Pope St Pius V

Pope St Pius V (1504-1572)

Born Antony Ghislieri on January 17, 1504, he was raised by poor parents and entered the Dominican Order with whom he was ordained in 1528 and taught philosophy and theology in Dominican colleges . He quickly became bishop and Cardinal and followed his predecessor, the easy-going Pope Pius IV in 1566, taking the name of Pius V. He started his Papacy by implementing the reform of the Council of Trent. He cleaned up the curia, excommunicated heretical bishops, cleaned up the immorality in the church and swept the church clean – paving the way for the great surge in the church we call the Counter-Reformation. He also excommunicated the tyrant Elizabeth I of England and formed the Holy League – a confederation of Catholic armies which eventually defeated the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto. Pius V also instituted the Feast of Our Lady of Victories.
Pope Pius V also published the catechism of Trent and improved the breviary and the Roman Missal, which was still being used until 1962. He tried to clean Rome from any immorality, forbidding bullfights and even tried to stop bull fighting from Spain, one of the few things he was unsuccessful in. He died on May 1, 1572 and was canonized by Pope Clement XI in 1712.
Since he was a Dominican, he frequently kept using the white cassock or habit that Dominicans used, and the custom remained that successive Popes kept using white, possibly to beat the summer Roman heat. And that is why the Popes still use white as the color of their cassock. And the first thing Pope Francis did when he was elected Pope was the visit Santa Maria Maggiore and pay tribute to the tomb of Pope St Pius V. Our country of Malta is indebted to Pope Pius V as he gave donations for the capital city Valletta to be built, and also kept the Knights of Malta here, who defended us against the Muslims and the Ottoman Empire. Thus the Catholic church survived, otherwise, one never knows, we could have become Muslims. Malta is forever grateful to Pope St. Pius V.

St Catherine of Siena

St Catherine being presented to Jesus by the Mary, flanked by St John, St Dominic, and St Paul.

St. Catherine of Siena was born during the outbreak of the plague in Siena, Italy on March 25, 1347. She was the 25th child born to her mother, although half of her brothers and sisters did not survive childhood. Catherine herself was a twin, but her sister did not survive infancy. Her mother was 40 when she was born. Her father was a cloth dyer. As a child, prayer was her delight. When only seven years old, she made a vow of virginity and afterwards endured bitter persecution for refusing to marry. At the age of fifteen, she entered the Third Order of Saint Dominic, but continued to reside in her father’s shop, where she united a life of active charity with the prayer of a contemplative saint. From this obscure home, the seraphic virgin was summoned to defend the Church’s cause. Armed with papal authority, and accompanied by three confessors, she traveled through Italy, reducing rebellious cities to the obedience of the Holy See and winning hardened souls to God. She sought out Pope Gregory XI at Avignon, brought him back to Rome, and by her letters to the kings and queens of Europe made good the papal cause. She was the counselor of Pope Urban VI, and sternly rebuked the disloyal cardinals who had a part in electing an anti-pope. Day and night she wept and prayed for unity and peace. But the devil excited the Roman people against the Pope so that some sought the life of Christ’s Vicar. Her prayers helped bring some semblance of peace. She also established a monastery for women in 1377 outside of Siena. She is credited with composing over 400 letters, her Dialogue, which is her definitive work, and her prayers. These works are so influential that St. Catherine would later be declared a Doctor of the Church. By 1380, the 33-year-old mystic had become ill, possibly because of her habit of extreme fasting. In January of 1380, her illness accelerated her inability to eat and drink. Within weeks, she was unable to use her legs. She died on April 29, aged 33, following a stroke just a week prior. St. Catherine is the patroness against fire, illness, Italy, miscarriages, and people ridiculed for their faith, and nurses.

Divine Mercy Sunday

The Sunday after Easter will always be known as Divine Mercy Sunday, as people pray the novena handed down to us by St Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun and visionary, who was pushed away by many church authorities in her time and after her death. But Pope St John Paul, a Polish himself, re-opened her case and authenticated her visions, and even canonized her in the year 2000, precisely on Divine Mercy Sunday. The faithful pray the novena by reciting 50 times "For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world." The image of Jesus as depicted here was described by Saint Faustina, with two rays of light emanating from the heart of Jesus, one in white and one in red. The phrase "Jesus, I trust in you" is frequently included.

Helena Kowalska was born and raised in and around Warsaw, Poland and is contemporaneous with St. John Paul II. She was poorly educated and left school when she was 15, after three years to support her poor family. In spite of her difficulties she entered into a convent after bring refused so many times. She was given the name Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska. After being the convent less than five years, she reported that she had visions of Jesus appearing to her. The visions focused on Jesus as the King of Divine Mercy. She continued to write a diary from 1931 until just before her death in 1938.

Love, Wealth and Success

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said, "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat." "Is the man of the house home?" they asked. "No", she said. "He's out."
"Then we cannot come in", they replied. In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. "Go tell them I am home and invite them in," he said.
The woman went out and invited the men in. "We do not go into a house together," they replied. "Why is that?" she wanted to know. One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."
The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!" he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!" His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?" Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!" "Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest."
The woman went out and asked the three old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest." Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, why are you coming in?" The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!"

No complaining allowed

Pope Francis has a sign written on his apartment door which says VIETATO LAMENTARSI. It is also a title of a book authored by psychologist and psychotherapist Salvo Noè, the book, entitled "Vietato Lamentarsi" (Complaining not Allowed.) The Pope has actually written a preface to a reprint of this popular Italian book on fighting the bad habit of complaining, a favorite topic with the upbeat 81-year old Argentinian pontiff. The book is being published by the publishers Edizione San Paolo. It’s a big lesson for us to learn to avoid the bad habit of complaining and instead try to appreciate the many blessings that come our way.

God’s work

1. Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.

2. Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
3. Don't put a question mark where God put a period.
4. Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
5. Forbidden fruits create many jams.
6. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
7. God grades on the cross, not the curve.
8. God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"
9. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
10. He, who angers you, controls you!
11. If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats!
12. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity.
13. Prayer: Don't give God instructions  - just report for duty!
14. The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
15. The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.
16. We don't change the message, the message changes us.
17. You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.
18. You do your best. God will do the rest.

Easter procession

 And to conclude my Lenten-Holy Week-Easter presentations here are three photos of the procession held last Sunday at Valletta, the capital city. The monument in bronze that you see in the background is a historic monument dedicated to the Great Siege which Malta fought against the Turks and the Ottoman Empire in 1565. The statue of the Risen Christ is actually the smaller version of the original statue, which was not taken out in procession because of a windy day.

Other characters like St Helena and St Constantine were not in the procession either, and in a way, it was a shorter version of the customary procession, although it did attract many people, especially tourists who heard the marching band playing festive marches and waltzes, and like a magnet, they congregated to the procession.

Good Friday processions

Going back to last Friday, here are some photos I took of one of the dozen processions held all over Malta on Good Friday. Each procession has around 10 life-size statues, carried shoulder high through the streets of the parish. Between each statue, there is a retinue of characters from the Bible, from Roman times, and from the passion of Christ, Various banners proclaim the 7 last words of Jesus as well as Roman placards with the famous SPQR logo. Various men carry crosses on their back, some with hooded masks to protect from anonymity when they make vows to take part in the procession.

This particular procession was held in the town of Zebbug, and it is well known for the large number of Roman soldiers taking part, including a few on horses and one on a chariot. These processions are very solemn and reverent, compared to the other festive processions held in the summer months, honoring the various titular saints. A few marching bands are also an important part of the Good Friday procession, playing funeral marches. I have one more post on Holy Week, which will be dedicated to another procession of the Risen Christ – that’s for tomorrow.

Praying for Sri Lanka

A statue of the Risen Christ and the Paschal candle splattered with blood and shrapnel.

On what was supposed to be a happy, pleasant Easter day, the hand of terrorists once again struck at the heart of Christians praying in their churches. This time it was the country of Sri Lanka, home to many peace-filled people, as I've experienced with many priests from that country who are very quiet, reserved and spiritually-gifted. The death toll stands at 300 dead, with about 500 people wounded in the attacks on 9 sites across the country, in churches and hotels. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry said that at least 36 foreigners were among those killed. Those countries that have confirmed their citizens were killed, and they include the United States, Britain, China, Japan, and Portugal.

Police had warned that terrorists could attack “with little or no warning,” and listed several potential targets, including tourist spots, transportation centers, markets, malls, government offices, hotels and places of worship. The church attacks were the most heinous of crimes as they hit worshippers, mostly Catholics and Christians as they gathered to celebrate Easter Masses.

A Blessed Easter

"Why do you search for the living among the dead? He is risen - he is not here!"

May the Easter blessings come upon all of you who visit this blog, and may the joy we experience today, remain with us all year long, especially with those who have suffered so much in their lives. May the Light of Christ illumine their every way, and lead them to happier days ahead.
He is truly Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
He brings a Prayerful Life to someone searching for meaning and direction.
He brings Peace to those who are always worried and uptight.
He brings Victory out of defeat.
He brings Joy to those who cannot seem to smile anymore.
He brings a Beautiful Baby to her who was premeditating an abortion.
He brings Light to those who are living in darkness.
He brings Enlightenment and Understanding to those couples whose marriage has been more of a struggle than a Joy.
He brings Hope out of despair.
He brings New Life to those worried about dying.
He brings Peace to this world ravaged by war and fighting and oppression.
He brings Love and Reconciliation to those harboring thoughts of revenge and hate.
He brings Optimism in a world tormented by pessimism.

Altars of Repose

A Baroque style altar of repose at the Mdina Cathedral

If there is one area where the Maltese go over and beyond beauty, it has to be the way they decorate the Altars of Repose for Holy Thursday adoration. It's a pity that they last less than a day, mostly Thursday evening and Friday morning around noon, but a visit to a few of them leaves you just about breathless. Hundreds of people visit 7 churches to pray, a custom started by St Philip Neri when he visited the 7 main churches of Rome with his Oratorians. (Please click on each photo to enlarge)

Altar of Repose at the Franciscan church, Rabat.

Between an abundance of flowers, rows and rows of candles, angels and seraphs, there is main attraction, called gilandora, where the Blessed Sacrament will be preserved for the duration of the visits. It is usually made of gold or silver with rays emanating from the center, and it is usually one of the most treasured items in each parish church.

Altar of Repose at Mosta parish church.

Altar of Repose at the Augustinian church in Rabat.

Altar of Repose at St Paul's church, Rabat.

Miniature statues

The amount of exhibitions is bursting to large numbers, displaying statues and statuettes of the passion of Christ, set up in church halls, private homes and other public places such as local band clubs. I share with you today a few of these displays, in particular, the crucifixion, the theme on which Christians meditate especially today, Good Friday.

The Eight Sacrament

The foot-washing ceremony that takes place during the evening Mass on Holy Thursday is very significant in the life of every priest. It’s a humbling experience that I treasure and look forward to every year, even in my chapel at Hilltop Gardens. It’s interesting to note that the foot-washing was considered a sacrament in the early years of the church, a sacrament of service. It would have been our 8th sacrament if the church were to keep it. It won’t surprise me one day if Pope Francis were to re-introduce it as a sacrament of the Catholic church. He is fond of this humble gesture as he visits prisons, hospitals and rehabilitation places to lead this humble service on Holy Thursday. In the USA, I also introduced this custom at weddings and quite a few couples appreciated this gesture as they commit themselves to a life of equality and service towards each other. And Jesus gave the apostles an order, to do to others what He did to them, to wash their feet and serve them unconditionally and whole-heartedly.

Miniature procession

If you cannot witness an entire Good Friday procession in person, maybe you can at least get a tiny glimpse of what it looks like by watching these 5 photos of a miniature procession, which I saw yesterday. It was displayed in a large hall at a local Band Club, complete with authentic Maltese type streets with balconies, local vendors, people looking from the side, an assortment of houses, stores, police station, and so much more, to create an atmosphere that is typical of Malta.

The procession is also complete with altar-boys, prelates, biblical characters, marching bands playing funeral marches, soldiers, boy scouts, and a set of statues that are carried shoulder-high on Good Friday in several parishes. The whole display features close to 1000 characters and is truly a work of art and clever craftsmanship.

We love Notre Dame

The whole world watched in shock and sadness as the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris was engulfed in smoke as flames of fire brightened and at the same time darkened the evening Paris sky. The fire started at around 18:30pm on Monday, April 15, and quickly reached the roof of the cathedral, destroying its stained-glass windows and the wooden interior before toppling the spire. Emergency teams managed to rescue valuable artwork and religious items, including what is said to be the crown of thorns worn by Jesus before his crucifixion, which were stored inside the cathedral built in the 12th and 13th centuries. A tunic, which the 13^th century King Louis IX is said to have worn when he brought the crown of thorns to Paris, was also saved.

The inferno destroyed the roof of the 850-year-old UNESCO world heritage landmark, whose spectacular Gothic spire collapsed as orange flames and clouds of grey smoke billowed into the sky. The fate of a great, recently restored 8,000 pipe, five-keyboard organ, is unknown. Experts will also be looking at what remains of the famous Rose Windows – three huge round stained-glass Rose windows over the cathedral's three main portals that date back to the 13th century.

The cathedral is located at the center of the French capital in the Middle Ages and its construction was completed in 1345 after some 200 years of work. During the French Revolution in the 18th century, the cathedral was vandalized in widespread anti-Catholic violence: its spire was dismantled, its treasures plundered and its large statues at the grand entrance doors destroyed. It would go on to feature as a central character in a Victor Hugo novel published in 1831, "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" and shortly afterward a restoration project lasting two decades got underway, led by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. The building survived the devastation of two global conflicts in the 20th century and famously rang its bells on August 24, 1944, the day of the Liberation of Paris from German occupation at the end of the World War II.  President Macron promised to rebuild the cathedral. It is ironic that this accident happened at the start of Holy Week, and we find solace in the fact that after the sufferings and death of Jesus, he won the biggest victory over death by His Resurrection. So we hope and pray that the French and the world will be able to rise from the ashes and see Notre Dame in its full glory once again. As many have agreed, it could have been much worse. We love Notre Dame – we love Paris and we pray for them today. Je Suis Notre Dame.

A symbolic cross

This cross is carried in the procession of Good Friday at the Naxxar parish, and is very interesting as it carries on it a series of symbols connected to the passion of Jesus. If you look closely, you will notice among other things: a spear, a sponge, a ladder, a bag of coins, a hammer and a plier, the nails, a cock, a pillar, a trumpet, a drum, the hand that slapped Jesus, a chalice, a pitcher, a Roman dreidel,  the INRI sign, and Veronica’s veil.

Palm Sunday retrospective

Palm Sunday at St Elizabeth parish in John Day 2004

I want to to take you back in time today as I relive the Palm Sunday celebrations in my last three parishes in Oregon. I made a point at each parish to have a donkey leading the procession towards the church after the blessing of the palms. Naturally, this tradition attracted more crowds to church, and sadly to say, the tradition has been dropped by all successive pastors.

Palm blessing at St Francis de Sales Cathedral in Baker City.

Unfortunately, I am not allowed to provide a donkey at the Retirement Home where I am serving now. Nonetheless, the chapel is always packed with people, and it’s always a problem trying to fit the large crowds that are attending the Masses here. It is a big problem, but in a way it is a good problem, and I wish all the churches have a similar problem, but that is not the case. However, donkey or no donkey, we welcome Jesus into our hearts today as we prepare for the celebrations of Holy Week, the holiest week of the entire year. Hosanna to our king!

Donkey procession at St Francis of Assisi parish in Bend.

One church – three faces

Lapsi church set up for the Lenten season

My childhood church at St Julian’s, known also as Lapsi (Ascension) church is well taken care of by two young men who dedicate much of their free time in decorating the church according to the season. Here you see three different faces of the church, during Lent, on Palm Sunday, and at Easter. (you can click on each photo to enlarge)

The same church on Palm Sunday

This church brings a lot of personal memories, as this is where my parents were married on July 24, 1948, this is where I was baptized on August 30, 1952, and where I served many Masses as an altar boy and still celebrate occasional Masses when needed. This is also where I spend Monday and Tuesday morning, praying for an hour or so. As you can see, the color scheme and symbolisms change from Purple to Red to White. But believe me, a lot of work goes behind the different arrangements and decorations set up seasonally.

The same church at the Easter season

Looking at the Sorrowful Mother

The statue of Our Lady of Sorrows at Naxxar parish

Today Friday, the entire country of Malta turns to Mary as the Sorrowful Mother, as a head-start to the celebrations of Holy Week. It has always been a special reverential devotion that Maltese turn to Mary on the Friday before Good Friday, as many go to confession, attend Mass and do penance and offer sacrifices in reparation for their sins. It is the culmination of Lent, and what one might call a sort of Lent, Ramadan and Yom Kippur blended into one. Statues of the Mater Dolorosa are carried throughout the streets of every town and village in Malta and Gozo. Many priests will celebrate extra Masses in places of work and in smaller groups. I have 4 Masses planned today, including two at workplaces, and it’s so consoling to see all the workers stop and pause, attend Mass, receive Communion and promise to lead a better lifestyle.

From Joy to Suffering

From the joys of childhood to the sorrows of adulthood.

I took this picture to contrast the joy and sorrow that Mary felt at the beginning and the end of her life, or more accurately Jesus’ life. The two statues are in the parish church of Naxxar where I celebrate Mass every Sunday morning. The younger Mary in the background is the statue that represents a young Mary, called Maria Bambina, and is carried in procession every year on September 8. The statue of the sorrowful mother in the foreground is one of the statues that is carried in procession on Good Friday as well as tomorrow, the devotional feast of the Sorrowful Mother. One can see in this photo both the joy of a young Mary and the sorrow of the mournful mother weeping under the cross. May the memories of the joy of our childhood overcome the sorrows and sadness we experience in our adulthood. May the Blessed Mother keep her eyes on our families, our country and all our friends around the world.

A miracle? A mistake? A joke?

Archbishop asks the President: "Are you sure this is not whiskey?"

An unusual incident happened on March 31 during a Mass at the C0-Cathedral of St John in Valletta, Malta. Archbishop Scicluna was celebrating a Mass with a few other monsignors. When he came to communion and drank the Precious Blood from the chalice, he noticed something different with the taste of wine. He asked a monsignor next to him to taste it, and right away they realized it was not wine, but whiskey! Was it a miracle? Was it an April Fool’s joke? Was it a mistake? Well, the sacristan claims it was a mistake, but why would he keep a bottle of whiskey in the sacristy cabinet, along with the bottles of wine to be used for consecration? It appears that the Archbishop took it lightly, and a few days later, during the Mass for the installation of the new President, when Dr. Vella and his wife brought up the gifts at the offertory procession, the Archbishop smiled and asked the President ‘Are you sure it’s not whiskey?’ The story running around is that if Jesus could turn water into wine at the wedding at Cana, why can’t an Archbishop turn wine into whiskey?

Artistic creations with salt

Continuing on a few exhibits that are displayed in various churches, parish halls, local clubs, and private homes, today I share creations made from salt. These are intricate and detailed designs made from colored salt, rice, and semolina, placed with perfect precision to create paintings relating to the passion of Christ. The enthusiasts who create these mini-masterpieces spend hours working meticulously and painstakingly placing grains of salt or rice to see the finished 'painting' come alive, and proudly display it for visitors to admire them. (click on each photo to enlarge)