Examination of Conscience

There is one small, ancient and genuinely transformative practice that can change the shape of your interior life if you let it. It’s called the examination of conscience. It takes three to five minutes before you go to sleep. And it has a way of quietly changing everything.

The Desert Fathers practiced it. St. Augustine practiced it. St. Ignatius of Loyola placed it at the center of his Spiritual Exercises. And on the last day of 2025, Pope Leo XIV stood before pilgrims in St. Peter's Square and commended this same practice to the whole Church, inviting Catholics to reflect on God's action over the past year, evaluate how they had responded to his gifts, and ask forgiveness for the times they had fallen short.

Here is what the practice actually looks like: You begin by acknowledging that God is present. Thirty seconds. A simple “Come, Holy Spirit, let me see my day as you see it.” This is what makes the examen prayer rather than mere journaling because you are not doing the seeing yourself. You are asking for light. Then, before you look for failures, you look for gifts. What was good today? Name three things. A conversation that surprised you with its warmth. A moment of patience you didn’t know you had. A child who made you smile or even laugh.

Next, gently walk back through the day. Was I patient? Did I listen well? Did I even glance at God, or did I barrel through from morning to night without a thought of him? Answer honestly. Then: a brief act of contrition, and one small concrete resolution for tomorrow. Not “I will be a better person.” That’s too vague to act on. Something specific like “When I feel impatient with the kids tomorrow morning, I will pause before I speak.” The resolution is what keeps the examen from being merely a feeling and turns it into real formation. And finally, you entrust the day to Our Lady and you close your eyes.

You can do this any time at night, like after the younger children go to bed, during the last quiet of the evening, even in a car after dropping someone off. It requires only a few minutes of intentional quiet and an honest heart. Start tonight. Acknowledge that God is present. Count three things from today for which you are grateful. Walk honestly back through the day. Say you are sorry for what fell short. Name one thing you will do differently tomorrow. Put yourself in Our Lady’s hands and close your eyes. Three to five minutes. That is all. Do it tonight. Do it again tomorrow night. And the night after that.

Grandparents Day

Pope Leo echoed a few perfect messages as he joined the elderly on Grandparents Day, celebrated close to the feast of St Joachim and St Ann, grandparents of Jesus. The painful feeling of being forgotten is, unfortunately, shared by many people, and among them are quite a few elderly people. Leo warns that the elderly can become invisible as they age, becoming isolated in their homes or becoming just a bed number or an illness in a care home. He encouraged everyone to make a real human connection, not just a digital one. The digital culture multiplies connections and offers new opportunities for interaction; yet, the human heart retains an irrevocable need for genuine closeness. Leo encouraged young people to revive the beautiful custom of visiting their grandparents, elderly family members and even those who have no one to visit them. All people are in need of one another, the pope said, and embracing this need is a strength that can become an invitation not to resort to the ways of arrogance and power to ensure human coexistence, but to the ways of reconciliation and true peace. Pope Leo ended his message by saying ‘In this time, so harshly marked by the violence of war and social unrest, many wonder what the world in which their grandchildren will grow up will be like. I urge you, dear friends, to join me in praying earnestly that peace may soon come to the whole world.’

Best Cuisines in the world

Clockwise: Rabbit, Ftira, Macaroni, Pastizzi

We all like food, and we have to eat, at least a few daily portions every day. Yet many look for the best restaurants, or create their own food, looking for inventive and creative recipes. Well, here are the top 100 cuisines in the world, including Malta which rates at 94. Included for each country are the favorite food for that country, and the best restaurants in each nation. The top 20 are Italy, Greece, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Japan, Turkey, China, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Serbia, India, Poland, America, Vietnam, Brazil, Croatia, Korea, Lebanon. Click on this link to go on a delicious culinary journey. 

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

St James and Compostela

Today being the feast of Saint James (Santiago in Spanish,) I want to share a brief reflection on this pilgrimage site which every year sees hundreds of pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela to celebrate the feast of St James. St James is the brother of St John and along with St Peter, they were frequently close to Jesus whenever he wanted to perform a particular miracle. They were with Him at the Transfiguration, the raising of Lazarus, and the Agony in the Garden, even though they slept, instead of praying with Jesus before His passion. It has become a popular tradition that people from every part of the globe make a traditional walk through the northern part of Spain every year, hiking with friends, sleeping in motels and special resting places, dividing their pilgrimage over a few weeks or months. The Cathedral itself was started in 1075 and finished in 1211 and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. The Cathedral is the reputed burial-place of St James the apostle, and it is the destination of the Way of St James, the historical pilgrimage route since the Early Middle Ages. The building is a Romanesque structure with later Gothic and Baroque additions. According to legend, the apostle Saint James the Greater brought Christianity to the Celts in the Iberian Peninsula. In 44 AD he was beheaded in Jerusalem. His remains were later brought back to Galicia, Spain.

St Sharbel Makhlouf

This is a saint who did nothing special in his life, but became popular and well-known mainly after his death. Youssef Antoun Makhlouf was born in 1828 in the upper part of Lebanon. He had a Christian upbringing through which he devoted much time to prayer. This led him to follow in the footsteps of two of his uncles who were hermits in the monastery and hermitage of St. Atonius Kozhaya. In 1851 he entered the Maronite order under the name of Sharbel, and continued to study theology in the monastery of St. Kobrianus and Gustina. He was ordained a priest in the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerky in 1859, and lived for 16 years in the monastery of St. Maron in Annaya. From there he went to the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul where he spent much of his time praying and celebrating the liturgy, and rarely left his hermitage. He lived in this hermitage for 23 years. On 16 December 1898, while he was celebrating Mass, he was struck by a severe illness and died a week later, on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1898, and was buried in the monastery of Saint Maron, in Annaya. A few months after his death, bright lights began to appear around his tomb, and his body was placed in a special coffin because many people began to gather where he was buried. They began to recover from their illnesses and received special graces. In 1925 the cause of beatification was opened by Pope Pius XI. In 1950, his tomb was reopened and his body was found in a preserved condition, even after 60 years of his death. The miracles then began to multiply, and now thousands of pilgrims began to gather around his tomb in the Annaya monastery. Among these were many people who were not even Christians, so much so that Sharbel Makhlouf attracted sympathy. And as a result, many people from Lebanon returned to their faith. He was beatified in 1965 and canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 9, 1977. This was a saint who lived a quiet life, rather alone as a hermit, but he attracted the admiration of many people, especially in his country of Lebanon.

St Bridget of Sweden

Born on June 14, 1303 of a very devout family, Bridget’s mother died when her daughter was only 10. She was raised with her siblings by her father and other aunts. As was customary during the Middle Ages, Birgitta was married when she was 13 years old to a young man, Ulf Gudmarsson with whom she had eight children, four daughters, and four sons, all of them survived infancy, and that was very rare at that time. The King of Sweden, Magnus Eriksson married a foreigner, and asked Birgitta to come and be Lady-in Waiting and to teach his new bride and young queen the language and customs of her new country. After her years of service at Court, Birgitta and Ulf made the long pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostela in Spain. On the return journey Ulf became ill but survived until early in the year 1344, when he was very ill again, and so Birgitta took him to the monks at Alvastra where he died and was buried. Birgitta remained in a little house near the abbey and she spent long hours in prayer by Ulf’s grave. She arranged her affairs among her children and various charities and prayed for guidance. When she was 41 years old, in the abbey at Alvastra she felt God calling her to start a religious order, mainly for women. He said that the other orders had fallen into decay and this new order would be a vineyard whose wine would revivify the Church. She needed a monastery, chaplains and priests, besides 60 nuns to start the order. King Magnus donated a little palace and much land to the new monastery in Vadstena, but as soon she had begun altering the palace and organizing the work, Christ appeared to her and asked her to go to Rome. Birgitta left Sweden at the end of 1349 never to return, spending the Holy Year 1350 there. Although she had longed to become a nun, she never even saw the monastery in Vadstena. It was not until 1370 that Pope Urban V confirmed the rule of her 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, she remained in Rome until her death on July 23, 1373. She was originally buried at San Lorenzo in Panisperna before being moved to Sweden. She was canonized by 1391. Birgitta was the first women ever to found a religious order, known as the Brigittines. The order spread swiftly throughout Europe with monasteries from Scandinavia throughout Europe, in particular Spain, Italy, Mexico and the USA. None of these foundations have brothers, except the U.S.A. which has one male convent.

St Mary Magdalene

St Mary Magdalene after meeting the Risen Christ

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. Seven times she had heard His rebuke of the demons that controlled her heart and mind. 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. Mary stood beside the cross, and was first at the tomb after His resurrection. It was Mary who first proclaimed a risen Savior. 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. 

What goes up........

Yes,....what goes up.....must come down ! And Lionel Messi experienced this last Sunday when his Argentina team was humiliated by a stronger Spanish team, eventually winning the World Cup in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Throughout the previous games, Argentina were at their best, and Messi was the one who kept them going, often at the last few seconds, as was the case with Cape Verde and England at the semi-final. The jubilation that this photo represents reflects the euphoria in which the players were basking in, as they lifted their captain in the air. The hands that are seen in the photo were sure to catch him as he descended. But last Sunday after the final, there was no one to catch him. What goes up, must come down, and this time it was a trashing thumping the Blues received from the Spanish team. The statistics were just astounding in comparison. Spain had 22 shots at goal, scoring only once, while Argentina had only 2 shots, only one of them at goal towards the end of the 120 minute encounter. And if it wasn’t for the several great saves the Argentinian goalie did, the score could very well have been 4-0 or even 5-0. I’m sorry Senor Messi, you’ve had much better days, and your career may soon be over, but remember that what goes up, must come down. Congratulations nonetheless for a stellar career, and many spectacular goals you scored over the past 20 years.

Bend Art Walk

Going back to my last parish in Bend, Oregon, I recollect the artistic nature of this quaint town, which has become a city. Former parishioners tell me that it has exploded in population as well as buildings going up everywhere. While I was there between 2013 and 2016, the population hovered around 80,000, but they claim now there must be around 110,000, possibly more. Of particular interest to me and many others was the first Fridays Art Walks, where artists used to exhibit their works and people would mingle about, admire the works, buy some of them, meet other people, and like myself  take a few photos for ideas for my watercolors. So here are a few that I took, as well as the atmosphere in town. Enjoy these paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolor and sculptures made from bronze. (Please enlarge photos)

 

Messi vs Yamal

During today’s World Cup final, Lionel Messi's Argentina will play Lamine Yamal's Spain for the biggest trophy in the sport. Just recently a photo shows up that pictures Messi bathing baby Yamal in 2007 as part of a charity calendar produced by local newspaper Sport and UNICEF. Luck dictated that Yamal's mother, who appears in the calendar photo, won a raffle of families in the city of Mataró, near Barcelona, who wanted to participate. Football destiny then deemed that her baby boy, who would become a star for Barcelona some 15 years later, was paired up with the Argentine who would become one of the greatest of all time. A tearful Messi left Barcelona in 2021 when the club was in financial trouble. 

Yamal Lamine and Lionel Messi

Yamal erupted at the club two years later. The journey is now complete, from bathtub to World Cup final, where the 19-year-old Yamal will face a Messi who is 20 years his senior. It’s interesting also to note that Cape Verde, one of the surprise teams in this World Cup, with a population of half a million (the size of Malta,) tied both Spain and Argentina. So they can say that whichever World Champion will be crowned tonight, they were not able to beat tiny Cape Verde !

Cardinal Simoni

Cardinal Simoni addresses his fellow Cardinals on October 2025

In November 2016, among the 17 prelates that Pope Francis chose as new cardinals, there was an unknown priest who was neither a bishop, nor eligible to be elected as Pope. He was 88-year old Father Ernest Troshani Simoni of the Archdiocese of Shkodrë-Pult in Albania. It was a symbolic appointment to honor the suffering of Albanian Catholics under communism, and to promote their valiant courage in the small Balkan country with 2,7 million people. Catholics number 20% who suffered under their ruler  Enver Hoxha, who came to power in 1944 until his death in 1985 and sought to fiercely reassert his country’s independence. Religion was a primary foe of his regime. In 1967 Albania became the world’s first atheistic state. Torture, imprisonment, exile and murder were common instruments of the communist regime. Many died as martyrs and were beatified on November 5, 2016 and among them were two bishops, 21 diocesan priests, seven Franciscans, three Jesuits, one seminarian and four laity. These martyrs were subject to inhumane torture and the most cruel indignities before their death. Cardinal Simoni was ordained a priest on April 7, 1956, and on Christmas Eve 1963, a warrant was issued for his arrest. After three months of intense interrogation, the court sentenced him to 18 years of intense labor in the coal mines of Spaç. His initial sentence was death by firing squad, but, by the grace of God, he survived. In 1981, he was released from prison and sent back home. What followed in Albania was complete religious harmony between the Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims. Communism has been completely eradicated. Cardinal Simoni was visited by Pope Francis, and recently he visited Pope Leo at the Vatican. He can very well be referred to as a true living martyr.

My Mission churches

St Katharine mission in Long Creek, Oregon

When often I mention my mission churches in my former parishes in Oregon, I am talking about small chapels that can fit anywhere between 30 to 60 people, although most of the time there would be anywhere between 5 to 20 people in attendance. These little churches were built over the past 80 years to accommodate the various communities that are so spread out that unless a priest travels to celebrate Mass for them, they will remain without any Masses or confessions, or First Communions or even weddings and funerals. So in my 13 years I spent in Oregon, I travelled extensively, rain or shine, snow and ice, and only missed once in those years. The reason for that one miss is because they had so much snow, that the parishioners called me frantically to warn me not to travel, because they had so much snow that they couldn’t even get out of their homes. So here are the mission churches that I served in, covering around 120 miles every weekend to reach them. The biggest blessing is that there was absolutely no traffic at all. However my only problem on the road was deer crossing, and during the mating season between September and January, you really have to be on the lookout for darting deer and elk, especially if a male deer is chasing a doe in heat. (Click on each photo to enlarge)

                 St Anne' mission in Monument.       St Charles Mission in Seneca

          St Anthony's mission in N.Powder        St Joseph's mission in Unity, Oregon

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

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 and St Elizabeth of the Trinity. In honor of Mary, many children in Malta are named Carmen, Carmela, Carmelo, Charles and similar derivations, although they were more popular in the past. A special devotion is held also in Malta, especially in parishes dedicated to her, Valletta, Balluta, Gzira, Fgura, Mdina, Fleur-de-Lys and celebrated also in Zurrieq.

One father=100 teachers

Among the most popular descriptions of God in the Bible is the one that refers to Him as Abba, Father. In the Aramaic language, which Jesus spoke, the word Abba can be translated as ‘Daddy’ which most children refer to their father. It is a phrase that means intimacy, affection,  paternal love, exclusive attraction that a child develops towards his earthly father. And just as every child has ears wide open to hear what their father tells them, there are also 2 wide eyes open to see everything their father does. And an English proverb says that a good father is worth a hundred teachers. It’s interesting to note that when we were children, we used to call our father ‘daddy’, while we called our mother an Italian expression ‘mamma,’ which also has an affective and maternal meaning behind it.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Today we commemorate Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks. She was the daughter of a Mohawk warrior and a Catholic Algonquin woman, born in 1656, in the Mohawk fortress of Ossernenon near present‑day Auriesville, New York. I was privileged to visit her birthplace, which is also the place honoring a National Shrine of the French Jesuits who brought the faith to the East coast, the North American martyrs. After losing her family to a smallpox epidemic (but surviving it herself), she dragged her disease‑ravaged body over a long and arduous trail to arrive at the St. Francis Xavier mission near Montreal. There, she took a vow of perpetual virginity and set about teaching prayers to children and helping the infirmed. As the adopted daughter of the chief, she was courted by many of the warriors looking for her hand in marriage. However, during this time she began taking interest in Christianity, which was taught to her by her mother. Kateri's clan then settled on the north side of the Mohawk River. While living here, at the age of 20 years old, Tekakwitha was converted and baptized on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1676. Kateri, the Mohawk girl who set out to help others despite her scarred face and diminished eyesight, probably attracted quite a bit of attention at the mission. Those who were healthy probably recoiled a bit from her, perhaps in fear that she may still have the disease. Those with prejudices against the Native American people may have mistreated her, may have wondered what of value she might have to offer the mission and those who settled there. Yet, she was most likely a godsend to those people. After all of the smoke cleared, after generations of soldiers and hunters came and went, it was Kateri Tekakwitha who was constantly remembered as the one who gave prayers to the children and relief to the sick and aged. She died on April 17, 1680 at the age of 24. It is said that on her deathbed, her last words were spoken in her native tongue, translating to “Jesus, I love you.” According to eyewitness accounts, Kateri's scars vanished at the time of her death revealing a woman of immense beauty. It has been claimed that at her funeral many of the ill who attended were healed on that day. She was canonized on October 21, 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI, along with Blessed Marianne Cope, who became the third and fourth American-born saints.

Sinner’s Wimbledon

Once again Jannik Sinner is the champion at Wimbledon, this time beating Alexander Zverev 3-1, claiming also his number 1 spot at the rankings, with Zverev taking over the number 2 spot from Carlos Alcaraz. Thankfully there was no rain this time, creating however for some warmer-than-usual temperatures. Now the players will start competing on the hard surface as they approach the last Grand Slam of the year in Flushing Meadows in New York which usually starts in the last week of August. Who knows, maybe Yannik Sinner may head now to Castelgandolfo for a day or two to play with Pope Leo, a tennis aficionado. Last year the first official audience of Pope Leo was precisely with Yannik and his parents, and then had the tennis court prepped up for some tennis games with friends, besides a swimming pool. And it’s a good idea to keep the place in good shape which was sadly abandoned by Pope Francis who preferred to stay at Casa Santa Marta at the Vatican. Congratulations Yannik for your 5th Grand Slam.

Feasting by Francis

Pope Francis in one of his speeches gave this reflection on how we can truly fast in our Christian life.

Fast from words that hurt, and instead mention only words of kindness.

Fast from thoughts of sadness, and be filled with words of gratitude.

Fast from anger, and try to show patience in dealing with others.

Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope and optimism.

Fast from worry, and trust yourself in the hands of the Lord.

Fast from complaining and try to accept everything that is simple and ordinary.

Fast from tension, and believe in the power of prayer.

Fast from sour and distorted feelings and fill your heart with sweetness and joy.

Fast from being hurt by others and try to forgive and forget past quarrels.

Fast from chatter and useless talk, and appreciate silence and well-chosen words.

St Benedict

Today being the feast of Saint Benedict, I thought of sharing with you the symbolism of the medal that had widespread use after its formal approval by Pope Benedict XIV in the 18th century. The medal is used by Catholics to ward off spiritual and physical dangers, especially those related to evil, poison, and temptation. On the front of the medal is Saint Benedict holding a cross in his right hand, the object of his devotion, and in the left his rule for monasteries. In the back is a poisoned cup, in reference to the legend of Benedict, which explains that hostile monks attempted to poison him: the cup containing poisoned wine shattered when the saint made the sign of the cross over it (and a raven carried away a poisoned loaf of bread). Above the cup are the words "Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti" (The Cross of our Holy Father Benedict). Surrounding the figure of Saint Benedict are the words “Eius In Obitu Nostro Praesentia Muniamur!” (May we be strengthened by his presence in the hour of our death), since he was always regarded by the Benedictines as the patron of a happy death. On the back is a cross, containing the letters C S S M L - N D S M D, initials of the words "Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux! Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux!" (May the holy cross be my light! May the dragon never be my overlord!). The large C S P B stand for Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti (The Cross of [our] Holy Father Benedict). Surrounding the back of the medal are the letters V R S N S M V - S M Q L I V B, in reference to “Vade Retro Satana! Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana! Sunt Mala Quae Libas. Ipse Venena Bibas!" (Begone Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities! What you offer me is evil. Drink the poison yourself!) and finally, located at the top is the word PAX which means "peace."

World Cup 2026

Many  visitors to this blog are probably surprised that I haven’t mentioned the World Cup once since it started, co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the USA. Now that we have the last 8 teams battling it out over the next 10 days until a champion is crowned, we say ‘Well done’ to them: France, Morocco, England, Norway, Spain, Belgium, Argentina and Switzerland. We are also surprised that some other nations are not there, like Italy, Brazil, Germany, Uruguay, Netherlands, Portugal and others who have featured prominently over the last 96 years, the first four of them winning  15 World Cups between them ! Both Pope St. Paul VI and Pope Pius XII spoke about sport in a few of their speeches. Most recent Popes also met winners of certain championships, like the World Cup and Euro Cup. Pius XII in 1945 said ‘Sport develops the entire character of a person, makes players more courageous, as they learn to accept a loss with generosity and win ever more graciously.’ We had some beautiful goals this year, also many spectacular saves, certain teams surprising everyone like Cape Verde, Egypt, and other African countries, and of course the VAR controversy which never ends, as its application is making every game slow down and every critical action and goal to be checked out, over and over again. My own personal observation after watching most of the games, is that on any given day, any team can win, as we saw in several games, going to the wire, and being won in the last second.

St Augustine Zhao Rong

The 120 Chinese martyrs we honor today

We always think of China as predominantly Communist. But Christianity is alive even today in China and neighboring nations. Christianity arrived in China by way of Syria in the 600s. Depending on China’s relations with the outside world, Christianity over the centuries was free to grow or was forced to operate secretly. The 120 martyrs in this group we honor today died between 1648 and 1930. Eighty-seven of them were born in China, and were children, parents, catechists, or laborers, ranging in age from nine years to 72. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests. The 33 foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious, especially Dominicans, from the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Friars Minor, Society of Jesus, Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians), and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier who accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse of the Paris Foreign Mission Society to his martyrdom in Beijing. Not long after his baptism, Augustine was ordained as a diocesan priest. He was martyred in 1815. Beatified in groups at various times, these 120 martyrs were canonized together in Rome on October 1, 2000 by St John Paul II.

Life’s unanswered questions

Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?
Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
Why is a boxing ring square?
Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the third hand on the watch called second hand?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why is the word dictionary in the dictionary?
Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance that little indestructible black box is?
Why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor when you can't drink and drive?

Dormition Cathedral

Dormition Cathedral in Kiev is one of the most imposing and spectacular churches in the world. On June 15, in a Russian attack condemned worldwide as sacrilegious, the roof of the cathedral burned, as firefighters hosed water on it. Underneath the compromised structure, priests scrambled to keep sacred relics and icons from further damage, racing against the danger of a collapse. Ukrainian officials estimate that restoring the damage will cost 10 million euros. It was one of the most ruthless heartless attacks by the Russians. In the first days of the war, when Ukrainians blocked streets to other sacred and cultural places with piled sandbags in front of vulnerable windows and doors, Dormition Cathedral remained opened, a symbol of defiance and hope. Worshippers came in steadily, genuflected multiple times, kissed icons, lit candles, and prayed for their country and the people fighting for it. The church provided them the peaceful comfort of rituals, like rock on which Christ promised to build his Church.

Putin’s attack on Dormition Cathedral reminded us when the Soviets destroyed the 900-year-old original in 1941, when Stalin’s retreating army booby-trapped much of Kyiv as the Nazis approached.  The war in Ukraine is a Soviet-style war on Christianity. Putin’s army has destroyed more than 700 churches and religious facilities, according to a recent tally. It began when the Russians rolled into Chernihiv from Belarus in February of 2022. They blew up the 11th-century Transfiguration Cathedral and the 18th-century St. Catherine’s Cathedral in the very first days of the war. Two years ago, they bombed and ransacked Odesa’s Transfiguration Cathedral. Last June, they hit Holy Wisdom Church at St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kyiv with a drone. In March, a ballistic missile damaged a 15th-century monastery and St. Andrew’s Church in Lviv. All of them, like the Dormition Cathedral at Pechersk Lavra, are UNESCO heritage sites.

Pokan

Pedro Arrupe (1907-1991) was the Superior General of the Jesuits between 1965 and 1983. He was in Hiroshima when the atom bomb was dropped there in 1945 as well as in Nagasaki. Miraculously both him and the other Jesuits survived the nuclear bomb and nothing happened to them, not even any side effects. One day he saw a little Japanese girl in church looking at the tabernacle for a long time. And Fr Arrupe approached her and asked her ‘What do you do in front of the Blessed Sacrament for such a long time?’ Her answer was ‘Nothing !’ He asked her again ‘How come, you just stay here and say nothing, do nothing ?’ Then she finally told him ‘Pokan.’ In Japanese Pokan means ’staring, looking glaringly with mouth open, as if admiring something spectacular.’ How often do we sit quietly to admire the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, the One who keeps us going, day after day, without asking anything in return ?

Pope Leo’s Encyclical

Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, is an excellent treatise exploring centuries of Catholic social teaching, and many sections directly address the heads of governments and technology leaders crafting the future of humanity. Yet within the 42,000 word document are several practical ideas for ordinary Catholics concerned about the future of humanity in light of rapid changes related to artificial intelligence. Very briefly, these are just  practical ideas that the Pope is suggesting to us all in this encyclical, which translated means ‘Our Magnificent Humanity.’

1. "Cultivate relationships" and engage with other human beings. "I invite everyone to cherish places and times where physical presence remains crucial, such as shared meals, Christian community gatherings, time spent with the lonely and serving the poor." In short, host a dinner party to better interact with family and friends.

2. “Put down your phone !” Leo takes aim at technology's effects on human beings, particularly the pernicious effects smartphones seem to have on young people. "Having a personal mobile device at too early an age and using it without adult supervision can intensify young people's vulnerabilities, foster addiction and expose them to isolation, bullying and cyberbullying, as well as to pressures to share intimate images or sensitive information.  We have to"teach children, adolescents and young people how to recognize manipulation, defend their dignity and respect that of others in digital environments."

3. “Choose your words carefully and peacefully” Pope Leo Leo mentions peace more than 80 times in the encyclical. "We have a real opportunity to contribute to the common good each time we speak the truth, offer wise advice, support those in need of comfort, denounce injustice and give a voice to the voiceless."

4. “Become savvy about artificial intelligence — and stop sharing disinformation.” The Pope warns about the threats of AI-generated misinformation to democracy and to the very foundation of truth itself. Adults must "rediscover their vocation as artisans of education" and help "children and young people in using technology for developing responsible relationships. Technology has the power to heal, connect, educate and protect our common home," Leo writes, "but it can also divide, exclude and generate new forms of injustice."

5. “Learn Catholic Social Teaching” - Leo devotes much of his encyclical to reviewing the church's history of Catholic social teaching since the promulgation of Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, looking closely at previous encyclicals, teachings from the Second Vatican Council and especially the words of his immediate predecessor, Pope Francis. “I believe that today we must once again reflect on the common good, the universal destination of goods, subsidiarity, solidarity and social justice."