Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker

Saint Joseph was declared to be the patron saint and protector of the Catholic Church by Pope Pius IX in 1870, and is also the patron of several countries and regions. Pope Pius XII in 1955 established the Feast of "St. Joseph the Worker", to be celebrated on May 1st. This date counteracts May Day also known as the International Workers’ Day, a union, workers', and socialists' holiday commemorating the dignity of work and workers. In honor of St. Joseph, I share with you this prayer written by Pope St John XXIII for all workers, especially in commemoration of the feast we celebrate precisely today.  

O glorious Joseph! Who concealed your incomparable and regal dignity of custodian of Jesus and of the Virgin Mary under the humble appearance of a craftsman and provided for them with your work, protect with loving power your sons, especially those entrusted to you. You know their anxieties and sufferings, because you yourself experienced them at the side of Jesus and of His Mother. Do not allow them, oppressed by so many worries, to forget the purpose for which they were created by God. Do not allow the seeds of distrust to take hold of their immortal souls. Remind all the workers that in the fields, in factories, in mines, and in scientific laboratories, they are not working, rejoicing, or suffering alone, but at their side is Jesus, with Mary, His Mother and ours, to sustain them, to dry the sweat of their brow, giving value to their toil. Teach them to turn work into a very high instrument of sanctification as you did. Amen.

The painting by an anonymous artist shows St Joseph the worker at work with baby Jesus on the ground holding a nail, and with a cross as his shadow, predicting his death by crucifixion.

Pope St Pius V

Today is the feast of a very important Pope who may be overlooked at times. In fact, before Popes St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II were canonized over a year ago, the only two Popes over the last 900 years to be Saints were Pius X and Pius V. Living in the height of so much reform in the church, Pope St Pius V was a Dominican, who helped a great deal during the Council of Trent, and he even introduced the new Roman Missal, which remained unchanged for almost 400 years, when Pope Paul VI introduced its revision.

Two important landmarks remind me of this beloved Pope. First he was a friend of the Maltese people, who were being attacked by the Turkish Empire in the 1550s and 1560s. After the Great Siege of Malta, which the Knights of Malta helped in defeating the Turks, The Grandmaster wanted to construct the city of Valletta, the capital city with all its fortifications, palaces and churches. He actually sent his own architect from Rome, Francesco Lapparelli to help construct the city of Valletta. This was completed by Lapparelli’s assistant Girolamo Cassar (possibly a distant relative,) including the massive Cathedral of St John, a gem which has just been restored.

The other interesting fact is that since Pope Pius V was a Dominican, he started using a white cassock instead of the black one that priests usually wear. All Dominican priests wear a white habit. It must have been hot during those summers, because the tradition remained that the Pope started to use a white cassock, which they still do, thanks to Pope St Pius V.

Some visitors to this blog asked about my e-mail. It is dungiljan@gmail.com  
Dun Giljan is Father Julian in my native language, Maltese.

A letter from an Irish mother

Dear Son,

Just a few lines to let you know that I’m still alive. I’m writing this letter slowly because I know you can’t read fast. You won’t know the house when you get home – we have moved.

About your father – he has a lovely new job. He has close to 5000 men and women under him – he cuts the grass at the cemetery. There was a washing machine at the new house when we moved in but it hasn’t been working good. Last week I put  in 14 shirts, pulled the chain, and haven’t seen the shirts since.

Your sister Mary had a baby this morning but I haven’t found out whether it’s a boy or a girl, so I don’t know if you’re an aunt or an uncle.

Your uncle Patrick drowned last week in a tub of whiskey in the Dublin Brewery. Some of his workmates tried to save him but he fought them off bravely. They cremated him and it took them three days to put out the fire.

I went to the doctor on Thursday and your father went with me. The doctor put a small tube in my mouth and told me not to talk for 10 minutes. Your father offered to buy it from him.

It only rained twice this week, first for three days, and then for four days in a row. Monday was so windy that the chickens laid the same egg four times. We also had a letter from the undertaker. He said that if the last payment on your Grandmother’s plot wasn’t paid in 7 days, up she comes.

(Signed,) Your loving mother

PS: I was going to send you ten pounds, but I had already sealed the envelope.

Praying alone

As much as I try to encourage people to pray together, in a community atmosphere, there is nothing wrong in praying alone, something which I do very frequently. When I go to say Mass in the morning, I usually find a woman praying the Rosary, with only a few others along with her. Often she is by herself, but this does not stop her from praying the Rosary by herself. Even when praying by yourself, prayer counts and is just as effective. Even if you keep silent and pray with the Lord in a small chapel, your prayer is just as meaningful as a huge congregation praying out loud. Yes, even silence can be very effective. In fact, one can easily say that silence is one of the most eloquent forms of prayer. Often I pray the Rosary by myself, when I used to drive in my car, praying along with a recorded version I did years ago, both in English and in Maltese. And it’s consoling to know that there are some friends of mine who pray along with me, 9000 miles away, following the Rosary CD I shared with them. The catalyst for prayer is perseverance – never give up, because even if you are praying alone, the Lord is always listening. And it's only when we are quiet and silent, that we can really hear the Lord talk to us.

Our 7 days of creation

In the beginning was the world,  and it was beautiful. But the people that were on the earth said: “Let us build big and tall buildings, and wide and long streets.” So they covered everything with concrete, and they said “That’s pretty good”” That was the end of the first day.

On the second day, the people looked at the clean rivers and said: “Let us throw our garbage in these rivers.” An that’s what they did, and they said ”That’s perfect” That was the end of the second day.

On the third day, the people turned turned towards the forests and said: ”Let us cut down these trees and build buildings instead.” And they destroyed the forests and claimed “This is also very good.” That was the end of the third day.

On the fourth day, the people saw the animals and said “Let’s kill them for fun and for money.” And they slaughtered the animals and shouted “This is great fun!”. That was the end of the fourth day.

On the fifth day, these same people felt the cool air and said: ”Let us burn our garbage, and we let the air blow the smoke away from us.” And they polluted the air with carbon, and declared “This is perfect too.” And that was the end of the fifth day.

On the sixth day, these people saw other nations and said “Let us build missiles and armaments to destory other nations in case we don’t agree on some issues.” And that’s what they did, they filled the world with arms and bombs, and proclaimed “This is very good!”

On the seventh day there descended an aura of death and desolation, because there were no more people left on the earth. And that was the end of humanity.

What is Life ?

Life is an opportunity . . .don’t lose it.

Life is beautiful . . . .admire it.

Life is peaceful . . . .appreciate it.

Life is a dream . . . make it a reality.

Life is a challenge . . . .accept it.

Life is a responsibility . . . .accomplish it.

Life is a game . . . .play your part.

Life is precious . . . protect it.

Life is a treasure . . . guard it well.

Life is an experience of love . . . share it with others.

Life is a mystery . . . .discover it.

Life is a promise . . . realize it.

Life is a form of suffering . . . overcome it with courage.

Life is a melodious song . . . sing it.

Life is a fight . . . join the battle.

Life is a tragedy . . .overcome it.

Life is an adventure . . . . go along for the journey.

Life is a lot of fun . . .earn the right to deserve it.

Life is a lesson . . . learn it quickly and early.

Life is a hill . . . climb it slowly.

Life is a struggle . . . conquer it boldly.

Life is an objective . . . realize it.

Life is a way . . . walk it.

Life is a competition . . . join the race.

Life is life itself . . . .defend it.

Art in Maltese churches

"The Annunciation" by Emvin Cremona, in the ceiling of Balzan church.

I have to admit that one of the aspects of Malta that I cherish and which I missed so much is the plentiful art in many of the close to 400 churches that are spread out all over Malta. Some of these names of artists may not be familiar to many in the USA, but they are household names in Maltese churches: Emvin Cremona, Giuseppe Cali, Mattia Preti, Willie Apap, Francesco Zahra, and even Caravaggio. 

The vaulted ceiling of St John's Cathedral, painted by Mattia Preti

Much of their work is adorning our churches in ceilings, apses, side altars as well as the principal painting in the main altar. Over the past 10 years I've been on a mission to photograph as many of these paintings as I could, and I share today with you just three that are prominently displayed, and which have been admired for many years, and will be for many decades to come.

"The Last Supper" by Francesco Zahra at Birkirkara church

Sunrise, Sunset

Sunrises and sunsets are quite spectacular in Malta. Most people are still sleeping in the early hours of the morning, or busy or distracted in the evening, and so they miss most of creation's stupendous display. But the keen photographer of course does not miss a special spectacle that nature presents twice a day. I share with you today two such displays in the early hours of the morning in my hometown of St. Julian's. Praise the Lord sun and snow, Praise the Lord rain and frost, Praise the Lord icicles and snowflakes. Malta can only experience sun, and occasional rain. But this has been a very dry winter, and it shows in the vegetation and the lack of green patches in our countryside. Moreover the price of vegetables and fruits will certainly rise during the hot summer months, which are fast approaching. 

But the heat has not hit us yet, and we can still enjoy cool evenings. And I go out in short sleeves, leading people who see me to say "You should wear a jacket as it's still cold." To which I say "You don't know what cold weather is! This is a heat wave with Oregon standards."

Helping out

Back in the year 2000, the start of the new millennium, Catholics were encouraged to pledge and promise to follow these guidelines:
Pray regularly for greater justice and peace.
Learn more about Catholic social teaching and its call to protect human life, stand with the poor, and care for creation.
Reach across boundaries of religion, race, ethnicity, gender and disabling conditions.
Live justly in family life, school, work, the marketplace, and the political arena.
Serve those who are poor and vulnerable, sharing more time and talent.
Give more generously to those in need at home and abroad.
Advocate for public policies that protect human life, promote human dignity, preserve God's creation and build peace.
Encourage others to work for greater charity, justice and peace.

These guidelines are just as important now, 16 years later, than they were in 2000. Let us hope and pray that we can continue living these guidelines, and become more conscious of the needs around us, especially with the ongoing recent issues of immigration and terrorism, which were not major problems 16 years ago.

Queen Elizabeth turns 90

A big milestone yesterday for the Royal Family as Queen Elizabeth becomes the first British monarch to reach the venerable age of 90. The queen was born Princess Elizabeth on April 21, 1926 and became queen on the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. As a young teenager and newly-married couple, she lived with her husband Prince Philip in Malta for a few years, as he was stationed on the HMS Magpie in Malta. The barber that cut his hair was also my barber for many years. A majority of Britons have lived under no other monarch. Everywhere, the day yesterday was marked with an eruption of pomp. Artillery companies fired gun salutes from Hyde Park and the Tower of London, while the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out in celebration. The Queen's birthday will again be celebrated on June 11 with more pageantry and parades all over England.

Buckingham Palace issued three portraits by photographer Annie Leibovitz to mark the day. One shows the queen surrounded by seven young grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The queen cradles 11-month-old Princess Charlotte in her lap, while Mia Tindall — 2-year-old daughter of the queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips and her husband Mike Tindall,— stands clutching the monarch's black handbag. Another photo shows the Queen with the three heirs to the throne, Prince Charles, Prince William and his son Prince George.

Dun Giljan is back to blogging

Dun Giljan is none other than Father Julian. That's his name in Maltese, and he is now back in Malta, ready for another chapter in his busy life........ I would have liked to continue my previous blog, which I had started in 2012, but since I am now in a different country, Blogspot does not allow me to access my account, and so, as I had anticipated, here I am starting a new blog from Malta. As you can see the address is again my name in Maltese and Dun Giljan is the name that I am called by in my home country. Yet I assure you that all my entries will be in English, and other than my name, you will not have to be worried about anything undecipherable in Maltese. As I try to settle down, I may not be able to post an entry every single day, but once I get going, I am sure you will see something every day. And since Malta is 9 hours ahead of Oregon and 6 hours ahead of New York, when you all wake up, you will find a post ready to read, to reflect on, and to digest throughout the day. I am sure many photos will follow, but bear with me as I familiarize myself with my new computer and get adjusted to the new internet and WiFi connections. The jet-lag has started to wear off, the temperatures are still fairly comfortable and and I am slowly getting back to normal life in Malta. However it is like 'back to the future' for me as I am trying to re-live and re-establish connections with the past, which for me is 35 years ago, precisely before 1981. So stay tuned...much more to come on this new blog.