Carnival in Malta - part 2

Three more photos to share with you today with characters from American movies. The first one is from ‘Sister Act’ with Whoopi Goldberg in the middle and two other nuns flanking her. The other one is from a scary movie, and since I don’t like scary movies, I don’t know this guy’s name, but most young people know him well. The last photo has a Spanish theme. Please click on each photo to enlarge.

The Carnival celebrations come to an end today and now we move into Lent, a penitential time of the year, through which I will guide you over the next 40 days, with reflections and images from the way Malta celebrates Lent and especially Holy Week.

Carnival in Malta - part 1

After 35 years, I was able to see a colorful parade during Carnival time in Malta. The capital city of Valletta was packed with people, children and characters in costumes. The massive floats paraded through the busy streets. The subjects of the floats were all humorous, some political, others from movies, and all of them with movable parts, and of course lots of loud music and dancers. I will show three more photos tomorrow, and three for today. 

The King of Carnival 2017 with the theme 'Disco King from the 70s'

Many towns and villages are organizing their own Carnival with very strange characters, and this year the Donald Trump character was the most prominent. The three best ones will be shown tomorrow, themes from American movies, so come back for more.

Prayer when stressful and lonely

Prayer when facing stress

Lord Jesus, I am facing a stressful situation, and I need your help. I need your guidance to show me which way to go. I know you will tell me to be patient, but I feel like I’m at the end of the line. I really need some time to think and reflect on my own, but most importantly, I need to know that you will handle all my problems. You who said “Come to me all you who feel burdened, and I will lighten your load,” I am literally dumping this situation on You, Lord. Relieve me of the pressures and stress I’m feeling right now, and give me peace and contentment. I know I have to deal with this issue mostly on my own, but I appreciate any kind of support you can give me.

Prayer when you feel lonely

Lord, I am very lonely. I don’t know what to do about it. I realize that loneliness should give me a chance of getting to know You better, but how do I start making You my friend? Could you, please, encourage me to respond to your love and help me to realize your closeness all the time. I find this hard to accept in daily life though I believe it in theory. Could you perhaps send someone into my life who can show me or tell me how to begin to appreciate and perceive Your nearness to me always. More importantly, make me aware of Your presence in my life, especially in those moments when I start to take You for granted. 

Parents apologize to their children

Continuing a series of of prayers, this is a prayer of forgiveness from parents directed to their children:

Forgive us if we instilled it in your heads that only a career and money are the only important things in life.

Forgive us if we gave you more objects than values, more luxury than principles.

Forgive us if we spent more time in scolding than in correcting and giving good examples.

Forgive us if we were more concerned about the cleanliness of your teeth than your speech.

Forgive us if we emphasized more the easy life than the good and just way of life.

Forgive us if we were overly concerned about making more money, to such an extent that to build a beautiful house, we destroyed the unity of our home.

Forgive us if we were so busy that we couldn’t find time to do things together, to talk to each other, and to simply be together.  

Forgive us if we erred in our calculations, as we increased the buying of stuff but decreased the true show of love.  

Forgive us if we never stressed the importance of loving God, thereby ending up desiring everything but the presence of God in your lives. 

Forgive us that we taught you many subjects, but ignored the most important, the Bible, the catechism, and going to church regularly.

Parents' Prayer for Their Children

Over the next few days, I will share with you some prayers for families, parents and their children.

O God the Father of mankind, who has given to me these my children, and committed them to my charge to bring them up for You, and to prepare them for eternal life: help me with Your heavenly grace, that I may be able to fulfill this most sacred duty and stewardship. Teach me both what to give and what to withhold; when to reprove and when to forbear; make me to be gentle, yet firm; considerate and watchful; and deliver me equally from the weakness of indulgence, and the excess of severity. And grant that, both by word and example, I may be careful to lead them in the ways of wisdom and true piety, so that at last I may, with them, be admitted to the unspeakable joys of our true home in heaven, in the company of the blessed Angels and Saints. Amen.

More expressions of Love

What does Love mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" Continuing on what I started two days ago.......

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."  (what an image) Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry." When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need. 

Peter and the Pope

Today the church celebrates the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, representing the primacy and leadership of the Pope as the Vicar of Christ and successor of St Peter, the first Pope. This leadership is symbolized by the symbolic chair which is situated behind the main altar at the St Peter’s Basilica, a work of art by Bernini. Above the chair is a stained glass window of the Holy Spirit, and below the chair are statues also by Bernini of the four Fathers of the Church, St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. John Chrysostom and St. Athanasius.  Each Cathedral in the world also has a cathedra, or chair of the Bishop, Archbishop or Cardinal that serves in that particular Diocese. 

The last photo here is a mosaic of the moment when Jesus empowered Peter to become the first Pope, also symbolized by the keys he is holding in his hands. This mosaic is on the outside, at the entrance to the steps that lead to the top of the cupola of St. Peter’s in Rome.

Expressions of Love

What does Love mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily-age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6                (to be continued)

Il-Quccija

I introduce today to all my blog followers a tradition which is quite popular in Malta. On the occasion of the first birthday of any child, they do a sort of game that the parents believe it will predict the child’s future. It is called Quccija in Maltese, and the idea is quite simple as you place a selection of objects on the floor and let the child crawl towards them and see which object he or she chooses. Depending which object the child chooses, it is a prediction of what career they would follow. It does not always work, but for the fun of it, most families try it and relatives gather for another opportunity to have a party and get families together.

Among the objects are the following, with the respective career following: book – teacher; rosary beads – priest or nun; egg – baker; calculator – banker; pen –writer; camera – photographer or journalist; stethoscope – doctor; hammer – mechanic; comb – hairdresser; soccer ball or medal – athlete; ball of yarn – seamstress or tailor; Compact Disc – musician, and others that are becoming more popular in the modern world. There is no set rule as to how many objects are chosen, and others can be added, according to the culture and traditions of the place.

Spring blossoms from Malta

It looks like spring has arrived a little early in Malta, as the fruit trees are already blossoming beautifully. I share with you two different trees with white and pink blossoms. I wait now to see if any fruit will show up, or what kind of trees these will eventually be. But at least for 10 to 15 days, we can enjoy this spring ritual that turns our countrysides in a colorful carpet and a rainbow of hues that only our Creator can paint annually.

The best and the worst

The greatest joy............Giving

The most destructive habit............Worry

The greatest loss............Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work............Helping others

The most endangered species............Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource............Our youth

The greatest "shot in the arm"............Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome............Fear

The most effective sleeping pill............Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease............Excuses

The most powerful force in life............Love

The most dangerous person............A gossiper

The world's most incredible computer............The brain

The worst thing to be without............Hope

The deadliest weapon............The tongue

The two most power-filled words............"I Can"

The greatest asset............Faith

The most worthless emotion............Self-pity

The most beautiful attire............A smile!

The most healing expression............"I'm Sorry!"

The most gratifying word............"Thank You!"

The most prized possession............Integrity

The most contagious spirit............Enthusiasm

"To the world, you may be one person......... 

..........but to one person, you may be the world."

Photographers' companions

We are usually taking photos of animals and wildlife, of which I have amassed quite a hefty collection. But then again, maybe some of the animals may want to take the photos themselves, or at least give a hint or a tip to the photographers, focusing on a bald eagle half a mile away, or an elk chasing his girlfriend. 

I want to be a child again.....!

I want to go back to the time when.....................

Decisions were made by going "eeny‑meeny‑miney‑mo."

Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming "do over!"

"Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.

Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly."

Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening.

It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.

Being old referred to anyone over 20.

Playing in your bare feet with your friends was a common way to ’chill’ and hang out.

Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a slingshot.

Nobody was prettier than Mom.

Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.

Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30‑minute ads for action figures.

No shopping trip was complete, unless a new toy was brought home.

Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.

War was a card game.

Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.

Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.

Taking drugs meant orange‑flavored chewable aspirin.

Ice cream was considered a basic food group.

Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!!

Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their "grown up" life!!!!!

And today . . . . . You need at least 4 batteries to make any toy work. The 4 basic groups are bagged, canned, sealed and bottled. Any game without noise, color and does not have a joy-stick, is “no fun.”

A few more images of a young Jesus

Yet another dramatic painting of a young Jesus in his father’s carpenter’s shop. As Joseph looks sideways at his Son, Jesus plays with three large nails, as if oblivious of what will pierce him to the cross on Calvary. You may also notice the shadow of Jesus is in the shape of a cross, another premonition of how his life will eventually end.

Another touching image of Jesus with the two symbols of the Eucharist, the wheat and grapes in his hands, as He foresees these two symbols being so important to Him as He leaves us his precious gifts of His Body and Blood as a remembrance of His life on earth.

We see Jesus here with his parents at bed time, doing what every child should be doing, saying his prayers before going to sleep. We always wonder what it was like in that humble home of Nazareth, where the Messiah was being formed, raised, fashioned into someone very special.

 

The last painting in this series shows a pregnant Mary, and in her womb, a light emanates to show that someone special was being reared inside her. She is dressed as an Aztec lady, the same outfit that is seen in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She looks down and touches Salvation, Mercy and the Light of the World.

More images of a young Jesus

A few more interesting images of a young Jesus today starting with a very human expression as he cries in the hands of his father Joseph. Maybe he just woke up and wipes his eyes to open them fully for another busy day ahead of him. Or maybe he is crying for not getting his way in something he may have asked for. St Joseph does not seem to be too much concerned as he lets the little temper-tantrum pass by. Boys will be boys, and Jesus was a boy like all of the boys.

 

Here we see Jesus carrying a sheaf of wheat, a prefiguring of the Eucharist He would give us as his lasting gift at the Last Supper. The wheat becomes bread and the bread becomes His Body. And during each Mass, every priest celebrating Mass has to privilege to change the hosts into Jesus’ real body, just as he does with the wine in the chalice, turning it into Jesus’ true Blood.

 

Another cute painting shows a pensive Jesus, looking up to heaven, as He waits for His Father to show Him the way to go, where to travel, what his itinerary would be and what He would be doing as a teenager as a young man before starting his official ministry at the age of 30. 

The last photo today shows Jesus as a young priest holding the Eucharist, His own Body to share with those who are ready to receive Him. In the background one can also see the manger and the tree, from which the Cross would be made. So the beginning and the end of his life are symbolically represented in this touching image. Jesus holds the host in one hand and the ciborium in the other hand, as He says ‘Behold the Lamb of God.’

Images of a young Jesus

Images, paintings and pictures in holy cards of a young Jesus abound. We always wonder what he was like as a toddler, a young boy and as a teenager. The only story we have of him in these years is when he was lost at the temple, aged 12. But these are a few images we don't see often. The first one shows him helping his father in the carpenter's shop, but the image also foretells the last few hours of his life, when he was forced to carry the cross to Calvary, on which he was crucified.

The second one shows him as a toddler with his mother while she is putting the laundry on a line to dry. Like any mischievous boy, he may have been playing with something when this image was reproduced, but then again, he may have been praying or connecting with His Father, while His mother kept admiring Him and keeping everything in her heart.

This third image again takes us to Jesus imagining his last few days, holding so tightly a crown of thorns, and the nails by which he was nailed to the cross. He who was born a King, will be crowned, however with sharp nasty thorns that made him bleed, and this after an excruciating flogging, 39 lashes according to Roman law. Then he was crucified on a cross as a sacrificial lamb. Yet he endured the suffering and never complained. Behold the Lamb of God, Ecce Agnus Dei.

I speak.....God answers

You say: "It's impossible" - God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say: "I'm too tired" - God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28‑30)

You say: "Nobody really loves me" - God says: I love you (John 3:16 & John 13:34)

You say: "I can't go on" - God says: My grace is sufficient (II Cor 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out" - God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5‑6)

You say: "I can't do it" - God says: You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

You say: "I'm not able" - God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: "It's not worth it" - God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28)

You say: "I can't forgive myself" - God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage" - God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm afraid" - God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Tim 1:7)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated" - God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I don't have enough faith" - God says: I've given everyone a measure of faith (Rom 12:3)

You say: "I'm not smart enough" - God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone" - God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Our Lady of Lourdes

In 2002 I was able to visit Lourdes with a group of Maltese pilgrims. I celebrated Mass for them and visited many landmarks, both in Lourdes itself and in the outskirts. But the thing that impressed me the most is the holiness and sacredness of the entire place. Yes, there were of course hotels and restaurants, but every shop and souvenir stand sold only religious articles, and absolutely nothing else. And once you enter the territory of Lourdes, you feel like you really entered a sanctuary, and you have the feeling that you were in a church, even with thousands of other pilgrims around. It was a very special time for me and one really felt the presence of the Blessed Mother with you wherever you went. Of course we participated in the aux flambeaux procession in the evening and I even led a decade of the Rosary. 

Today we commemorate the first apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes to the young girl Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Bernadette described the Lady as dressed in white with a blue sash around her waist and two golden roses on each of her feet, and with the Rosary beads in her hands. The Lady told her that she was the 'Immaculate Conception.' The church had just proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception 4 years earlier. It took the church a few years to declare the apparitions as truly authentic, and since then over 70 miracles have taken place to people visiting Lourdes, the tiny place nestled between Spain and France at the base of the Pyrenees Mountains.