In the woods

If you’re ever in a forest or jungle or any wooded area in your neighborhood, and at least have some basic tools, this is what you can do, with a lot of imagination and plenty of time....... This man had an ingenious mind and a sense of initiative that baffles the mind. Enjoy this fascinating display of creativity and ingenuity.

St Bridget of Sweden

Born of a wealthy family in 1302, Saint Bridget, also known as Birgitta, she was related to many members of the royalty. In 1316, at the age of 14 she married Ulf Gudmarsson to whom she bore eight children, four daughters and four sons. Six survived infancy, which was rare at that time. One daughter is now honored as St. Catherine of Sweden. Bridget became known for her works of charity, particularly toward Östergötland's unwed mothers and their children. When she was in her early thirties, she was summoned to be lady-in-waiting to the new Queen of Sweden. In 1341 she and her husband went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, in Spain. In 1344, shortly after their return, Ulf died at the Cistercian Alvastra Abbey in Östergötland. After this loss, Birgitta became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis and devoted herself wholly to a life of prayer and caring for the poor and the sick.

It was about this time that she developed the idea of establishing the religious community which was to become the Order of the Brigittines, whose principal house at Vadstena was later richly endowed by King Magnus IV of Sweden and his queen. One distinctive feature of the pre-Reformation houses of the Order was that they were double monasteries, with both men and women forming a joint community, though with separate cloisters. In 1350, a year of jubilee, Bridget braved a plague-stricken Europe to make a pilgrimage to Rome accompanied by her daughter, Catherine, and a small party of priests and disciples. This was done partly to obtain from the Pope the authorization of the new Order. But since the Pope was living in Avignon, France at that time, she had to wait until he returned to Rome. It was not until 1370 that Pope Urban V, during his brief attempt to re-establish the papacy in Rome, confirmed the Rule of the Order, but meanwhile Birgitta had made herself universally beloved in Rome by her kindness and good works. Save for occasional pilgrimages, including one to Jerusalem in 1373, she remained in Rome until her death on 23 July 1373. She was canonized in the year 1391 by Pope Boniface IX.

St Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene, whose liturgical feast we celebrate today, is mentioned as one of the women who ministered to Jesus. The same passage also refers briefly to an act of exorcism performed on her, on an occasion when seven demons were cast out. These women, who earlier "had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities", later accompanied Jesus on his last journey to, and were witnesses to the Crucifixion. She was also the privileged first person to see Jesus risen from the tomb, an honor that was not given to any of the 12 apostles, but only to Mary Magdalene, probably in a way of thanking her for staying with Jesus till the end at the foot of the cross. This is the last mention in the Gospels of Mary of Magdala, who now returned to Jerusalem. She is probably included in the group of women who joined the Apostles in the Upper Room in Jerusalem after Jesus' Ascension and may have also been with the Blessed Mother at Pentecost.

Tradition as early as the third century identifies Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany and with the woman sinner who anointed Jesus' feet, even though she remains unnamed. The identification of Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany and "the woman who was a sinner" is reflected in an influential sermon Pope Gregory I gave in 591, which said: "She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary of Bethany, we believe to be the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark.  Mary had been looked upon as a great sinner, but Christ knew the circumstances that had shaped her life. It was He who had lifted her from despair and ruin. It was Mary who sat at His feet and learned of Him. It was Mary who poured upon His head the precious anointing oil, and bathed His feet with her tears. According to Eastern traditions, she retired to Ephesus and there she died. Her relics were transferred to Constantinople in 886 and are there preserved.  Most importantly we honor today a woman who remained faithful to Jesus until the very end of her life.

Best cuisine – top 100

Greek Cuisine is rated the best

This is a fascinating website with chock-full of information about cuisine from around the world. They are rated according to popularity, but each country has their own flavor, information galore, special food and edible items that are typical of that particular country. The USA is rated at Number 13 and Malta is at Number 84. The top 3 countries for best cuisine are: Greek, Italian and Mexican. These countries make up the top 10: Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Indonesian, French, Japanese, Chinese. Please browse through this exceptional website and visit your favorite countries, and respective food they present, and see which are the most popular restaurants. Click on this link to feast on everything your heart, stomach and appetite desire. I'll guarantee this is one of the best website you've ever visited.

https://www.tasteatlas.com/best/cuisines

Festa season

This is festa season in Malta when most parish churches celebrate the week-long celebration in honor of their titular saint, culminating with a procession usually held on Sunday evening. The churches themselves are decorated with lights and colored motifs, which make them look quite spectacular. These are just two of the churches, the first one from Balzan, the feast of the Annunciation of Mary and the second one in Vittoriosa, the feast of St Lawrence the martyr. 

Often as many as 6 parishes celebrate their feast on a particular Sunday, and the Assumption of Mary has 10 parishes with that title, and so August 15 is a busy day for churches, priests, lay people, altar servers, marching band players, decorators, nougat sellers, and fireworks enthusiasts. Between mid-May and mid-September as many as 60 feasts are celebrated all over the Maltese islands.

Prayer for families

I offer this prayer to all the families who are struggling right now, or with other issues related to children and relationships. Let me therefore offer my sincere prayers....

-          To young lovers who are planning to get married, that they will not give up to the pressure from friends, but really focus on each other’s love, and bring in Jesus in their lives.

-          To couples who feel their life is not complete because they are still childless.

-          To parents who are tired of controlling their children, and feel they are failing in their education and discipline.

-          To parents who are concerned because their children have stopped going to church.

-          To those couples whose love has disappeared and feel they are living like a brother and sister.

-          To those couples who had to separate and are thinking of divorcing.

-          To those couples who have been betrayed by the infidelity of their respective partner.

-          To those who are co-habitating but are not officially married.

-          To those families and households where they face daily domestic violence.

-          To those families where fighting and jealousy are so common, because of harsh words in the past, problems with the parents’ wills and testaments, lack of agreement, sibling preferential treatment, injustice of the past, etc.

-          To those families who are divided because of past hurts, prejudice, pride, children who stopped visiting their parents and sibling rivalry.

-          To those families still feeling the pain of poverty, lack of work and debts they incurred in the past.

-          To those families who suffer because one child is in prison and another one is on drugs.

-          To those families affected by illness, a handicapped child, elderly parents.

-          To those who are widowed and feel the pain of solitude.

-          To those families who just suffered the loss of a dear member of the family.

-          To those couples expecting the birth of a baby in the family.

-          To those who are in a healthy marriage with a few nice children, that they can share their successful experience with other couples they know, and who may use some help.

The Canary

Another flash-back from the USA: Going back to 1994, when I was in St Anthony of Padua parish church in Rocky Point, New York, I had an elderly lady whom I visited to give her communion once a week, and she had a canary in a cage. Incredibly, every time I opened my pyx to give her the Eucharist, this canary would start to sing a most beautiful song, with thrills and arpeggios, and would not stop until she had received communion on her tongue. This happened repeatedly and I was always mystified how a tiny bird can sense the presence of the Lord close by. It is hard to believe it but it is true. The pyx is the small container where we place the consecrated hosts while visiting the homebound – that’s a good word to remember if you like to pay Scrabble. Animals often fascinate us with their instinct and how they respond to us in incredible, spontaneous and fascinating way. This canary certainly recognized someone special who visited him every week, and responded with his brilliant song and excitement to have such a treasured Guest visit him in the solitude of his cage. When I ended up as chaplain at Hilltop Gardens, back in Malta, there were two ladies who had similar birds, and even though they weren’t as demonstrative as the one in Rocky Point, they always moved around and chirped a little bit when I was showing the host to the couple, as I said ’Behold the Lamb of God.....’

The hard-working mule

Spiridione drove his old car into a canal by the main road. He tried to pull it out but was not successful. So he asked a farmer close by to help him out but the clever farmer thought of another idea.  ‘Wait here till I get my mule unhooked and he may be able to help you pull out your car from the canal.’ The farmer returned within a few minutes with enough rope and his mule Gringo. He looked a pretty old animal and Spiridione wondered how he can help get his car on the road again. The farmer tied the rope to the car and onto Gringo as he started yelling at his mule....’Come on Gringo,...... come on Pablo....come on Tadei......come on Spiro......’ and lo  and behold, poor old Gringo, all by himself was able to move the car and bring it onto the main road. Spiridione was so happy to see his car ready to go, and thanked the farmer profusely, giving him a few dollars in gratitude. As he was bidding goodbye to the helpful farmer, Spiridione asked him, ‘I was wondering since you had just one mule, why did you keep calling all those names, Pablo, Tadei, Spiro, Gringo....?’ The farmer was delighted with that question and was just as happy to give him the answer. ‘You see, my mule is very old, and also blind. So when I start calling the names of my other mules, Pablo, Tadei and Spiro, whom he remembers from his younger years, Gringo thinks they are also helping out. But as you saw he is strong enough to do any tough job I ask him, all by himself. So just thank him for helping you out, and have a nice day!’ Lesson: When we work together with others, we can really perform miracles. Yes, alone we can do very little, but together we can do wonders.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

St Simon Stock receiving the scapular

According to a pious tradition, the Blessed Virgin appeared to St Simon Stock at Cambridge, England on Sunday June 16, 1251. In answer to his appeal for help for his oppressed order, she appeared to him with a scapular in her hand and said to him: ”Take, beloved son, this scapular of your order as a special sign of grace for all Carmelites; whoever dies with this scapular, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is a sign of salvation, a safeguard in danger, a pledge of peace.” The Carmelites are a religious order founded on Mount Carmel in the 13th century, named thus in reference to the mountain range found in the Holy Land. The founder was a certain Berthold, who was either a pilgrim or a crusader. The order was founded at the site that it claimed had once been the location of Elijah’s cave, 1700 feet above sea level. By 2001, there were 2,100 religious monks in 25 provinces in the Carmelite order, besides 700 enclosed nuns in 70 monasteries. In addition, the Third Order of lay Carmelites count 28,000 members throughout the world. Besides St Simon Stock, there are other Carmelite saints such as St Therese of the Child Jesus, St John of the Cross, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, St Theresa of Avila, St Titus Brandsma and even Sister Lucia of Fatima.

Tower Road in Sliema

Tower Road, Sliema Malta - 1970 and 2020

I have another stunning comparison today for you – two photos I took, 50 years apart. The first one in black and white was taken around 1970, while the second one was taken in 2020. One of the most beloved roads in Sliema is the promenade road known as Tower Road, which was prominently identified by a row of colonial houses, all the same size and same architectural design. These photos were taken by me from the same angle, as you can see the Sliema skyline completely transformed. This is not what urban or housing development is like – this is rather what greed is like !

Wimbledon’s new King

We honor today Jannik Sinner, the phenomenal young Italian tennis player who demolished Carlos Alcaraz yesterday in the men’s final 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, thereby winning his 4th Grand Slam in 2 years. Already winning the Australian Open twice and the US Open once, he had a sensational 5 hour game against Alcaraz in the French a month ago, which he lost in 5 heart-pounding sets. With his parents in attendance in the huge Wimbledon stadium, Jannik kept his Number One rating with the obvious prospect that we will see the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry dominating the tennis world for the next 15 years. Congratulations to Jannik, his family and his coaching staff. Now on to the US Open which will start at the end of August at Flushing Meadows, New York.

Xlendi Bay

Xlendi Bay in Gozo, Malta - 1975 and 2025

It’s amazing the transformation that happens in our topography after a handful of years. This is a typical bay in the Maltese islands, specifically Xlendi Bay in Gozo. I took the first black and white photo around 1975. The second colored photo has been taken over the last few years – so we’re talking about a difference of 50 years at the most. I placed the two photos close to each other, so that you can see the contrast and compare them. This quiet bay was so peaceful and tranquil back in 1975. However, over the years it had grown into a mega-tourist attraction, with hotels and restaurants shooting up into the sky, with hardly any place to park. One problem that is created every time there is a sudden rainstorm, is that lots of water comes rushing down a hill from the capital city in Rabat or Victoria, because there is nowhere for it to go but down the street that leads to Xlendi Bay. Luckily most of the water ends up in the sea, and few of the houses are inundated, but for a few hours, the streets are waterlogged, and whatever happens to be in the way to the bay, ends up precisely there, in the sea. Of course there are many plans for contractors to build more hotels and buildings in the limited area that is left for people to enjoy.

A true conversion

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

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

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

St Benedict

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

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

St Benedict handing the Rule to his monks

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

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

Pope Francis from the hospital

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

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

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

$20 worth of time

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

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

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

Blessed Ulma Family

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

Blog visitors

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

More gems to treasure

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

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

Independence Day

Click to enlarge the prayer for America

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

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

St Thomas

St Thomas by Caravaggio

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

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

Children's names

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

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

My grandma’s figs

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

The Early Martyrs

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

St Peter and Paul

St Peter, a painting from my brother's collection

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

Emvin Cremona - St Paul's panel from 1960 centennial

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