Saint Julian

These photos speak for themselves, as the procession with the statue of St Julian is held today. The statue was crafted in 1893 by the artist Carlo Darmanin. It was made of paper-mache, and it is the pride of everyone who lives in the village of St Julian's. The relic of St Julian is also carried in the procession, accompanied by altar-servers, lay-people, and other parish representatives. Fireworks and marching bands are also prominent throughout the evening. Streets are decorated with banners and other smaller statues. The predominant colors are black, yellow and red, the colors of the Belgian flag, since St Julian came from Belgium. He lived in the 9th century.

The statue in the old church.

The statue of St Julian arrives back in the new church.

Happiness

On March 20, 2024, the latest “World Happiness Report” was released, sharing which of the world’s countries are both the most and least happy. The 12 happiest places to live in the world are 1. Finland. 2. Denmark. 3. Iceland. 4. Sweden. 5. Israel. 6. Netherlands. 6. Sweden. 7. Norway. 8. Luxembourg. 9. Switzerland.  10. Australia. 11. New Zealand. 12.Costa Rica.  By the way the United Kingdom is in the 20th position, the USA in 23rd,  Malta in the 40th and Italy in 41st. In the last 3 places are Lesotho, Lebanon and Afghanistan (141 to 143 places.) If you're interested, read the full list here   https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2024/happiness-of-the-younger-the-older-and-those-in-between/#ranking-of-happiness-2021-2023

This is an interesting note on the value of happiness that I came across in my reading. Happiness can be broken down into four levels: “Immediate Gratification,” “Comparative Achievement,” “Contributive Happiness” and “Ultimate Good,” or faith in Christ. Immediate gratification finds temporary happiness through physically stimulated pleasure, such as indulging in a bowl of linguine or riding in an expensive car. Comparative achievement derives pleasure from one’s ego and self-consciousness, meaning that people seek happiness through fame and achievement. Often, people settle for this level of happiness, opting to pursue careers, money and fame that they believe will make them appear better than their peers. Humans achieve the third level, contributive happiness, through making a positive difference in the lives of other people. Both St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St Augustine recognized this phenomenon, writing that when we do an act of service for somebody or something, we will achieve a greater level of happiness. At the root of this level of happiness is a love for the other person. The fourth, and final, level of happiness can only be achieved through connecting with that which is Ultimate Good, ultimate truth, ultimate beauty and ultimate being itself: Jesus Christ. The previous three levels fail to fulfil the deepest longings of the human heart. Only through fostering an intimate relationship with God through the gift of faith can one come to achieve this fourth level of happiness.  Over the last 100 years, the world has embraced secular themes and ideas, and as the world continues to accept this secular identity, fewer and fewer people identify as truly happy.

From Prime Minister to Monk

Lu Zhengxiang - as Prime Minister and as a Monk

In 2023 a paperback of 205 pages was published entitled ‘Ways of Confucius and Christ: From Prime Minister to Benedictine Monk.’ It is actually a biography of Lu Zhengxiang, born in Shanghai in 1871. H entered the diplomatic corps and served the Russian Tsar. In 1919, he participated in the Paris conference for peace from which the Treaty of Versailles was published. He married a Catholic woman who died in 1927, but because of her influence he became interested in the Catholic faith, and he too converted. He served as a Minister of Foreign Affairs and on two occasions he was Prime Minister of the Chinese Republic. After 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, China became a Communist country. When he retired as Prime Minister, Lu inquired about joining a religious order, and ended up joining the Benedictines, taking the name Pierre-Celestin Lu OSB, becoming even an Abbot, which let him use the Bishop’s crosier. Abbot Lu died in 1949.

Mary, Queen of Heaven

Coronation of Mary - Lourdes chapel

Mary the Queen of Heaven or the Queenship of Mary, is a Catholic feast day, created by Pope Pius XII on October 11, 1954, The feast was celebrated on May 31, the last day of the Marian month but Pope Paul VI moved the feast day to August 22, one week after the feast of the Assumption. Assumed into heaven, Mary is with Jesus Christ, her divine son. Mary should be called Queen, not only because of her Divine Motherhood of Jesus Christ, her only son, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of our eternal salvation.  In a way we can say that many feasts of Mary parallel those of Jesus. We have His Ascension and her Assumption, we have his suffering on Good Friday, and her feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. We have his birthday on Christmas and her birthday on September 8. We have his conception in Mary's womb on March 25, and her conception in St Anne’s womb on December 8. Most of the images and paintings of Mary portray her with the child Jesus and others with St Joseph. Yet there is quite a portfolio of paintings that has Mary being crowned. Accentuating the positive, it is better to see Mary being crowned with angels around her, instead of seeing her suffer under the cross of Jesus, and yet both are important to emphasize, because one would not have been possible without the other. The prayer mostly associated with her role as Queen is: Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. It is said that when St Bernard heard these words being sung in a church, he uttered the words: O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! And his words were then added to this prayer. 

Pope St Pius X

For the past 900 years we only had two canonized saints, Pope Pius V and Pope Pius X. Now we have three more, all canonized over the past 15 years: John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II. The saint we honor today is Pope Saint Pius X was born on June 2, 1835, his name being Giuseppe Sarto. He was one of 11 children, and though poor, his parents valued education, and Giuseppe walked 3 miles to school each day. Pius X was a fervent reformer of Church practices and regulations such as the Canon Law, his most important reform, which for the first time codified Church law in a central fashion. He was a pastoral pope, encouraging personal piety and a life-style reflecting Christian values. Pope Pius X was a Marian Pope, because for him there is no safer or more direct road than Mary. She is uniting all mankind in Christ. He was the only Pope in the 20th century with extensive pastoral experience at the Parish level and pastoral concerns permeated his papacy. The Catechism of Pope Pius X is short and direct. His teachings were considered equally down to earth and practical. He favored the use of modern language in Catechesis. Frequent communion was a lasting innovation of Pius X, because before his time, people could only receive communion once a month and, on special occasions, on Sunday. He was also instrumental in introducing the custom of First Holy Communion for young children. Like his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) Pius opposed modernism, a school of thought, which claimed that Catholic dogma itself should be modernized and blended with 19th Century philosophies. Personally Pius combined within himself a strong sense of compassion, benevolence, poverty, but also stubbornness, and a certain stiffness. He wanted to be pastor and was the only Pope in the 20th century who gave Sunday sermons every week. His charity was extraordinary, filling the Vatican with refugees from the 1908 Messina quake, long before the Italian government began to act on its own. He rejected any kind of favors for his family, his brother remained a postal clerk, his favorite nephew stayed on as village priest, and his three sisters lived together close to poverty in Rome.  He often referred to his own humble origins, taking up the causes of poor people. AI was born poor, I have lived poor, and I wish to die poor." Considered a holy person by many, public veneration of Pope Pius X began soon after his death. He died August 20, 1914 and was canonized in 1954, after his body was exhumed and displayed under a side-altar where priests can celebrate Mass, many of which I was lucky to serve as an altar boy in 1966.

I miss snow!

This is a flashback photo from 1983, when I was learning how to drive in Holy Spirit parish in New Hyde Park, New York. This particular photo was taken behind the Dominican nuns’ convent when I was ploughing snow with the jeep, and in the process learning how to drive with a manual, or stick-shift car. Now this required a tremendous amount of coordination, because besides driving back and forth, I had to also shift into gear, and lower and raise the plough back and forth. And I kept doing this until all the snow was pushed to the side, so that cars can park in the remaining space. To plough an entire parking lot, it took me a good two hours, but the practice was excellent and I enjoyed cleaning the whole lot, while learning how to drive. There was another lot just as big on the Rectory side. And obviously I miss snow ! I used to enjoy shovelling as it was good healthy practice, as long as you do it gradually without exerting yourself too much. 

The second photo shows me on a huge mound of snow I had just ploughed, as I’m playing the flute. You can see how high the snow was as it reached the top of the gate which was at last 7 feet high. With the heat-waves we’re getting in Malta these past few years, there is no way that we’ll ever see a hint of a snowflake here in Malta. But at least I have many memories of past winters both in New York and in Oregon.

Some Curious facts

The heart is a pump that can shoot blood 10 meters up in the air.

The elephant is the only animal that cannot jump.

The strongest muscle we have in our body is the tongue.

According to statistics, people are more afraid of a mosquito bite that death.

All bears are left-handed.

Crocodiles cannot take out their tongue out of their mouth.

Butterflies can taste objects from their feet not from their mouth.

A cockroach with its head cut off, can survive for 9 days – then it dies of hunger.

Of all the animals, only humans and dolphins make love just for pleasure.

No one can ever sneeze with eyes open.

Mosquitoes have teeth.

Thomas Edison, who invented the light-bulb, was afraid of the dark.

The word ‘cemetery’ comes from the Greek ‘koimiterion’ which means dormitory, a place where we sleep.

Giraffes are 30 times more likely to get hit by lightning than people. 

The fear of long words is called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.

The world’s oldest dog lived to 29.5 years old. Average is 10-15 years.

The world’s oldest cat lived to 38 years and three days old. Average age is 20 years.

Your nails grow faster in hot summer. 

The earth is 4,540,000,000 years old (4 and a half billion).

St Helena

Today one parish in Malta, that of Birkirkara commemorates the day when St Helena found the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Being the mother of Emperor Constantine, who ended the persecutions in 313 AD, Helena was determined to find the abandoned cross on which Jesus was crucified. The excavations actually found three crosses buried in Jerusalem close to Mount Calvary. To verify which was the actual cross of Christ, they asked a sick person to touch each cross. She touched the first two crosses and nothing happened. When she touched the third one, the person was completely healed, and thereby they concluded which was Jesus' cross. The Cross of Christ dominates our lives in many ways. So many of us start meetings, classes, trips and gatherings with the sign of the cross. Passing by a cemetery, you see hundreds of crosses lining up the entire area. 

We honor St Helena today as we admire this beautiful statue being carried in a procession through the streets of Birkirkara. Many other festivities and celebrations are held all week long in the parish church which you can also admire in one of these photos.

10 wild dogs

A certain King years ago, had 10 wild and savage dogs which he used to torture those who disobey him or did not do their work properly. One of the King’s servants made a small mistake one day and the King demanded that he’ll be thrown to the dogs, with no hope he would come out alive.  The man begged the king that he would give him 10 days before he starts his anticipated torture. The Kings accepted. Now during those 10 days, the man approached the dog’s carer and asked if he could feed them and care for them himself. The dog’s carer accepted and had 10 days free to be with his family. The condemned man started visiting the dogs and kindly fed them, washed them, and even played with them, gaining their confidence. Everyone was amazed at the gentleness shown to the fierce dogs and before you know it, 10 days went by quickly. And so after the tenth day, the King ordered the man to be thrown with the dogs, and instead of attacking him, they came to lick his feet and hands. The king was curious as to how the dogs did not devour that man and tore him to pieces. The man spoke up ‘dear King, I took care of your dogs for only 10 days, and they now respect me and even love me. And remember that I served you with the same fidelity for 10 long years. But when I made a solitary mistake, you forgot the service I gave you, and despised me, throwing me out of your life, and condemned me to the dogs. The king realized how cruel he had been and ordered the servant to be released and be hired as a counsellor to the king. Truly, how many marriages were broken, friendships destroyed, families dispersed, friends became enemies, because of a wrong word said, an unfair gesture or a rude comment. As I like to say to those who commit minor mistakes – it’s heart-breaking to see the good people get punished unfairly. Because when you’re right, no one remembers, and when you’re wrong, no one forgets.

Doing better

The Japanese are very particular about improvement. They go on to say ‘this is perfect – so now let us make it better’. This is perhaps the single most significant difference between western industrial thinking and the Japanese industrial thinking. The result is the Japanese habit of continuous improvement, of improving things even where there are no faults at all. Michael Allsopp, in Management in the Professions, asserts that the reputation and prosperity of a firm will largely be the sum of the quality of its principals and staff. Allsopp quotes Machiavelli as saying that the first impression that one gets of a ruler and his brains is from seeing the men he has around him. Indeed, the three pillars on which business success rests are people, performance and profits – the three Ps. People always come first – performance and profits follow. We need to accept the fact that the level of performance we aim at is not at all times attained. However, Peter Drucker, in Management, Tasks and Responsibilities, emphasises that “what performance has no room for are: complacency and low standards”.

Assumption of Mary

The Assumption statue at Rabat, Gozo, Malta

A mid-summer solemnity is the one we celebrate today - that of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother, a dogma of faith that was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on November 1^st, 1950. In his encyclical “Munificentissimus Deus” the Pope solemnly declared, “we pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma, that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” More than half the parishes in Malta are dedicated to the Blessed Mother, 10 of them precisely to the Assumption, and today, processions are held in each of them. Devotion to the Blessed Mother has always been strong in Malta, and as early as 1575, there were 92 churches dedicated to Mary, and many more have increased over the years.

St Maximilian Kolbe

Maximilian was born in January 1894 in Poland and was one of 5 sons to his devout parents. He contracted tuberculosis and, though he recovered, he remained frail all his life. In 1907 Kolbe and his elder brother Francis decided to join the Conventual Franciscans. During his time as a student, he witnessed vehement demonstrations against Popes St. Pius X and Benedict XV in Rome and was inspired to organize the Militia Immaculata, or Army of Mary, to work for conversion of sinners and the enemies of the Catholic Church through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. The Immaculata friars utilized the most modern printing and administrative techniques in publishing catechetical and devotional leaflets, a daily newspaper with a circulation of 230,000 and a monthly magazine with a circulation of over one million. After receiving a doctorate in theology, he spread the Movement through a magazine entitled "The Knight of the Immaculata" and helped form a community of 800 men, the largest in the world. Maximilian went to Japan where he built a monastery and then on to India where he furthered the Movement. In 1936 he returned home because of ill health. After the Nazi invasion in 1939, he was imprisoned and released for a time. He provided shelter to refugees from Greater Poland, including 2,000 Jews whom he hid from Nazi persecution in his friary in Niepokalanów. He was also active as a radio amateur, with Polish call letters SP3RN, vilifying Nazi activities through his reports. On February 17, 1941 he was arrested again by the German Gestapo and imprisoned in the Pawiak prison, and on May 25 was transferred to Auschwitz as prisoner #16670. In July 1941 a man from Kolbe's barracks vanished, prompting the deputy camp commander to pick 10 men from the same barracks to be starved to death in Block 13 (notorious for torture), in order to deter further escape attempts. One of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, lamenting his family, and Kolbe volunteered to take his place. The guards accepted this move, and Francizek was spared and eventually lived until the late 1990s. During the time in the cell St Maximilian led the men in songs and prayer. After three weeks of dehydration and starvation, only Kolbe and three others were still alive. Finally he was murdered with an injection of carbolic acid. Father Kolbe was beatified as a confessor by Pope Paul VI in 1971 and was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1982 in the presence of Franciszek Gajowniczek and his family.

1234 dresses

Most of the citizens who live in Davenport, Iowa in the USA are elderly retired people. So they have a lot of free time in their hands. Many of the ladies meet once a week to practice their favorite hobby: sewing. Whatever they create is sold for charity. Among these ladies there was 100-year old lady called Lillian Weber. In 2011 she joined this group and for her this wasn’t a passtime, but a mission. Lilian wanted to do as many dresses as possible for the girls in Africa. In her first two years, she was able to sew 840 dresses, all different . She used ever string and bow and button to make each dress unique. She persevered in her endeavor to make one dress a day for the African girls, and when she stopped, she had crafted 1234 dresses. She stopped sewing 2 days before she died on May 5th, 2016, just one day before she would have turned 101.

Golden Cole Hocker

A stunning surprise victory at the Paris Olympics left spectators at an Indianapolis Catholic school cheering as a former student broke a major Olympic record and brought home a gold medal for the United States. Indianapolis native Cole Hocker astounded the sporting world when he clinched a last-minute win in the men’s 1,500-meter race at the Paris 2024 Olympics, pulling down the gold and setting a new Olympic record of 3:27.65. Hocker pulled past world champion, British Josh Kerr in the final seconds of the race, crossing the finish line with his arms outstretched. Jakob Ingebritsen of Norway, the early favorite came in a disappointing 4th, and he looked utterly dejected afterwards, even though he eventually won the 5000 meters final a few days later. In his hometown, meanwhile, a crowd at his alma mater Cathedral High School in Indianapolis watched and cheered as Hocker pulled off the incredible win. He is also a graduate of the University of Oregon, known as the ‘Ducks.’ In a post-win interview, Hocker went out of his way to say he “especially” thanked Cathedral High for his success, saying he was “truly honored” to represent the school, his city and state, and the United States in the competition. On Wednesday morning the school said on a FB post that it extended “a warm ‘you’re so welcome’ to him.” “Greatness called, and you answered, Cole!” the school said. “You make our Holy Cross value of excellence shine like GOLD!” In a 2021 interview, Hocker said he runs “because I have a God-given talent. I just feel God has given me the gift of running, and my job is to give it my best.”  Fellow American runner Yared Nuguse, meanwhile, took the bronze medal in the race, marking the first time since 1912 that two American athletes have been on the men’s 1,500-meter podium. Josh Kerr came in second and won the silver medal.

Saint Clare

Clare was a beautiful Italian noblewoman who became the Foundress of an order of nuns now called "Poor Clares." They all celebrate her feast day today. When she heard St. Francis of Assisi preach, her heart burned with a great desire to imitate Francis and to live a poor humble life for Jesus. So one evening, she ran away from home, and in a little chapel outside Assisi, gave herself to God. St. Francis cut off her hair and gave her a rough brown habit to wear, tied with a plain cord around her waist. Her parents tried in every way to make her return home, but Clare would not. Soon her sister Agnes joined her, as well as other young women who wanted to be brides of Jesus, and live without any money. St. Clare and her sisters wore no shoes, ate no meat, lived in a poor house, and kept silent most of the time. Yet they were very happy, because Our Lord was close to them all the time. Once, He saved them from a great danger in answer to St. Clare's prayer. An army of rough soldiers came to attack Assisi and they planned to raid the convent first. Although very sick, St. Clare had herself carried to the wall and right there, where the enemies could see it, she had the Blessed Sacrament placed. Then on her knees, she begged God to save the Sisters. "O Lord, protect these Sisters whom I cannot protect now," she prayed. A voice seemed to answer: "I will keep them always in My care." At the same time a sudden fright struck the attackers and they fled as fast as they could. St. Clare was sick and suffered great pains for many years, but she said that no pain could trouble her. So great was her joy in serving the Lord that she once exclaimed: "They say that we are too poor, but can a heart which possesses the infinite God be truly called poor?" Many stories and allegorical tales have been created with St Francis and St Clare, including the popular movie and phrase “Brother Sun, Sister Moon.” But the fact is that both St Clare and St Francis laid a foundation for what to become one of the most influential orders of priests, friars and sisters, the Franciscans. Many other Orders splintered from the original Franciscans, but the foundation of each group remained always a life of poverty and good Christian example, a life detached from the materialism of this world.

St Lawrence

'St Lawrence distributing money' by Fra Angelico

Saint Lawrence was one of seven deacons in Rome who were in charge of giving help to the poor and the needy. When a persecution broke out, Pope St. Sixtus was condemned to death. As he was led to execution, Lawrence followed him weeping, "Father, where are you going without your deacon?" he said. "I am not leaving you, my son," answered the Pope, "in three days you will follow me." Full of joy, Lawrence gave to the poor the rest of the money he had on hand and even sold expensive vessels, chalices and candlesticks to have more to give away. The Prefect of Rome, a greedy pagan, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. So he ordered Lawrence to bring the Church's treasure to him. The Saint said he would, in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered together all the poor and sick people supported by the Church and lined them all up. When he showed them to the Prefect, he said: "This is the Church's treasure!"  In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The Saint was tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire that roasted his flesh little by little, but Lawrence was burning with so much love of God that he almost did not feel the flames. In fact, he even joked, "Turn me over," he said to the judge. "I'm done on this side!" And just before he died, he said, "It's cooked enough now." Then he prayed that the city of Rome might be converted to Jesus and that the Catholic faith might spread all over the world. After that, he went to receive the martyr's reward. St Lawrence is one of thousands of martyrs who were mercilessly killed by the ruthless Emperors in the first 300 years of Christianity. Others were crucified, sent to the lions, beheaded, burned, tied to a tree and arrows shot at them, others were skinned or had parts of their body taken out or cut off. With St Stephen he is the patron saint of deacons.

Meeting the Berries

The Berry family (click to enlarge)

As you can read from the list of my favorites further down, one of my favorite food items are strawberries. Unfortunately their season is pretty brief, but I remember picking them in New York and splurging on them. They are becoming quite popular in Malta too, although growing up, they were very rarely found. Well today I’d like you meet the rest of the berry family, and since I love everything that ends with the word -berry, this is one of my favorite photos. One of my former parishioners, Mike Skidmore came over to the office one day and presented me with a variety of berries that grow in his garden. Needless to say I was smiling from ear to ear when I saw this collection of the berry family, and I quickly positioned them with a name tag for each group, and took this photo, which is easy to understand.

Listed in the photo are: strawberries, blueberries, green gooseberries, pixwell gooseberries, black currants, red currants, josta berries, loganberries, red raspberries, jewel black raspberries, crandall black currants, royal purple raspberries. Other berries are cranberries, mulberries, elderberries, bearberries, barberries, boysenberries and nannyberries. Enjoy them while they last.

Saint Dominic

Along with the Franciscans and the Jesuits, the Dominicans are probably the most popular religious order, both for men and women, priests, brothers and nuns. The son of Felix Guzman and Bl. Joan of Aza, Dominic was born at Calaruega, Spain. The story is told that before his birth his mother dreamed that a dog leapt from her womb carrying a torch in its mouth, and "seemed to set the earth on fire". That is why in many of the statues of St Dominic, a dog carrying a torch is placed near his feet. He studied at the University at Palencia , was probably ordained there while pursuing his studies and was appointed canon at Osma in 1199. Dominic preached against the Albigensian heresy and other heretics but with no great success. In 1214 Dominic with six followers founded an order devoted to the conversion of the Albigensians; the order was canonically approved by the bishop of Toulouse the following year. He failed to gain approval for his order of preachers at the fourth General Council of the Lateran in 1215 but received Pope Honorius III's approval in the following year, and the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans) was founded. Dominic spent the last years of this life organizing the order, traveling all over Italy, Spain and France preaching and attracting new members and establishing new houses. The new order was phenomenally successful in conversion work as it applied Dominic's concept of harmonizing the intellectual life with popular needs. He convoked the first general council of the order at Bologna in 1220 and died there the following year on August 6, after being forced by illness to return from a preaching tour in Hungary. He was canonized in 1234. Dominicans today number 6,000, not counting many nuns who work as teachers, in social work and in hospitals.

Be patient driving

A lady driver was driving behind a slow car and was getting impatient. She started to beep the horn so that the driver would speed up a little bit. But to no avail. When she got closer, she noticed a small yellow bumper sticker but could not read it. When they came to a stop sign, she could now read it clearly and her attitude changed quickly. The sticker said ‘WARNING – Disabled Driver.’  The lady now felt responsible for the safety of the driver ahead of her. She calmed down . She arrived late for work, but that didn’t matter. She thought for a while that it would be a good idea if we were to post a sticker about what we are going through at that time.  Stickers like ‘I just lost my job.....’  ‘I’m receiving chemo for my cancer.....’   ‘I am going through a tough divorce....’    ‘I just lost my parent.....’     ‘They just told me I cannot have children!....’  .....and another hundred cases any person can be going through in this hectic turbulent world of ours. So whenever you encounter a stressful situation, try to put yourself in the other person’s position. Patience means that you have to respect that invisible sticker of the person in front of you.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration by Lodovico Carracci

We celebrate today the feast of the Transfiguration, the occasion when Jesus appeared with Moses and Elijah on Mount Tabor. With them were the apostles Peter, James and John. After Jesus was surrounded by a cloud of bright light, Peter uttered a phrase that has remained quite significant and controversial in some ways. He was instantly overcome with a state of euphoria, and wanted to somehow crystallize himself in that moment, when he said to Jesus “Lord, it’s so good for us to be here, let me build three booths here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  We act like Peter sometimes when we’re enjoying life and going through a stress-free period of our life. We are on vacation, enjoying a beautiful trip, a spectacular scene, spending time with friends, and we don’t want it to end. We feel on Cloud Nine and want it to last forever. But reality is different, just as it was different with Peter and the other disciples - there was much work waiting for them, especially after Jesus went up to heaven. It is the same with all of us. Vacation time will soon be over, and many people will be back to work, back to their normal routine. Honeymoons last a week or two, and even winning the lottery may make you happy for a few months, but then, back to your regular routine. Hopefully the joyful euphoria Peter, James and John experienced will help them spread a spirit of happiness and joy around them, as was the case with the apostles after the took over the baton from their Master and led Christianity through its first few years.

Carrots

Another flash-back  from my years in New York - When I was stationed at St. Anthony’s in Rocky Point, NY between 1991 and 1996, there were many young families in the parish. I was involved in the life of the children and the youth of the parish, besides working with the Pre-Cana team and organizing children’s liturgies, Youth Group activities, etc. Kevin and Colleen Sweeney were very active parishioners, and always so kind and gentle, smiling and welcoming, with two young boys, so quiet and obedient. Once they invited me to their house, and Colleen made sure to inquire of me what I like to eat. I made it a point always to tell people that I just don’t like melted cheese on anything, cooked carrots, and macaroni and cheese. Anything else is good for me.

Well, they somehow misunderstood my dislikes and thought that I said I really like cooked carrots. So when I arrived and sat down to eat, the first plate was carrot soup. Since I didn’t want to disappoint them, I slowly slurped the whole thing, which was not bad after all, especially with some croutons which made the taste of carrots less invasive. But what happened next will always be etched in my memory as well as theirs, and this became the most well-advertised hilarious scene of the decade. So, waiting for the main meal, hoping it would be some kind of meat, veggies and potatoes and a salad on the side, I was presented instead with a plate-full of carrots. 5 varieties of carrots! The large carrots, nicely peeled and steamed, medium sized carrots, on the yellowish side, and those little gourmet carrots which were possibly ordered from some specialty store. As I looked at them in fear and trepidation, Kevin smiled at me, waiting for a ‘hooray’ way of approval, while Colleen sat smiling on my side. At that she slowly pushed the whole plate towards me and uttered her famous words ‘aren’t you going to try the carrots?’ Needless to say, I started to smile and show a sour face, in trying to explain my predicament that they might have misunderstood my humble request in not having any carrots, as I don’t like them especially when they are cooked. At that both of them started to laugh and laugh and laugh, along with me and the two boys along with us.

Of course the rest of the meal was fine and we enjoyed each other’s company, but the story of the carrots spread like wild fire around town. And every time we meet, Kevin was ready with the gracious invitation....’stop by today, we’re having carrot cake......we’re munching on carrot pie today.....come and sample our carrot goulash......come over tonight we’re having carrot salad!’ I felt bad for them going out of their way to get all those kinds of carrots and having to see them remain untouched, undisturbed and uneaten by whom they thought was a carrot aficionado. The joke spread around that whoever was inviting me for dinner would have some carrots to tease me. But all in all, people were very gracious and great hosts who love a good laugh over a nice dinner,..... and plenty of carrots!

St John Baptist Vianney

The patron saint of priests, St John Marie Baptist Vianney, whose feast we celebrate today, was meant to be a holy priest, even though he had a very tough time in his studies, especially Latin. When he was ordained, he was sent to a little town in France called Ars, which was very liberal and had no faith at all. However he gently changed the whole town as people went to confession, attended Masses and with his patience and holiness, transformed a simple town into a pilgrimage site. He was made the patron of all parish priests during the Year of the Priest, proclaimed in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. These are some of his popular quotes:

'Never forget that it is at the beginning of each day that God has the necessary grace for the day ready for us. He knows exactly what opportunities we shall have to sin, and will give us everything we need if we ask him then.'
'Prayer is nothing else than union with God. When the heart is pure and united with God it is consoled and filled with sweetness; it is dazzled by a marvelous light.'
'Man has a noble task: That of prayer and love. To pray and love, that is the happiness of man on earth.'
'When we pray properly, sorrows disappear like snow before the sun.'
"I tell you that you have less to suffer in following the cross than in serving the world and its pleasures."
"Prayer is to our soul what rain is to the soil. Fertilize the soil ever so richly, it will remain barren unless fed by frequent rains."
"Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself."
"When our hands have touched spices, they give fragrance to all they handle. Let us make our prayers pass through the hands of the Blessed Virgin. She will make them fragrant."
"When we go before the Blessed Sacrament, let us open our heart; our good God will open His. We shall go to Him; He will come to us; the one to ask, the other to receive. It will be like a breath from one to the other."

From student to teacher

A young man met an old teacher and asked if he remembers him. The old teacher was hesitant since he taught so many students over a long career. The teacher told the young man that he remembers him well, and asked him what he was doing now. ‘I’m a teacher like you, and you are the one who inspired me to follow in your footsteps.’ The teacher was impressed and asked him what exactly triggered the desire to be a teacher. And the boy told him his story. ‘One day, a classmate came in the class with a new watch. And I was determined that it was going to be mine. And I stole it from him. Of course he complained to you and you asked all of us who was the robber. No one answered. And I was afraid to tell him that I did it. Then you asked us to stand up and make a circle as you were going to search each one of us. But you blindfolded us and went around searching in our pockets and until you found it in mine. You continued searching even after you found it, and told us that the watch was found and given to the boy who owned it. You never scolded me and never even mentioned it again. That day you saved my dignity. In a way I wished you told them it was me to get my deserved punishment. But you respected me and believed in me. That experience convinced me that I could be a good teacher too. Do you remember that day?’ The old teacher said ‘Of course I remember. I remember the panic that overcame that class. But I didn’t know it was you who stole it, because I too had blindfolded my eyes and did not know from whose pocket  I retrieved the missing watch. I didn’t want to know who was the culprit, because otherwise I would have remembered him in a negative way.’ So remember from this story that to teach someone a good lesson, you don’t need to correct him and humiliate him, but just believe in him so that he can discover the inner goodness that is in his heart.

Blessings

A young boy asked his grandfather, ‘grandpa, how did you ever live in the past without computers, Internet, air-conditioners, televisions, cell-phones, parties, cars and all the stuff we have today?’ The old man turned to his grandson and told him ‘I don’t understand how children today can live without prayer, without respect, without knowing who is cheating you and whom to trust, and noise, traffic, building constructions everywhere you look, everyone in a rush, and breathlessly looking for luxuries, drugs, entertainment, and families who are so dysfunctional? So let me tell you how we used to live in the past. Riding a bike, we never used crash helmets. We played with our friends in the street, not always glued to a screen at home. When we got thirsty we drank from a faucet or a well, and not lemonade full of sugar. We never got fat eating all that candy We were never afraid to step over an obstacle when walking in bare feet on the grass. We made our own toys, sometimes with the help of our parents. We always play hide and seek, marbles and beads, jump rope, and we had fun for hours. We were poor but enjoyed our parents in a home filled with love. We never had a phone at home and of course never a cordless phone. We spoke to our friends at school, in our neighborhood, in church, in the sport ground or playing field, but never by an email. We admired birds and flowers, fish and animals in real life not in a picture sent by a mobile phone. When we visited our friends, we ate what their parents gave us, and they welcomed us as if we were family. Even our neighbors were like a family to us. Our parents listened to us, as we listened to them. I think young people today should get rid of their gadgets and stuff, and spend more time talking, laughing, crying, rejoicing, praying, and listening to each other. We will soon leave this earth, but it will do you a lot of good if you only experience some of our harshness and suffering and beautiful that we lived through. As long as you have the courage to love what is beautiful, not only what feels comfortable. As long as you have the strength to sacrifice a little, and not  choose only what is easy, entertaining and pleasurable. I hope you can start living your life, not just survive or exist.’

Heligenkreuz Cistercian Abbey

It’s hard to find any Abbey nowadays with a healthy number of monks. But the Abbey of the Blessed Cross in Austria is certainly an exception. It is 1000 years old, and presently it is the home of 100 monks. It is located 8 miles away from Vienna and the average age of the monks is 49.  Close to the Abbey there is a School of Theology which was named for Pope Benedict XVI, and where many famed theologians taught periodically including the Pope himself when he was Cardinal Ratzinger. He actually visited it in 2007 and called the Abbey, ‘A Song in History.’ The photo shows the monks during a procession in their cloister.

St Ignatius of Loyola

The Jesuits had quite an important role in my education and spiritual formation. My spiritual director in the Seminary was a Jesuit as were many of my priest friends. My two nephews were educated in a school run by the Jesuits, and which has actually produced quite a few well-known people in Malta. Jesuits have provided many good priests, many of whom have dedicated their lives to work in the missions. We thank St Ignatius of Loyola, their founder, whose feast we celebrate today. St. Ignatius was born in the family castle in Guipúzcoa, Spain, the youngest of 13 children, and was called Iñigo. When he was old enough, he became a page, and then a soldier of Spain to fight against the French. A cannon ball shattered his leg and subsequently, a series of bad operations ended his military career in 1521. While St. Ignatius recovered, he started reading the Bible and the lives of the saints, and decided to dedicate himself to becoming a soldier of the Catholic Faith. Soon after he experienced visions, but a year later suffered a trial of fears and scruples, driving him almost to despair. Out of this experience he wrote his famous "Spiritual Exercises". After traveling and studying in different schools, he finished in Paris, where he received his degree at the age of 43. Many first hated St. Ignatius because of his humble lifestyle. Despite this, he attracted several followers at the university, including St. Francis Xavier, and soon started his order called The Society of Jesus, or Jesuits. He was a gifted spiritual director, and has been described by Pope Benedict XVI  as “being above all a man of God and a man of profound prayer who gave the first place of his life to God.” He was very active in fighting the Protestant Reformation and promoting the subsequent Counter-Reformation. St Ignatius died at the age of 65. He was canonized on March 12, 1622.  There are 38 members of the Society of Jesus who have been declared Saints. So many other Jesuits have become Cardinals, Bishops and great writers, and two years ago, the first Jesuit Jorge Bergoglio became the first Jesuit Pope, Francis.