Mary and Elizabeth

As we approach the celebration of Christmas, the focus now moves to the Holy Family as Mary and Joseph prepare for the birth of their baby. The Annunciation and the Visitation are also highlighted in the Gospel readings this week. A touching picture I found is the encounter of Mary and Elizabeth as their babies also rejoice at their first encounter. Most paintings of the Visitation, one sees Mary and Elizabeth in a very reverent and serious mood, but this picture shows a lighter, more human reaction, both of them laughing and smiling, a scene which is originally portrayed in the movie “The Nativity Story.” Another artist reproduced this encounter and it is one of my favorites. I hope it becomes yours too.

The same scene from the 'The Nativity Story'

My parents’ masterpiece

Over the years my parents have always decorated our home with Christmas symbols, including a large presepio, a Nativity display that my father created for us, the whole town of Bethlehem. They also set up a canopy with baby Jesus and two angels in the entrance of our house, something which I refer to as a masterpiece, because they put so much love, detail and attention to it. The above photo shows my parents next to it, back in the 1990s, a ritual they enjoyed doing every Christmas. 

Surrounding baby Jesus are pots of grown vetch, (ġulbiena in Maltese) a seed that grows very white, as long as it is grown in the dark. It is usually planted in early December and watered every few days, until a few days before Christmas. It may look similar to alfalfa, but it’s used frequently by many families and churches for the Christmas season.  Two angels sit on each side of Baby Jesus, kneeling in prayer.

Stay with us, dear Jesus

As we await the arrival of Jesus, born again in Bethlehem, in our homes, in our families and in our hearts, we pray that He will stay with us throughout the new year.

Stay with us Jesus, because when it gets dark, You’re the only source of Light in our lives.
When we get lonely, You’re the perfect companion.
When we are afraid, You can surely encourage us.
When we fear the unknown future, You affirm our past and present.
When we experience weakness, You are there to strengthen us.
When we lose our way to You, Your spiritual compass is our one and only hope.
When we lose heart, You always comfort us an show us compassion.
When we don’t know what to say or how to pray, You always have the right suggestion.       
When we cannot see clearly, You always help us focus our perspective of life.
When we want to hurt others and say that nasty word, You always correct our speech and manner of behavior.
When we act stubborn, You tolerate us.
When we act selfish, You show us a kind caring way to do things.
And when we falter as humans, You grant us Your mercy and Forgiveness. Not only that, but You forgive and forget.

7 joys of St Joseph

St Joseph consoling a tired Jesus

As during Holy Week we reflect on the 7 sorrows of Mary, it’s appropriate during this Christmas week to reflect also on the 7 joys which St Joseph experienced while raising his son Jesus.

1.                 When the Angel appeared to him and revealed that he would be the foster father of the Messiah.

2.                 When his son was born and shepherds came to adore him in Bethlehem.

3.                 When he revealed what name his son would be given, as revealed to him by the Angel.

4.                 When the 3 Kings came to adore him and offer Him their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

5.                 The prophecy of Simon at the Presentation, that his son would be great and special.

6.                 When he could return to Nazareth with Mary and young Jesus after spending 2 years wandering in Egypt, fearful of Herod’s plan to kill their son..

7.                 When he found 12 year old Jesus in the temple, after being lost for 3 days, and with Mary were worried and searching for Him.

Catholics in Africa

One out of 5 Catholics in our world is from Africa. One out of 3 seminarians in our world is also from Africa. Africa has become the beating heart of the Catholic world. While Europe is worried and concerned about empty seminaries and dwindling numbers in church attendance, the churches in Africa are always packed with people, and vocations always on the increase. There are approximately 281 million Catholics in Africa, representing about 20% of the continent's population. The top 5 countries with a huge number of Catholic faithful in Africa are as follows: Democratic Republic of Congo ~ 55 million; Nigeria ~35 million; Tanzania ~ 19 million; Uganda ~ 18 million ; Kenya ~ 14 million. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria are having anywhere between 300 and 400 new priests every year. 

According to this video, which shows the progress of various religions over 100 years, presently Muslims in Africa amount to 736 million, while Christians amount to 728 million. By the year 2100, both Muslims and Christian will be around 2 billion in membership.

10 Christmas movies

These are 10 Christmas movies that are popular at Christmas time.

1.                  It’s a wonderful life – Pope Leo’s favorite movie.

2.                 The Bells of St. Mary’s – with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman.

3.                 The Bishop’s Wife – with David Niven, Loretta Young and Cary Grant.

4.                 Star – animated movie with animals looking at the birth of Jesus.

5.                 The Nativity Story – a modern classic of an old unique story.

6.                 Babette’s feast – Pope Francis’ favorite movie.

7.                 Holiday – with Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant.

8.                 Metropolitan – college students at Christmas break.

9.                 Paddington 2 – the adventures of the beloved teddy-bear.

10.             The Muppets Christmas Carol – a happy upbeat spin on a classic.

Christmas Prayer

This prayer was written by Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous Scottish novel writer, author of 'Treasure Island' (1850-1894) ‘Loving Father, remind us to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, so that we can join the melody of the angels, the joy of the shepherds, and the adoration of the Three Kings. Close the door of hatred, and open wide the door of love for all the world. Make sure that in every gift given, there is a warm outgoing heart, and in every wish, there is a sincere greeting of good wishes. Deliver us from from evil through the blessings brought to us by the Lord Jesus, and make us always be joyful with sincere hearts. May the morning of Christmas  remind us to be grateful for being your children, and may the the evening return us to our beds  with thoughts of gratitude and thanksgiving, and may we all, in the name of Jesus, learn to forgive and be forgiven. Amen.’

Advent Joy

Joy is not the absence of suffering, but rather the presence of the Lord in your life. This third Sunday of Advent is also called ‘Gaudete Sunday’ – Rejoicing Sunday, since the birth of Jesus and the celebration of Christmas is fast approaching. Still some people find it very hard to rejoice, since they experience heart-ache, loss, illness, disappointment and all sorts of problems. Yet those who appear to have everything they need, a luxurious house, a fancy car, a hefty bank account, lots of friends, etc, may not be as happy as one might expect. Being close to your Creator, talking to Him when you need Him, attending church, spending time in prayer, doing your duty as a Christian and a citizen of your country – these are the committments you should focus on if you really want to experience true happiness and joy. With Jesus watching over you, be assured that you are in good hands. In fact a good acronym to remember is Jesus Over You !

Recent watercolors

I think it’s about time to show you some of my recent watercolors. I am self-taught and just practice for fun, but in the long run, I do come out with some fairly decent projects, which people call charming, colorful and interesting. The scenes you see here are all from my own imagination, introducing also some animals, birds, flamingos, cockatiels, deer and egrets. Water coloring is much more difficult than acrylic or oil painting. Because once you water the paper and  place some color with the brush, you don’t have much time to finish the section  you are painting – just make sure that particular section is done as you need it to appear, and walk away to let it dry. Then come back in 10 to 15 minutes and continue with another section. Some painters use a hair-dryer to let the painting dry quickly, but obviously I don’t have one. And going to buy one, any salesperson would look at me, wondering why on earth a bald guy is buying a hair-dryer. So I patiently let the whole painting dry before I pick up where I left before. I have been also practicing how to improve my trees, different styles and techniques. 

Each of these paintings took anywhere between 3 to 4 hours to complete. My personal favorite is the first one called ‘Houses.’ The second one is a series of churches, then you can appreciate a peaceful scenes with trees and birds on a sunset lake, including one with a few bird-houses nestled among hollyhocks. The last one shows a wintry scene with a mama deer with her baby fawn.

Click on all paintings to enlarge

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the most treasured among Mexicans and Catholics alike. It all started in 1531 when an Aztec Indian named Juan Diego was walking through the Tepeyac hill country in central Mexico. Near Tepayac Hill he encountered a beautiful woman surrounded by a ball of light as bright as the sun. Speaking in his native tongue, the beautiful lady identified herself and asked him to inform the bishop to buid a church in that place. Juan, age 57, went to the palace of the Bishop-elect Fray Juan de Zumarraga and requested to meet immediately with the bishop. On hearing his story, the  bishop asked him to ask the Lady to provide a sign as a proof of who she was. Juan dutifully returned to the hill and told Mary of the bishop's request. Mary responded: "My little son, am I not your Mother? Do not fear. The Bishop shall have his sign. Come back to this place tomorrow." Unfortunately, Juan was not able to return to the hill the next day. His uncle had become mortally ill and Juan stayed with him to care for him. After two days, with his uncle near death, Juan left his side to find a priest. Juan had to pass Tepeyac Hill to get to the priest. As he was passing, he found Mary waiting for him. She spoke: "Do not be distressed, my littlest son. Your uncle will not die at this time. Go to the top of the hill and cut the flowers that are growing there. Bring them then to me." While it was freezing on the hillside, and no flowers could ever bloom, Juan obeyed Mary's instructions and went to the top of the hill where he found a full bloom of Castilian roses. 

The original tilma on display in Guadalupe, Mexico

Removing his tilma, a poncho-like cape made of cactus fiber, he cut the roses and carried them back to Mary. She rearranged the roses and told him: "My little son, this is the sign I am sending to the Bishop. Tell him that with this sign I request his greatest efforts to complete the church I desire in this place. Show these flowers to no one else but the Bishop." He told the bishop his story and opened the tilma letting the flowers fall out. But it wasn't the beautiful roses that caused the bishop and his advisors to fall to their knees; for there, on the tilma, was a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary precisely as Juan had described her. The next day, after showing the Tilma at the Cathedral, Juan took the bishop to the spot where he first met Mary. He then returned to his village where he met his uncle who was completely cured. A great basilica was built on the spot where Mary appeared, and a newer basilica was built in its place recently. Juan Diego was canonized by Pope John Paul II, and for all Mexicans today is a holy day. Our Lady of Guadalupe is also the patron for pro-Life. 

Ratzinger’s Christmas list

We all wonder what Popes wished for Christmas when they were young. In 1934, the future Pope Benedict XVI, a young 7-year-old Joseph Ratzinger penned a letter to Jesus requesting three gifts for Christmas. “Dear Baby Jesus, you will soon descend to earth,” the words written in German read. “You want to bring joy to children. You will also bring joy to me.” Written in beautiful penmanship, he concluded: “I would like a Volks-Schott, a green chasuble, and a Heart of Jesus. I always want to be good. Greetings from Joseph Ratzinger.” The words were written just before Christmas, during Advent in pre-war Germany, when Hitler was already dominating the news. A Volks-Schott is a German prayer-book, and a chasuble is another name for the colored vestment the priest uses during Mass.

Our Lady of Loreto

Angels carrying the House of Mary

This is a fairly new feast introduced into the Liturgical calendar in 2019 by Pope Francis. It celebrates a relic, the house where the Holy Family lived in Nazareth, now known as the House of Loreto. It was a small house, 31 feet by 13 feet and it is presently in Loreto, Italy. It was through a miracle how it got there from Palestine. St Helena had built a basilica where the house stood in Nazareth. It was preserved for 12 centuries but was destroyed in 1263. But it reappeared in 1291, with the angels carrying it, first to Croatia and then to Loreto, Italy. In 1960, archaeologists discovered that the stone from which it was made is typical of Palestine stone, which confirmed its authenticity. 

The actual house of Mary and Joseph, now in Loreto.

In this house, the Annunciation took place, and Mary was raised in it by her parents Joachim and Anne, as well as Jesus by his parents. So more than a relic, it can be considered as an Icon, where the Annunciation, Jesus’ conception and the Incarnation took place.

A few more gems to reflect on

Family is not about blood. It’s about who’s willing to hold your hand when you need it the most.

I asked God ‘How do I get the best of Life?’ God answered ‘Face your past without regret.  Handle your present with confidence. And prepare for the future without fear. Don’t believe in your doubts and never doubt your beliefs. Life is wonderful, if you know how to live.’

A relationship means you come together to make each other better. Support each other. Build each other. Believe in each other. Be their peace, not their problem.

As long as we have memories, yesterday remains. As long as we have hope, tomorrow awaits. As long as we have love, today is beautiful. As long as we have God, everything is possible.

It feels good to hear someone say Take Care. But it feels much better when you hear someone say I will take care of you.

Patience is your willingness to let time and life move forward at their own pace, without losing sight of your destination.

God stands by us when we are down. He encourages us when we think of quitting. And he guides us when things seem confusing. Hold on to Him.

A desire changes nothing. A decision changes something. But a determination changes everything.

Focus on your strengths not your weaknesses. Focus on your character, not your reputation. Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes.

Success is not permanent and failure is not final. Never stop working after success, and never stop trying after failure.

A mind filled with peace creates a heart filled with contentment.

Calmness is a human superpower. The ability to not overreact or take things personally keeps your mind clear and your heart at peace.

God gives answers in three ways: He says YES and gives you what you want. He says NO and gives you something better. And He says WAIT and gives you the best.

Immaculate Conception

Immaculate Conception by Esteban Murillo

Just imagine the millions of Christmas cards being exchanged right now, going across the globe, many of which are images of the Blessed Virgin Mary, frequently with baby Jesus and St Joseph. Just imagine the thousands upon thousands of nativities being set up and displayed around the world with the Holy Family taking center stage for the Advent and Christmas season. And when I think that more than half of the parishes in my home country of Malta are dedicated to the Blessed Mother, it shows the devotion people still have towards her. Many were also the classical works written in sacred music, starting with various Gregorian chants melodies and continuing with the Magnificat, Salve Regina, Vespers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and so much more by many great composers. They all get their inspiration from the image of Mary, conceived without sin, a privilege that was only granted to her and no one else. Just as Jesus was considered the new Adam, so Mary is considered the new Eve. In 1760, Pope Clement XIII authorized the celebration of the Immaculate Conception in the Catholic church. But it was only in 1854 that Pope Pius IX, after consulting with all the bishops of the world, pronounced and proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. This was a rare event and it took another 96 years to have another Dogma proclaimed, this time the Assumption of Mary in 1950. Then another event happened that affirmed the Immaculate Conception of Mary, only 4 years later, when in 1858, the apparition at Lourdes took place, Mary revealing herself to Bernadette Soubirous as the Immaculate Conception. It was the Encyclical 'Ineffabilis Deus' that proclaimed the Dogma proclaims that the Blessed Virgin Mary, “in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.” The painting of the Immaculate Conception reproduced by Esteban Bartholome Murillo is one of many he painted in various Spanish churches. Devotion to Mary was so great that got one commission after another to paint the altar-pieces of several Cathedrals honoring Mary.

Advent reflections

Every manger of darkness 

is filled with the Light of Life;

Every manger of confusion and self-doubt 

is filled with the Wonderful Counsellor;

Every manger of weakness and impossibility 

is filled with the Mighty God;

Every manger of chaos and conflict holds the Prince of Peace;

Every manger of guilt and regret is filled with the Merciful One;

Every manger of fear and solitude is filled with the Good Shepherd;

Every manger of hunger, poverty, thirst and desire holds the Bread of Life;

Because of the manger of Bethlehem, 

the manger of our humanity now cradles God. 

Saint Nicholas

St. Nicholas was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man, and became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors. Perhaps the best-known story about Nicholas concerns his charity toward a poor man who was unable to provide dowries for his three daughters of marriageable age. Rather than see them forced into prostitution, Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of gold through the poor man’s window on three separate occasions, thus enabling the daughters to be married. Over the centuries, this particular legend evolved into the custom of gift-giving on the saint’s feast. And so in the English-speaking countries, St. Nicholas became, by a twist of the tongue, Santa Claus. Under the ruthless Emperor Diocletian, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, the same Council that devised the Nicene Creed we recite during Sunday Mass. He died December 6, 343 in Myra and was buried in his Cathedral church. In the spring of 1087, sailors from Bari, afraid of the Muslim invasion, succeeded in spiriting away the relics from that Cathedral, bringing them to Bari, a seaport on the southeast coast of Italy. An impressive church was built over St. Nicholas' crypt and many faithful journeyed to honor the saint who had rescued children, prisoners, sailors, famine victims, and many others through his compassion, generosity, and the countless miracles.

Hilltop Gardens – 10th anniversary

In my chapel during the foot-washing ceremony on Holy Thursday

Today we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Hilltop Gardens which has been my home for the past 9 and a half years. Since I returned from the USA in April 2016, a few weeks later I was asked to celebrate a Mass in a chapel at Hilltop Gardens, a fairly new Retirement Village opened in December 2015. They told me that someone will pick me up, and after celebrating the Mass for 12 people, I was driven back home. Within a few hours another phone call came with a message that said 'Father Julian, they liked you over there, so now you'll take care of that chapel.' That meant saying daily Mass with the congregation increasing to 20, then 30 , and presently I'm getting between 40 and 50 people daily, standing room only, besides limited room for wheelchairs. Of course I had to add an extra Mass on Saturday evening and an English Mass on Sunday. I was also asked to celebrate regular Masses at the local parish in Naxxar. That gave me 5 weekend Masses and one to two daily Masses. By 2018 I was living here permanently also because my sister passed away 4 years later and we lost our home in St. Julian's. 

Hilltop Gardens Village with the chapel in the middle

There are two sections of this Village, an independent section where residents live on their own, cooking for themselves and participating in various activities organized on a regular basis. There is also a Care Home called Simblija with nurses and carers taking care of the elderly residents and their everyday needs. Most of the residents attend Mass regularly but I also visit those unable to attend for communion calls. Obviously I lost a lot of residents over the past 9 and a half years, precisely 160, most of whom I did their funerals. Every 2 weeks I offer PowerPoint talks to the residents on various topics, mainly religious, but other cultural and artistic subjects besides entertaining them with my flute. The Retirement Village offers the facility of underground parking, a swimming pool, a restaurant, a gym and other amenities.

Leo and Francis

Many people claim that Pope Leo was a successor, not a replacement of Pope Francis. This was the case every time a new Pope is elected. Like Francis, Leo went to a country, Turkey, with very few Catholics. Francis, went to Mongolia, which has only a few thousand Catholics. There are not that many more in Turkey and it is wonderful to see the bishop of Rome confirm the faithful in lands where they are so few. Leo met with the elderly, the sick as well as the youth, besides civic leaders and the clergy, as did his predecessors on their trips. Like Francis, Leo championed the cause of Christian unity, looking forward to the great jubilee of 2033 when all Christians will celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. Like all of his recent predecessors, Leo emphasized the special closeness of the church of Rome with the Eastern churches. The scene at the site of the Council of Nicaea where the Pope was joined by almost all the patriarchs of the Eastern churches, was another step toward the restoration of full communion. His obvious and easy rapport with Patriarch Bartholomew brought to mind memories of Pope Paul VI meeting with Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem in 1964. Leo is continuing the path charted by Francis, and indeed by the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council. Leo, unlike Francis, was trained as a canonist. And, perhaps most importantly, Leo is an Augustinian not a Jesuit. After 11 years of Ignatian insights, which were a great blessing, Leo now brings Augustinian insights into almost every speech or homily he delivers. The Catholic faith is the richer for being reminded of what St Ignatius and St Augustine have to teach us! After Francis died, but before the conclave began, the situation the cardinals faced was similar to that which confronted the cardinals in the 1963 conclave after the death of Pope John XXIII. Then, the central issue was whether to continue the council, just as in 2025 the central question was whether to continue with the synodal path. In 1963, they selected Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini as Pope Paul VI, someone with more obvious managerial capabilities, who "landed the conciliar plane John XXIII had gotten airborne." What we are seeing now is that Leo is to Francis as Paul was to John: committed to the same program, but more cautious and a better manager, and with a softer personality. 

A successor, not a replacement.

6 Nativities

Going back to my first Oregon parish, in the small town of John Day, just before Christmas of 2004, I invited some of the children to watch me create a little presepio, a nativity scene with the cave of Bethlehem, made of brown paper dipped in flour with water. They were mesmerized seeing it being built, forming a paper-mache scene of Bethlehem. Thereupon I asked them to bring along a small rectangular board, and possibly some brown paper bags so that I can help them build one for themselves. Of course they brought along the figurines of the nativity, so that I could build their project to scale. And within a few hours I made 6 of these presepios, with a few more a few days later, ending up with around 17 nativities. They were very well received by their parents, and I wonder how many of them kept up the custom of building a presepio every year for Christmas.

Christmas stamps

3 stamps of Cremona's Christmas set of 1967

Philately gives us the opportunity to share so many beautiful images from various countries sent throughout the world. Maltese stamps have been in the forefront in displaying unique designs, especially those done by Emvin Cremona in the 1960s, and 1970s. I share with you a few of them in this post, as the artist introduced some innovative formats, including an isosceles trapezoid outline.

Advent Calendars

A way to help children and adults to prepare for Christmas is the creation of the Advent calendar, which has become quite popular, with a variety of variations that have developed in different countries. The most popular is a countdown to Christmas, as children bring an item to place on each day of December, as they reflect on the meaning of each thing, object or person related to the Nativity or the Christmas season. Of course our favorite is always a nativity display, like the one displayed above.

(Click to enlarge)

In my Cathedral parish of Baker City Oregon in 2012 I made this Advent calendar for our children, and I invited them to color a section of the Nativity scene I drew for them, and day by day, the scene will become more colorful, as long as they do the chore or message they are asked to perform until the end of December. Click on the image to read the messages for each day, and you can save it and print it to use for yourself and your children.