Give me children Lord......

Lord God, give me children who are brave sailors in the storms of life, but can also sympathize with those who are not.
Give me children who can control themselves before trying to control others.
Give me children who can keep their eyes on the future, without forgetting their past.
Give me children who have a great sense of humor, but still remain serious, yet never take themselves too seriously.
Give me children who are humble, so that they can remember that greatness is found in simplicity, and great power is found in gentleness.
Give me children who can laugh, sing, smile and love a lot.
Give me children who can admit when they make mistakes, and try to be better.
Give me children who are not afraid in being in the company of important people, but can also relate well with little children.
Give me children who can appreciate beauty, and perceive something beautiful in other people.
Give me children who are willing to give of themselves, even if this comes at a cost, and even if they are not fully appreciated.
Give me children who can make a difference in other people’s lives, however small and insignificant.
And above all, remind me to be a good example to them and form them into strong characters with pleasant personalities.

Let Go !

If you want to be healthy morally, mentally and physically, just let go! Let go of the little annoyances of everyday life, the irritations and the petty vexations that cross your path daily. Don’t take them up, nurse them, pet them, and brood over them. They are not worthwhile. Let them go! 

That little hurt you got from your friend. Perhaps it wasn’t intended, perhaps it was, never mind, let it go. Refuse to think about it.
Let go that feeling of hatred you have for another, the jealousy, the envy, the malice, let go all such thoughts. Sweep them out of your mind, and you will be surprised what a cleansing and rejuvenating effect it will have upon you, both physically and mentally. Let them all go; give them to the Lord. He’ll take care of them.
But the big troubles, the bitter disappointments, the deep wrongs, and the heartbreaking sorrows, tragedies of life, what about them?
Why, just let them go too. Drop them, softly maybe, but surely. Put away all regret and bitterness and let sorrow be only a softening influence. Yes, let them go, too, and make the most of the future.
Then, that little pet ailment you have been hanging on to and talking about, let it go too! It will be good riddance. You have treated it royally, but abandon it: let it go! Talk about health instead, and health will come.
It is not hard once you get used to the habit of it – letting go of these things. You will find it such an easy way to get rid of the things that embitter your life that you will enjoy letting them go. You will find the world such a beautiful place. You will find it beautiful because you will be free to enjoy it – free in mind and body.
Learn to let go. As you value the health of body and peace of mind, – just simply let go! The greatest factor in helping us to “Let go” is to see with the eye of faith that God permits – if he does not will – these daily, even hourly annoyances. If we look at them in the light of eternity, we shall profit by them in this life and in the life to come.
LET GO! LET GO! You can trust God and simply Let go! And let God take control!

Lazarus

This Sunday before Palm Sunday we read about the resurrection of Lazarus, which in a way was an opportunity for Jesus to speak about his own Resurrection, which will take place a few weeks later. Martha and Mary were upset that Jesus did not come to see Lazarus when they told Him that he was sick. He actually arrived at Bethany 4 days after he died. But since He knew what He was going to do, He took the slow road, but eventually proclaimed 'I am the Resurrection and Life - whoever believes in Me, will live forever.' In this present moment in history, we look at Jesus and ask for His intervention to help the entire world to enhance and appreciate life, and resurrect the values of hope and perseverance in the lives of all the nations who are struggling so much today. We pray for the thousands of victims who have died in Italy, Spain, China, the USA, England and everywhere around the world. And we pray for those who are sick at this time, as well as the many doctors, nurses, and paramedics who are helping the thousands of recovering patients in overcrowded hospitals. Keep them safe, Lord Jesus. And remind everyone to obey the rules and regulations issued by the medical authorities, keep their distance, wash their hands, and stay at home.

Avoiding boredom

Yoga is not new age, but it's a healthy way to stay fit, by stretching daily.

For those who feel they have so much time on their hand at home, while waiting for the coronavirus to fade away, may I suggest a few ideas on how you can avoid boredom, or just watching TV, the Internet and or the clock ticking the seconds away.
1. Choose a person in your household to do something together, and you never know - you can get closer to each other, at least for a few days.
2. Clean up your room, or at least a corner that needs cleaning – you’ll be surprised how much stuff you have accumulated in your closets that you can dispense of.
3. Learn how to use the washing-machine – and hang the clothes to dry.
4. If you don’t know how, learn how to cook, and also wash the dishes after meals, to appreciate how much work your mother or wife does on a daily basis.
5. Wake up early and watch a sunrise – then try yoga, stretch and relax, meditate with some nice background music.
6. When summer comes, learn how to swim – and buy a snorkel and enjoy the beauty of the sea.
7. Learn some gardening tips, plant, weed, water, prune and enjoy nature in your own backyard.
8. Try drawing, with a pencil, charcoal, maybe watercolors or even collage.
9. When permissible, go out and be a tourist in your own town or village, and discover so many landmarks you often take for granted.
10. Read a good book, one that you always wanted to read but had no time for it.
11. Find a priest you trust and go to confession – maybe you can use him as a counselor in the future.
12. Find a chapel which is fairly quiet, and spend some time in silence, even reading from the Bible.

Saint Corona

St Corona being martyred in 177 AD

She had become nearly forgotten. Little is known about the young woman who was killed for her Christian faith, presumably in the second century A.D. But now, a pandemic is shedding light on her: St. Corona. It is not certain where she lived. A Greek account put it in Syria, while a Latin one said it was Marseilles, France, and Sicily. She began to be honored starting in the sixth century in northern and central Italy. The St. Corona legends are bloody. One account is that, as a 16-year-old, she was forced to watch her husband, St. Victor, being murdered because of his faith. She died in 177 AD in a gruesome manner: Her persecutors tied her between two palm trees that had been bent to the ground. Her body was then torn apart when the trees were set loose to snap back into standing position.

The relic of St Corona being displayed at Aachen Cathedral, Germany

She is above all revered in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria and in Austria. A chapel is dedicated to her in Sauerlach, near Munich. In the Bavarian Diocese of Passau, two churches recall her name, while in the province of Lower Austria and outside of Vienna there are two towns named “Sankt Corona.” In the cathedral of Munster in northwestern Germany, there is a St. Corona statue, currently decorated with flowers placed at its base. Some relics of the martyr were taken to the Prague cathedral in the 14th century. As early as the 10th century, under Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, St. Corona relics were taken to Aachen. In 1910, during excavation work at the cathedral there, archaeologists came across the relics, which were removed from a crypt and placed in a shrine. This three-foot-tall, 220-pound relic has, until recently, had been kept in storage in the Aachen cathedral treasure vault. With the coronavirus pandemic, experts have taken it out to dust it off and conserve it.
Over the centuries, St. Corona was often prayed to by people seeking her help in times of trouble, be it heavy storms or livestock diseases. In the Catholic Church’s calendar of saints, her feastday is May 14. Some experts say it just might be by then that the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel will be in sight.

Pandemic Prayer

Father in Heaven, have mercy on us and on the whole world. We come to you today with our fears and concerns - You know what's in our hearts. We love You, trust You, we need You. We ask You to be with us. Stay with us. Help us through these times of uncertainty and sorrow. We know you are the Divine Physician, the healer of all. And so we ask that you bring your loving and healing presence to all those who are sick and suffering right now. Please comfort them.
Please be with the grieving families of those who have passed away.
Please have mercy on those who have died, may they be with You in heaven.
Please stand at the side of all medical professionals who are putting themselves at risk while they work to bring healing to others.
Lord, we are scared and we are sorrowful. Please heal us. Send us your peace and overwhelming presence.
(Mention your intentions here) 
St. Edmund and St. Rocco, patrons for victims of pandemics, pray for us!
Jesus, we thirst for You. You chose to enter this world as a vulnerable baby. Be with the most vulnerable now. Help us to continue to return to You with our whole hearts throughout this ordeal. Amen.

For those who are interested, this link gives you an update about the cases worldwide, including deaths and how many have recovered so far. It is continuously being updated.

https://youtu.be/qgylp3Td1Bw

Annunciation

Annunciation by Emvin Cremona at Vittoriosa church

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

In my last post about the donkey Pumpkin, someone asked for my e-mail address, which is: dungiljan@gmail.com

The story of Pumpkin

This is a story that literally made me cry. It is so touching and so full of hope. I believe at this time in history when everything seems so bleak around us, stories like these give hope, motivation, and meaning to the words 'perseverance' and 'determination.' Never, ever give up. Things will improve if we pray. I don't know how to insert this YouTube video, but at least clicking on this link will get you there.

https://youtu.be/qcBeQF6zB9I

Ben Hur

I’ve said it many times that ‘Ben Hur’ is my all-time favorite movie, produced in 1959 with Charlton Heston in the main role, and I make it a point every Lent to watch it. I want to highlight today one particular scene, actually, two of them that show a fascinating parallelism that develops between Jesus and Judah Ben Hur. The two photos seen here explain clearly the beauty of this spiritually altruistic moment. After Ben Hur is condemned to the galleys, he is seen walking through the desert with other convicts. They come to a water station where they are allowed to drink a little water, along with the horses and the Roman soldiers. The centurion cruelly refuses water to Ben Hur until a figure appears with a gourd in his hand and bends down to fill it with water and let Jesus drink. As the group walks away, one can see the figure of Jesus standing with the gourd in his left hand. 

Later on in the movie, during the procession towards Calvary, Jesus falls to the ground and Ben Hur is close by to pick up a gourd and fill it with water from a nearby fountain and approach Jesus to offer him a drink. At that moment Ben Hur recognized the man who had earlier helped him in the desert quenching his unbearable thirst. As Jesus walks away accompanied by Simon of Cyrene, now we see Ben Hur standing with the gourd in his right hand, replicating the exact scene of the desert. It is my all-time favorite scene in all movie-making history, showing reciprocal love, concern, and altruism. It is truly a prayerful moment we can all learn from.

Seeing God

The man born blind healed by Jesus today inspires us to search for God in our lives, just as the man longed to be able to see. The miracle puts in focus the gift of foresight and how we perceive things through the eyes of faith. Many of us are thankful that we can see, but our vision is often blurred by spiritual cataracts that we let form in our eyes. We let consumerism, corruption, infidelity, laziness hate, jealousy, gossip, and other vices dominate our lives. Once these obstructions are removed from our eyes, then we can truly see God work wonders through us. We have to first remove the cobwebs and filth and all other trash from our lives, and then we can see the presence of God in this world. The man born blind reached out to Jesus because he wanted to see the beauty around him, the colors, his parents, nature, animals, beautiful scenery and his friends. May we reach out to Jesus ourselves and yearn to see all the goodness that still is around us. Our eyes of faith will help us reconnect with the Almighty. Let us promise to remain faithful to our God and our faith, and see the present pandemic situation as an eye-opener to persevere and hope and pray, as the entire world is doing right now. But let us not become complacent when things start getting back to normal.

Personal Reflections

Obviously everyone is having much time on their hand right now. And it’s good that people stay indoors to avoid any contact with any possible ‘invisible’ infected people. Reflecting on the current situation, I thought of the comparison of the Coronavirus Pandemic with a war. I see this as a Third World War, without the bombings and the destruction of buildings. But like bombs falling from the skies and from the Luftwaffes, the victims have been and will be numerous and unpredictable. However as our parents and grandparents had to fight during the war, all we are asked to do is sit on a couch, watch TV, call friends and wait, hope and pray. All this togetherness will bring about an explosion in the baby boom come November and December. Maternity wards will be as crowded as the ITUs are now. Priests will be very busy baptizing newborn babies, and there will be a frantic rush for diapers and baby formulas. And then, as we have welcomed the Millenials over the past few years, by 2033 will welcome our Quaran-teens. An interesting concept that evolved over the past few days is that children have realized that they have parents, with whom they can also talk face to face, not just through their cell-phones. Then their parents suggested that they brush off the board games like Scrabble, Chess, Monopoly and Snakes and Ladders and start playing them, without looking at a screen or one of the hand-held gadgets that have somehow became glued to our hands. And then once this is over, every country should organize a ticker-tape-parade, this way people can throw from their seventh-floor skyscrapers they’ve been building in Malta the 238 rolls of toilet-paper with which they have over-stocked their bathrooms.

I hope no one got offended, but I had to share a lighter side of this sad and scary situation, and a little sense of humor never hurt anyone. I am personally spending over 5 hours giving out communion to the residents of a Retirement Home which I’ve been serving for the last 4 years. Then I celebrate Mass by myself in my chapel, which the residents can watch on their Chapel Channel through a closed-circuit TV transmission, They are all locked in their individual rooms and see me as an angel visiting them. They all want to talk and hear the latest news. Most of them are oblivious of social media and may not even know what is going on. In fact today, after saying a prayer after each of the over 70 communions I give out, praying specifically that Coronavirus will not cause any more damage, one of the older ladies asked me so innocently “Who is Corona Father....is she a new carer causing trouble already?” First I smiled, then I cried.

A Memo from God

I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems.
Please remember that I do not need your help.
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (Something For God To Do) box. It will be addressed in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold on to it.
Should you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work; Think of the man who has been out of work for years.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be them!!!!

And if you are at home, trying to avoid contact with people to avoid getting sick with Covid-19, be patient, wash your hands, listen to music, watch a good movie, call a relative, write positive e-mails to your friends, pray for those who are sick, pray for the thousands of doctors and nurses helping critical patients, and thank God you are still alive.
Should you decide to share this with a friend; You might brighten someone's

A letter to Saint Joseph

Statue of St Joseph at Carmelite church, Valletta

Today being the feast of Saint Joseph, I thought of writing a hypothetical letter to the protective father of our Saviour:
Dear St Joseph,
Today being your feast day, I thought of writing you a few lines mainly to show my gratitude to you for all you did for Jesus and Mary his mother. Very few people are greater than you, because who was ever closer to Mary and Jesus than you. You married Mary even though many people were suspicious of you, and you were patient enough to raise Jesus from his birth to the day you died, and left him as an orphan and his mom as a widow.
Joseph, you showed your greatness by your humility. By being humble and quiet and staying always in the background, your image shone forth majestically and we admire the simple life you led, and your courage in taking Mary as your wife, in spite of the gossip that was going on from other people.
I can only imagine how special and happy was that house in Nazareth, raising Jesus as a baby, a toddler, a young boy and as a teenager. A few questions come to mind:
- Was he obedient to you and his mother? Did he go to sleep on time? Did he get up on time? Did he say his prayers? Did he obey at home? Did he have any sleepovers? Did he have any girlfriends? Did his friends knew how special he was? It hurts me to read that the people of Nazareth threw stones at him when he visited them years later!
- Did he play any tricks on you and Mary? Since he was an only boy, he couldn’t blame his brothers and sisters if something went missing, if something broke. Did he always do his chores? Did he go to school, which were probably different from our schools? Did he do his homework?
Dear St Joseph, we admire your kindness in dealing with other people. When a stressful situation appeared, you always let Mary handle it, like when Jesus was lost in the temple for 3 days, or like the wedding at Cana, when they ran out of wine. You always stayed in the background, and this also shows that you were respectful of others and avoided any quarrels and conflicts.
I ask you finally St Joseph to keep our families in your prayers. Just as you protected you family from Herod, from harm and from those who hated you, your wife and your Son, please protect our families and children from danger. I beg you also, please pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. We need more priests and sisters to work in our parishes, schools, hospitals and other places. And I finally ask you to remember those who work, those looking for work, especially husbands and fathers who lost their jobs. As the Universal patron of the church, an honor bestowed upon you 150 years ago by Pope Pius IX, keep the church united. And in this catastrophic period in our history, protect us all from the virus that is leaving people and entire countries in turmoil.

Signed, your faithful admirers.

The secret of success

Many people who are successful in the eyes of others complain that they are still unfulfilled, still unhappy. Belgium’s Cardinal Desire Mercier (1851-1926) once offered the following advice:

I will reveal to you a secret of sanctity and of happiness: if every day, during 5 minutes, you are able to quiet your imagination, to close your eyes to the things of the senses and your ears to the rumors of the earth, to enter within your self, and there, in the sanctuary of your soul, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, thus to speak to this Divine Spirit: “Holy Spirit, Soul of my Soul, I adore you. Guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what to do, give me your orders. And I promise to submit to whatever you desire of me, and to accept everything you allow to happen to me. Let only know your will be done.” If you do this, your life will flow happily, serene and consoled, even in the midst of pain, for grace will be proportioned to the trial, giving you the strength to bear it; and loaded with merits, you will reach the gates of Paradise.

Irish Blessings

As festive celebrations are being cancelled all over the world, as parades give way to isolation, as the grren color gives way to grey and black, let me at least share an Irish blessing today, the feast of St Patrick, with the first paragraph, created just for the present situation.
May you all be safe and secure,
And that soon we’ll find a cure.
And may we take this as a warning,
Never to take anything for granted.
May we hold our dear ones a little closer,
As we see less deaths and more healings.
And may we thank our doctors and nurses,
Who bring hope and solace to one and all.
May Green be the grass you walk on.
May Blue be the skies above you.
May Pure be the Joys that surround you.
May True be the hearts that love you.
May flowers always line your path, and sunshine light your day,
may songbirds serenade you every step along your way,
may a rainbow runs beside you,
and may happiness fill your heart,
each day your whole life through. 

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
May the rains fall softly upon your fields.
And, until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
May you have the Joy that's due you.
May the years be gracious to you.
May the blue sky smile above you.
And through all your days - may God love you !
And may you be in Heaven half an hour
before the devil knows you're dead.

Coronavirus out-takes

I share with you some unusual out-takes during this coronavirus pandemic. The first one relates to an Italian priest, who feels frustrated like me not having any parishioners in the pews. Don Giuseppe Corbari, pastor of Robbiano di Giussano in Brianza, a parish close to Milan, celebrated Mass for his parishioners through the webcam in his church. He asked his people to send their photos or selfies and he printed them and pasted them to the pews. The response was so huge from the people that he ran out of toner but was happy to celebrate Mass with his parishioners through cyberspace.

Another story happened yesterday when Pope Francis took a brief walking pilgrimage in the city of Rome, and prayed for an end to the coronavirus pandemic during a surprise visit to both the Basilica of St. Mary Major and a cross that traversed Rome during a 16th century plague. He first prayed in front of the icon of Salus Populi Romani, Mary Protection of the Roman People, to invoke her prayers against the pandemic affecting Italy and the world, and then walked to pray in front of a miraculous crucifix in San Marcello church.

The gift of water

Seeing Jesus in today’s Gospel asking a Samaritan woman for water shows his humanity, yet His divinity shines through in this beautiful conversation between the two of them. He offers her special water that needs no replenishing. Whoever drinks of His water will never thirst. We ask today for this special water that nourishes and cleanses at the same time. Water can also be destructive as happens during a flood, but it also destroys original sin when a baby is baptized. We appreciate the gift of Holy Water that is used so often for blessings of everyday objects. Just this past week, after one of my weekly Masses, I was asked to bless rosary beads, a prayer book, 200 fish and a sick woman. The Samaritan woman could have reacted with fear. Yet she responded with courage and brought the entire village to meet Jesus, who decided to stay with them for 2 days. So we thank you Lord today for this gift, and may we always feel nourished by Your life-giving water, and respond to your invitation with courage and gratitude. Today we also pray for rain, which we need desperately in Malta right now.

A prayer for all

I wrote this prayer dedicated to all those who are working to keep the coronavirus from spreading in a more devastating manner.
Almighty God, we ask your protection on the entire world as we all struggle to contain further damage from the coronavirus. We pray for all those who died that they will receive eternal rest. We pray for those who are presently sick with this virus, that they will soon recover and resume their normal lives. We pray for all those who are in quarantine and are nervous about the outcome of their temporary isolation period. We pray for all the doctors who are taking care of the patients, that they will be safe and strong enough to continue their dedicated care. We pray for all the nurses and medical assistants who are somehow risking their own lives to save many other lives. We pray for the elderly who may be the most vulnerable, that they will stay safe, even though they cannot see their loved ones for a while. We pray for airlines, companies, businesses, hoteliers and restaurant owners, that they will not suffer unnecessary loss. And we pray finally for those who are working on a vaccine to tackle this virus, and for all scientists and medical experts that they will be guided to find an effective solution soon.

Between failure and success

Fear can be a barrier to accomplishing your plans and fulfilling your purpose. Discouragement is another huge barrier. A certain John Pierpont failed in just about everything he attempted – teaching, business, law, poetry, ministry, politics. When he died in 1866, he had achieved none of his ambitions. But where he saw failure, others found a kind and honest man who stood against slavery and for social reform. And he left the world a remarkable legacy and a tune that is played millions of times around Christmas time – “Jingle Bells.” Its simple, happy words still echo from one Christmas season to the next.

What did Jesus eat?

We always wonder what was Jesus’ menu, and what items was he fond of eating, more than others. These are 7 items that he definitely ate, besides others that may never have been mentioned, but here they are:
1. Figs – I always imagine Jesus walking in the countryside and munching on some figs he finds on trees he encounters, and it would be quite a fig-feast when the apostles are with him.
2. Honey – wild honey was a regular staple in John the Baptist’s diet, and I would imagine that Jesus had his share also of this sweet delicacy.
3. Lamb – this was a popular meal in Jesus’ time, not to mention it was the chosen food for the Passover meal.
4. Bread –this was the item Jesus ate the most, and who knows how many delicious loaves of bread his mother baked for him. Barley bread was the most popular, known also as the food of the poor people. And who can forget the sensational miracle He performed when he fed 5000 men with the bread he had multiplied. And bread was the item he used to represent Himself in the Eucharst.
5. Olives – this was an item that was prominent in every meal. Besides, olives and its oil was used for medication and healing of various wounds.
6. Wine – it is mentioned frequently in the Bible, from the wedding at Cana to the Last Supper. It was also the second element Jesus used to represent Him in the Eucharist.
7. Fish – this was probably the main source of protein for Jesus. Surrounded often by fishermen, as were most of his disciples, no doubt Jesus enjoyed his ration of fish caught by Peter and his buddies. When multiplied the bread, he also multiplied the two fish into thousands. And after his resurrection, he asked for fish for breakfast when he appeared to the apostles by the Sea of Galilee.

Bon Appetit Jesus!

The Garden of my life

This is a reflection by Blessed Adeodata Pisani, a Maltese mystic, beatified in 2001. Her feastday was on February 25, and her biography is on that day's post. She sees her life as a beautiful garden. Let us listen to her describing it:
This is a garden situated inside my heart. I will plant these flowers inside my garden: red roses, carnations, passion flower, lilies, violets, jasmine, and daisies. What do I have to do for these flowers to grow healthy and beautiful? The roses will grow if the soul attends Mass and receives communion while performing acts of charity, faith, and hope. The carnations will grow as long as the soul prays vocally and fervently. The passion flower will open and flower when we pray the Divine Office, including the evening prayer when it closes up again. Lilies will grow with acts of mortification and the practice of modesty and chastity. The violets will show up splendidly with acts of humility, poverty, and obedience. It’s important that we check on the ground that it will never sprout any thorns to choke any of these flowers. The jasmine and daisies will flower nicely when our acts of mercy are done to the service of other people and in honor of God.
For this garden to be protected, we must build around it strong walls and other defences, so that enemies will be kept away, and so that they will never know what is planted inside our garden. The first walls consist of the observance of the 10 commandments and the precepts of the church. Another wall is made up from the observance of the Rule of Saint Benedict (since Pisani was a Benedictine sister.) On the facade of this garden there is a powerful weapon to keep all enemies away – this is the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary, the true protectors of this garden. At the door, there are also several other defenders: the Guardian Angel, St. Benedict and his twin sister St. Scholastica, St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.
Today I locked myself in this garden, so that with the grace of God and I can look out for weeds that have been growing so that this garden will look as pleasant and as colorfully beautiful as possible. Accompanying me are Mary and Joseph, and with Jesus’ support, I practice the virtues I learned at childhood, and learn of His love for me and everyone, so that with the help and the company of the saints I mentioned, I can spread more love in this world, by my actions and my example.

Grace and Mercy

God in the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo

Grace is when God gives us good things that we don’t deserve. 

Mercy is when God spares us from the bad things we deserve. 

Blessings are when He is generous with both. 

God is good all the time. 

Sleep in Peace tonight. 

God is bigger than anything you will have to face tomorrow.

Elegy to a horse

Julian, a few months ago

When I was in New York, I made it a point to encourage parents to name their children Julian or Juliana. In fact, I had quite a success in having 4 to 5 babies named Julian and 2 named Juliana. But when I went to Oregon, my success was not immediate. In fact, I had no babies named for me, but I did have a few animals given that name, including a piglet in Halfway, a goat in Baker City, and a special horse in Mount Vernon. My beloved namesake Julian was born in May 2005, and I followed his growth over the years. Unfortunately, I was told a few months after his birth that he could not have any offspring because of a procedure that was done to him. I felt sorry for him, but I could also empathize and sympathize with him as we both could not have any children. Now I just got the saddest news that Julian passed away. He was raised at the Clark Quarterhorse Ranch in Mount Vernon, one of close to 100 quarter horses that were as beautiful to behold as fascinating to admire their elegance, especially when trotting and jumping around their luscious pasture. 

Julian, the newborn baby in the middle, when he was born in May 2005

So I give tribute today to a beloved gelding who is no more. According to Wikipedia, “a gelding is a castrated horse or other equine, such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday working animal.” So now you know why Julian could never become a father, but as his owners Jim and Colleen Clark have testified to me often, he was one of their most beloved horses, well behaved and congenial with other horses, which of course make me very proud of him. His owners told me that he was getting thinner a year ago, recovered somewhat over last summer, but got weaker again and died last month, aged 15 years. God bless you dear Julian and may you rest in peace in equine heaven.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration statue by Carlo Darmanin at Lija parish church.

On this Second Sunday of Lent, we see Jesus choosing Peter, James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice: "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him." We can ask ourselves a simple question today: Are we listening to Him? He still talks to us through Scripture, through miracles that still happen daily, through the Eucharist, through recommendations we receive from the Pope, our Bishops, and priests. Are we listening to them? Because if we don't listen to them, we're not listening to Him! And to listen attentively to them and Him, we have to learn to be silent. And notice also that the same letters that are in LISTEN are found in the word SILENT.

Little things that matter

Hall of Famer and Yankee star Yogi Berra

At a father-and-son banquet at which he was to speak, Baseball star and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra was happily signing his name on bats and balls given to youngsters attending when he noticed a group of lads who had no gifts. Inquiring, he was told they were from a nearby orphanage. Berra left his head table to sit with them and sign their programs with his autograph. When one of the organizers asked him to return to the head table and say a few words, Yogi said, ‘Go ahead with the program, I’m busy talking to some friends.’

Richard Levangie was heart-broken at the age of 19, following the death of his father, three other relatives and a close friend. One day,feeling especially empty, he went to Mass in a strange church and sat off by himself to the side, barely participating at the rite. At the sign of peace, he recalled, “Two elderly women hobbled over to my solitary corner on fragile legs. Their journey seemed to take forever, and yet their greeting was warm and caring. In the moment it took them to arrive, I made the decision to rejoin the living.”
When Linda Bremner’s 8-year-old son entered an Illinois hospital for treatment of the cancer that eventually took his life, he was inundated with mail. His mother noticed how it lifted his spirits. She made sure he received mail for three years. After his death, Mrs. Bremner obtained the names of other ailing children and began sending them cards, puzzles, riddles, jokes and the like. Now through her non-profit organization ‘Love Letters’ she sends ‘fun stuff’ to almost 500 terminally ill children each month.

In times of stress

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I cannot accept,
And the wisdom to hide the bodies of those I had to kill today,
because they got on my nerves.
Also help me to be careful of the toes I step on today,
As they may be connected to the feet I have to kiss tomorrow.
Help me always to give 100%..... 12% on Monday, 23% on Tuesday,
40% on Wednesday, 20% on Thursday and 5% on Friday....
And help me to remember.....when I’m having a bad day,
And it seems that people are trying to wind me up...
That it takes 42 muscles to frown,
And only 28 muscles to smile.
(but using more muscles burns more calories.)

Tragedy amidst construction mania

Miriam Pace with husband Carmel

A terrible tragedy hit Malta last Monday when a house collapsed leaving a woman trapped under the rubble. A few other collapses happened last year, leaving many people homeless, but this is the first time that left a fatality. 54-year-old Miriam Pace was a mother of two adult children, and who with her husband was a frequent volunteer at a Carmelite church, where she will be buried today in Valletta. Unfortunately, this tragedy was the result of construction mania overtaking the entire country with tower-cranes all over the once-picturesque skyline of Malta. I share with you a part of an editorial published yesterday in the Times of Malta which highlights the outrage that everyone is expressing right now: For the last 20 years or so, our relentless building frenzy bulldozed Malta’s nature, history, and infrastructure and paved the way for the cementification of the island. Just look around you: beautiful buildings and gardens continue being torn down to make space for yet another tasteless block of flats with underlying garages. Tower cranes loom ominously over a skyline once dominated by church steeples as construction vehicles and dust choke our daily lives. The result: the uglification of Malta, the destruction of our rich history and the lack of space, which is having serious impacts on our health. This is what happens when we allow ourselves to be driven by greed when we have governments bent on facilitating construction, come hell or high water. Anger is justified when a building collapses but nobody is held accountable, or when the Planning Authority takes a hard line against minor infringements in private residences but turns a blind eye to the bullying tactics of larger developers. Miriam Pace’s death should be the tipping point. We have sadly turned a blind eye to too many stories of poor migrant workers (being paid a pittance) who have fallen to their death because of lax safety practices. Today’s victim is a woman who was going about her daily life in what should have been the comfort of her own home. 
Miriam Pace, rest in peace, and we’ll remember you and pray for your family.

A Prayer from Padre Pio

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.

Almost aborted....now a priest

Fr Luis Armijos playing his guitar at a church function.

Maria Eugenia from Ecuador was raped when she was only 13 years old. She was one of 7 siblings and worked as a housemaid to help her parents. The head of the household where she worked raped her and she became pregnant. Her family disowned her and manhandled her, even beating her belly so that she would lose the baby. She had to escape from her family until she delivered her baby, who had severe breathing problems. But the baby boy survived and grew up as a nice boy, well-behaved and devout. He eventually entered the seminary and became a priest, Fr Luis Alfredo Armijos. Many years later, his father (the man who had raped his mother) was going to undergo a serious operation, met his son and he confessed and received Holy Communion. Fr Luis said “I realize that God wanted me to become a priest not to be judgmental, but to forgive. I had judged my father on many issues. When you hear the story of how you came into the world, you tend to start hating yourself and judge God unfairly. But through it all, I learned that the love of God was always there to protect me.”

Really Frozen

The movie ‘Frozen’ was quite a hit, especially with children. Something extraordinary hit some houses on Lake Erie in New York and literally froze them in spectacular fashion. Sub-freezing temperatures, a sudden blizzard, and cumulative ice storm turned some homes into a bizarre scene often seen in scary movies. 47 mph winds froze homes and plastered them with almost half a foot of ice, icicles and quite a photogenic display of a really frozen spectacle hardly ever seen before. It was around the town of Hamburg, New York on Lake Erie that forced residents to chisel their way out of their homes, only to see a frozen scene like never before. 

A combination of sub-freezing temperatures, wind, and frozen rain creates this scary, creepy and eerie spectacle. Hopefully, the temperatures warmed up and the sun shone brilliantly to defrost these homes and return them to normal habitats. I personally miss seeing icicles, one of the most impressive phenomena I ever witnessed in my 35 years living in the USA.

Temptations

On this first Sunday of Lent, we see Jesus being tempted by the devil in the desert, and then we see him in prayer. May we avoid giving in to temptations in our lives, and on the other hand, may we always give good example to others to imitate. 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.