Malta scenes

Once again I’m happy to share with you as I go through my collection of black and white photos, which I tend to appreciate even more now, 50 years after I shot these scenes. These three are of a religious nature. The first one shows two fellow classmates when we were still seminarians – here they are in a corridor in our seminary atrium, which saw many celebrations, volleyball games and other activities. The columns are all around the atrium and create a nice effect with shadows as the two characters walk by reading from a Breviary.

The second photo shows one of our large baroque churches in Msida, dedicated to St. Joseph as the entire structure is reflected in the water, part of an inlet that reaches to the front of this church. This scenes is even more spectacular when the church is lit up during the summer celebration of St Joseph. That’s another photo for another day. Presently lots of construction is going on in this area where some flyovers are being constructed to alleviate the heavy traffic that usually jams up this busy area. The third photo is the facade of St Mary’s church in Birkirkara, some intricate stone carving that’s at least 350 years old. Built around 1670, it is typical Renaissance architecture that has been preserved immaculately, even though the dome collapsed and there are various critical sections that need restoration.

St Teresa of Avila

'Ecstasy of St Teresa' by Bellini, in Santa Maria della Vittoria.

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.
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.

Palestine craftwork

As we see the people of Gaza and Palestine return to their homes, whatever was left of them, our hearts go out to them as they try to rebuild their lives, hoping they will find a big heart from the rest of the world to help them build new homes.  This reminds me of some Holy Land craftspeople who carved various religious statues from olive wood trees. A few salesmen and women used to  call me in my parishes in Oregon asking if they could sell these articles. They told me that they were done by people from the Holy Land and Palestine, and they used only dead trees, using the wood that was still good to carve and sculpture. 

Of course all proceeds was used to help the poor people we’ve been seeing in recent photos, begging for food with their pots and pans. I am sure that many of those carvers who created these little masterpieces, will be busy carving more statues and nativities in time for Christmas, (like the one you see in the second photo) using whatever wood they can find from the destruction they’ve experienced over the past 2 years.

Peace on Earth

I know this may seem like a Christmas message and I just found myself celebrating the festive season, but this is a celebration of Peace on our planet, as it had been finally reached in one of the most troublesome areas of the world. Let's hope that the ceasefire in Gaza and Palestine will last forever, as we hope it will soon happen also in Ukraine. Listen to the words carefully as it is sung by Vince Gill and his daughter Jenny in this inspirational performance.

Why ?

Why do we have wide open streets and closed minds?

Why do we spend more and have fun less?

Why do we have more experts, and yet many more problems?

Why do we drive so fast, and always arrive late at meetings?

Why do we stay up late, and wake up tired?

Why do we watch so much TV, and read less, especially our Bible?

Why has living become so important, but life is not worth much anymore?

Why is it we went to the moon, and yet we cannot cross the street to help a neighbor?

Why do we create bigger things, but not better?

Why did we spoil not only the air, but also our souls?

Why is it that we were able to destroy the atom, but not our prejudices?

Why is it we learned how to run, but never learned how to wait?

Why did we build big stronger computers, but we communicate less and less.

Why do we have bigger and more beautiful homes, but broken families?

Pope St. John XXIII

Although few people had as great an impact on the 20th century as Pope St. John XXIII, he avoided the limelight as much as possible. The firstborn son of a farming family in Sotto il Monte, near Bergamo in northern Italy, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was always proud of his down-to-earth roots. After his ordination in 1904, Angelo returned to Rome for canon law studies. He soon worked as his bishop’s secretary, Church history teacher in the seminary, and as publisher of the diocesan paper. His service as a stretcher-bearer for the Italian army during World War I gave him a first-hand knowledge of war. In 1921 he was made national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. He also found time to teach patristics at a seminary in the Eternal City.  In 1925 he became a papal diplomat, serving first in Bulgaria, then in Turkey, and finally in France (1944-53). During World War II, with the help of Germany’s ambassador to Turkey, Archbishop Roncalli helped save an estimated 24,000 Jewish people. Named a cardinal and appointed patriarch of Venice in 1953, he was finally a residential bishop. A month short of entering his 78th year, he was elected pope, taking the name John after his father and the two patrons of Rome’s cathedral, St. John Lateran. He took his work very seriously but not himself. His wit soon became proverbial, and he began meeting with political and religious leaders from around the world. His most famous encyclicals were Mother and Teacher (1961) and Peace on Earth (1963). Pope John XXIII enlarged the membership in the College of Cardinals and made it more international. In 1962 he convened the Second Vatican Council where all the bishops gathered in Rome to discuss many issues facing the church, and this led to great reform, especially in the way we celebrate the liturgy. "Good Pope John" died on June 3, 1963. St. John Paul II beatified him in 2000, and Pope Francis canonized him in 2014.

My Seminary years

My love with photography started when I was in the Seminary, from around 1970. I first had an Instamatic camera, that led to a Petri single-lens reflex camera which my father bought for me in 1972. Back then I focused on black-and-white photography, even developing some of the films myself. Of course this was before the digital age, and eventually I started taking many colored photos, having to wait a few days to be developed by the professionals. But these three photos were all taken around the Seminary in my early years. The first one was during a spectacular sunset close to the chapel dome with the cross and three seminarians in the foreground. 

The second one was in one of our smaller chapels, with this mystical silhouette which was behind the main altar. The third one was as two seminarians were walking in one of our country roads flanked by a row of trees on one side.

Peace, at last !

The entire world is rejoicing as everyone welcomed the breakthrough in the Hamas-Israeli war that has raged for the past 2 years. The United Nations Secretary General expressed his relief by claiming "I welcome the announcement of an agreement to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. The United Nations will support full implementation and recovery efforts. This momentous opportunity must not be lost." Under the deal, Hamas is expected to release all 20 living hostages by this weekend, and the Israeli military is expected to begin withdrawing troops from most of Gaza as part of the initial phase. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, half of them women and children. So many countries that you wouldn’t have thought of have come together. It’s been so great for Israel, so great for Muslims, for the Arab countries — and so great for the United States of America. This is more than Gaza — this is peace in the Middle East. Leaders across the world are welcoming the news and describing it as a potential turning point. We pray that the entire world helps in the re-building of Gaza and Palestine, which has been turned into total destruction.

Mdina Cathedral dedication

The present Mdina Cathedral designed by Lorenzo Gafa'

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Paul, commonly known as St. Paul's Cathedral is the Cathedral dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle. The Cathedral was founded in the 12th century, and according to tradition it stands on the site of where Roman governor Publius met St. Paul following his shipwreck on Malta. Today is the anniversary of its dedication and consecration. Since the 19th century, liturgical functions have been shared between this Cathedral and St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta. The first Cathedral which stood on the site is said to have been dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but it fell into disrepair during the Arab period (the churches in Malta were looted after the Aghlabid invasion in 870). Following the Norman invasion in 1091, Christianity was re-established as the dominant religion in the Maltese Islands. A Cathedral dedicated to St. Paul was built in the 12th and 13th centuries.

The old Mdina Cathedral destroyed by the 1693 earthquake

This is the old Cathedral before its destruction. The Cathedral was built in the Gothic and Romanesque, and it was enlarged and modified a number of times. It was severely damaged in the 1693 Sicily earthquake, and although parts of the building were undamaged, on 11 April 1693 the decision was taken to dismantle the old Cathedral and rebuild it in the Baroque style to a design of Lorenzo Gafà. The building was almost complete by 1702. It was consecrated by Bishop Davide Cocco Palmieri on 8 October 1702. The Cathedral was fully completed on 24 October 1705, when work on the dome was finished. It is considered as Lorenzo Gafa’s masterpiece. In the late 1720s, the Bishop's Palace and the Seminary (now the Cathedral Museum) were also built. Many of the paintings around the Cathedral were done by famous artists like Mattia Preti, Giuseppe Cali, and the three Sicilian brothers Vincenzo, Antonio and Francesco Manno, and the famous Annunciation by Bruschi. Most importantly, let us remember that this feast is a great reminder that WE ARE THE CHURCH, the Mystical Body of Christ, and in spite of the beautiful churches we have, where we gather as parishioners to pray, we the humans and the Christians form the church, because as Jesus said once 'where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst.'

Our Lady of the Rosary

Ta' Pinu church with the Rosary mysteries mosaics

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. So also in Lourdes, in the lower chapel of the Rosary there are 15 monumental mosaics with the 15 mysteries of the Rosary. Outside, the  Luminous mysteries were added a few years ago, although it is uncertain if they will be covered or kept visible as they still are.

The greatest things in Life

Teton Mountain range in Idaho, USA.

The greatest Joy........................................Giving
The greatest loss.........................................Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work..........................Helping others
The ugliest personality trait.....................Selfishness
The most endangered species..................Dedicated leaders

The greatest "shot in the arm"...............Encouragement
The most useless thing to do .................Worry
The greatest problem to overcome....... Fear                                                                                      
The most crippling failure disease..........Excuses
The best sleeping-pill..............................Peace of Mind 

The most powerful force in life...................Love
The most dangerous neighbor....................A gossiper
The world's most incredible computer......The brain !
The worst thing to be without....................Hope
The deadliest weapon................................. The tongue

The most power-filled words......................”I Can”
The second most power-filled words.........”Thank You”
The third most power-filled words............”I’m sorry”
The greatest asset..........................................Faith
The most worthless emotion........................Self-pity 

The most prized possession..........................Integrity
The most beautiful attire................................A SMILE!
The most powerful way to communicate......Prayer
The most contagious spirit.............................Enthusiasm
The most important thing in life...................GOD

The Handwriting on the wall

A weary mother returned from the store,
Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.
Awaiting her arrival was her 8 year old son,
Anxious to relate what his younger brother had done.

"While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,
T.J. took his crayons and wrote on the wall!
It's on the new paper you just hung in the den.
I told him you'd be mad at having to do it again."

She let out a moan and furrowed her brow,
"Where is your little brother right now?"
She emptied her arms and with a purposeful stride,
She marched to his closet where he had gone to hide.

She called his full name as she entered his room.
He trembled with fear; he knew that meant doom!
For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved
About the expensive wallpaper and how she had saved.

Lamenting all the work it would take to repair,
She condemned his actions and total lack of care.
The more she scolded, the madder she got,
Then stomped from his room, totally distraught!

She headed for the den to confirm her fears.
When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.
The message she read pierced her soul with a dart.
It said, "I love Mommy," surrounded by a heart.

Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it,
With an empty picture frame hung to surround it.
A reminder to her, and indeed to all,
Take time to read the handwriting on the wall.

St Francis of Assisi

Probably one of the most beloved and well-known Saints, even among non-Catholics, St Francis became affectionately known as the patron saint of animals. And in his honor, we bless our dogs, our cats, our lizards, horses and noisy cockatiels every year. He became one of the Church's most efficient reformers and started by reforming himself. The son of a cloth-merchant, one day he stripped naked in the local piazza and gave his father everything he had, including the clothes he was wearing. Instead, he put on him a simple robe and gathered around him a few other men (among them St Anthony) and thus started the Franciscan order. To many of us, St Francis may seem out of touch with reality, rather than a profound philosopher. But that's exactly the kind of people the church needs even today, down-to-earth workers, with a good scale of values and who knows where their priorities are. Francis lived a short life, born in 1181 and dying in 1226, but in his short life of 45 years, he started a revolution of love, compassion, charitable work and encouraged everyone for a life of poverty, a lifestyle that all the Franciscans around the world still imitate.

We are all familiar with the prayer "Make me an instrument of your Peace" attributed to Saint Francis. So I decided to add a few more phrases 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 there is spiritual apathy, let me show commitment, prayerfulness, and devotion.

A few more precious quotes

The family that prays together, stays together.

We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.

Knowing doesn’t mean understanding. Just as Looking doesn’t mean seeing.

Never judge your parents. Wait until you become one yourself.

Every great achievement starts with the decision to try, and the confidence to act.

This is my wish for you: Comfort in difficult days. Rainbows to follow the clouds. Smiles when sadness intrudes. Faith so that you can believe. Sunsets to warm your heart. Laughter to kiss your soul. Courage to know yourself. Hugs when spirits sag. Patience to accept the truth. Beauty for your eyes to see. Confidence for when you doubt. Friendships to brighten your heart. And Love to complete your heart.

Friendship is the rainbow between two hearts sharing seven colors: feelings, love, sadness, happiness, faith,  truth, respect and secrets.

We love ourselves even when we commit a thousand mistakes. Then how can we hate and condemn others for one mistake?

The world always says ‘Find good people and leave the bad ones.’ But I always say ‘Find the good in people and ignore the bad in them’ Because no one is perfect.

Being humble means recognizing that we are not on earth to see how important we can become. But to see how much difference we can make in the life of others.

Peace of mind is a beautiful gift that only we can give to ourselves just by expecting nothing from anyone even after doing everything for them.

Many people will make you realize how wonderful the world is.....but only a few will make you realize how wonderful you are to the rest of the world !

Alone I can ‘say,’ but together we can ‘Talk.’ Alone I can ‘enjoy,’ but together we can ‘Celebrate.’ Alone I can ‘smile,’  but together we can ‘Laugh.’ That’s the beauty of human relations. We are nothing without each other.

The 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.

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

This year we celebrate the 100 anniversary of the Little Flower’s canonization. Therese was born in France on January 2, 1873, the pampered daughter of a mother who had wanted to be a saint and a father who had wanted to be a monk. The two had gotten married but determined they would be celibate until a priest told them that was not how God wanted a marriage to work! They must have followed his advice very well because they had nine children. The five children who lived were all daughters, and they all became nuns. The other 4 died very young or at birth. Tragedy and loss came quickly to Therese when her mother died of breast cancer when she was four and a half years old. Her sixteen-year-old sister Pauline became her second mother -- which made the second loss even worse when Pauline entered the Carmelite convent five years later. When her other sisters, Marie and Leonie, left to join religious orders (the Carmelites and Poor Clares, respectively), Therese was left alone with her last sister Celine and her father. She wanted to enter the Carmelite convent to join Pauline and Marie but how could she convince others that she could handle the rigors of Carmelite life? When the superior of the Carmelite convent refused to take Therese because she was so young, the formerly shy little girl went to the bishop. When the bishop also said no, she decided to go over his head. Her father and sister took her on a pilgrimage to Rome to try to get her mind off this crazy idea. Therese loved it. It was the one time when being little worked to her advantage! Because she was young and small she could run everywhere, touch relics and tombs without being yelled at. Finally, they went for an audience with the Pope, Leo XIII. As soon as she got near him, she begged that he let her enter the Carmelite convent. She had to be carried out by two of the guards! But the Vicar General who had seen her courage was impressed and soon Therese was admitted to the Carmelite convent that her sisters Pauline and Marie had already joined. 

Actual photo of St Therese

She knew as a Carmelite nun she would never be able to perform great deeds. Therese took every chance to sacrifice, no matter how small it would seem. She smiled at the sisters she didn't like. She ate everything she was given without complaining -- often given the worst leftovers. Upon their father’s death, now Celine also entered the convent. Four of the sisters were now together again. In this small convent, they now made up one-fifth of the population. Despite this and the fact that Therese was a permanent novice, they put her in charge of the other novices. Then in 1896, she coughed up blood. She kept working without telling anyone until she became so sick a year later everyone knew it. She died on September 30, 1897, at the age of 24 years old. After she died, Pauline put together Therese's memoirs and sent 2000 copies of ‘The Story of a Soul’ to other convents. In 1925 she was canonized. Her parents Louis and Zelie Martin were canonized in 2015.