Preparing for Holy Week

A choral Lenten recital at Naxxar parish church

Many churches and halls and private places are gearing up for the celebrations of Holy Week. These 4 photos show some of the events being held over the next three hectic and highly-solemn weeks. Among them are various exhibitions with posters advertising similar displays in prominent places. Concerts and recitals with a religious theme are often held, frequently in parish churches. Miniature statues are displayed for devotees to admire and visit and venerate.

And some people erect crucifixes in public places, not just during this holy season, but all year round as is the case with this crucifix, set up in a busy neighborhood. More photos will appear on this theme in the following weeks. 

A crucifix displayed outdoors.

Various posters advertising Holy Week displays

Listen....God speaks to your heart.

You do not have to be clever to please me; all you have to do is want to love me. Just speak to me as you would to anyone of whom you are very fond.

Are there any people you want to pray for? Say their names to me, and ask me as much as you like. I am generous, but trust me to do what I know is best.
Tell me about your pride, your touchiness, self-centeredness, meanness, and laziness. I still love you in spite of these. Do not be ashamed; there are many saints in heaven who had the same faults as you; they prayed to me and little by little, their faults were corrected.
Do not hesitate to ask me for blessings for the body and mind; for health, memory, success. I can give everything.
Tell me about your failures, and I will show you the cause of them. What are your worries? Who has caused you pain? Tell me about it. Forgive them, and I will bless you.
Are you afraid of anything? Have you any tormenting, unreasonable fears? Trust yourself to me. I am here. I will not leave you.
Have you no joys to tell me about? Why do you not share your happiness with me? Tell me what has happened since yesterday to cheer and comfort you. Whatever it was, however big, however small, I prepared it. Show me your gratitude and thank me.
Are temptations bearing heavily upon you? Yielding to temptations always disturbs the peace of your soul. Ask me, and I will help you overcome it.
Well, go along now. Get on with your work and play. Try to be humbler, more submissive, kinder; and come back soon and bring me a more devoted heart. Tomorrow I shall have more blessings for you.

Daily Resolutions

Let us remove the mask which tempts us to give in to temptations, and instead let us allow our heart to start beating in synch with the heart of Jesus.

Let go of all the tensions that dominate your life. Release yourself from the pressures that keep you from rushing from one project to another, while abandoning your immediate duties of family, close friends, time with your children, time with grandparents, and time with God.

Let go of the need to always wanting to be seen by others, and be happy that God sees your heart and your inner motives.

Let go of arrogant looks, senseless comments, and tasteless remarks, and instead remember to use pleasant talk about others.

Let go of the urgency to trying to control everything, disrupt plans that others had made, and instead be grateful for the blessing of other people in your life.

Let go of the noise and cacophony that surrounds us and try to find some quiet time in a peaceful chapel, and spend time talking to, and listening to God.

Let go of sibling rivalry, family disputes, and domestic arguments, and instead remember that charity begins at home, and try to make your home a school of love, compassion, and true friendship.

Let go of the fear for the future and instead look at the potential in the faces of our children and youth, and commit yourself to protect them and dedicate more time for their formation.

Let go of the mistakes of the past, and see in our seniors and elderly people a treasure trove of information and experience, from which we can always learn and cherish our history.

Let go of hurt feelings of the past, and try to help those who are hurting by showing courage, perseverance and a sincere sense of forgiveness.

Look now at the face of Crucified Love, and follow his footsteps, and know that you are being carried on his sturdy shoulders, always safe and well protected by a God who loves unconditionally.

My favorite painting

One of the paintings that struck me the very first moment I saw it is the Triptych of the Holy Rosary by Hans Suess Von Kulmbach (1510,) which is in the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, Madrid. The two side panels show the Presentation of Mary, with St. Joachim and St. Anne at the bottom of the steps, while the other one shows Mary’s parents in a loving embrace. The center and more prominent panel is very descriptive, and shows the Crucifixion encircled within the Rosary beads, each Hail Mary symbolized by a rose flower. The 5 Our Fathers are symbolized by 5 crosses, also symbolic of the 5 wounds of Christ. A scene from hell is shown in the bottom, with two angels above and two others below, one of whom is seen saving a baby and the other holding scales in his hands.

The 4 layers of saints are described as follows, from top, left to right:
1. With God the Father and the Holy Spirit are seen Mary and a variety of angels.
2. Melchizedek, David, Moses, John the Baptist - Peter, Mark, Paul and Luke.
3. Lawrence, George, Erasmus, Stephen, Holy Innocent baby - Gregory, Jerome, Nicholas, Charlemagne.
4. Clare, Agnes, Barbara, Catherine of Alexandria - Anne, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Helen.

How to nourish friendships

There are many ways one can nourish and enhance a friendship. These are just a few suggestions given by loyal friends: * permit your friends to be themselves, * give each other space, * be ready to give and to receive, * make your advice constructive, * be loyal, * give praise and encouragement, * be honest, * treat your friends as equals, * trust your friends, * be willing to risk.
On the other hand, if you do these things, you will certainly lose many friends: be grumpy, be undependable, * exaggerate often, * be bossy, * be sarcastic, * criticize often, * be dominating, * act superior to others.
Prayer for friendship: God, why is it so hard to get close to people, to let people get close to me, to make friends? Is it because I’ve been hurt before and am afraid to be vulnerable again? Is it because I think others will take advantage of my openness? Your Son had 12 close friends. One sold Him for 30 pieces of silver. Another denied that he ever knew Him. The rest ran away when He needed them most. Jesus even predicted these things – yet He didn’t shut Himself off from friendship. Make me willing to take the risk, too. Help me to realize that, ultimately, in opening to another human being we are opening ourselves to You. Amen.

True Happiness

Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832), a German poet and philosopher left us this recipe for true happiness:

1. Enough Strength to work and be content with your output.
2. Enough Wealth to be able to cope with your needs.
3. Enough Power to help you confront all your difficulties.
4. Enough Grace to confess your sins and forget them.
5. Enough Patience to be able to persevere in your work for the benefit of others.
6. Enough Charity to recognize the good in others.
7. Enough Love to motivate you to help those in need.
8. Enough Faith to accomplish all of the above for the love of God.
9. Enough Hope to get rid of any fears of the future.

Annunciation

'Annunciation' by Emvin Cremona at Balzan church.

Thousands of dialogues were written and used in movies and plays. But none can surpass this dialogue which changed the course of history.
Angel Gabriel: “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, - and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there will be no end.”
Mary: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”
Angel Gabriel: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived - a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

'Annunciation' by Emvin Cremona at Salini chapel.

And from Mary’s historic YES came the dawn of a new life.

A Mother’s prayer

Help me, Lord, to accept the limitations that plague us as human beings. I can’t foresee the future, I can’t totally remedy the past. Grant that I may do my best in the present and not expect total recognition of my effort. Guide my children, o Lord; let them see beyond the shortcomings to the love that I have for each of them. Give me a healthy respect for their independence and for this precarious stage of their growth and development. Assist me as I try to keep in focus my mission as a very human and limited mother who can give only what first I possess. Fill me with the humility I need to admit my mistakes and to learn from them. Give me the strength I need to forgive and grant me a sense of humor so that I can laugh at my blunders and share my life in that joy that comes from recognizing that only You are perfect. Only You can satisfy my expectations. Thank you, Lord, for making me a mother and for giving me children and teenagers to help me realize how I too need to grow.

Church paintings

The main apse of the Luqa parish church.

It was fitting that some friends from Oregon alerted me that I did not post my daily post on time today. I was happy to find out that they check my blog regularly.  Of course, I did not forget and nothing happened to me, but as has been customary with me, every Saturday I try to discover a particular town or village in Malta, and today I ended up in the parish of Luqa, close to where the airport is located, and I was astounded by the beautiful paintings that were just unveiled recently. Here are just some of them, done by Paul Camilleri Cauchi, in the dome, and apse and part of the ceiling. The plan is for the entire ceiling to be done, but that will take a few more years to see it finished. In the meantime, enjoy these beautiful masterpieces that adorn the Luqa church, dedicated to Sant Andrew. (make sure to click on each photo to enlarge)

A section of the finished ceiling, showing St Andrew in heaven

A segment of the dome

The entire dome with the octagonal segments

The pain of loneliness

Have you ever been lonely? So lonely it hurt? So lonely you questioned your worth as an individual? So lonely you felt ashamed even to admit that you were lonely? It’s awful to be lonely. Yet millions of men, women and children are lonely right now. Hundreds of thousands are lonely all day, every hour, every day of the year. And everyone is lonely sometimes. Again and again, we ask God, ourselves and each other a question asked by a little boy who had no one to play with:”Can you help me become unlonely?” 

These are all feelings that can make you lonely: * alone in a crowd, *abandoned, * rejected, * misunderstood, * isolated, *uncertain, * afraid, *ignored, *sometimes brushed aside, * given the cold shoulder, *unconnected, *neglected, *shunned, *misjudged, *intimidated, *anxious, *fearful and *apprehensive. Claim yourself the right to feel the pain, the emptiness, and frustration of loneliness.
It’s awful to be lonely, Lord. Sometimes when I’m in a crowded room surrounded by people who love me, I still feel lonely. The world is full of lonely people, sitting on park benches and bar stools, in movie theatres and at cocktail parties. A next-door neighbor most probably never knocked on your door. Help your lonely Lord. It’s awful to feel lonely.
A psychologist had this to say about the pain of loneliness: “I guess we all have to find our own ways of being wanted and needed. I don’t think this is something, or some easy tip, that you can get from another person. I think we all have to figure this out for ourselves, from our own experiences. Sometimes it is not easy; sometimes it is not pleasant. But it must be done....the most important point to me is that you have to reach out.”
Now imagine the loneliness Jesus must have felt from the moment Judas kissed him, until his death on the cross!

Passion Statues

Over the next 4 weeks, I will share with you various photos of statues, exhibits and decorations related to Holy Week as they are displayed in various places all around our tiny island of Malta. Many young people have extraordinary talents with crafting miniature statues and other religious articles connected to the celebration of the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. Today we admire three statues from the parish church in Għaxaq, Malta, all of which will be brought out in procession on Good Friday.

You helped me.....

Frequently we meet people who feel they are sick, prisoners and emarginated from the society in which they live. Let us reflect on the words of Jesus when He said that what we do to others, we are doing to Him.
I was naked because someone else deprived me of my dignity, but you remained loyal to me.
I was humiliated because my name was damaged due to gossip and hearsay, but you defended me.
I felt vulnerable and belittled, but you gave me back the confidence I lacked and trust in myself.
I was sick, tired and forgotten, but you brought healing to my inner core.
I was anxious about my uncertain future, but you raised my morale, and your respect for me extinguished all my fears.
I felt like collapsing under the pressures of my life, but you were a sturdy shoulder for me, and helped me valiantly carry my cross.
I felt like a prisoner of those who judged me unfairly, but you accepted me as I am.
I felt caught up in the turmoil of an unhappy life, but you showed me that I still have control of my life.
I felt perturbed by sadness and pain, but you helped me find hope and courage to face the future.

A Letter to St Joseph

Dear Saint Joseph,

Today being your feast day, I thought of writing you a few lines mainly to show my gratitude for all you did for Jesus and Mary, and for us all. Very few people are greater than you are! Because being so close to Jesus and Mary, you are also the most blessed and full of grace.

Well, if you weren’t so special and blessed, God would not have trusted you with his two most priceless possessions, marrying Mary, in spite of all the gossiping that was going on before your engagement, and then taking the role of a foster father of Jesus, protecting him, educating him and raising him from infancy to adulthood. You are fairly unknown around the world, but at least at Christmas time your image explodes all around the world with the millions of religious Christmas cards exchanged between families and friends. And your image stands prominently in millions of nativities set up at Christmas time.

We read in the Gospels that God always conveyed his messages to you in dreams and during sleep. This doesn’t mean that He wanted you to be passive as if you didn’t know what was going on. We never see you in dialogue with Mary or giving your opinion in stressful situations. But you let Mary handle all situations, as she dialogued with the Angel Gabriel, at the wedding at Cana, or when Jesus was lost in the temple - she spoke, and you were silent. You stayed in the background. You receive the message and made sure it was worked out and implemented. That was your divine mission and vocation - to be a silent instrument in the hands of God. I bet you enjoyed teaching Jesus the carpenter’s trade and other duties around the house at Nazareth. I always wonder what it was like to be in that house of yours at Nazareth. Did Jesus obey you and Mary? Did he play any tricks on you? Did he say his prayers daily? What were his favorite toys? And his favorite food? Did he keep his room nice and tidy? Did he have many friends visit him at home? Did he learn his carpenter’s tricks properly? Did he have any girlfriends growing up as a teenager?

Please Saint Joseph, just as you protected Mary and Jesus, I ask you to protect our church, of which you are its special patron saint. Give us more vocations because we need priests and nuns to continue the work entrusted to them. Give us good parents, responsible and loving, ready to sacrifice their lives for their children and families, just as you and Mary did. Please pray for all workers, that they may honestly give their share of labor and dedicated in their mission, always admiring you as their patron saint, another feast we celebrate on May 1. Be patient with us, dear St Joseph, because we tend to be hard-headed and spoiled at times. Remind us always to be grateful for all the blessings that you and your Son and wife give us, day by day.

                                                                      Signed - a friend and an admirer

Pope Francis – 6 years of non-stop action

Tomorrow, Pope Francis celebrates his 6^th anniversary of the start of his pontificate. It’s hard to believe how much he has accomplished over these years. Consider these facts:

-          He preached over 1000 homilies, 670 of them at the Casa Santa Marta.

-          He gave 1,200 public speeches, 264 catechesis during the Wednesday audience.

-          He gave 342 short catechesis on the Sunday gospel during the Sunday Angelus and Regina Coeli.

-          He wrote 2 encyclicals (Lumen Fidei, and Laudato Si)

-          He also published 3 Apostolic Exhortations (Evangelii Gaudium, Amoris Laetitia and Gaudete at exsultate,) 36 Apostolic Constitutions, 27 Motu Proprio, besides the Jubilee of Mercy.

-          He presided over three Synods, 2 on the family and one on youth.

-          He made 27 international trips, where he visited 41 countries, besides 24 trips inside Italy.

-          He also canonized a few popular saints, among them Pope St John XXIII, Pope St John Paul II, St Teresa of Calcutta, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, (the Fatima children,) the parents of St Therese of Lisieux, and the two mystics St Angela of Foligno and St Elizabeth of the Trinity.

-         Pope Francis also has a Twitter account in 9 languages with 48 million followers and 6 million Instagram followers.

Saint Patrick

St. Patrick was of Romano-British origin and born about the year 389 AD. His father, Calpurnius, was a deacon, and Patrick's own full name was probably Patricius Magonus Sucatus. When he was 16, he was captured in Britain by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland. During six bleak years spent as a herdsman, he turned with fervor to his faith. Hearing at last in a dream that the ship in which he was to escape was ready, he fled his master and found passage to Britain. There he came near to starvation and suffered a second brief captivity before he was reunited with his family. Thereafter, he became a priest and eventually a bishop. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland and probably responsible in part for the Christianization of the Anglo-Saxons. In a dream vision it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective, he was sent to carry out the task. He went to the west and north, where the faith had never been preached, obtained the protection of local kings and made numerous converts. 

Because of the island’s pagan background, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ. He ordained many priests, divided the country into dioceses, held Church councils, founded several monasteries and continually urged his people to greater holiness in Christ. He suffered much opposition from pagan druids and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission. Patrick died about 461, and was buried in the vicinity of the future Cathedral town of Down. 

May you always have work for your hands to do.

May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow.
May the soft winds freshen your spirit.
May the sunshine brighten your heart
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you.
May God enfold you in the mantle of His love.
And may you be in heaven
Half an hour before the devil knows you’re gone!

Turn to Love

In memory of the 49 victims of the New Zealand mosques tragedy, let us offer our prayers for them, and their families, remembering also the injured and the town of Christchurch which has been devastated by this senseless massacre. After the attacks on schools, it has become common now that church worshippers are being targeted while doing what might be the safest act we can do....gather to pray in our safe churches. Let us turn from revenge to reconciliation, from conflict to cooperation. Let us turn from hate to love.

Offering More.......

Unto You, my Lord, I pledge my feeble body.
Not to be healed but to be forgiven.
Not to be recreated in my own image, but to be created in your own image.
Not to grieve but to have hope.
Not to have questions but to have answers.
Not to have anger but to have understanding.
Not to have fear but to have commitment.
Not to have ideals but to have concrete ideas.
Not to be ruled but to rule myself.
Not to have love, but to be love and give love to others.
Not to take but to share.
Not to critique but to know.
Not to complain but to be thankful for each day You give me.
For this and all things, I say thanks.

A Lenten Prayer
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy.
Guard me, O Holy Spirit, that I myself may always be holy.
St Augustine

The Crucifix Tree

On a busy road in Malta, between the towns of Attard and Rabat, there grew a pine tree that took an unusual and fascinating shape. The trunk mysteriously developed into what looks very distinctly like a crucifix, complete with the head, outstretched arms, and the twisted body of Jesus. I took this picture over 25 years ago, and since then more people discovered its presence and started placing flowers in front of it. Unfortunately, recently it started to deteriorate, also because some uncaring and stupid fellow started to stain it with wood stain, and is not as photogenic as it was 25 years ago. And just recently I discovered that it was transplanted and placed across the street from its original position, and it is just a stump with the crucifix shape still visible, but not growing anymore. But at least for a number of years, it served as a true place of worship, making many people pause for a prayer, or slow down as they drive by, to bless themselves.

We adore you o Christ and we praise You because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Great response

A Christmas stamp issue from the 1970s

I had a great response for my morning talk about Emvin Cremona, and I expect an even bigger crowd tonight at 7 PM. Here are some more of his artwork, one of which has never been seen before.

Our Lady of Victory from Senglea church

'The Crucifixion' from a private collection. 

Discovering a great artist

St Publius in Floriana parish church

In view of my presentation tomorrow on the centennial legacy of Emvin Cremona, I want to share with you a few of his classic paintings. In particular, I want to highlight the 4 churches where he painted the entire ceiling of each of them, precisely the parish churches at Floriana, Ghaxaq, Hamrun, and Msida. His inimitable style is discernible by a colorful palette he uses with vibrant colors and elongated figures. Most of his paintings create a sense of peace and harmonious spirituality as they depict various biblical and historically religious themes. The images of Mary, Jesus, and Saint Paul are predominant in his works.

The Nativity in Msida parish church

Having reached his peak in the early 1960s, it's interesting to notice that the patron saint of Malta, Saint Paul, figures both in his paintings and in his stamps, besides posters and panels he created for the 1960 centennial of St. Paul’s shipwreck on the Maltese rocky shores. Emvin was one of a select group of artists who studied together in Rome and then came back to Malta to embellish our churches, Museums and private homes with their masterpieces. He was born in May 1919 and died in January 1987.

The dome and apse of the St Cajetan Hamrun parish church

The Birth of Mary in Ghaxaq parish church

I will be presenting a highly-illustrated talk on the life and works of Emvin Cremona on Wednesday, March 13th at Hilltop Gardens, Naxxar at 10:30 AM and repeated at 7 PM.

Just today, the local newspaper Times of Malta gave half a page coverage for this event:

 

Lent is a time of Fasting and Feasting

Fast on criticism, feast on praise

Fast on resentment, feast on contentment

Fast on self-pity, feast on happiness

Fast from hatred, feast on peace

Fast from jealousy, feast on love

Fast from pride, feast on humility

Fast from selfishness, feast on service

Fast on apathy, feast on faith

Fast from complaining, feast on appreciation

Fast from carelessness, feast on commitment

Fast on egoism, feast on altruism

Fast from gossiping, feast on concern

Fast from laziness, feast on prayer

Fast from anger, feast on joy

Fast from dishonesty, feast on sincerity

Fast from frowning, feast on smiling

Fast from pessimism, feast on optimism

Fast from revenge, feast on forgiveness

Fast from anxiety, feast on hope

Fast from sensual temptation, feast on purity

Fast from taking, feast on giving

Fast from stubbornness, feast on compassion

Fast from fear, feast on courage

Fast from impatience, feast on tolerance

Fast from cheating, feast on honesty

Fast from fighting, feast on reconciling

Fast from the TV, feast on spiritual reading

Fast from the newspaper, feast on the bible

Fast from competition, feast on teamwork

Fast from passive indifference, feast on positive action

Fast from yourself, feast on Jesus & others

I will be presenting a highly-illustrated talk on the life and works of Emvin Cremona on Wednesday, March 13th at Hilltop Gardens, Naxxar at 10:30 AM and repeated at 7 PM. He was born 100 years ago, and has left a treasure of painted works in parish churches, besides designing 62 sets of stamps between 1957 and 1975.

Temptations in our lives

On this first Sunday of Lent, we see Jesus being tempted by the devil in the desert, and then we see him in prayer while encouraging the people to “repent and believe in the gospel.” This was the same message of John the Baptist in Advent as it was last Wednesday on Ash Wednesday. May I suggest this guideline to help you throughout your Lenten journey:

Repent - admit of your weaknesses and ask for forgiveness.
Return - come back to church where you can find comfort and consolation.
Reorient yourself - make the adjustments you need.
Resolve to change - ask God to help you make the changes you need for a better life.
Rejoice - be happy with the person that is your NEW YOU.
Remember - the blessings you received, so that you don’t start taking God for granted.

The Concorde – 50 years ago

British Airways Concorde flying over New Hyde Park, NY

The first Concorde flight took place 50 years ago, precisely on March 2, 1969. It was supposed to promise a revolution in air travel with its technical prowess and supersonic speed. But just 34 years later, and with only 14 planes ever entering the commercial passenger system, the Franco-British turbojet was grounded by high costs, and still haunted by a major crash 3 years earlier in France. The first flight of Concorde’s prototype was a successful half-hour flight over Toulouse, France, on March 2. But it would take another 7 years to begin regular commercial flights. Its inaugural schedule passenger flights were on January 21, 1976: the Paris-Rio operated by Air France, and the London-Bahrain by British Airways. The Concorde was able to reach speeds of 1367 miles an hour (2200 kilometers an hour) and the flying time from Paris to New York was about 3 and a half hours. I remember when I was at Holy Spirit in New Hyde Park, New York, both flights would pass over us at 8:45 AM and 9:15AM respectively. In fact when I was saying the 9 AM Mass, every day I had to stop for a few seconds while the big bird would pass over us, creating a loud sonic boom. The surprising thing is that it would never miss a day, and both planes would be right on time, incredibly but true. 

Another photo I took of the Concorde at Heathrow Airport.

The price of a ticket was quite high, and in 2003, a return London-New York ticket cost £8,300 ($10,900.) Its developers had hoped to sell more than 100 models, but only 14 were made, 7 each for British Airways and Air France. A Concorde could carry only 100 to 144 people on board. Among Concorde’s most distinctive feature was its pointed nose, which drooped downwards during take-off to allow for better pilot visibility. In July 2000, an Air France model crashed in Paris, killing all 109 people on board and 4 on the ground. Air France’s last commercial flight was in May 2003, while British Airways stopped in October of the same year.

In Praise of Women

Adolphe  Bouguereau - 'Before the Bath'

“A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.”– Eleanor Roosevelt

“The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race.”– Susan B. Anthony

“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.”– Diane Mariechild

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”– Helen Keller

“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” - Margaret Thatcher

Prayer to Christ Crucified

Crucifixion by Emvin Cremona, at Mqabba parish church.

All you who are crying, come to Him, because He is crying too.

All you who are suffering, come to Him, because he can heal you.
All you who are afraid, come to Him, because He always has a smile waiting for you.
All you who are hungry, come to Him, because He’ll feed you the Living Bread.
All you who are in darkness, come to Him, because He will guide you with His Light.
All you who are lost, search for His guiding hand, and you will never get lost from now on.
All you who feel persecuted, come to Him because He had his share of persecution too.
All you who are lonely, come close to Him, because He too was very lonely on the Cross.
All you who feel being punished unfairly, just look at Him. He died for you, unfairly.
All you who are dying, come to Him, and you will live forever.

I will be presenting a highly-illustrated talk on the life and works of Emvin Cremona on Wednesday, March 13th at Hilltop Gardens, Naxxar at 10:30 AM and repeated at 7 PM. He was born 100 years ago, and has left a treasure of painted works in parish churches, besides designing 62 sets of stamps between 1957 and 1975.

Ash Wednesday

The season of Lent starts with a double reminder, of our mortality, and of our need to do penance. Two of the phrases priests will say as they impose ashes on people’s foreheads today precisely suggest two ways to prepare for this holy season. “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” reminds us all of our mortality, a fact we all have to face some time or another. On the other hand the priest may say “Repent and believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ,” encouraging us to do penance and turn away from sin. This is also a time to do less and to do more. Less of the complaining, less of the vices and pleasures we all like, less of the anger, impatience and aloofness that we show to others. And more of the respect, more of the kindness we show, more of the concern and genuine interest we show towards others in the many simple ways that we come across in our daily lives.
It is interesting to note that in European countries, including Italy and Malta, the ashes are placed or dropped on top of the head, instead of marked on the forehead as is done in the USA. However this year I will adopt the American custom in Malta and mark the people on their foreheads with the blessed ash. Churches in Malta will become very active and decorated with devotional artifacts, some of which will also drape the walls in black. The statues that will be used during the Good Friday procession will be displayed in the churches, one at a time. Church attendance will increase during these 40 days, culminating with the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on the Friday before Good Friday. I invite you to journey with me through this blog as I share with you during the next 40 days, reflections and meditations that will help you get closer to the crucified Jesus.
We adore you o Christ, and we praise You, because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Carnival

It's carnival time in Malta, as it is in Rio de Janeiro and other countries which spend a whole weekend partying and celebrating with floats, parades, inventive and colorful costumes. Here are some of the floats that paraded through the streets of the capital city this weekend. Thankfully they had some nice weather, compared to the previous week, which was highlighted by a severe hurricane.

Pope Francis’ 10 rules for happiness

Our beloved Pope Francis gives us 10 suggestions for us to experience true happiness:
1. Be happy with your life and let others live.
2. Give yourselves to others.
3. Be humble.
4. Play with children and give them precious time.
5. Dedicate your Sundays to your family.
6. Whenever you can, help young people to find work.
7. Protect and love the environment and nature.
8. Do not complain and don’t be negative.
9. Respect the opinion of others.
10. Search for and work for peace.

Your purpose in life

Most people want more. When that is not enough, they want better. And when better is not enough, they want different. When different is not enough they become sad. What they really need is purpose. Remember that what you enjoy doing with passion will be the secret of your success and your happiness. Joy is the by-product of a meaningful life. Doing what you do best and looking for ways to serve others open the gateway to joy and self-respect. Before you go to sleep every evening say this prayer, written by St.Francis de Sales: ‘Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today, will care for you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.’