indian King, out of respect to the great Apostle. In some Christian areas of India, today is considered a holy day, and he is also known as 'St Thomas of India.'

Thomas' wound of disbelief was healed by touching and seeing Jesus' wounds. So it wasn't by chance that Thomas was absent, then came and heard, he heard and doubted, he doubted and touched, and finally he touched and believed.

Children's names

God has blessed me with a great memory for names. Even going back 40 to 50 years, I can look at a photo of children I taught or were altar servers, and I can name the majority of them. In fact today I am testing myself and see how many of these Holy Spirit students I can name from back in 1982 when I spent 10 years among them. This was a 5th Grade class, and here are the family names of the girls, top row first, left to right. I am skipping a few which I don't remember but the majority are here: McCabe, Hackett, McCartan, Guder, Hannigan, Lowder, Diers, Santangelo, Ward, Cunningham, Trunfio.

And among the boys, we have: Greiner, Mikowski, Robertson, Persichelli, Pellicone, Foy, Nyhus, Schiraldi, McGuinness, Walsh, Roetger, Riley, Burns, Diaz. Most of them were altar-boys. Unfortunately the school closed down in around 2000 with low enrolment and an influx of non-Catholic students, whose parents would not support the church. Back then we had 13 nuns in the parish convent, and around 6 of them worked in the school, as teachers, librarian, assistants, and principal. The nuns were very grateful as they hosted my parents on two occasions when they visited me in the early 1980s. Sadly there may be one nun left in the parish, in New Hyde Park, NY. When I arrived there in September 1981, we were 6 priests, but within 3 years we were down to 3 and eventually 2 when I was transferred to St Anthony's in Rocky Point, NY. My pastor at Holy Spirit and best friend Fr John Heinlein died last year on April 14, aged 90.

My grandma’s figs

As a young child, I used to spend a lot of time at my grandmother’s house. In the large garden they had in their house, my grandparents had a large fig tree that spread its branches and  leaves all over the garden. Maybe because I was young and small that I thought it was big, but it really was huge, and so where the figs that it produced. My job in the summer was to climb the thick branches and pick as many figs as possible, at times filling 3 to 4 bucketfulls, which my grandma would separate the good from the bad ones. Mind you, I’m talking about one bad one for every twenty juicy and plump figs. Very few were thrown away, and they were distributed to relatives and neighbors. And another bucketful would end up in my stomach while spreading my arms and limbs to get the ones at the far end of the branches. The only problem I had up there was what to do with the fig skins. Some of them I was able to throw over the wall into an adjacent field in the Ta’ Ġiorni neighborhood. A few others I threw on the soil underneath me, and the biggest amount I threw on a chicken coop, which was pretty high, and no one would notice them. That’s what I thought until my aunt saw these little black spots on the coop and wondered what they were. When my uncles checked them out, they found out what they were and the culprit was caught red-handed. But thankfully the fig skins had dried up and shrivelled up to almost nothing. On top of everything I never got sick from eating so many figs, and still consider them my favorite fruit along with strawberries and mango.

The Early Martyrs

Just one day after the feast of St Peter and St Paul, we are reminded of the hundreds, possibly thousands of martyrs killed by cruel and atrocious Emperors in the first 300 years of Christianity. What is known as the Persecution era, so many martyrs died defending their faith, either through crucifixion, being burned, being eaten by lions or other excruciating methods of torture. Many of them were arrested just for being seen carrying a cross in their hands. Most of them congregated underground in catacombs, for fear of being arrested and killed. Some of the known martyrs have been canonized by the church, St. Agnes, St. Agatha, St. Cecilia, St. Lucy, St. Sebastian, St Ignatius of Antioch, most of the early Popes, and so many others. It was only thanks to King Constantine who ended the Persecutions in 313 AD that Christians could once again profess their faith freely and build basilicas and churches to worship in.

St Peter and Paul

St Peter, a painting from my brother's collection

St Peter was one of the privileged three who were close to Jesus on various occasions, along with John and James. He was the first apostle to perform a miracle, and we admire the triple affirmation of faith to erase completely the triple denial during Christ’s passion. He was chosen to be the first Pope of the Church realizing that Jesus saw something special in him - not John who remained faithful till the end, who wrote a beautiful Gospel, but Peter - the rough and tough type, the weakling who became the rock.

Emvin Cremona - St Paul's panel from 1960 centennial

St Paul on the other hand made his turnaround quickly and in a determined way. From being so helpless at his conversion, to becoming a strong powerful spokesperson for Christ, travelling hundreds of miles, on foot, by boat, probably on horseback, writing prolifically his letters to communities he had previously visited. Then he was sent to Rome to be tried as a Roman citizen, only to have his ship wrecked on my homeland Malta (Acts chapters 27-28). Let us remember today the dominant image these two apostles represent in our church....Peter, the rock, the foundation, and Paul, the messenger par excellence of Jesus.

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Following the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, today we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Similar to yesterday's feast, it was St. John Eudes who promoted this devotion first in 1648 in the town of Autun, France, and later on in all the French dioceses. In 1799, Pope Pius VI granted the Bishop of Palermo the permission to celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in his diocese. When the revelation of the 'Miraculous Medal" to St Catherine Laboure took place in 1830, the impetus for this devotion was even more obvious. Mary's love for us all is just as powerful and consistent as that of her Son, Jesus. When we feel sad or depressed, let us go to Mary and enjoy her loving embrace given with compassion, devotion and respect. May she continue to protect everyone from the ravages of war and conflict, especially in Ukraine and Gaza and the entire Middle East region.

Notice from Fr Julian:

I want to thank all visitors to my Blog, presently averaging 3,500 daily. I am grateful that the daily message I share is being appreciated and shared among so many people and so many nations, including Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Ecuador, and of course Malta and the USA. My Blog has been going since January 2012, starting in the USA and continuing in Malta from 2016. My first Blog from my parishes in Oregon is still accessible, if anyone want to browse through it. Makes sure you click on Older Posts link, at the bottom right. My first Blog Jan 2012-April 2016 is found here: www.fatherjulian.blogspot.com                                                             Thank you !

The Heart of Jesus

Vella Gianni - Sacred Heart Discalced Carmelites Birkirkara

Heart of Jesus, give us the strength to persevere in your footsteps.
Heart of Jesus, enlighten our path to stay faithful in our journey of faith.
Heart of Jesus, remind us always to love others as You loved us, always and unconditionally.
Heart of Jesus, teach us to be patient with those we don’t seem to tolerate that easily.
Heart of Jesus, help us to find time to pray, to listen to You and to act kindly towards others.
Heart of Jesus, encourage everyone to appreciate the gift of the Eucharist, and our meeting You daily at Mass.
Heart of Jesus, protect our children and our youth, and mold them into strong future leaders of our church.
Heart of Jesus, may we appreciate the simple things in life, and accept Your blessings on us and our families.
Heart of Jesus, inspire us to give that word of encouragement to those who have given up hope.
Heart of Jesus, take us to Mary Your Mother, and keep us close to her.
Heart of Jesus, shower us with your abundant love, and never let us take You for granted.
Heart of Jesus, help us to live one day at a time.
Heart of Jesus, send Your peace on our troubled world, especially in the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and other places where conflicts persist daily.
Heart of Jesus, thank you for loving us so much, maybe when we didn’t even deserve it.

Puccini and Toscanini

Giacomo Puccini

When Giacomo Puccini was nearing the end of his life, he started to write his last opera, Turandot, possibly his best opera. But when he felt so weak, he asked his friend conductor Arturo Toscanini to find someone to finish it. This was actually completed by Franco Alfano. Puccini died in 1924 and Turandot was performed for the first time in 1926, directed by Toscanini. When the conductor arrived at the spot when Puccini died, he turned towards the audience and told them ‘this is how far the Maestro wrote.’ He then put the baton down and walked away, followed by a prolonged applause. The second time he conducted the opera he did the whole performance, including the last part completed by Alfano. It was well received as their style was very similar. This story encourages us to be aware of our unfinished business we have on our journey of faith. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left the apostles to finish the work He started.  Like a relay race, the baton is now in our hands, after the apostles and many holy people did excellent work by keeping Christianity alive and well over the centuries. Let’s not disappoint Him, but continue our duty at hand and spreading the good news by our faithful witness. 

When Leo was Robert

Looking back in time, we see in these photos the other side of Pope Leo XIV, when he was an ordinary Augustinian priest mostly in his Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru. Traveling around parishes was probably easier using a mule or a horse, rather than a car, with rugged roads and dirt instead of asphalt. I'm sure people were gracious that he would visit them as they would wait for weeks to see a priest, as is the case in most mission countries.

Of course once a year Robert Prevost had to celebrate his birthday and anniversary of ordination, and here we see him cutting a cake, I'm sure surrounded by some of his parishioners. 

And here we see the future Pope giving the 'I Love You' sign in sign language. I learned about this sign when I would see some of my Mexican parishioners showing the same symbolic sign. One day someone explained to me that I L U is made with the fingers of one hand. The letter I is the small finger, the pinky, or even one of the others outstretched. The letter L is the thumb and forefinger together, and the U is the pinky and forefinger with the thumb closed. The background image in the photo is Our Lady of Guadalupe, a much beloved image revered by all Mexicans remembering the apparition of the Blessed Mother to St Juan Diego in 1531 in Guadalupe, Mexico.

St John the Baptist

Antoni del Caraiolo - Mary, Jesus and John

Certainly one of the most underrated saints in heaven is St John the Baptist. He was the same age as Jesus, born of St Elizabeth, and most probably grew up with Jesus as his buddy and best friend. Many of the paintings in fact depict them together as little boys, little toddlers being admired by Mary and Elizabeth, with Joseph and Joachim in the background. This particular painting by Antonio del Caraiolo shows Jesus ready to start breast-feeding from his mother, while John the young Baptist admires Him, as Jesus is being nourished lovingly, spiritually and tenderly. What we seem to underestimate in John is his respect he had towards Jesus. He spent plenty of time in prayer, preparing for the coming into action of Jesus. In fact his motto was precisely “Prepare the way of the Lord,” a phrase we hear predominantly during the Advent Season. We see him in the desert converting people and encouraging them to turn to his Master, baptizing him in the process, while he disappeared into oblivion. Unfortunately he never got any credit, but was arrested and beheaded by Herod. Today we celebrate his birth, a festivity and solemnity, while his martyrdom is celebrated on August 29th.

The Hound of Heaven

A well-known poem by Francis Thompson reflects on the struggles of the human soul against the forces of life’s distractions. This is a brief modern adaptation which I came across of the long poem, and I share it with you today, about God’s relentless pursuit of the human soul.

I fled from you, God – Your presence like a weight

on my heart, a voice too distant to hear,

I ran through the noise of city street,

Immersed in my own self-doubt.

But like a shadow in ever place I hid,

You were there, unseen but known.

I sought escape in the fast-paced pulse,

the grind, the instant highs of fleeting pleasure,

I dove into distractions – disconnected,

As the world buzzed around me.

But still, You followed, a silent pursuit beneath my skin,

Whispering softly, ‘Come Back.’

 

At night, when the world went quiet,

I could feel your nearness like an ache –

the memories of the love that I ignored,

Like echoes fading but never gone.

I tried to numb it with the  glow of screens,

with empty crowd and shallow conversations,

but the silence between them was filled with Your waiting presence.

I fought back – for I was afraid,

thinking that to yield to you would mean to lose myself,

to fall into the unknown.

But each time I turned away

You were there, waiting for me to see the futility of my flight,

the hopelessness of my chase.

And then, a moment – the blur of life froze. I stopped running.

In the stillness, You came close – The Hound of Heaven,

not in anger, but with a love,

that was both fierce and gentle, both patient and eternal.

And I, lost and weary, finally let myself  be found.

The gift of the Eucharist

'Eucharist' by John Grima, at Hilltop Gardens chapel

Without any doubt, the greatest gift Jesus could have left us was in the Eucharist. He also gave us His mother Mary as our Mother, just before He died on the cross, but a few hours earlier, he gave us His Body and His Blood, literally and figuratively, as our everlasting spiritual food. We are also honored to adore His presence every day. Not only in our own churches, but in every church around the world, as the Blessed Sacrament is present for Adoration, prayer and private time with the Lord. When people pray in His presence, miracles happen, as many people can tell you. Today’s celebration of Corpus Christi further accentuates the respect and reverence we should all show to the Eucharist. Processions are held in various countries, a tradition started by St Juliana of Liege in the 12th century. For that occasion St Thomas Aquinas was commissioned to write the words of various Eucharistic hymns we still use today, Tantum Ergo, O Sacrum Convivum, O Salutaris Hostia, Lauda Sion Salvatorem and others. I pray especially today that all those children who received their First Holy Communion just a few weeks ago, will encourage their parents to continue to attend Mass at least every weekend, since many of them disappear soon after. May they truly appreciate the gift they have received and continue to cherish it, and welcome it into their hearts as often as possible.

12 things to remember

1.       The past cannot be changed.

2.      Opinions don’t define your reality.

3.      Everyone’s journey is different.

4.      Judgements are not about you.

5.      Overthinking will lead to sadness.

6.      Happiness is found within.

7.      Your thoughts affect your mood.

8.      Smiles are contagious.

9.      Kindness is free.

10.   It’s OK to let go and move on.

11.    What goes around, comes around.

12.   Things always get better with time.

Anniversary Mass

I share with you some photos from yesterday’s 48th anniversary Mass held at Our Lady of Loreto Church in Gwardamangia. We thank the Ursoline Sisters who hosted us both for the Mass and the reception following in their beautiful church and grounds. The photos shown here were taken by Marisa Cannataci who was a part of the community of Ursoline Sisters for many years. We joined Pope Leo XIV who also celebrated his ordination anniversary – his was the 43rd, as he was ordained in Rome in 1982. 

Click to enlarge each photo

We also prayed for the Superior General of the Ursolines in Malta, Sister Madeline Cachia who is having her 50th anniversary of her solemn profession. We of course remembered all of our parents who are now all enjoying eternal rest in heaven, after the death of the last surviving parent this past week.

48th Anniversary

Our Ordination day June 19, 1977

We are getting close to our Golden Jubilee of Priesthood. As usual we did our annual retreat the past two days, and later on today we’ll concelebrate together, in the presence of our family and friends. Most of us are in our early 70s, semi-retired but all of us still active in various parishes and diocesan organizations. But I look back today to that historic day on Sunday June 19, 1977 when along with 13 other classmates, I was ordained a priest by Archbishop Joseph Mercieca at St John’s Cathedral in Valletta, Malta. After 7 happy years living at the Seminary with all my classmates and about another 60 seminarians, we were all assigned to different parishes, myself ending up in my hometown parish of St Julian’s, where I spent 4 years before leaving for the USA in September 1981. Then after 22 years in New York and 13 years in Oregon, I returned to Malta in April 2016, where I’ve been serving as a chaplain ata Retirement Home, while also helping almost daily in the local parish of  Naxxar. At the same time I continue to share my talents of presenting interesting Power Point talks, playing the flute, doing watercolors, writing articles in local Catholic newspaper, taking photos and doing this blog.

To end I share this beautiful poem by Henri Lacordaire, a French Dominican priest, which I have recited every year on my anniversary Mass:
To live in the midst of the world, without desiring its pleasures.
To be a member of each family, yet belonging to none.
To share all sufferings, to heal all wounds.
To penetrate all secrets, without being curious.
To go from men to God and offer Him their prayers.
To return from God to men, to bring pardon, hope and peace.
To have a heart of gold for charity, and a heart of bronze for chastity
To teach, to listen, to forgive. To lead, to console, to bless always.
This is your life, o priest of Christ.