Pope St Pius V

Pope St Pius V (1504-1572)

We honor today a great reformer, and one of only 2 Popes to be canonized over an 800 year period. Before John XXIII and John Paul II were canonized in 2014, only two Popes had been canonized from the 13th century up till now, Pope Pius X and Pope Pius V. Born in 1504 as Michele Ghislieri, he worked as a shepherd until some Dominican priests called him to join them. He was ordained a priest at the age of 24 and taught philosophy and theology until he was made a Bishop and soon afterwards a Cardinal.
He was a great friend of St Charles Borromeo and helped in fighting against heresy and corruption in his time. He was elected Pope in 1566 and chose the name of Pius V. He served the poor and the sick himself and fasted and prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament regularly. He helped devise the new catechism that came out after the Council of Trent. He also opposed the Protestants who were starting new religions at that time, Lutheranism, Anglicanism and Calvinism. But he was very strong against the Ottoman Empire and the Turks who were infiltrating all of Europe. He encouraged the people to pray the Rosary to combat the Turks, especially in the battle of Lepanto, as well as the Great Siege of Malta.
Pope Pius V was very kind in giving a generous donation to the people of Malta to start building the new city, the capital city called Valletta. He also instituted the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. He died on May 1, 1572 and was canonized in 1712. An interesting fact about Pope St Pius V is that he is the one who introduced the white cassock for a Pope. Since he was a Dominican, he frequently used the white habit, especially in the hot summer days in Rome. Then all the Popes that followed kept the tradition in wearing white, feeling a little cooler in white, rather than wearing black.

More flowers

 

Here are a few more Maltese flowers which show up at this time of the year in gardens. Of particular interest is a plant that spreads like a vine with very unusual white petals in the shape of a pinwheel. Also of a strange resemblance are red flowers that look like a brush, like the one used to clean narrow-necked bottles. 

I am not a botanist by any means, but am always on the lookout for unusual flowers, many of which I’ve never seen in the USA.

St Gianna Beretta Molla

St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)

I would say the 5 most popular Italian saints are St Francis of Assisi, St Pio of Pietrelcina, St Anthony, St Maria Goretti and St Gianna Beretta Molla. Today we honor this last saint canonized in 2004 after sacrificing her life for her baby daughter, Gianna Emmanuela.
Born on October 4, 1922, Gianna Beretta was the 10th of 13 children, even though only 8 of the siblings survived infancy. She grew up in Bergamo, Italy where she was very active in the Catholic Action movement. In 1942, in the midst of the chaos of World War II she started her studies in Milan and graduated as a doctor in 1949, specializing in paediatrics. She actually wanted to go to Brazil to work as a paediatrician with her brother, a missionary priest, but her health prevented her from doing this. So she worked happily as a doctor, eventually meeting her future husband Pietro Molla, whom she married in 1955. They had 3 children within 5 years, and in 1961, she was pregnant with her 4th child. During the pregnancy, she developed a fibroma in her uterus, and the doctors suggested her to have an abortion to save her life. But she continued with her pregnancy and the baby was born on April 21 1962, Easter Saturday. Gianna made the ultimate sacrifice for her daughter, and she got weaker and weaker and died a week later, on April 28, 1962. Her daughter Gianna Emmanuela became a paediatrician herself, and was present with her father and two other siblings at her mother’s beatification in 1994. Another sister had died in 1964, 2 years after her mother.
The miracle that certified her canonization was done on a Brazilian woman Elizabetta Comparini, who in her 16th week of pregnancy, experienced a tear in her placenta, losing all the amniotic fluid. Praying to Gianna Beretta Molla, she continued with her pregnancy and gave birth to a healthy baby, defying all the negative prognosis the doctors had given her. Gianna was proclaimed a Saint by Pope St John Paul II on May 16, 2004, with her husband and three children present. She has since became the patron for pro-life and for pregnant women, and a great statement against abortion.

Malta flowers

After sharing with you some unusual trees yesterday, today we look at some flowers that show up at this time of the year in Malta. Some of them may be familiar to you, but others may be new and native of Malta and the Mediterranean region.

Resilient Trees

Trees have been around for about 370 million years, and as you can from these incredible pictures, there's a good reason why they've survived for so long. Whether they're growing in the middle of gale-force winds, on the tops of rocky platforms, inside concrete tunnels, or even growing out of each other, trees know how to survive in places that few living organisms can, which explains why the planet is host to around 3 trillion adult trees that cover an estimated 30% of the earth's land. 

Considering that plants produce the vast majority of the oxygen that we breathe, we should all think ourselves very fortunate that trees are as resilient as they are. We wouldn't even be here if they weren't.

Saint Mark

St Mark Icon crafted by Jennifer Godwin

We celebrate today the feast of one of the Evangelists, and companion to St Paul in many of his missionary voyages - Saint Mark. He is sometimes called John Mark. Both he and his mother, Mary, were highly esteemed in the early Church, and his mother's house in Jerusalem served as a meeting place for Christians there. St. Mark was associated with St. Paul and St. Barnabas (who was Mark's cousin) on their missionary journey through the island of Cyprus. Later he accompanied St. Barnabas alone. We know also that he was in Rome with St. Peter and St. Paul. Tradition ascribes to him the founding of the Church in Alexandria. St. Mark wrote the second Gospel, probably in Rome sometime before the year 60 A.D.; he wrote it in Greek for the Gentile converts to Christianity. Tradition tells us that St. Mark was requested by the Romans to set down the teachings of St. Peter. This seems to be confirmed by the position which St. Peter has in this Gospel. In this way the second Gospel is a record of the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of the Prince of the Apostles.

The famous St Mark Basilica is in Venice, where thousands of people visit to pray all year round, but especially today. As a child I remember having a small procession blessing the fields for a good crop production, in what used to be called the Rogation days. St Mark has also my all-time favorite quote in the Bible...when Jesus sent the apostles on their mission, he asked them not to carry any walking stick or a second tunic or money bag..."They were however,  to wear sandals." (Mark 6:9)

Confidence

One of the residents gave me a prayer which he has been saying for over 60 years, every day of his life. He also made a promise to make copies and distribute them to family and friends.  It speaks about confidence and trust in God, knowing well that He will take care of all of our problems. It is written in old English format, using Thy instead of Your, Thee instead of You. Keep a copy and say it often.

My fate is in Thy hands,

My God, I wish it there,

My heart, my life, my health –

I leave – entirely to Thy care.

My fate is in Thy hands,

Whatever it may be,

Pleasant or painful, bright or dark

As best may seem to Thee.

My fate is in Thy hands,

Why should I doubt or fear,

My Father’s Heart will never cause

His child a needless tear.

Soap

From various sources of research done over centuries, it seems that the Babylonians invented soap around 2,500 BC. They used to mix the fat of animals with shavings from wood and water. They used this mixture to clean the fur and skin of animals and to wash cotton, but they never used it to wash themselves. Then in around 1550 BC, the Egyptians were found to mix the fat of animals with oil taken from vegetables, mixed with salt, and they used this mixture to cure skin diseases and the wash themselves. The Greeks and Phoenicians invented something similar which they used to wash themselves. A soap factory found near Pompeii showed that the Romans also used soap. The kind of soap we use today was invented by the Arabs, and was a mixture of olive oil and other aromatic oils. They added perfume to their invention and so the soap became colorized and also smelling pretty nice. Their first soaps were both in the solid form as well as the liquid type. Liquid soap was not invented until the nineteenth century; in 1865, William Shepphard patented a liquid version of soap. In 1898, B.J. Johnson developed a soap derived from palm and olive oils; his company, the B. J. Johnson Soap Company, introduced 'Palmolive' brand soap that same year. This new brand of soap became popular rapidly, and to such a degree that B.J. Johnson Soap Company changed its name to Palmolive.

The Good Shepherd

The affectionate image of the Good Shepherd shows up annually on this 4th Sunday of Easter, and we honor today all our shepherds who guide us, inspire us and motivate us to stay close to them and follow their leadership. We honor Pope Francis, our Cardinals and Bishops, all pastors and priests, monks and brothers, sisters and seminarians. We honor in a special way all parents and guardians who have a tremendous responsibility to instill in their children a good dose of respect, accountability and responsibility in all they do. We honor also all teachers, coaches, baby-sitters and those who form character in our young people by guiding them through scholastic work, sports, drama and other activities. As we see Jesus freeing the lost sheep from among the thorns, may He be present in our lives to protect us from danger, trouble and accidents that are taking from our midst so many young people’s lives. May He also bring harmony and peace in war-stricken areas, in Syria, the Middle-East, North Africa and in other volatile zones.

Coming to church

Arrive on time. God is waiting for you to forgive you and fill you with his love. Turn off your mobile phone. You have a place reserved for you at the table of the Lord. Don’t keep Him waiting. If you have to go to confession, make sure you do so earlier. Don’t wait till the last 5 minutes.

Dress properly. When you arrive, greet the Lord. Thank Him for the invitation. When passing by the altar, make a bow. When passing in front of the tabernacle, make sure you genuflect properly. Get rid of any chewing gum, and don’t drink or eat anything for an hour before Mass starts. Find a good place in church and prepare yourself reverently. Sing along with the congregation. Think of any failures during the Penitential Rite. Before the Gospel, bless your forehead, your lips and your heart. 

During the consecration, kneel down. Do not speak the words of the priest. During the elevation say in your heart ‘My Lord and My God.’ At the sign of peace, greet only those close to you. Receive communion reverently. Return to your place and kneel down in a spirit of gratitude.

If you have children, teach them to be quiet and never run around uncontrollably. Use the crying room if available. Bless yourself when the priest gives his blessing. When Mass is over, wait till the priest leaves the sanctuary. As you leave church, it’s polite to greet other parishioners and if possible, say hello to the presiding priest.

From marriage to religious life

They were engaged and ready to get married when two young lovers discovered a deeper voice inside of them to see what God really wanted from them. The prospective groom is Fr Javier Olivera, and the prospective bride is Sister Marie de la Sagesse, both from Argentina. They knew each other since they were young children, but Javier drifted slightly from the Catholic faith in which they were raised. Since they were both studying law, they started studying together and attending various lectures and even conferences by Argentinean Catholic authors. So they started attending Mass together on Sunday, and their love grew deeper and got engaged at the age of 21. They planned to graduate from University and then get married. Then when Marie’s brother became a monk, they drove him to the Monastery. They asked each other what will happen if God were to call one of them to the religious life. They were already buying things for their eventual home when they started to question themselves about a vocation. So when they finished the law course, they decided to pursue a religious vocation.Fr Javier was ordained a priest at the age of 31 and became a priest of the Diocese of San Rafael, while Marie joined the Sisters of the Divine Mercy. Today Fr Javier is a professor in a University and published a book on doubts in a religious vocation. Sister Marie lives in a convent in the south of France.

A few more gems in a sentence

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these. (George Washington Carver)

The only difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is extraordinary determination. (Mary Kay Ash)

Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end.

Four short words sum up what lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more. They did all that was expected of them and….a little bit more.

Three billion people on the face of the earth go to bed hungry every night, but four billion people go to bed every night hungry for a simple word of encouragement and recognition.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. (Helen Keller)

Ninety percent of those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit.

Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. (Thomas Edison)

Do a little more than you’re paid to. Give a little more than you have to. Try a little harder than you want to. Aim a little higher than you think possible, and give a lot of thanks to God for health, family and friends. (Art Linkletter)

Hope never dies where faith is strong, and faith grows strong in the presence of hope. (Chad Witmeyer)

The message is clear: plan with attitude, prepare with aptitude, participate with servitude, receive with gratitude, and this should be enough to separate you from the multitudes.

Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush with husband and son, both Presidents.

      The world gives tribute today to a great lady as she passes away at the age of 92. Barbara Bush was both wife and mother of two former US Presidents. She was married for 73 years to her husband George H. W. Bush, the 41^st President of the USA, one of the few Presidents ever to come to Malta during the Mata Summit with Gorbachev in 1989. She was also the mother of the 43^rd President George W. Bush who served two terms. Barbara was in failing health and was receiving just comfort health over the last few days. She was a great advocate for literacy and a true model of faith and resilience in the face of opposition. She witnessed her husband’s role in ending the cold war with Russia, and also she suffered with her son’s confrontation of world terrorism after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks. Barbara was born on June 8, 1925 and with her husband George they had 6 children, George, Robin, Jeb, Neil, Marvin and Dorothy. Robin died at the age of 3. They also had 14 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

My earliest photos

Three seminarians pose for me on a glorious sunset photo

Going back to the 1970s today as I share with you three of my earliest photos, when I was still developing my own photos in a darkroom, while having only a simple Instamatic camera. In fact I entered a few photos in a Malta Photographic Club Competition and two of them were accepted and exhibited for a few weeks in 1975. 

Praying at the Seminary courtyard

Obviously this was the age before digital technology was invented and when you had to take quite a few photos until you get the best shot. Then you had to wait to finish the whole film to have it developed and the photos printed, to see the result you've got. Often you got disappointed, but occasionally you got a surprising result. Color photography became more popular in the 1980s, but there is still some charm and quaintness looking at black and white photos, just as black and white movies are seen as quite historic, precious and unique. 

One of my exhibited photos, a fisherman at Balluta Bay.

More gems in a sentence

A man who works with his hands is a laborer; one who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; and he who works with his hands, his brain and his heart is an artist.

Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry at day time, and too sleepy to worry at night.

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent (Victor Hugo)

Do not quarrel the first time with your husband. If you do, it will never end. If you don’t, it will never begin.

To keep your marriage brimming with love….whenever you’re wrong, admit it; but whenever you’re right, shut up!

I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God. (Abraham Lincoln)

There is no limit to what a man can do, or where he can go, if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.

Joy is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of the Lord.

God never asks us about our abilities or inabilities, but always about our availability.

The 7 ages of man: SPILLS, DRILLS, THRILLS, BILLS, ILLS, PILLS and WILLS.

Life is a mixed bag of blessings and disasters. Living is the art of storing enough Joy to tide us over the rough spots.

Doing an injury puts you below your enemy; revenging one makes you but even with him; forgiving him sends you and sets you above him. (Benjamin Franklin)

The reason a dog has so many friends: he wags his tail, instead of his tongue.

Gems in a sentence

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.

When you want something down, well done, give it to a busy person.

Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you. You’ll only double trouble, and trouble others too.

There are only 2 rules for good manners. One is always think of others, and the other is never think of yourself.

The biggest source of man’s unhappiness is his ignorance of Nature.

One great thing about vacations is that they make you feel good enough to go back to work, and poor enough so that you have to.

There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding, and that which is lost by not trying.

One ought every day to hear a little music, read a good poem, see a picture, and if possible, speak a few reasonable words. (Wolfgang Goethe)

If all the trees were pens, and all the oceans full of ink, they would not suffice to describe the wonders of the Almighty.

A sharp tongue, a dull mind, haughty eyes and inattentive ears are usually found in the same head.

For the interested, everything is interesting. For the bored, everything is boring.

I noticed that the wicked people of this world usually hang out together, even when they hate each other – and this is their strength. Good people on the other hand, are scattered – and this is their weakness. (Yevgeny Yevtuschenko)

Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount (Gen. Omar Bradley)

The most gleaming trophy a great man can claim in his life is the discovery of a few truths, and the destruction of a few errors.

In written English, 12 most used words are, in order of frequency: the, of, and, to, a, in, that, is, I, it, for, as. The word most used in conversation is I. The most frequently written letter is e; the most frequently used capital letter is T.

Looking for Peace

I share a reflection today on the United States official seal. As the US strikes Syria today, let us pray for peace and cessation from violence. I reflect on the seal of the United States because I see a subtle message in it that is often overlooked. I pondered on this often and I am sure it was created as it is, for a purpose, to symbolize a search for peace not war. If you look closely at the seal, you can see the bald eagle clutching in its left claws a dozen arrows (symbolic of war) and an olive branch in the right claws (symbol of peace.) And the eagle is looking at the olive branch, to emphasize that we should always look for peace rather than conflict. It was in 1782 that Charles Thomson created the final design of the US seal. In September that year, the first Great Seal die was cut and used to begin sealing the peace with England. For 236 years now, the Great Seal of the United States has ratified international agreements of peace, cooperation, and trade. Representing the people of America, it seals their promise to other nations. The motto is in Latin: E Pluribus Unum, meaning ‘Out of many, One’ which further accentuates the desire for unity. Let us hope and pray that America and all countries in the world will continue to look for reconciliation, harmony and world-wide peace, as the seal and motto represent.

Prayer by St Teresa of Calcutta

You are God. You are true God from true God. Generated not created.

Of the same Substance of the Father. You are the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity.

You are one in being with the Father. You are with the Father from all eternity.

All things were created by you and the Father. You are the Beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased.

You are the Son of Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit in her virginal womb. You were born in Bethlehem.

You were wrapped in swaddling- clothes by Mary and placed in a manger filled with straw. You are an ordinary man without much education, and the educated class in Israel judges you.

Jesus is: the Word made flesh ...

the bread of life,

the victim immolated for our sins on the cross, the sacrifice offered for the sins of the world and for my sins in the Holy Mass,

the word to be proclaimed,

the truth to be revealed,

the way to be followed,

the light to illumine,

the life to live,

the love to be loved,

the hungry person to be fed,

the thirsty person given drink,

the naked one to clothe,

the homeless to receive shelter,

the sick to be cured,

the abandoned to be loved,

the outcast to be welcomed,

the leper whose wounds are bathed, 

the beggar to whom a smile is given, 

the drunkard who needs to be listened to,

the mentally disturbed who needs to be protected,

the infant who needs to be held in our arms,

the blind person who needs to be led by the hand,

the mute for whom someone must speak,

the crippled with whom one walks, 

the drug addict who needs help,

the prostitute who needs to be taken off the street and listened to,                          

the prisoner who needs to be visited, 

the aged person who needs to be taken care of.

Western tombstones

A little taste of Americana today as I share with you two typical tombstones from the far West. These two tombstones were from a cemetery in one of my parishes in John Day, Oregon. The church is dedicated to St Elizabeth of Hungary and the perfect outline of the small country church is visible in one of the photos, with the date the couple were married. The date of the marriage is seen in the intertwined wedding rings in the other photo. Other western motifs are visible, like mountains, pine trees, deer and others. Many other tombstones like these, made from granite, are visible in other cemeteries. (Click on each photo to enlarge)

Social Media Inventions

As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is being grilled and questioned in the US Senate and Congress, I thought it would be fitting to review some of the most popular social media inventions and the year when they appeared:

1890 – Telephone

1891 – Radio

1945 – CB Radio

1966 – E-mail

1995 – Ebay

1999 – Napster and Blogger

2000 – Trip Advisor, Bluetooth

2001 – Wikipedia

2002 – Linkdln and Meetup

2003 – Facebook, Skype, MySpace, Word Press

2004 – Flickr, Vimeo, Yelp,

2005 – YouTube and Reddit

2006 – Twitter and Spotify

2007 – Tumblr, Gowalla and Last FM

2008  - Soundcloud

2009 – Whatsapp

2010 – Ask.FM

2011 – Pinterest and Google+

2013 – Snapchat

Others may have appeared over the last 5 years.

Courage and Joy

I hardly ever refer to politics in my posts, but today I highlight one of the 100 United States Senators for her courage, patriotism, devotion to duty, sacrifice and now, joy. Tammy Duckworth was elected in 2016 to the US Senate representing Illinois. On Monday, April 9th she gave birth to her second daughter Maile, becoming the first US Senator to give birth while in office. Her first daughter Abigail was born in 2014. Tammy is 50 years old and was born in Bangkok, Thailand of a Thai mother and an American father. But her story is even more dramatic as she served in the US Military from 1992 till 2014, a 22 year career. She was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and served as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot. She lost her right leg near the hip and her left leg below the knee from injuries sustained on November 12, 2004, when the Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents. She was the first American female double amputee from the Iraq war. The explosion almost completely destroyed her right arm, breaking it in three places and tearing tissue from the back side of it. The doctors reset the bones in her arm and stitched the cuts to save her arm. Duckworth received a Purple Heart on December 3 and was promoted to Major on December 21 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she was presented with an Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal. 

Having received a medical waiver, she continued to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard along with her husband, Major Bryan W. Bowlsbey, a signal officer and fellow Iraq War veteran, until her retirement from the Army in October 2014. A true story of courage, determination, perseverance and sheer joy.

Mary’s historic YES

Annunciation by Esteban Murillo

We celebrate today the feast of the Annunciation, transferred from March 25, and we reflect on that historic moment when Mary said her YES that changed history, and thus came the dawn of a new life. Many consider Mary as the new Eve, just as Jesus is referred to as the new Adam, and so today we see Jesus conceived in the womb of Mary. We always wonder: what if Mary said NO to the Angel Gabriel ? Would another girl have been picked instead? Would we have to wait another hundred or a thousand years for the Messiah to be born? Would history have been much different that it was over the past 2000 years? We realize today also the responsibility we have to receive Jesus in our hearts, in our lives, in our families, in our homes. And most importantly, just as Mary shared Jesus with the rest of humanity, it is our sacred duty to share Him with everyone we know. And just as Mary’s YES changed history, our YES can changed many people’s lives, especially those who have not heard of Him yet, and those who have distanced themselves from Him.

The other guy

With deep sadness we announce the death of one of our most hard working members of our committee, called Theotherguy. His death will leave an emptiness that will be hard to replace. He has been on the committee since its inception and did more work than any other human person could ever accomplish. Whenever there was a job to be done, every member would say the same thing ‘Let Theotherguy do it.’ Whenever there was a call for volunteers, everybody would assume that Theotherguy would be the first to offer his services. When there were coffee cups to be washed, Theotherguy would be there to wash them. To turn the lights off after everyone has left Theotherguy would be there to do the job. If windows were left open because everyone else was hurried, Theotherguy would make sure they are locked. But if there was an extra overtime to be taken, everyone would apply, so that Theotherguy would not get it. If there was a promotion advertised, someone would apply to make sure Theotherguy would not get it. If there was any financial advantage in a project, everyone will make sure to be on the lookout for any gain, making sure Theotherguy would not get it. Theotherguy was a marvellous person, almost superhuman. All the work that needed to be done was timely avoided by everyone, so that the work will fall on Theotherguy. And he will faithfully do what needed to be done, in time, properly and faithfully. And all that there was to be stolen, acquired, enjoyed and treasured will be taken by anybody, but never Theotherguy. Just about everybody will ignore him or take advantage of him, but Theotherguy will always be there to help, assist, encourage, clean-up and cover up for any mistakes done by others.

Quotes on Reading

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” — Joseph Addison
“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” ― Margaret Fuller
“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” ― Mortimer Adler
“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.” ― J. D. Salinger
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” – Dr Seuss.
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” ― Charles William Elliot
“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.” ― Gustave Flaubert
“Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.” - Voltaire
“Think before you speak. Read before you think.” ― Fran Lebowitz
“We are of opinion that instead of letting books grow moldy behind an iron grating, far from the vulgar gaze, it is better to let them wear out by being read.” ― Jules Verne
“A capacity, and taste, for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others.” — Abraham Lincoln
“Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.” —Malorie Blackman
“Reading is an act of civilization; it’s one of the greatest acts of civilization because it takes the free raw material of the mind and builds castles of possibilities.” — Ben Okri
“Reading is a form of prayer, a guided meditation that briefly makes us believe we’re someone else, disrupting the delusion that we’re permanent and at the center of the universe. Suddenly (we’re saved!) other people are real again, and we’re fond of them.” — George Saunders
“Reading—the best state yet to keep absolute loneliness at bay.” — William Styron
“Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.” — Mary Schmich
“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” — Anna Quindlen

A magnificent window

Resurrection stained-glass window in Leawood, Kansas (click to enlarge)

I share with you a fascinating stained glass window located at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. It was recently installed and is extremely descriptive as I will try to explain some of the features one can notice.  Make sure you click on the photo to enlarge it. Starting from the left side, one can see Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Abraham, Moses, Noah, King David, Naomi, Ruth and Esther, Jacob and Joseph, Sarah with Isaac, Daniel with the lions, birth of Jesus, his baptism, calling of the apostles, Jesus with the children, with the Samaritan woman at the well, the Risen Christ at the center, with Mary Magdalen, with Zacchaeus, instituting the Eucharist, the calling of St Paul, St Peter, St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas, St Francis, St Dominic, St Teresa of Avila, Luther, St Teresa of Calcutta, St John XXIII, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Wesley, Patriarch Athenagoras, Martin Luther King, Billy Graham, C. S. Lewis, Rosa Parks, and other Protestant leaders.

This link will take you directly to the window and tells where each character or scene can be seen:     https://sacredspaces.cor.org/leawood/window/

Life as a Game

Imagine Life as a Game in which you are juggling 5 balls in the air......

You name them: Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that Work is a rubber ball.  If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - Family, Health, Friends, and Spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special. 

Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as they were your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give it; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.

Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be enjoyed each step of the way.

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a gift--  that's why we call it "The Present!"