The Pope in Madrid

Pope Leo leading the Corpus Christi procession

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called on Spain to renew its historic Eucharistic faith, warning that the country’s centuries-old religious traditions must not become a museum of the past to be visited, but remain a school of faith. The Pope made the appeal while presiding over Mass, a procession, and Eucharistic blessing for the solemnity of Corpus Christi in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles, one of the Spanish capital’s most emblematic sites, with 1.2 million people present. Corpus Christi has deep roots in Spain and throughout the Catholic world. The feast originated after the efforts of St. Juliana of Cornillon, a Belgian religious sister from Liege who promoted a liturgical celebration dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament. Pope Urban IV confirmed the feast for the universal Church in 1264, and within decades it had reached the Iberian Peninsula. King Alfonso X, known as “the Wise,” took part in a Corpus Christi celebration in Toledo in 1280. Over the centuries, the tradition became firmly established in Spain, making the country one of the great centers of Eucharistic devotion. During the period of the Council of Trent, when the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist was contested in parts of Europe, Spanish popular piety continued to exalt it through processions, music, art, and public expressions of faith. 

In Madrid, Pope Leo said Corpus Christi is “more than just another celebration on the liturgical calendar. It is a way of returning to the heart of the faith to renew our love and fidelity to God.” The Pope said the Corpus Christi procession is not “an exhibition, a remnant of folklore or a simple display of beauty. It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us, who becomes bread to satiate our hunger for life, and visits the recesses of our hearts and history, even those shrouded in darkness.” The procession route, about 600 meters along Calle de Alcalá, one of Madrid’s central thoroughfares, was adorned with 16 floral carpets — eight on each side — made with more than 30,000 carnations. Numerous faithful joined the pope, including many boys and girls who had recently received their first Communion. “The Christ who processes through the streets in the monstrance is the same one who identifies with the poor, the downtrodden, those who are alone and forsaken,” he said. “It is not merely a matter of bringing out the monstrance,” Pope Leo emphasized, “but of allowing ourselves to be brought out of our selfishness and indifference, of a comfortable, private faith, so as to respond to his invitation to conversion, to change our perspective, and to welcome his presence which transforms us and makes us builders of a new world.”

Corpus Christi

Eucharist from St Elizabeth hospital chapel, Baker City, OR

Without any doubt, the greatest gift Jesus could have left us was in the Eucharist. He also gave us His mother Mary as our Mother, just before He died on the cross, but a few hours earlier, he gave us His Body and His Blood, literally and figuratively, as our everlasting spiritual food. We are also honored to adore His presence every day. Not only in our own church, but in every church around the world. The Blessed Sacrament is present for Adoration, prayer and private time with the Lord. When people pray in His presence, miracles happen, as many people can tell you. Today’s celebration of Corpus Christi further accentuates the respect and reverence we should all show to the Eucharist. Processions are held in various countries, a tradition started by St Juliana of Liege in the 12th century. Customarily, the children who have just received their first Holy Communion, usually accompany in these processions held around each town and village. I pray today that they will continue to attend Mass with their parents, and be a true witness of the love they have for Jesus in the Eucharist which they can receive in communion every single day.

Handbell recital

I share with you a selection from an incredible concert that was held in my Cathedral parish of St Francis de Sales in Baker City, Oregon in 2012. Even though this is a Christmas selection, called Carolfest, you can admire the dexterity and incredible technique that Phyllis Tincher shows in handling over 40 handbells, some of them at the same time. She had Sean Rogers accompanying her on the piano, and the whole recital took over an hour with Christmas selections during the festive season. But they also go on concert in various other places, mostly churches, where I’ve seen them collaborating together, issuing also various Compact Discs, which of course I have in my collection. I was the one organizing this particular concert, and I was listening and taking photos of the occasion, which made me believe that Phyllis must have set up a hidden camera to record the concert, as you can see from this selection, with the beautifully restored sanctuary in the background. Enjoy this selection as you admire the incredible technique she uses as she handles the handbells, even re-placing them in their appropriate place on the felt-covered table.

Corpus Christi in Toledo

Click and enlarge

Enjoy today a few clips from the traditional Corpus Christi procession held every year on the Thursday following the feast of the Holy Trinity – this one held in Toledo, Spain. This may have been enhanced by AI, but nonetheless, it is reverent, a fitting tribute to the Eucharist on how processions should be done. The Corpus Christi procession was started by St Giuliana of Liege who had asked her bishop, Jacques Pantaleon to permit her to start organizing a procession in honor of the Blessed Eucharist. When he became Pope Urban IV, he let her go ahead with her wish and the procession has become a common occurrence every year in many Catholic countries. May countries nowadays celebrate Corpus Christi on he Sunday following the feast of the Holy Trinity, thereby ending the Easter season by a quadruple festivity: Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity and Corpus Christi.

From Cosmetics to Priesthood

Scott Borba, co-founder of E.l.f. Beauty, Inc, a well-known Cosmetics company in the USA, spent 20 years working in this industry relating to health and beauty.  His expertise was skin care, and was also a model, author and singer – and on May 23, 2026, he was ordained a priest for the diocese of Fresno, Calfornia. At the age of 42, Scott gave the millions he made in his cosmetics industry to charity. He said ‘God has blessed me with everything under the sun. God allowed me to become rich and also to enjoy success which is prevalent in places like Hollywood.’ Scott remembers as a child being at Mass with his mother and she asked him if he wanted to become like the priest at the altar. As the years rolled by, he never thought of the priesthood until the day he decided to give up everything for God, and never looked back. He also credits the Blessed Mother for standing by him, and he claims he’s never been happier than today. Ad Multos Annos Fr Scott !

St. Charles Lwanga and companions

We commemorate today the Ugandan martyrs, even though St Charles is the one often mentioned. One of 22 Ugandan martyrs, Charles Lwanga is the patron of youth and Catholic action in most of tropical Africa. He protected his fellow pages (aged 13 to 30) from the homosexual demands of the Bagandan ruler, Mwanga, and encouraged and instructed them in the Catholic faith during their imprisonment for refusing the ruler’s demands. For his own unwillingness to submit to the immoral acts and his efforts to safeguard the faith of his friends, Charles was burned to death at Namugongo on June 3, 1886, by Mwanga’s order. Charles first learned of Christ’s teachings from two retainers in the court of Chief Mawulugungu. While a catechumen, he entered the royal household as assistant to Joseph Mukaso, head of the court pages. On the night of Mukaso’s martyrdom for encouraging the African youths to resist Mwanga, Charles requested and received Baptism. Imprisoned with his friends, Charles’s courage and belief in God inspired them to remain chaste and faithful. When Pope Paul VI canonized these 22 martyrs on October 18, 1964, he referred to the Anglican pages martyred for the same reason. Although the Anglicans could not be canonized, they were named "with the others, also deserving mention" for enduring "death for the name of Christ".The Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs was built at the site of the executions, and serves as their shrine. Their remains are in Kampala. The order known as "The Brothers of St. Charles Lwanga" were founded in 1927 as an indigenous religious congregation of Ugandan men committed to providing education to the youth of their country.

Sagrada Familia

On June 9, as part of his apostolic journey to Spain, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Barcelona. There, he will inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Basílica de la Sagrada Família and celebrate a Mass commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of its first architect and designer, Antoni Gaudí. Interest in Gaudí, whom Pope Francis proclaimed venerable in 2025, has grown recently alongside rumors of an imminent beatification. One hundred forty-four years after construction began, Sagrada Família continues to spark debate. Gaudí saw only about 10% of the original project completed. He spent his last 12 or 14 years working exclusively on Sagrada Família, living poorly, thinking about the future, with hope and faith in the future. To ensure his vision survived him, the architect left behind a comprehensive theological-symbolic plan, detailed drawings, and large-scale models . He wanted to move people, to inspire them by seeing the facades, entering the interior, and seeing these treelike structures that rise upward into the space for the Eucharistic celebration, and for all this beauty to reach everyoneʼs heart so they would think about their lives, think about the life of Christ and their own lives, and that this would lead them to feel loved, welcomed, and ready to love others. (Click to enlarge the following photos)

Various aspects of Sagrada Familia, and Antoni Gaudi himself

Andrea Mifsud, cyclist

A Maltese cyclist, Andrea Mifsud just finished 69th out of 184 cyclists in the Giro d’Italia which ended yesterday. He was part of the Polti VisitMalta team which uses a colorful outfit, white shirt with green shoulders and red pants. Andrea was born of a Maltese father and a French mother, which made it possible for him to register as representing Malta, the first ever in the history of the century-old race throughout Italy in the month of May. After starting out as a young footballer, Mifsud decided to switch to cycling after a serious injury. A generous and resilient cyclist, with the classic characteristics of a rider equally comfortable on the road and on gravel, in 2025 he proudly wore the Maltese cross in the breakaway that enlivened the European Championships in France, an international showcase that deepened his emotional connection with both nations he loves so much. Mifsud started cycling at age 13 and rode in 2021 for the Swiss Racing Academy (now Tudor) later signing with Nice Métropole in 2022. For him, cycling has become more than just a sport, but rather “a way of life that combines competition, work, team spirit, travel, the agony of effort… and the satisfaction of it all” he says. A graduate in Business Administration, he also completed the esame di Stato in Italian, a language he speaks fluently. He’s an explosive climber with cycling idols such as Ivan Basso, Alberto Contador, and others like  Francesco Moser, Hinault, and Coppi & Bartali. I wish him the very best for his future.

Holy Trinity

On this feast of the Holy Trinity, may I suggest a practical prayer that we can all do every night so that the Holy Trinity may become an important part of our lives. So, as an examination of conscience, every night before you get to bed, take one minute divided into 20 seconds. In the first 20 seconds, think of a positive event that happened to you during the day, maybe a good news you received, a good deed you accomplished, and thank God the Father for it. In the second 20 seconds, think of a negative thing that you experienced, maybe a conflict, an argument or quarrel with someone else, and ask God the Son, Jesus, to forgive you for it. Then during the last 20 seconds, think of something you have to do tomorrow, maybe an important decision you have to make, talking to another person on an important issue, and talk to God the Holy Spirit while asking for guidance and inspiration. A simple, yet effective way to feel connected with the Trinity.

Pope Leo’s prayer life

Pope Leo with his secretary Fr Edgard Rimaycuna

‘Pope Leo XIV goes through his day centered on prayer, silence, and seeking God amid his responsibilities at the helm of the Church.’ This was shared by his personal secretary, Peruvian priest Father Edgard Rimaycuna. He says further in an interview ‘He is a man who lives always in the constant presence of God. From the very start of the day, he has his fixed times for prayer, including holy Mass and the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours; we also pray the rosary. Throughout the day he always seeks contact with God through silence and through prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel.  The pontiff’s spirituality is deeply influenced by the thought of St. Augustine. The Holy Father seeks God within himself; he speaks with him, that is prayer. His spiritual experience is subsequently reflected in his interactions with the people with whom he works. This closeness is manifested in the time he gives to every person who seeks him out and in the attention he pays to those who confide their difficulties or concerns to him. When someone entrusts him with a specific intention or concern, he keeps them very much in mind. He is not a man of immediate decisions. He always thinks, listens, and takes into account even opposing views, a patient and prudent man in the governance of the Church. He is a man who seeks to build bridges, seeks dialogue, and always avoids confrontation. One of the Holy Father’s greatest sources of suffering is the current wars. He suffers a lot because of all of this, referring to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, noting that Leo XIV’s first words after being elected pope were a call for peace: “Peace be with all of you.“ He always works for peace; he constantly calls upon authorities for a ceasefire. We can never offer too many prayers. The Holy Father will always need our prayers.’ Father Edgard Rimaycuna knew Pope Leo since 2006 when he was his student in Peru. He was ordained by Bishop Prevost in 2017, and lives with him and always by his side.

Pope St Paul VI

The banner used at his canonization on October  14, 2018

The church honors today one of the recently-canonized saints, Pope Paul VI. Born as Giovanni Battista Montini on September 26, 1897 in Concesio, Italy, he was ordained priest on May 29, 1920, consecrated Bishop on December 12, 1954 and made a Cardinal on December 15, 1958. He succeeded St John XXIII as Pope on June 21, 1963. He spent most of his life in administrative work, being secretary to Pope Pius XII, an as Cardinal he was to lead Milan, one of the largest Archdiocese in the world. As successor of John XXIII he was to finish the Second Vatican Council and see to the implementation of many of the documents signed by the over 2200 bishops gathered in Rome. He was one of the modern Popes to travel outside Italy. He was canonized on October 14, 2018 by Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Myself kissing the hand and ring of a Saint in August 1966.

I was honored to be in Pope Paul VI’s presence in 1966 as an altar-boy chosen to serve at the Vatican. In the audience we had with the Pope, I kissed the ring of the Supreme Pontiff and a photographer snapped a photo which I will treasure forever. Archbishop Gonzi of Malta happened to be present at the audience also. Out of 25 altar-servers only me and another boy had our picture taken in such a historic and memorable moment. In the audience he told us that whenever we became pastors to go to visit him again. Sadly he passed away in 1978, just a few months after my ordination.

Christ the Eternal High Priest

The Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest, is a Roman Catholic liturgical celebration observed annually on the first Thursday after Pentecost. It honors Jesus as the supreme mediator between God and humanity and serves as a special day of prayer for priests and religious vocations. This is the first year that is being commemorated in Malta. This movable feast does not commemorate a specific event in Jesus' earthly life; rather, it contemplates his eternal priestly nature as described in the Book of Hebrews. The focus highlights several key theological points:

Jesus as the Ultimate Mediator: Jesus is the singular High Priest who offered the ultimate sacrifice (himself on the cross) for the sins of the world.

His Continuous Intercession: He continually intercedes for humanity before God the Father.

Jesus as a Model for the Clergy: Catholic priests act in persona Christi (in the person of Christ). The day is frequently used to pray for the sanctification of priests and to encourage new vocations.

Twins top two in class

Adriana and Alyssa Lyons

Twins Adriana and Alyssa Lyons graduated together from the Academy of the Holy Names, a prestigious Catholic school in Tampa Bay, Florida, the Class of 2026. They also have made history by graduating as the valedictorian and salutatorian of their class. For those not familiar with American customs, they are the Number One and Number Two in their class of students, and they were privileged to make the speech at the Graduating Ceremony. Adriana said  “One of the greatest gifts of the academy was learning that success is never something you achieve alone. Having my twin sister beside me throughout this journey has been incredibly special.  We have always pushed each other to work harder, dream bigger and become better versions of ourselves.” Alyssa added of her sibling, “She has always pushed me to work harder, think bigger and believe in myself even during the moments I doubted myself.”

Graduation day for the Lyons twins

The identical twins have attended the school together since kindergarten and also finished as the top two students back in eighth grade. Along the way, they completed more than 1,000 hours of community service and earned nearly $287,000 in scholarships and merit awards. The sisters will go on to study chemistry together at the University of Florida, starting in August.

St Philip Neri

If one had to choose one saint who showed the humorous side of holiness that would be St. Philip Neri. Born in 1515 in Florence, he showed the impulsiveness and spontaneity of his character from the time he was a boy. His father was not successful financially and at eighteen Philip was sent to work with an older cousin who was a successful businessman. During this time, Philip found a favorite place to pray up in cave on a mountain that had been turned into a chapel. He then went to Rome in 1533 where he studied philosophy and theology until he thought his studies were interfering with his prayer life. He then stopped his studies, threw away his books, and lived as a kind of hermit. Night was his special time of prayer. After dark he would go out in the streets, sometimes to churches, but most often into the catacombs of St. Sebastiano to pray. He felt so filled with energy to serve God that he went out to work at the hospital of the incurables and starting speaking to others about God, everyone from beggars to bankers. In 1548 Philip formed a confraternity with other laymen to minister to pilgrims who came to Rome without food or shelter. The spiritual director of the confraternity convinced Philip that he could do even more work as a priest. After receiving instruction from this priest, Philip was ordained in 1551. At his new home, the church of San Girolamo, young men especially found in him the wisdom and direction they needed to grow spiritually. But Philip began to realize that these young needed guidance during their daily lives. So Philip began to ask the young men to come by in the early afternoon when they would discuss spiritual readings and then stay for prayer in the evening. The numbers of the men who attended these meetings grew rapidly. In order to handle the growth, Philip and a fellow priests built a room called the Oratory to hold them in.

Philip understood that it wasn't enough to tell young people not to do something -- you had to give them something to do in its place. So at Carnival time, when the worst excesses were encouraged, Philip organized a pilgrimage to the Seven Churches with a picnic accompanied by instrumental music for the mid-day break. After walking twelve miles in one day everyone was too tired to be tempted! In 1555, the Pope's Vicar accused Philip of "introducing novelties" and ordered him to stop the meetings of the Oratory. Philip was broken-hearted but obeyed immediately. The Pope only let him start up the Oratory again after the sudden death of his accuser. Eventually Philip decided it would be best for the group to have their own church. They became officially known as the Congregation of the Oratory, made up of secular priests and clerics. Philip was known to be spontaneous and unpredictable, charming and humorous. One of his men was Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina who wrote beautiful harmonic choral music and Masses. 

Mary, Mother of the church

I’ve said it many times that the Blessed Mother has more feasts than Jesus himself, and yet another celebration was introduced in 2018 by Pope Francis, honoring her as the Mother of the Church. The feast is now being celebrated annually the day after Pentecost. Yesterday we commemorated the birthday of the church, and as Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, she somehow gave birth to the church, whom He represents. This feast was actually introduced by Pope St. Paul VI in 1964, who had declared Mary as Mother of the Church, that is Mother of all Christians and of all priests. Then in 1975, the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the church had also introduced a special Mass in honor of Mary as Mater Ecclesia, mother of the church. Above all, we must look at Mary as the one who gives us life, that spiritual oxygen which energizes us and nourishes us with her presence in our lives. May the Blessed Mother bless all of our families and may they be strengthened in their weakness through her continued motherly protection.  As Pentecost is considered as the birthday of the church, today we honor Mary as she was also present with the apostles when the Holy Spirit descended on them, thereby creating the first church and their lives were changed forever. 

Pentecost

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: 

Christ Jesus, before ascending into heaven, You promised to send the Holy Spirit to Your apostles and disciples.

- Grant that the same Spirit may perfect in our lives the work of Your grace and love.
- Grant us the Spirit of Fear of The Lord that we may be filled with a loving reverence toward You.
- the Spirit of Piety that we may find peace and fulfillment in the service of God while serving others;
- the Spirit of Fortitude that we may bear our cross with You and, with courage, overcome the obstacles that interfere with our salvation;
- the Spirit of Knowledge that we may know You and know ourselves and grow in holiness;
- the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our minds with the light of Your truth;
- the Spirit of Counsel that we may choose the surest way of doing Your will, seeking first the Kingdom;
- Grant us the Spirit of Wisdom that we may aspire to the things that last forever;
Teach us to be Your faithful disciples and animate us in every way with Your Spirit.  Amen.

Cardinal Mercier's Prayer To The Holy Spirit:   I am going to reveal to you a secret of sanctity and happiness. For five minutes every day quiet your imagination, close your eyes to everything visible and your ears to all external sounds and withdraw into the sanctuary of your baptized soul which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. There, speak to the Holy Spirit and say:

"O Holy Spirit soul of my soul I adore you. Enlighten guide, strengthen and console me. Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promise to submit to everything that you ask of me and to accept all that you allow to happen to me. Just show me what is your will."

If you do this, your life will be happy and serene. Even in the midst of troubles you will experience great consolation, for grace will be given to strengthen and help you to cope with every difficulty.

Architect Andrea Vassallo

Ta' Pinu church in Gozo, Malta, Romanesque architecture

I like to introduce to you an architect who gave Malta some spectacular buildings, even though he never received any architectural degree from any university. However his ingeniousness was recognized by everyone, as can be seen by some of his structures. Among them is the monumental Ta' Pinu church in Gozo, the Neo-Gothic house in Mdina, the Casa Bologna owned by Sir Gerald Strickland, Prime Minister of Malta in the 1920s, the Argotti Gardens greenhouse structure, the Villa Rosa complex and the Casa Said, unfortunately destroyed when a few modern building were built in its place. Andrea Vassallo was born in Luqa and lived between 1856 and 1928. He also built the St Vincent de Paul Hospital as well as the domes of Ħamrun and Siġġiewi parish churches. These few photos are a tribute to his workmanship. Please do click on each photo to see a clearer image.

Casa Said in Sliema, and the Mdina neo-Gothic house

Villa Rosa Complex and the Villa Bologna, both by Andrea Vassallo

The Argotti Gardens greenhouse and the Hamrun parish dome

St Rita

Today being the feast of St Rita, many abused women are looking up to her as their patron saint. Her life story, though it happened 700 years ago, could very well be happening today.

St. Rita was born in 1381 near Spoleto, Italy. Her parents arranged her marriage to Paolo Mancini when she was only 12, despite the fact that she repeatedly begged them to allow her to enter a convent. Mancini was a rich, quick-tempered, immoral man, who made many enemies in the region. St. Rita endured his insults, abuse, and infidelities for 18 years, and bore him two sons whom she raised with Catholic values. Toward the end of her husband's life, St. Rita helped convert him and although Mancini became more congenial, his allies betrayed him, and he was violently stabbed to death. Before his death, he repented to St. Rita and the Church, and she forgave him for his transgressions. Now her sons wished to exact revenge on their father's murderers. Knowing murder was wrong, she tried to persuade them from retaliating, but to no avail. She, instead, prayed to God for Him to take away the lives of her sons instead of seeing them commit such a terrible sin. God heard St. Rita's words and her sons died of natural causes a year later. Soon afterwards, St. Rita desired to enter the monastery at Cascia but was spurned for being a widow, as virginity was required for entry into the convent. However, she persisted in her cause and was allowed to enter the monastery after reconciling her family with her husband's murderers. She was 36 and she remained at the monastery for the rest of her life, living by the Augustinian rule, until her death, May 22, 1457. St. Rita was beatified by Pope Urban VIII in 1627, and canonized on May 24, 1900 by Pope Leo XIII.  

St Cristobal Magallanes and companions

Like Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, SJ, Cristóbal Magallanes and his 24 companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people. Churches, schools, and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled. Cristóbal established a clandestine seminary at Totatiche, Jalisco. He and the other priests were forced to minister secretly to Catholics during the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-28) a ruthless and cruel dictator. All of these martyrs except three, were diocesan priests. David, Manuel and Salvador were laymen who died with their parish priest, Luis Batis. They all belonged to the Cristero movement, pledging their allegiance to Christ and to the Church that he established, to spread the Good News in society—even if Mexico’s leaders had made it a crime to receive baptism or celebrate the Mass, or even attend church for any reason. These martyrs did not die as a single group but over 22 years time in eight Mexican states, with Jalisco and Zacatecas having the largest number. They were beatified in 1992 and canonized on May 21, 2000 by St John Paul II. 

St Bernardine of Siena

We honor today a saint who spent all his life trying to turn people towards God. Born on September 8, 1380, he was a well known preacher who traveled all over Italy, calming hot-headed people, and attacking paganism which was prevalent in many towns. He was often seen preaching to as many as 30,000 people. The Pope compared him to St Paul, the itinerant preacher with an extraordinary energy to project the message of the Gospel in people’s hearts. His only weakness was a low soft voice, often hoarse with all the preaching, of course at a time when microphones and loudspeakers were only a dream.

When he was only 20, a plague devastated Siena and neighboring towns, and yet Bernardine with some friends did their best to help the patients, even though they were facing a contagious and deadly disease. When he escaped the plague, he suffered from high fever and other illnesses which today would have been easily dealt with by penicillin or antibiotices, but this was the 15th century. Yet he recovered and at the age of 22  he joined the Franciscans and was ordained a priest two years later. Even when he tried to live in solitude, his superiors realized the gift he had for effective preaching and begged him to travel on a preaching mission. No wonder he always was losing his voice! He had a special devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus and even created the acronym for the name of Jesus, IHS (Iesus Huios Soter) the first 3 letters of the name of Jesus in Greek. This symbol was reappearing on churches, missals, tabernacles, altars, pulpits and even hosts. When he started his missionary work, he had 300 Franciscan students, and when he died he had 4,000. He kept preaching until he died on May 20, 1444, precisely during one of his preaching expeditions. 

Perfumed Saints

It is a well-known fact that some of the saints emit a certain perfume that is instantly recognizable.  This is frequently as a result of their intimate friendship with God the Father. Among them is St Therese of Lisieux and many people reported that from her grave, a smell of roses was a constant occurrence. Many others reported a particular smell around the body of St Pio of Pietralcina, a mixture of roses, violets and incense. This was common also when he still had the stigmata. The incorrupt body of St Rita of Cascia also emits a constant perfume, even though her coffin is encased in glass. Similar reports are recorded with St Catherine of Siena, St John Bosco and St Teresa of Avila. It’s worth noting that these phenomena reflect only the spiritual sign of a holy life lived by that particular saint, and they have no effect on the process of canonization. The church considers the perfume as a sign not as a proof of holiness.

God has the final word

When I say ‘It’s impossible,’ God says ‘What is impossible for human beings is possible for God. (Luke 18:27)

When I say ‘I am awfully tired,’ God says  ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew 11 :28-30)

When I say ‘I don’t know where I am at the moment,’ God says ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; In all your ways be mindful of Him, and he will make straight your paths’  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

When I say ‘I cannot forgive myself,’ God says  ‘If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.’ ( 1 John 1, 9)

When I say ‘I am so lonely,’ God says  ‘Be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

When I say ‘I cannot do it.’ God says  ‘I have the strength for everything through Him who empowers me.’ (Philippians 4:13)

When I say ‘I am afraid,’ God says ‘For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.’ (2 Tim 1:7)