God speaks to us

I asked God an important question: What surprises you in the humankind?

That they get bored with childhood. They rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.

That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health.

That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither in the future nor in the present.

That they live as if they will never die, and die as if they have never lived.

As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?

To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.

To learn they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is to let themselves be loved.

To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is the one who needs the most.

To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and it takes many years to heal them.

To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.

To learn that there are persons who love them deeply, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.

To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.

To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others but that they must forgive themselves.

The Archangels

Today is the feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Michael - the angel of judgment - is known as the champion in the fight against Satan and the other devils as well as the guardian of the faithful especially at the time of death. Frequently he is portrayed crushing the devil’s head with a lance. 

Gabriel - the angel of mercy - is the messenger from God in St Luke’s gospel who foretold the birth of John the Baptist, “Be not afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.” Six months later it was Gabriel who appeared to Mary at the Annunciation saying, “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.” Raphael  -  whose name means “God has healed” was sent by God to heal Tobias of his blindness and to deliver Sara from the devil in the book of Tobit.
We tend to underestimate the presence of Angels in our lives. However they are gaining popularity as we see many angel pins on people’s jackets, posters and paintings of various angels are showing up at card stores. And of course at Christmas, there are the angels on ornaments and hanging on nativity scenes. We sing about the angels in several of the Christmas hymns. Angels were also present at Jesus’ tomb when the women went to anoint his body and found the tomb empty. But we are reluctant to accept their actual existence. This is certainly a departure from our childhood when we prayed to our guardian angel at least daily. As children, we believed that there was truly one angel whose job was to look after us, who would always hover around us ready to protect us from all evil and to communicate our desires and needs to God. The feast of the Guardian Angels, in fact, is in 3 days, October 2.

The Unisphere

The second globe featured in the New York skyline is the Unisphere, a spherical stainless steel representation of the earth located at Flushing Meadows - Corona Park in the borough of Queens, New York. It measures 140 feet (43 m) high and 120 feet (37 m) in diameter, and was commissioned as part of the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
Commissioned to celebrate the beginning of the space age, the Unisphere was conceived and constructed as the theme symbol of the World’s Fair, with the theme "Peace Through Understanding," and represented the theme of global interdependence. It was dedicated to "Man's Achievements on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe". During the 1964 fair, dramatic lighting at night gave the effect of sunrise moving over the surface of the globe. Additionally, the capitals of nations were marked by lights. Important renovations were done between late 1993 and completed on May 31, 1994. The fountains were shut off in 1970, but they reopened on August 12, 2010, after a $2 million restoration of its pumps, valves, and paintwork. 

It was used as a backdrop to various films, including Men in Black, Black Rain, Iron Man 2 – Captain America and Spiderman – Homecoming. These photos were taken when I attended the Tennis US Open in 1987 in Flushing Meadows.

St Vincent de Paul

Born to a peasant family on April 24th 1581 near Ranquine, Gascony, southwest France, Vincent was a highly intelligent youth. He spent four years with the Franciscan friars at Acq, France getting an education. He began divinity studies in 1596 at the University of Toulouse and was ordained a priest at age 20. He was taken captive by Turkish pirates to Tunis, and sold into slavery. Eventually he was freed in 1607 when he converted one of his owners to Christianity. Returning to France, he served as parish priest near Paris where he started organizations to help the poor, nursed the sick, found jobs for the unemployed, etc. He founded the Order known as the Vincentians. He also became chaplain at the court of Henry IV of France. With St Louise de Marillac, he co-founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity. St Vincent died on September 27th, 1660 at Paris, France of natural causes. His body was found incorrupt when exhumed in 1712. He was canonized on June 16th, 1737 by Pope Clement XII. Many St Vincent de Paul Societies flourished around the world, helping the poor and the homeless, mostly in US parishes, but also present in 31 other countries. Vincentians run Universities in DePaul, Chicago, St. John's in Queens, NY and Niagara, also in New York.

New York Globes

Two historic landmarks will feature in my posts today and Saturday, as I show two globes that are so representative of the New York skyline. The first one was unfortunately partially destroyed on September 11, 2001, when the Twin Towers collapsed. It is also known as the Sphere, a 25 foot bronze sculpture by German artist Fritz Koenig, originally located at the base of the towers surrounded by a fountain. After the Twin Towers collapsed, it was relocated at Liberty Park. The piece was commissioned by the owner of the World Trade Center, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1966. The original choice was Henry Moore, but Koenig was chosen after the towers’ architect Minoru Yamasaki saw some of Koenig’s work at the Staempfli Gallery in Manhattan. He started work on it in 1967 while the WTC was in the planning stages, and finished it in 4 years.

Prayer for today

O God, our Father, who makes the Light to shine out of the darkness, we thank You for waking us to see the light of this new day. Grant to us to waste none of its hours; to soil none of its moments; to neglect none of its opportunities; to fail in none of its duties. And bring us to the evening time undefeated by any temptation, at peace with ourselves, at peace with our fellow-men and women, and at peace with You.

O God, our Father, bless us and keep us all through today.
At our work, make us diligent, ever showing ourselves to be workmen who have no need to be ashamed.
In our pleasure, help us to find delight only in such things as bringing no regrets to follow.
In our homes, make us kind and considerate, ever trying to make the work of others easier, and not harder.
In our dealings with others, make us courteous and kindly.
In our dealings with ourselves, make us honest to face the truth.
And in every moment of this day make us ever to remember that You, o God, see us, and in You we move and have our being. So grant that we may do nothing which would bring shame to ourselves, grief to those who love us and sorrow to You.

No-No in the fridge

Tomatoes, garlic, and basil - never in the fridge!

I am not a culinary expert, but I love cooking, especially large pots of soup, a fresh healthy salad and all kinds of fruit. I came across this interesting list of items one should never place in a refrigerator. I thought it might be interesting to share it because I was guilty in placing just 3 of them in the fridge, something which I will not do anymore. So here are 35 items that should never go in the refrigerator:

Coffee – bread – tomatoes – fresh basil - eggplant – avocado – onions – garlic – honey – peanut butter – ketchup – olive oil – oranges – papaya – potatoes – pickles – vinegar – donuts – mustard – aged cheese – sealed tuna – molasses – banana – chocolate - cucumber – cereal – pumpkins – watermelon - apples – spices – pears – hot pepper – beef jerky – soy sauce – flour.

ALSO: I heard another tip which you should know: when cooking soup or whatever and you want to freeze left-overs in containers, you should do this within 2 hours. Don't wait longer than 2 hours to let it cool off, because bacteria start to accumulate after 2 hours outside. 

St Pio of Pietralcina

St Pio of Pietralcina (1881-1968)

St Pio was born as Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1881. Taking the name of Pio, the present Pope at that time, he entered with the Franciscans and was ordained to the priesthood in 1910. On September 20, 1918, he received the stigmata, which stayed on his body until the moment he died on September 23, 1968, when they completely disappeared. He was canonized on June 16, 2002, when half a million people were gathered at the Vatican piazza. Many other millions visit San Giovanni Rotondo every year, the monastery where he spent most of his life, in prayer.
This is one of my favorite prayers by St Pio of Pietralcina, whose liturgical feast we celebrate today:
My dear Jesus, release from my mind and heart
- any troubles from the past,
- any worries about the present,
- any anxieties about the future.
So that I can desire always, and in everything, just one thing
– TO GO AGAINST MYSELF IN FAVOR OF YOUR LOVE.
I entrust my reckless and troubled past to Your bountiful Mercy, o Lord. I also entrust to Your infinite Love my confused and undecided present. And I entrust to Your holy Providence my mysterious future. Amen.

Earthrise

Charlie Duke is one of only 4 men alive to have walked on the moon. As a member of Apollo 16 mission in 1972, he spent three days on the lunar surface, where he weighed just 60lbs in his spacesuit. All 12 men who walked on the moon were changed by their experience. Duke, now 83, describes his unique story in this way: “Just viewing the Earth from the moon was a moving experience. You can hold up your hand, and underneath your hand is the Earth. From the Moon’s distance, you can see the polar regions all white, clouds in the middle; 70% of the Earth is water, the oceans, so you see the crystal blue.....It’s a dramatic view that changes your perspective. But for me it wasn’t spiritual; it wasn’t philosophical. You didn’t have time on the Moon to be saying, “How did we get here? What is our purpose? Nothing like that. My focus was operational – Let’s get the job done!” This is probably one of the most reproduced photos ever taken on earth....well, actually it was taken from the moon! Earth rising over the lunar horizon.

A kind mailman

On his retirement, a mailman in Kentucky surprised all the families on his route. He sent each of them this message:

Dear Patron: It has been a wonderful experience to serve such a fine and loyal group of people. I have rejoiced with many of you when you received letters from loved ones away from home. I have sorrowed when some received letters of bad news. I have anticipated with you that long-awaited letter that never came. When I made mistakes, your understanding carried me on.  May the years ahead bring you and your families much joy and peace.

The Korean Martyrs

The Korean martyrs canonized in 1984.

We honor today the men and women who were slain because they refused to deny Christ in the nation of Korea. The faith was brought to Korea in a unique fashion. The intellectuals of that land, eager to learn about the world, discovered some Christian books procured through Korea’s embassy to the Chinese capital. One Korean, Ni-seung-houn, went to Beijing in 1784 to study Catholicism and was baptized as Peter Ri. Returning to Korea, he converted many others. In 1791, when these Christians were suddenly viewed as foreign traitors, two of Peter Ri’s converts, named Paul and Jacques, were martyred.  The faith endured, however, and when Father James Tsiou, a Chinese, entered Korea three years later, he was greeted by 4,000 Catholics. Father Tsiou worked in Korea until 1801 when he was slain by authorities. The first native priest, Andrew Kim Taegon, returned to Korea in 1845 and was martyred the following year. Severe persecution followed, and Catholics fled to the mountains, still spreading the faith. In 1864, a new persecution claimed the lives of two bishops, six French missionaries, another Korean priest, and eight thousand Korean Catholics. The Korean martyrs of 1839, 1846, and 1867 were canonized in Korea in 1984 by Pope John Paul II. During that ceremony, the Pope said: “The Korean Church is unique because it was founded entirely by lay people. This fledgling Church, so young and yet so strong in faith, withstood wave after wave of fierce persecution. Thus, in less than a century, it could boast of 10,000 martyrs. The death of these martyrs became the leaven of the Church and led to today's splendid flowering of the Church in Korea.” Presently there are 30% Catholics in South Korea and 2% in North Korea.

St Januarius

The Naples Cardinal showing the liquefied blood of St Januarius.

St. Januarius (Gennaro) is a patron saint of and former bishop of Naples in the 4th century. Januarius and his friends were initially sentenced to be eaten by the lions, tigers, and bears at the Naples amphitheater. Although the beasts had been starved for several days before the day of the planned transformation of the Christians into animal crackers, the beasts refused to attack Januarius and his colleagues. The spectators at the amphitheater were frightened by the indifference of the starving animals to the Christians and rumors began to circulate that the Christians had magical powers and were possibly protected by their god. The governor of Campania ordered their immediate beheading and Januarius' body was later returned to the Cathedral in Naples. Over a century later, it was purported that a vial of St. Januarius' blood surfaced and was preserved and permanently fixed in the metal reliquary in the Cathedral of Naples. Thousands of people assemble to witness the liquefication in the cathedral of Naples, three times a year: on September 19, on December 16 and another date in May.

Sometimes the "blood" liquefies immediately, other times it takes hours.  When the priest brings the vial to the altar that holds the saint's blood, the people, who gather by the thousands, pray that the blood becomes liquid once again. If the miracle takes place, the officiant proclaims, "Il miracolo é fatto!" ("The miracle has happened”) and waves a white handkerchief. Then a Te Deum is sung and the reliquary is taken to the altar rail so the faithful can kiss the vial.  The choir and the congregation respond with a Te Deum, and prayers are offered to St. Januarius. There have been a few instances when the substance in the vial had not liquefied and the faithful believes that it is a sign of impending peril. Five times when liquefaction has failed there have been major disasters, the latest being an earthquake in southern Italy that killed 3,000 people in 1980.

Heavenly Inspiration

This is a classic photo I took back in 2002 in the sacristy of St Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer,  a Trappist monastery in Massachusetts. Just before Mass, one of the monks would light the incense on Sundays and holy days, and the smoke fills in the whole place with an exquisite smell that takes you literally to heaven. One can see Brother Robert, the incense monk looking towards the missal on the counter, embraced with a thick beam of rays created by the incense he had just prepared. The sunlight coming through the windows add to this amazing effect.

Heavenly Father, embrace us with Your Light, and give us the inspiration we need to illumine and inspire other people, lift their spirits up and bring them closer to 

You and Your Heavenly Home.

St Robert Bellarmine

St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)

Born at Montepulciano, Italy, October 4, 1542, St. Robert Bellarmine was the third of ten children. His mother, Cinzia Cervini, a niece of Pope Marcellus II, was dedicated to almsgiving, prayer, meditation, fasting, and mortification of the body. Robert entered the newly formed Society of Jesus in 1560 and after his ordination went on to teach at Louvain (1570-1576) where he became famous for his Latin sermons. In 1576, he was appointed to the chair of controversial theology at the Roman College, becoming Rector in 1592; he went on to become Provincial of Naples in 1594 and Cardinal in 1598. This outstanding scholar and devoted servant of God defended the Apostolic See against the anti-clericals in Venice and against the political tenets of James I of England. In the field of church-state relations, he was also very effective in a time of major upheaval all over Europe. Remember that these were the days of the Protestant Reformation, with various leaders starting their own religion, King Henry VIII and the Anglican/Episcopalian religion, Luther with Lutheranism, Calvin and Zwingli in central Europe, and others. And like other well-know priest saints of this era, Robert was able to defend the church with the likes of St Vincent de Paul, St Ignatius of Loyola, St Francis Xavier, St Julian Peter Eymard, St Francis De Sales, St John Baptist Vianney, St Charles Borromeo and many others. He ws close to being elected Pope, but the Cardinals were unsure about having a Jesuit Pope. It will be another 400 years until Pope Francis was to be elected the first Jesuit Pope.
Robert Bellarmine was the spiritual father of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a Jesuit novice, and also helped St. Francis de Sales obtain formal approval of the Visitation Order, the female order founded by St Jane Frances de Chantal. He has left us a host of important writings, including works of devotion and instruction, as well as controversy. He died in 1621 and was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930; the following year he was declared a Doctor of the Church. His remains, in a cardinal's red robes, are displayed behind glass under a side altar in the Church of Saint Ignatius, the chapel of the Roman College, next to the body of his student, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, as he himself had wished.

The lonely shepherd

A long time ago, a king went searching for a devoted man to work in his palace. He came across a hard-working shepherd who impressed the king with his dedication and commitment to his work. Before not too long, the king promoted the shepherd as one of his councilors and even became his confidante. Many of the other workers became very jealous of that shepherd and went to talk to the king about him. They told the king that the shepherd daily locks himself in an abandoned room and stays there for an hour or so. They warned the king that he might be setting something up to attack the king and overthrow him. The king became very concerned about this and made a point to find out what the shepherd was doing in that room. So one day he confronted him and asked if he could come with him to that solitary room. The shepherd protested and told the king that it was his private room. However, the king called his councilors and invited them to go along with him and check for themselves what goes on in that suspicious room. They waited until the shepherd had gone in, and they forced themselves inside, only to find the shepherd kneeling down in bare feet, praying in front of a crucifix and a flickering candle in front of it. There was nothing else in that room, no furniture, not even a chair. When the king asked for an explanation, the shepherd told him: “I come here daily to pray, and to thank God for giving me the opportunity to serve you, my Lord.” Thereupon, the king, who was childless, started to treat the shepherd as his own son.

Our Lady of Sorrows

Adriaen Isenbrant - Stabat Mater

The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is celebrated a day after the feast of the Cross, and even though we are far from the Lenten season, the church asks us to reflect on the 7 sorrows that Mary experienced, as beautifully depicted in this image by Adriaen Isenbrant from the 16th century, a panel visible in Bruges, Belgium. The 7 sorrows that Mary had to face were these, as described in each of the panels surrounding the image of the Sorrowful Mother:
1. Jesus’ circumcision.
2. The escape into Egypt.
3. Jesus lost and found in the temple.
4. Seeing Jesus carrying the cross and meeting him on the way to Calvary.
5. The crucifixion of Jesus.
6. The Pieta, as the dead body of Jesus is laid on her lap.
7. The burial of Jesus.
 
The beautiful hymn Stabat Mater Dolorosa is sung frequently during Lent, especially during the Stations of the Cross. The first three words mean Stood the mournful Mother weeping, and the poem was written by Jacopone de Todi in the 13th century, and was set to music by various composers including  Palestrina, Pergolesi, Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Haydn, Rossini, and Dvorák. Here are the first 2 verses:
 
At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to her Son to the last.

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.

The Triumph of the Cross

Icon of the Finding of the Cross

Today the church commemorates the day when St Helena found the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Being the mother of Emperor Constantine, who ended the persecutions in 313AD, Helena was determined to find the abandoned cross on which Jesus was crucified. The excavations actually found three crosses buried in Jerusalem close to Mount Calvary. To verify which was the actual cross of Christ, they asked a sick person to touch each cross. When he touched the third one, the person was completely healed, and thereby they concluded which was Jesus's cross. The image of the crucifixion, along with the nativity is the most painted subject in the history of art, and every painting is a true meditation on the passion of Christ. To this day the Eastern Churches, Catholic, and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica's dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, 15 years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim. The cross is today the universal image of Christian belief. Countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewelry. To the eyes of the first Christians, it had no beauty. It stood outside too many city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses, as a threat to anyone who defied Rome's authority—including Christians who refused sacrifice to Roman gods.

The Diary of Renia

A secret diary kept by a young Polish girl was discovered recently after 70 years, and is being printed soon. Renia Spiegel was killed by the Nazis in 1942. Her diary had been kept in a secret bank and when published will be entitled: “The Diary of Renia: the life of a girl under the shadow of the holocaust.” Her younger sister Elizabeth could not stop crying as she was reading the diary. Renia was like a mother to her and describes her as “very intelligent, always first in class, kind-hearted and always wanted to become a poet.” In her diary, besides describing the atrocities she endured under the Nazis, she also speaks of a love story that had developed between her and a young man, Zygmunt Schwarzer, and even describes her first kiss, just before Hitler’s soldiers arrived in their town and their lives changed forever. Renia was shot in July 1942, at the age of 18, after she was caught hiding in an abandoned house. Zygmunt survived from the Auschwitz camp, being released by American soldiers, and he discovered the diary after the war was over. He eventually became a doctor, and when he went to America, he passed the diary to Elizabeth and their mother, whom he found in New York. They then placed the diary in a secret bank and never read it. Elizabeth’s daughter, Alexandra wanted to know more about her aunt and translated the diary into English in 2012. So now after the Diary of Anne Frank, who was killed in Bergen-Belsen in 1945, a new diary has surfaced which will give us more insight into what took place in a Polish concentration camp during World War II.

5-day diary of a priest in NY

A message I wrote on a memorial "God will remember you and the Maltese will pray for you.."

Continuing my 5-day diary I kept after the tragedy of September 11, 2001.....

Thursday, September 13, 2001

Many more people came to Mass today, and parents were wondering what to tell their children. The stories of many of the survivors and victims were constantly being relayed on TV. Since I was on Long Island for 18 years, I knew many people who worked in the business district and in the World Trade Centre and hoped and prayed that they survived. Another parishioner was on the 51^st floor during the attack. She leads our congregation in singing every Sunday and is an active member of our Choir. Joanne Ernest told me the incredible story of her escape, having to walk down 51 floors into the streets. These are her own words in an E-Mail she sent me: “As I reached the street, I could see people jumping from the top floors. A sight I don’t think I’ll ever forget! I was 2 blocks away from the WTC when tower 2 started to collapse. As I ran the debris cloud overtook me and with several others I ducked into a store to get away from the debris. As I was waiting the 1st tower collapsed! During this time the police came in looking for eye goggles and they told everyone they had to clear the area. I started heading north and just kept going and going!! No subways..no taxis...so I ended up walking all the way to Grand Central Station, at least 5 miles.”

As the rescue operations continued, I met a fireman friend of mine who was helping out in the recovery process. He told me that all they’re finding are body parts, and no one alive. I watched on TV the heart-breaking story of the Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald who lost 658 of his employees who were on the very top floors of one of the Twin Towers, including his brother. He survived simply because he took his daughter to her first day of Kindergarten, and was heading towards work when the tragedy happened.

Friday, September 14^th 2001

Today is the National Day of Mourning and Prayer, and the rest of the world joined the USA in prayer services and shows of solidarity and support. I celebrated an extra Mass at 12 noon with another large number of people attending. I shared some encouraging reflections and even quoted the Pope’s message in his Wednesday audience. We sang together “Amazing Grace” and ended with “America the Beautiful.”In the afternoon I visited again my friend Hans, after getting a pleading phone-call from his daughter in New Orleans to kindly check on him, as he was by himself and emotionally distraught. I spent 2 hours with him, and he was more calm and talked about his son. His family will be getting together in a few days, after they sent all the information and paperwork about his absence, including a toothbrush, an item requested by the Police to check for DNA in case they cannot identify his body (or body parts.)

At 7PM I joined the thousands of Americans in lighting a candle and stayed in front of my Church alone in silence. Soon other parishioners joined. It was supposed to be a prayerful time, but it was impossible to control the patriotic exuberance of the many drivers going by and beeping their horns, while displaying and waving the American Flag.

Ruth Klein, mother of Peter with a quilt she made in his memory.

Saturday, September 15, 2001

All sports events were cancelled for this weekend, and we expect many more people attending Church as well as for Confessions. We make ourselves available for counseling services, as many still incredulous people are seeking emotional support, and the first place they look for is Church. Today the first moving Funeral took place of Father Mychal Judge OFM, the NYC Fire Department Chaplain, who died while administering the last rites to another fallen fireman. After he was killed, 4 fellow firemen carried his body to a nearby Church and laid his body in front of the altar. They then joined hands and recited the prayer of St Francis while covering his body with a sheet and placing his stole and badge on his lifeless body. This was the first of thousands of Funerals that will be taking place in the coming weeks. Soon I will prepare to bury Peter Klein, comfort his family and probably concelebrate in many other Funeral Masses.

One final point to ponder. Next to the World Trade Center is Holy Trinity Church, surrounded by a graveyard. While all nearby skyscrapers were also badly damaged, the cemetery is littered with rubble and debris, but the Church remained intact, with the spire still standing. The metal and concrete of the Twin Towers collapsed, but the spirit of faith and the presence of God survives. Among the memorial banners hanging around the railing, I later wrote a message in Maltese 'Il-Bambin jiftakar fikom, u l-Maltin jitolbu ghalikom.' (God will remember you and the Maltese will pray for you.' Let us remember and pray for the New York Martyrs, whose feast day should be celebrated annually on September 11th.

My Diary from 9-11-2001

The second plane just before crashing into the second Twin Tower.

I share with you over the next two days a 5-day diary I kept on September 11, 2001, when I was in St Stanislaus Kostka Parish, Pleasant Valley, New York. I sent these entries to the Times of Malta which were printed right away. Then a book company saw my entry and asked me to have my write-up be published in a book they were releasing. The book was printed within a few weeks, entitled “9-11 - 8:45 AM” Today I share my first two days, tomorrow the next three days.

A 5 Day Diary of a priest in New York

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

I got up as usual at 4:45 AM, went for my usual 30-minute fast walk, showered and had breakfast. I prayed the office, prepared for Mass and practiced my flute for the usual hour in Church. After the 9 AM Mass, I stopped to see the Nursery School children, also to get energized by seeing 15 happy and smiling 3-year olds. Then I came to my room to prepare for my Communion Calls which I usually do on Tuesdays, visiting the 7 elderly homebound parishioners and give them Communion. I noticed my telephone message flashing and checked to see who called. It was my mother’s voice frantically begging me to call back to see if I was OK, after telling me briefly that the World Trade Centre have been bombed. In a split second I turned the TV on, and the phone rang again. My parents called again. I was speechless as I watched the horrifying collapse of the first Tower, and after assuring them I was OK, I hang up still speechless and in disbelief. Like the rest of the world, I watched the second tower crash down and followed the unbelievable aftermath. I could have stayed in front of the TV all day, as most people did, but I had some elderly friends to visit and also console, as everyone was heartbroken and searched for answers. Since my Parish is 80 miles away from New York City, I could only follow the tragic events like most of New Yorkers, through television, but I realized my service would be needed soon to lead people in prayer and console them in the coming days and weeks. We scheduled a Mass in our Church in the evening and the congregation was standing-room only. We invited the people to mention names of people they knew who were either missing or dead or injured. We had a dozen names prayed for. People cried and sobbed, still incredulous to what had happened in Manhattan. They stayed after Mass, sharing stories, reminiscing memories,  praying and hoping.

 

Some of the hundreds of memorials placed around Ground Zero.

Wednesday, September 12, 2001

More people came to Mass this morning, and some even for confession, hurt, upset and angry. The shock of the first day was now turning to anger in many people. As I was writing to my family and friends and sending E-Mails across the world, a man called me and asked me to pray for his son, who was presumed dead. I left everything and went to visit Hans Klein, an Austrian immigrant who was alone at home after his wife had left to be with their daughter-in-law, now a young widow. Their son Peter was 36, and worked on the 97^th floor of the first building that was hit. Most probably the plane crashed right into his Office. Peter was married a year ago and was an altar-boy in our parish for many years. I devoted an hour with Hans, sharing with me special memories of his family and his son, as I did my best to comfort him.

I spent three hours waiting on-line to donate blood, a process that normally takes half an hour. Hundreds of Americans gave the gift of life by donating blood for the survivors. Many others turned to prayers. I did a lot of counseling, even on the phone and through E-mail. People were trying to understand the meaning of this senseless act. Others reverberated quotes from Nostradamus and asked if the end of the world is nearing. I encouraged them to think positive, and as the motto of the Christophers suggests, “to try to light one candle instead of cursing the darkness,” - to focus on praying, support and unity, instead of vengeance or hate.

Heaven or Hell

Two roads to choose (click to enlarge)

We all know we’re on a journey – our destination is unknown and depends on the kind of lifestyle we choose to live. I saw this old picture was hanging in an old cemetery in Siggiewi, Malta, and describes precisely our ultimate choice. It is one of those pictures created to send a message without much wording or talk. They were popular over the years in the last 200 years or so. For people who were illiterate, they were the ideal visual to send a message with a meaningful lesson. The quote underneath in Italian and says: “Jesus, says: whoever wants to come with me, take up your cross and enter the kingdom of heaven. The devil says: whoever wants to follow me, keep on sinning and you’ll end up in hell.” The two gates seen in the picture are ours to choose, as the people on the bottom part seem to be enjoying themselves heading down under. The other group of people are climbing towards the pearly gates of Heaven, waiting for their eternal reward. The choice is ours to make.

Please pray for us

The ‘Times of Malta’ is the most popular and most reliable newspaper on the island with a sterling reputation over the years. This top newspaper yesterday reported the weather forecast, as it does every day. As you can see the temperatures predicted for this week are going to be cataclysmic and outright catastrophic, in particular on Tuesday. The temperature is predicted to be 280 degrees Celsius, which corresponds to 536 degrees Fahrenheit. Luckily it will go down to 30 C degrees the next day, and Tuesday is supposed to be cloudy and rainy - what a relief! But for those of us who have not melted by Wednesday, we need all the prayers we can get! And let’s say a prayer for the unfortunate ‘Times of Malta’ proofreader unless he or she has also melted by then.

Mary's Nativity

A silver altar-piece at Naxxar parish church, depicting the birth of Mary.

Today we celebrate the feast of the birthday of the Blessed Mother. She was conceived in St Anne’s womb on December 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and to follow the duration of a human pregnancy, the church celebrates her birth date today. Many countries, including Italy and Spain as well as Malta, celebrate this holy day with images and statues of the baby Mary, although the statues venerated in Malta are that of a young girl, all of which known as Maria Bambina (the little child Mary.) The feast of the Nativity started in the 5th century when a basilica was built in Jerusalem where St Anne lived and where Mary was born, traditionally around 12 BC. Saints Joachim and Anne have their own feast on July 26, but today we honor Mary’s birthday. Imagine the joy to see this little girl being born, in the obscurity of her town, with no Angels, no shepherds, no Kings, but that’s because she didn’t want to take the attention from her Son, who would be born 16 years later. It is the titular feast of the parish where I am serving, and the church is beautifully decorated with all its gold and silver on display. A procession will be held tonight through the streets of the town of Naxxar to honor Mary. The same feast is celebrated in 3 other towns, Senglea, Mellieha and Xagħra, Gozo. In Malta, we also commemorate the occasion of two major victories at war. The first one was the victory of the Maltese and the Knights of Malta against the Turks, the Ottoman Empire in 1565, and the second one was the end of Fascism and Nazism at the height of World War II, a time of terrible suffering for the Maltese people.

Things to do alone

I came across these suggestions on things you can do when you’re alone: 

Go out for a walk.
Meditate.
Organize your room/closet.
Explore your neighborhood.
Watch a funny YouTube video (Laurel and Hardy, Mr Bean, etc.)
Listen to an album you haven’t heard yet.
Visit a museum.
Write a handwritten letter to someone you care about.
Create a playlist of favorites.
Research something you’ve been meaning to learn more about.
Declutter your inbox.
Drink water.

Play Scrabble against your computer.
Take a nap or siesta.
Browse your favorite website.
Watch a documentary.
Open the Bible at any page, and read the entire chapter.
Start your own blog. (Blogspot.com is ideal.)

Sir Alec Guinness

Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the center.

Sir Alec Guinness is one of the most recognizable actors of the 20th century. While he appeared in lots of films over the years and won many awards, he is probably best known as having played Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. What many people don’t know about him, though, is that at the age of 42 he converted to Catholicism – in part because of a miracle.
Guinness was born in 1914 in London to a broken family. He never knew his father and grew up in poverty. Though he was confirmed in the Anglican faith at 16, he was unsure of what he really believed about religion. Over the next few years he bounced around Presbyterianism, atheism, Marxism, Buddhism, and even attended a few Quaker meetings.  While rehearsing for the play Hamlet, an Anglican priest approached him and explained that he was blessing himself wrong and showed him the correct way. Something about the encounter had a spiritual impact on him, and he regained some interest in Anglicanism. He was drawn further into the Anglican faith in the turmoil of World War II, but it wasn’t until 1954 when he was 40 years old that he had another experience that would open him to considering Catholicism.
He was in France working on the film Father Brown, based on G. K. Chesterton’s well known fictional crime-solving priest. He was playing the title role and so was dressed up as a Catholic priest. While walking down the street in priestly attire, a local child spotted him and mistook him to be a genuine Catholic priest. The child ran up, grabbed his hand trustingly, and walked with him down the road. The trust and affection the child had for Catholic priests had a deep impact on him and made him start to seriously consider Catholicism. He later said: “Continuing my walk, I reflected that a Church that could inspire such confidence in a child, making priests, even when unknown, so easily approachable, could not be as scheming or as creepy as so often made out. I began to shake off my long-taught, long-absorbed prejudices.”
Soon after, his son Matthew contracted polio and appeared to be close to death. Desperate and seeking divine help, Guinness started dropping by a local Catholic church to pray. He made a deal with God: if God healed Matthew, he would allow his son to become Catholic if he wanted.
Against all expectations, his son recovered. So Guinness and his wife enrolled him in a Jesuit school. A few years later, Guinness, his wife, and his son all converted to Catholicism. Guinness remained a faithful Catholic the rest of his life until he died in 2000.

St Teresa of Calcutta

St Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the tiny woman recognized throughout the world for her work among the poorest of the poor, was canonized on September 4, 2016. Among those present were hundreds of Missionaries of Charity, the order she founded in 1950 as a diocesan religious community. Today the congregation also includes contemplative sisters and brothers and an order of priests, approximately 4.500 members in her community.

Born on August 27, 1919, to Albanian parents in what is now Skopje, Macedonia (then part of the Ottoman Empire), Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was the youngest of the three children who survived. For a time, the family lived comfortably, and her father's construction business thrived. But life changed overnight following his unexpected death.
During her years in public school, Agnes participated in a Catholic sodality and showed a strong interest in foreign missions. At age 18 she entered the Loreto Sisters of Dublin, Ireland. It was 1928 when she said goodbye to her mother for the final time and made her way to a new land and a new life. The following year she was sent to the Loreto novitiate in Darjeeling, India. There she chose the name Teresa and prepared for a life of service. She was assigned to a high school for girls in Calcutta, where she taught history and geography to the daughters of the wealthy. But she could not escape the realities around her—the poverty, the suffering, the overwhelming numbers of destitute people. In 1946, while riding a train to Darjeeling to make a retreat, Sister Teresa heard what she later explained as “a call within a call. The message was clear. I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them.” She also heard a call to give up her life with the Sisters of Loreto and, instead, to “follow Christ into the slums to serve him among the poorest of the poor.”

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu just before she joined the Sisters. 

After receiving permission to leave Loreto, establish a new religious community and undertake her new work, she took a nursing course for several months. She returned to Calcutta, where she lived in the slums and opened a school for poor children. Dressed in a white sari and sandals (the ordinary dress of an Indian woman) she soon began getting to know her neighbors—especially the poor and sick—and getting to know their needs through visits. The work was exhausting, but she was not alone for long. Volunteers who came to join her in the work, some of them former students, became the core of the Missionaries of Charity. Others helped by donating food, clothing, supplies, the use of buildings. In 1952 the city of Calcutta gave Mother Teresa a former hostel, which became a home for the dying and the destitute. As the order expanded, services were also offered to orphans, abandoned children, alcoholics, the aging, and street people.
For the next four decades, Mother Teresa worked tirelessly on behalf of the poor. Her love knew no bounds. Nor did her energy, as she crisscrossed the globe pleading for support and inviting others to see the face of Jesus in the poorest of the poor. In 1979 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On September 5, 1997, God called her home.

Naxxar celebrations

The recently restored facade of the Parish church in Naxxar, Malta

This is a busy week for me and the entire parish of Naxxar, as it celebrates the titular feast of the Nativity of Mary on September 8. Three other parishes also celebrate this feast with plenty of colorful decorations, special Masses, fireworks, marching bands, and the procession through the streets of the respective village on Sunday evening. I've been asked to celebrate extra Masses in the parish this week and next week, to such an extent that within 2 weeks, I will be celebrating 41 Masses in total. But it is a true honor for me to say meaningful Masses to various groups of people, especially to share even a brief daily homily, a custom that is not common here in Malta. But people look forward to it, and they are used to me giving them a practical message at each Mass.

Pope St Gregory the Great

St. Gregory, born in Rome about the year 540, was the son of Gordianus, a wealthy senator, who later renounced the world and became one of the seven deacons of Rome. After he had acquired the usual thorough education, Emperor Justin the Younger appointed him, in 574, Chief Magistrate of Rome, though he was only thirty-four years of age. After the death of his father, Gregory built six monasteries in Sicily and founded a seventh in his own house in Rome, which became the Benedictine Monastery of St. Andrew. Here, he himself assumed the monastic habit in 575, at the age of thirty-five.

After the death of Pelagius, St. Gregory was chosen Pope by the unanimous consent of priests and people. Now began those labors which merited for him the title of Great. His zeal extended over the entire known world. He was in contact with all the Churches of Christendom and, in spite of his bodily sufferings, and innumerable labors, he found time to compose a great number of works. He is known above all for his magnificent contributions to the Liturgy of the Mass and Office. The mainstream form of Western plainchant, standardized in the late 9th century, was attributed to Pope Gregory I and so took the name of Gregorian chant. Gregory wrote over 850 letters in the last 13 years of his life (590–604) that give us an accurate picture of his work. He is one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church. He died on March 12, 604. St Gregory is the patron saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachers.

You are not alone

You are not a poor helpless creature. There is always grace, there is always the support of friends to help you to grow to your full potential. Believe in the power of spiritual solidarity.

If each note of music were to say: one note does not make a symphony, there would be no symphony.

If each word were to say: one word does not make a book, there would be no book.

If each brick were to say: one brick does not make a wall, there would be no house.

If each drop of water were to say: one drop does not make an ocean, there would be no ocean.

If each seed were to say: one grain does not make a field of corn, there would be no harvest.

If each of us were to say: one act of love cannot save mankind, there would never be justice and peace on earth. 

So, begin now, why are you waiting? One kind act can change the world. And remember, you are not alone.

Bellusa's charm

Bellusa green-grocer in the 1990s

Bellusa means Velvety - it's a popular bar in Victoria, Gozo, our sister island. Occasionally I visit Gozo, and over the years I took a few photos of this bar. The first one shows the bar as a green-grocer, and 5 years ago it was more like a public bar where people could stop for a drink, a pastry or just to chat.

The bar now has ice-cream for sale, some postcards as souvenirs for the deluge of tourists that overpower the town by midday. There are also two vintage signs that advertise Pepsi-Cola and Kinnie, a popular Malese soft drink. Then again, when I thought one of the customers was drinking a cup of coffee, it turned out to be ........

GUINNESS!