Encouragement

One of my recent watercolors, more to come tomorrow

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. Disappointments are like road humps, they slow you down a bit but you enjoy the smooth road afterwards. Don't stay on the humps too long.  Move on! When you feel down because you didn't get what you want, just sit tight and be happy, because God is thinking of something better to give you. When something happens to you, good or bad, consider what it means. There's a purpose to life's events, to teach you how to laugh more or not to cry too hard. You can't make someone love you, all you can do is being someone who can be loved, the rest is up to the person to realize your worth.

What the heart gives away is never gone... It is kept in the hearts of others. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risks. Secure a special place in your heart.  A certain place only you can enter. For there will come a time when you need to find yourself and only your heart will show you the way. The measure of love is when you love without measure.  In life there are very rare chances that you'll meet the person you love and loves you in return.  So once you have it don't ever let go, the chance might never come your way again. It's better to lose your pride to the one you love, than to lose the one you love because of pride. We spend so much time looking for the right person to love or finding fault with those we already love, when instead we should be perfecting the love we give. When you truly care for someone, you don't look for faults, you don't look for answers, you don't look for mistakes.  Instead, you fight the mistakes, you accept the faults, and you overlook excuses. Never abandon an old friend. You will never find one who can take his place.  Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows older.

Mute and Deaf priest

Fr Joseph Thermadam is the first Indian priest who is completely deaf and mute. A the age of 38, he is the second Asian priest who is deaf and mute, and the 26th world-wide. He belongs to the Congregation of the Holy Cross. In India there are 60 million persons with this condition. Fr Joseph studied in Mumbai where he graduated Bachelor of Science before he entered the seminary, where he studied in the USA, with the Missionary Dominicans dedicated to the apostolate of the deaf. His vocation and mission will be to care for those Indians who are deaf and mute, by administering the Sacraments by using sign-language.

St Teresa of Avila

St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

A great Carmelite mystic and nun, today we celebrate the feast of St Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church, author of Way of Perfection, Interior Castle and Meditations on the Canticle. A great reformer of the Carmelite Order, she was born in 1515 and died in 1582. This is a famous quote of this great saint:

May today there be peace within you.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks Compassion on this world
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good
Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world
Yours are the hands; Yours are the feet
Yours are the eyes; You are His body
Christ has no body now on earth but yours

Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away: God never changes.
Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. 

The shipwreck and the smoke

A severe storm saw a ship being tossed around and eventually destroyed, sinking to the bottom of the sea. Only one person survived and he ended up wading towards an island which was small and uninhabited. Not even animals roamed around. Thank God he found abundant fruits trees and managed to survive, even building a small hut with the driftwood he found on the beach.  He lived all alone for almost a year, spending many hours looking towards the horizon to see if he can spot any vessel or ship passing by. One day, while he was searching for fruit, he came back to his hut and found it all up in flames. All his hard work to provide some shelter was gone in a few minutes. He was despondent and utterly desperate, besides a little angry at God that He had abandoned him completely. However when he woke up the next day, he hears unusual noise of what sounded like an engine. Looking around the island, he discovered a ship approaching him. He was of course delighted. They came to save him from isolation. When the sailors came off the ship, they approached him and found him in fairly good health. But he was so surprised how they were able to spot him, and he of course asked them ‘how did you know that I was here....?’ ‘ Well, we saw the signal you gave us by the smoke from the far-away island, and we came to get you!’ After picking up as much mango and jack-fruit, pineapple and  bananas as they needed, he was on his way home. How often do we turn against God because something went wrong in our lives! Then we realize that whatever happened to us was a blessing in disguise. When God closes a door, He opens a window, or sends a ship to save us, when they notice the smoke from his humble home that burned to the ground.

The Angel of Prison

Mother Antonia Brenner leading the prisoners in prayer

Born to a wealthy family, Mary Brenner was raised with the mentality to always help the needy people. However like most young people, her life was turned upside down when she got married at the age of 18, having three children within a few years. This ended in divorce, and another civil marriage produced 5 more children and another divorce.  Her life changed once again for the better when she started to volunteer and help in charitable causes. Meeting a helpful priest in1965, he encouraged her to go along with him to Tijuana, Mexico where she helped in distributing clothes, food and medicine to the inmates in La Mesa prison. She became well known among the prisoners and the authorities even gave her a room where she could stay overnight. With the local bishop's permission, she even founded an Order of nuns, women 45 years and over, with the aim of helping the inmates. She then became known as Mother Antonia Brenner, and ended up spending 32 years on this mission. She worked with murderers, robbers, drug-traffickers and men with other terrible backgrounds, but she calmly talks to them, comforts them and compassionately listens to their needs. She has became known as the Angel of La Mesa Prison. After years of weakening health, she died Oct. 17, 2013 at the Tijuana headquarters of the religious order she founded. She was 86.

Remembering Ethel Kennedy

Robert and Ethel with the first 8 of their 11 children

Ethel Kennedy, the wife of the late U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and a mainstay in American politics for decades, died on Thursday October 10 at age 96. She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, as the family is comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, and her children David and Michael. Born Ethel Skakel on April 11, 1928, Kennedy was the daughter of wealthy Protestant coal magnate George Skakel and his wife, a faithful Catholic, Ann Brannack Skakel. Both of her parents died tragically in a plane accident in 1955. Ethel met her future husband, Robert F. Kennedy, at a ski resort in Canada in 1945 when she was 17 years old. The two eventually married in June 1950 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Greenwich, Connecticut. Deeply interested in politics, Kennedy was a staunch supporter of her husband’s career and also campaigned on behalf of her brother-in-law, John F. Kennedy, during his presidential campaigns. Kennedy’s husband, Robert, successfully campaigned for and won a seat in the U.S. Senate representing New York in 1964. He was assassinated on June 6, 1968, less than 24 hours after announcing that he had won two presidential primaries in California and South Dakota. Ethel Kennedy, who was by Robert’s side as he died, gave birth to their 11th and last child six months later. Together they had 11 children: Kathleen, Joseph II, Robert Jr, David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory. She founded the Robert F Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights soon after husband’s death and advocated for causes including Gun Control, Special Olympics and the Earth Conservation Corps.

Pope St John XXIII

Pope John XXIII, as a young priest, as Pope and as Bishop

We celebrate today the eternal feast of the beloved Pope John, the Pope of the Council. He was my childhood Pope as he reigned during my childhood and early teens. I have great recollection watching him on our Telefunken black and white TV during his election in 1958, then opening the Second Vatican Council and then his funeral in 1963. He was born in Sotto il Monte in Bergamo, Italy on November 25 1881, and was ambassador to Turkey, Bulgaria and France. He became Patriarch and Cardinal of Venice in 1953, and was elected Pope in October 1958, when the fellow Cardinals thought they were electing a short-term Pope after the long pontificate of Pope Pius XII. Yet in 6 years he revolutionized the church by convening all the bishops to reform the church, including the way we celebrate the Mass and other major changes which were much needed. Many said that he was opening the window of the church for some fresh air, but ended up causing a spiritual hurricane. He was well known for his jokes and one-liners. Walking among the people, one day shortly after his election, he heard a woman exclaim in a loud voice: "My God, he's so fat!" The new Pope casually remarked: "Madame, the holy conclave isn't exactly a beauty contest!"  On another occasion someone asked him how many people work in the Vatican, and his quick answer was 'About half!' Pope John XXII died on June 3, 1963.He was canonized along with Pope St. John Paul II on April 27,2014.

The Piano

Brenda had bought a piano from a Music Store and had paid most of her instalments, except for the last one, around $150. The Store owner had threatened her that if she doesn’t pay he’ll send her two of his employees to pick the piano up and return it to the store. She did not respond to phone calls and so one day two strong men showed up and told her they were there to return her piano to the Music Store.  Brenda remained pretty calm and showed them the piano upstairs as they wondered how they were going to take it down the stairs. Slowly and cautiously, they manoeuvred the piano and after 30 minutes they were down in the living room. As they rested and took a breather, the lady presented them with a check for $150. They instantly got upset with her and told her, ‘so if you had in mind of paying the remainder, why didn’t you tell us....now we have to struggle to take it upstairs again!’ She quietly answered them by saying ‘you don’t have to get angry or upset. In fact I didn’t pay in full because I wanted the piano in my living room. I knew the owner would not send you here unless he needed the money. So now the piano is in its right place without any extra expense, and it came down with the order of the owner himself! I love this piano and it’s now in its right place, and the owner is also very happy because he got paid.’ Jesus once said ‘Be cunning like snakes and pure as doves.’ But let’s use our intelligence by helping those in need, not out of deceit but out of kindness and a sense of justice and fairness.

I ain’t stupid

A young student Kevin was often bullied by some of his classmates. One day they stuck a sign that said ‘I am Stupid’ on his back. He didn’t know about this sign and his classmates would laugh at him, while he was oblivious of the trick played on him. At one moment the teacher wrote a mathematical problem on the board, and asked any volunteers to try to solve it. Nobody volunteered as nobody knew it. Finally Kevin, the boy with the ‘Stupid’ sign on his back went up to the blackboard and solved the problem within 5  minutes. The teacher turned to the rest of the class and asked them to applaud him. Then she took the ‘I am stupid’ sign from his back and showed it to him, telling him and the rest of the class, ’I’m sure you didn’t now about this sign on your back. But before giving a punishment to the rest of you for doing such an unkind gesture, let me tell you 2 things. All through your life, you will encounter many people who would put signs like this, so that you won’t advance more than they do. This smart boy who solved the problem didn’t know about the sign, otherwise he would never had come out to solve the problem. So learn from your own mistakes and ignore any signs others may place on your back. Be aware of the talents and gifts you have and do your best in whatever you excel, mathematics, languages, art, history or even just your kindness. Secondly, remember that little Kevin had no real friend to tell him about the sign. It doesn’t matter how many friends hang out with you and laugh with you – what matters is that you can find a true honest friend who can defend you, even when everyone seems against you.  And if you cannot claim any honest friends, then its OK to be alone, rather than having false friends who are quick to betray you.'

Please hold me

It was Christmas during World War II. Jimmy was far away from his family in Portsmouth, as he was stationed in London. He remembered how every Christmas day he would go to church with his family, and occasionally on other Sundays when he happened to be home. He was drafted before the war started and had already seen quite a few horrible scenes as a  result of the bombardment. On Christmas Eve he decided to go towards Trafalgar Square with 4 of his colleagues. As they were walking, they came across a grey building with a big sign ‘Orphanage.’ Jimmy and his friends decided to knock on the door to see if they can be of any assistance. A nun opened the door and let them in, as the children were waking up around 8 AM. As they mingled among the children, they noticed that there was no Christmas tree, no lights, no decorations whatsoever. They saw no gifts anywhere, so they emptied their pockets and gave the children whatever they had, some coins, bubble gum, a crayon and colored pencils, tissues, some candy. At one moment Jimmy noticed a young girl all by herself in a corner, with a sad look on her face. He approached her gently and asked her ‘do you want something for Christmas?’ And the girl’s eyes lit up and said to Jimmy ‘Yes, please hold me in your arms!’

Our Lady of the Rosary

The Rosary mosaics at Ta Pinu church in Gozo, Malta

Even though the Rosary is a daily devotion which most Catholics pray every day, the month of October has always been connected in a special way to the Rosary. The origin of the Rosary has been attributed to a Marian apparition to Saint Dominic in 1208 in the church of Prouille. People wanted a devotional of sorts to pray, since the priests were able to pray the Office and read the 150 psalms in Latin, while most of the people could not read. So the devotion was started to pray 150 Hail Marys, later divided into decades and divided into three Mysteries, while more recently in 2002, the Luminous Mysteries were added. Many people however had abandoned the devotion to the Rosary and it was only revived after plagues, a schism and other calamities hit most of Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Blessed Mother appeared to Blessed Alan de la Roche to revive this devotion, also reviving the ancient Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. Blessed Alan was one of the Dominican Fathers from the monastery at Dinan, in Brittany. He was an eminent theologian and was famous for his sermons. Our Lady chose him because it was most fitting that a Dominican from the very same province, should have the honor of re-establishing this feast.

Pope Innocent II commissioning St Dominic to spread the Rosary devotion

In 1571 Pope St Pius V instituted "Our Lady of Victory" as an annual feast to commemorate the victory of the Christians against the Turks in Lepanto. The victory was attributed to Our Lady, as a rosary procession was offered on that day in St. Peter's Square in Rome for the success of the mission of the Holy League to hold back Muslim forces from overrunning Western Europe. In 1565, the Turks had already tried to take over Malta in the Great Siege, but the Maltese people, with the help of the Knights of Malta, were able to defend the island from the attack of the Ottoman Empire. In 1573 Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of this feast day to "Feast of the Holy Rosary". This feast was extended by Pope Clement XII to the whole of the Latin rite, inserting it into the Roman calendar of saints in 1716, and assigning it to the first Sunday in October. Pope St Pius X changed the date to October 7th in 1913. In 1969, Pope Paul VI changed the name of the feast to "Our Lady of the Rosary". A monumental display of the Rosary was erected a few years ago in front of the apparition church of Ta Pinu in Għarb, Gozo, Malta with the 20 mysteries displayed in beautiful mosaic.

The Happy Jesus

                 

We always imagine Jesus with a serious look on his face, often sad, stressed and melancholic at times. But I am pretty sure he had his happy moments too. Who knows how much fun he had with his parents in their home? The picture seen here speaks volumes about the happiness that the Holy Family experienced in their humble home at Nazareth. Who knows how many jokes he shared with the apostles? He always wanted children around Him, as they would make Him happy with their shenanigans and spontaneous remarks. And since we were made on the image of God himself, Jesus had His human side too. If we say that Jesus was never happy, we would be denying a part of His humanity. Some of His parables make us laugh too, like when he mentions trying to remove a speck in one’s eye when you have a large beam lodged in yours. Or when He mentions a camel passing through the eye of a needle. And just looking at some animals, they make us laugh by their behavior, like penguins, parrots, goats, frogs, some birds, all baby animals. He speaks about joy when someone finds the lost coin, or the lost sheep out of 99 well-behaved ones. Yes, certainly Jesus had a sense of humor too, and on His example, let us rejoice and be happy too.

A Prayer in a Restaurant

One evening the Clark family took the children to a restaurant in town for a meal, and as usual the two daughters always argue about who was going to lead the prayer. Both Deanna and Karen were pleasant girls and well educated, and so this time they agreed on Deanna as she folded her tiny fingers and bowed her blonde head in prayer ‘Dear God we thank you for everything you gave us, for the food you provided for us, and for those who cooked it today. But I want to thank you especially today if my mother buys ice-cream for all of us too. And I pray that there will always be peace and justice in the world. Amen.’ Some neighboring customers were impressed by the sincerity of Deanna’s prayer, but an elderly grumpy lady sitting by herself was heard complaining ‘no wonder there are so many problems today in our world. Is that a way to pray? What are these parents teaching our children today? You ask God for ice-cream? What a shame!’ Deanna’s mother told her ‘That was a beautiful prayer – don’t worry about what that lady said.’ Karen hugged her sister as did her mother Colleen. Her dad Jim whispered in her ears ‘It’s shame that lady never prayed to God. You should know that a little ice-cream is often good for the body and the soul!’ Obviously when they finished dinner Jim and Colleen bought a mountain of ice-cream for them all. Little Deanna then surprised everyone, by taking her cup of ice-cream, complete with colored sprinkles and nuts, and walked towards Mrs Grumpy, and placed the ice-cream in front of her, as she said to her ‘This is for you. A little ice-cream is sometimes good for the body and the soul. And mine are both already pretty strong.’

Prayer of Saint Francis

Today being the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, I thought it would be a good idea to reflect on the famous prayer that is attributed to him. We are all familiar with the prayer "Make me an instrument of your Peace." So I decided to add a few more phrase to this prayer:

Where there is disagreement, let me create consensus.
Where there is impatience, let me create tolerance.
Where there is egoism, let me show altruism.
Where there is indifference, let me show genuine interest.
Where there is division, let me bring unity and peace.
Where there is competition, let me create a sense of teamwork.
Where there is is cheating, let me create a spirit of honesty.
Where there is discouragement, let me create encouragement.
Where there is confusion, let me bring order.
Where there is struggle, let me add and instil perseverance.
Where there is loneliness, let me bring in companionship.
Where there is too much seriousness, let me bring in a sense of humor.
And where these is spiritual apathy, let me show commitment, prayerfulness and devotion.

4 Steps of Prayer

This is a very practical way by which you can pray very effectively. Use the acronym ACTS which stands for stands for Adoration (praising God), Contrition (showing sorrow), Thanksgiving (giving thanks) and Supplication (asking for a blessing). Then write down one thought for each letter, and add as many as you want, like the following example, which might look something like this:

A – Adoration: Today, I praise you God … for I am wonderfully made, for keeping me healthy, for His intervention in my life........
C - Contrition: Today, I’m sorry for … speaking harshly, for hurting a friend, wasting my time........
T – Thanksgiving:  Today, I’m thankful for … the sunset, for my parents, for my artistic talents, for strawberries......
S – Supplication: Today, please bless … my brother as he looks for employment, for my mother’s health, for peace in the Middle East......

Guardian Angels

The belief in Guardian Angels appears in the Old Testament, although it is not specifically articulated. The belief that angels can be guides and intercessors for men appears in the books of Job and Daniel where angels seem to be assigned to certain countries. In the Gospel Jesus says of children: "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." This is often understood to mean that children are protected by guardian angels. In Acts chapter 12 there is another allusion to the belief that a specific angel is assigned to protect each individual. After Peter had been escorted out of prison by an angel, he went to the home of 'Mary the mother of John, also called Mark'. The servant girl, Rhoda, recognized his voice and ran back to tell the group that Peter was there. However the group replied, "It must be his angel."'

The fathers of the Church had differing views on the Guardian Angels. Saint Ambrose, for example, believed that saints lose their guardian angels so that they might have a greater struggle and persevere. Saints Jerome and Basil of Caesarea argued that sin drove the angels away. The first Christian theologian to outline a specific scheme for guardian angels was Honorius. He said that every soul was assigned a guardian angel the moment it was put into a body. St Thomas Aquinas agreed with Honorius and specified that it was the lowest order of angels who served as guardians. Guardian angels appear in literary works throughout the medieval and renaissance periods. 
Popes have always invoked the protection of their Guardian Angels. Pope Pius XI recalled in one of his audiences that he relied on his Guardian Angel’s help when confronting the likes of Hitler and Mussolini. Pope John XXIII in a private conversation with a Canadian bishop attributed the idea of calling an ecumenical council to his Guardian Angel - it was via his Angel that God gave him the inspiration to convene Vatican Council II, which started October 11, 1962, 50 years ago.
One can also name your own Guardian Angels, as I have personally done when I called mine Stephen. Yes, Stephen has been very good to me, protecting me from danger and saving me from near accidents and who knows what else.
PRAYER: Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

St Therese of Lisieux

These are some quotes from St Therese of Lisieux, known also as the Little Flower, whose feast is celebrated today. She was born in 1873 and died in 1897 at the age of 24. Her autobiography was published after she died, and was called 'Story of a Soul.' She was canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. Her 4 sisters all became nuns also and their parents Louis and Zelie Martin were also canonized a few years ago.

“The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”

“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”

“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”

“I know now that true charity consists in bearing all our neighbors' defects - not being surprised at their weakness, but edified at their smallest virtues.”

“God would never inspire me with desires which cannot be realized; so in spite of my littleness, I can hope to be a saint.”

The Nurse

An elderly woman was talking to nice lady and asked her what she does for a living. Responding that she was a nurse, the elderly lady rudely asked her how much money she makes in such a nice job. The young nice lady responded by saying: ‘I work as a nurse, and instead of telling you much money I make, let me tell you what I do......

-        When you are scared before an operation, I hold your hands, and spend an hour with you  to encourage you and not to feel afraid.

-        When your son was choking, I was the one to help him breathe again.

-         I can keep your father alive after he had his heart-attack.

-         I get up at 5 in the morning to bring the medicine to your mother who needs it to live a few extra days.

-         I can work non-stop all day to save a life of a person who I do not know.

-         I often keep my own family waiting for dinner in the evening, because I have to care for a patient who is anxious about his prognosis.

-         I occasionally do not have time to eat, since I need to register the care your mother or wife needs in our hospital.

-         I work often on Saturdays and Sundays, even on holidays, just because people die on weekends too.

-         Today I can save your life.

How much money do I make? I don’t know. I only know that with my work I can make a big difference in the life of many people. 

The Archangels

Michael, Raphael and Gabriel

Today is the feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Michael - the angel of judgment - is known as the champion in the fight against Satan and the other devils as well as the guardian of the faithful especially at the time of death. Frequently he is portrayed crushing the devil’s head with a lance. Gabriel - the angel of mercy - is the messenger from God in St Luke’s gospel who foretold the birth of John the Baptist, “Be not afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.” Six months later it was Gabriel who appeared to Mary at the Annunciation saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” Raphael  -  whose name means “God has healed” was sent by God to heal Tobias of his blindness and to deliver Sara from the devil in the book of Tobit.

We tend to underestimate the presence of Angels in our lives. However they are gaining popularity as we see many angel pins on people’s jackets, posters and paintings of various angels are showing up at card stores. And of course at Christmas, there are the angels on ornaments and hanging on nativity scenes. We sing about the angels in several of the Christmas hymns. Angels were also present at Jesus’ tomb when the women went to anoint his body and found the tomb empty. But we are reluctant to accept their actual existence. This is certainly a departure from our childhood when we prayed to our guardian angel at least daily. As children we believed that there was truly one angel whose job was to look after us, who would always hover around us ready to protect us from all evil and to communicate our desires and needs to God. The feast of the Guardian Angels in fact is in 3 days, October 2.

Leaves and Snow

I take you back 40 years today when I was serving as Associate Pastor at Holy Spirit in New Hyde Park, New York. I share with you two photos taken from my window a month apart. You can see plenty of maple leaves on the ground in the first photo, just falling from the maple trees which are quite popular in the Northeast. Most of the time we had to rake them, collect them and bag them, a tiring process. 

A month later, by mid-November all the way into April of the following year, leaves are replaced with snow, as you can see in the second photo. Since the foreground is a lawn with grass, we didn’t have to shovel it as the snow waters the grass, a big blessing for us. But we had to shovel the snow from the sidewalks where people walk. This was a big responsibility, especially around schools and churches, since anyone slipping on ice, and getting hurt, can sue the church or the parish. I enjoyed shovelling as it was good exercise, but I didn’t like raking. Rather I would pray that the wind will blow them away to the next town or neighborhood.

Mother nature gets angry !

Never underestimate Mother Nature ! Rain, hail, snow, mudslides, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, lightning, avalanches – you’ve get them all here in these fascinating, scary and at times catastrophic scenarios. As much as I miss snow,  there is nothing more devastating and heart-pounding as seeing that avalanche coming towards you, and with no place to hide. Thanks to all those cell-phone users who risked their lives in taking these videos. And we offer our prayers to all those suffering from Hurricane Helene which is causing mayhem in the Southern-Eastern states in the USA, as well as central Europe, Vietnam as well as those who are suffering from ongoing droughts.

Being together

An elderly man used to attend church regularly, but for some reason, he suddenly stopped going. The priest noticed his absence and went to see him at his house. It was a cold wintry night, and as the man was sitting to warm himself next to his fireplace, the priest grabbed a chair and sat next to him. Nothing was said as the man was a quiet man. At one moment the priest grabbed the fork and pickup a smouldering charcoal from the heap in the fireplace. Then he placed it by itself in a tray, and from red hot, it gradually cooled down. He let it stay there for a while and said nothing. The man was wondering why he did that. After a while, the solitary charcoal had cooled enough that the priest picked it up with his fingers and once again placed it on the pile of burning charcoals. Right away, feeling the heat from the other charcoals, it turned orange again within a few seconds. The priest stood up and was ready to leave, when the elderly man spoke up, ‘thank you Padre for giving me a great lesson today. On Sunday you will see me again in church with my fellow parishioners.’ Sometimes you don’t have to say much to convince people of what’s in your heart. The priest wanted the elderly man to know that by coming back to church, he will re-ignite his faith, just as the cooled charcoal re-ignited itself when placed with the other red-hot ones. We are a stronger church when we are together, helping each other, supporting one another.

Your Feet

As soon as a baby is born, the first three things parents do is look to see if it’s a boy or a girl, admire his face, and then peek at his feet and see those 10 tiny toes and soft pinkish soles. We tend to underestimate our feet, and some people feel they are disconnected from the rest of their bodies. You notice this when looking at people’s feet, unkempt toes, rugged heels and overall disregard. What a difference when see the feet of a girl with a perfect pedicure, painted toe-nails, showing them off in pretty sandals. Yet those feet do an incredible amount of walking throughout a lifetime. The average adult will walk almost 75,000 miles over their lifetime – the equivalent of travelling around the world three times. A study of 2,000 adults found they each typically stroll 6,839 steps a day – amounting to 2,496,235 a year, 2 miles daily, over 700 miles annually. The human foot is a complex mechanical structure of the human body composed of 33 joints, 26 bones, and more than a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Think of how much work your feet accomplish. The constant pounding during a marathon, the weight they carry during  a weightlifting competition, the flapping during an Olympic 1500 meters race, the pirouetting of a ballerina during a ballet performance, the precise adjustment during a slalom race on snow, the crushing of grapes, the old-fashioned way,  the dribbling and scoring of immortal goals by Messi, Pele, Maradona and Bobby Charlton. And how about the walking done by missionaries as they travel to bring the Good News to converts, natives and agnostics. Now ask yourself: what am I doing with my feet, what have I done with them in the past, what do I plan to do with them in the future?

Your Hands

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel has a classic depiction in the fresco by Michelangelo of the creation of Adam. The hand of the elderly father reaches out to the finger of a young Adam, and man was created. ‘Let us make man in our own image.’ God created man with His own hands, and gave Adam hands that can create, invent and do marvellous things through the millennia that followed. Man’s hands are a special gift that God gave him. With them he can make fascinating melodies on the piano, the flute and other instruments. The hands of a surgeon can perform delicate and life-saving surgeries. The hands of an artist can paint immortal masterpieces which now hang in huge museums in our large cities. The hands of a mother can soothe the pain of a child, change hundreds of diapers, cook innumerable meals, wash tons of laundry. Hands can join in prayer, help in volunteering, build an entire house, help feed the hungry. The hands of a priest can bless countless objects, join couples in marriage, absolve sins and consecrate the Eucharist. Now ask yourself: what am I doing with my hands, what have I done with them in the past, what do I plan to do with them in the future?