Feast of the Visitation

Painting at Gharb church in Gozo, Malta, dedicated to the Visitation.

The month of May, dedicated to the Blessed Mother ends with another feast of Mary, precisely her visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. It was also the first encounter between Jesus and John the Baptist, even though they were still in their mothers’ respective wombs. As was customary, the younger woman would visit the older one and Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months, helping her with chores, while chatting and praying over their upcoming blessed event. Who knows what they talked about....asking questions that any prospective mother would ask another mother....”What are you going to name the baby? ......is he kicking yet?........is the crib ready?.....how many more weeks for the delivery?........” This feast also encourages us to focus on the spirit of visits. People visit each other frequently, as families vacation and go on holidays while stopping at homes and places where they know they would be welcome. How hospitable are we to guests who stop by to visit us? How gracious and respectful are we when we visit friends? Do we check to see if we are imposing on them? How about visiting elderly people, like grandparents, uncles and aunts who may be very lonely? Do we set a good example when friends visit us? Do we invite them to attend church with us on a weekend, or are we embarrassed to take them to Mass with us? You may be surprised how honored they would feel when you introduce them to the church and your parish community? I can tell you that this is how most converts are made, when they visit a church and get ‘hooked’ by something special they see, a message in the homily, or any other event that may seem insignificant for you, but not for your friends and guests.

Holy Trinity

The Rublev Icon of the Trinity is one of the most descriptive Icons ever created. It was painted by a Russian monk Andrei Rublev in 1411 and is presently seen at the Tretyakov State Gallery, Moscow, Russia. Shaped to fit into a perfect circle, the three figures who look like angels represent the Trinitarian Godhead, without beginning or end. In Genesis chapter 18, the image of three mysterious angelic visitors is described as appearing to Abraham. Rublev created this Icon, giving the angels thin staffs to symbolize authority, and each wearing blue plus other colors, sitting around a table with a chalice like bowl in the center. It is named the “Old Testament Trinity.” 

The one of the left is the Father….”in my Father’s house there are many mansions” – notice the tower behind him. The center angel is Christ, with two fingers blessing the offerings, and also to symbolize the human and divine natures. The tree behind him foreshadows the tree of life and the  tree on which he was crucified. The third angel on the right is the Holy Spirit, dressed in green and blue, symbolic of life. A mountain is behind him, where Moses received the 10 commandments, where Jesus was transfigured, Sinai and Tabor respectively. An open space in the center is an invitation for us to join this mystery draped in the theology of color and arranged in a geometry of grace. Pope John Paul II had special devotion to this Icon, and besides the image of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa, this is the only other image he had in his bedroom at the Vatican. He also dedicated the last three years of the last millennium to the Holy Trinity respectively, 1998 to Jesus, 1999 to the Holy Spirit and 2000 to God the Father.

A hymn to Mary

The Blessed Mother by Emvin Cremona

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American poet, known for his mysterious and strange stories. It was a surprise to find out that he even wrote a hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Once he was walking by a church and heard the bells ring, and asked the reason for the bells ringing. A priest told him that the bells toll for the Angelus, at 6 AM, at 12 noon and at 6 PM, to commemorate the YES of Mary and the Incarnation of Jesus. Poe had never heard of the Angelus, but sat down and wrote this beautiful poem.

At morn – at noon – at twilight dim –

Maria! thou hast heard my hymn!

In joy and woe – in good and ill –

Mother of God, be with me still!

When the hours flew brightly by,

And not a cloud obscured the sky,

My soul, lest it should truant be,

Thy grace did guide to thine and thee

Now, when storms of Fate o’ercast

Darkly my Present and my Past,

Let my future radiant shine

With sweet hopes of thee and thine.

Carved statues in WWII shelter

                              
As part of the construction of the new Gozo-Valletta fast ferry terminal in the Valletta Grand harbor, they discovered an abandoned rock-cut passage beneath the City’s bastions, possibly used as a World War II air raid shelter. Throughout this passage were found a few shrines, carved from the limestone. It is being discussed how they can be visited by interested people and tourists, once the excavation and impending works are completed. The statues represent a nun, possibly St Therese, the Blessed Mother and Saint Paul.

With so much excavation going on right now all over Malta, more Roman and Punic tombs are being discovered with various artefacts and bones of people who lived over 2000 years ago. Who knows what is buried underground our feet, and how much history lies down under, in this island ruled by the Carthaginians, the Phoenicians, the Romans and Arabs, the Normans, the Spanish, the Knights of Malta and the British?

About a year ago, similar shrines to the three displayed here, were discovered in the town of Pieta when some digging was taking place, and you can re-visit this post here:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8735180591524424879/3955979550604964625

3 kinds of people

Going through life and dealing with people, you will notice different characters, different personalities, even different levels of intelligence. Without anyone getting offended, I always noticed that there are three types of people. There are those who work very hard, always reliable when you need them, always available for any emergency, always generous with their time, faithful and dependable. Then there are those who simply would rather not get their hands dirty, and avoid any kind of commitment, kind of lazy and unreliable, even though they may be asked to help, and they see the need to give assistance and volunteer, but they avoid any kind of work unless absolutely necessary. Then there are those who seem oblivious of what is going on around them, and they cannot even see the need to help, while being as non-involved as possible. So, in summary there are those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. I hope you all fit in the first category. A quote that confirms this notion, regarding the three levels of involvement and general interest is one that comes from Eleonor Roosevelt who once said: ‘Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.’ In my life as a priest, working in ministry I noticed two kinds of people around me in running a parish. There are those who are always there to help you, support you, and give their heart out to help. Then there are those who just fold their hands, criticize, complain, do nothing, and on the other hand, when they’re unhappy, they have the nerve to say ‘why wasn’t it done my way?’ Not to mention those who procrastinate, or are too lazy to even get up and get going, but always live in the past, regretting what could have been!

Saint Philip Neri

                       
If one had to choose one saint who showed the humorous side of holiness that would be St. Philip Neri. Born in 1515 in Florence, he showed the impulsiveness and spontaneity of his character from the time he was a boy. His father was not successful financially and at eighteen Philip was sent to work with an older cousin who was a successful businessman. During this time, Philip found a favorite place to pray up in cave on a mountain that had been turned into a chapel. He then went to Rome in 1533 where he studied philosophy and theology until he thought his studies were interfering with his prayer life. He then stopped his studies, threw away his books, and lived as a kind of hermit. Night was his special time of prayer. After dark he would go out in the streets, sometimes to churches, but most often into the catacombs of St. Sebastiano to pray. He felt so filled with energy to serve God that he went out to work at the hospital of the incurables and starting speaking to others about God, everyone from beggars to bankers. In 1548 Philip formed a confraternity with other laymen to minister to pilgrims who came to Rome without food or shelter. The spiritual director of the confraternity convinced Philip that he could do even more work as a priest. After receiving instruction from this priest, Philip was ordained in 1551. At his new home, the church of San Girolamo, young men especially found in him the wisdom and direction they needed to grow spiritually. But Philip began to realize that these young needed guidance during their daily lives. So Philip began to ask the young men to come by in the early afternoon when they would discuss spiritual readings and then stay for prayer in the evening. The numbers of the men who attended these meetings grew rapidly. In order to handle the growth, Philip and a fellow priests built a room called the Oratory to hold them in.

Philip understood that it wasn't enough to tell young people not to do something -- you had to give them something to do in its place. So at Carnival time, when the worst excesses were encouraged, Philip organized a pilgrimage to the Seven Churches with a picnic accompanied by instrumental music for the mid-day break. After walking twelve miles in one day everyone was too tired to be tempted! In 1555, the Pope's Vicar accused Philip of "introducing novelties" and ordered him to stop the meetings of the Oratory. Philip was broken-hearted but obeyed immediately. The Pope only let him start up the Oratory again after the sudden death of his accuser. Eventually Philip decided it would be best for the group to have their own church. They became officially known as the Congregation of the Oratory, made up of secular priests and clerics. Philip was known to be spontaneous and unpredictable, charming and humorous. One of his men was Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina who wrote beautiful harmonic choral music and Masses. Humility was the most important virtue he tried to teach others and to learn himself. Philip died in 1595 after a long illness at the age of eighty years. This prayer is a fitting conclusion to this brief biography of this happy joy-filled saint: Saint Philip Neri, we take ourselves far too seriously most of the time. Help us to add humor to our perspective - remembering always that humor is a gift from God.

Finally some photography

Having being stranded, locked up and in hibernation for the past 15 months, because of Covid-19, I finally ventured to the capital city Valletta to do some photography. Always looking for the right angle, for the unusual and the unpredictable, here are three photos to share with you. I hope that over the summer months, I will have more opportunities to discover new areas of our tiny Malta and share more photos with you. 

The three photos have three completely different topics. The first one shows the parish church of Paola in the background with a seated man resting and lost in his thoughts, oblivious of the sneaking photographer behind him. The second one shows 7 pigeons ready for take-off and a day of frolic. The third one shows a triple lamp-post framed with a flowering tree with purple flowers.

Mary, Mother of the Church

Yesterday we commemorated the birthday of the church, and as Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, she somehow gave birth to the church, which He represents. Pope Francis 3 years ago introduced another feast dedicated to the Blessed Mother – as Mother of the Church, celebrated today, the day after the birthday of the church, Pentecost. Remember that on that day, Mary was with the apostles, gathered together as a community, as a church, as the Body of Christ. Today we honor her again as our Mother – the Mother of all Christians, and Mother of all churches. This feast was actually introduced by Pope St. Paul VI in 1964, who had declared Mary as Mother of the Church, that is Mother of all Christians and of all priests. Then in 1975, the Year of Mercy, the church had also introduced a special Mass in honor of Mary as Mater Ecclesia, mother of the church. Above all, we must look at Mary as the one who gives us life, that spiritual oxygen which energizes us and nourishes us with her presence in our lives. May the Blessed Mother bless all of our families and may they be strengthened in their weakness through her continued motherly protection.

Pentecost

Stained glass window at Holy Spirit Parish, New Hyde Park,NY

Holy Spirit, fill our leisure time with newness.

Fill the long watches of days off and weekends 
with a new way of life for which there is no pay.
Fill up these weekends with
- new things not yet thought,
- new sights not yet seen,
- new people not yet met or visited,
- new deeds not yet accomplished,
- new sounds not yet heard,
- and new places not yet walked.
Fill the long nights with a new style of living,
a new kind of caring.

Fill emptiness with new people whom we have not yet touched or visited,
- roads we have not yet driven,
- hopes we have not yet had,
- news we have not known,
- help we have not yet given,
Make our hours full - and our life long.
Come Holy Spirit, come, and change our world,
so that we can change the world and others too.

Deliver us from all kinds of illnesses,

especially the present coronavirus,

from the thought of abortion and any form of evil.

Inspire us, guide us, lead us in the right path. 

Saint Rita

Today being the feast of St Rita, many abused women are looking up to her as their patron saint. Her life story, though it happened 700 years ago, could very well be happening today. St. Rita was born in 1381 near Spoleto, Italy. Her parents arranged her marriage to Paolo Mancini when she was only 12, despite the fact that she repeatedly begged them to allow her to enter a convent. Mancini was a rich, quick-tempered, immoral man, who made many enemies in the region. St. Rita endured his insults, abuse, and infidelities for 18 years, and bore him two sons whom she raised with Catholic values. Toward the end of her husband's life, St. Rita helped convert him and although Mancini became more congenial, his allies betrayed him, and he was violently stabbed to death. Before his death, he repented to St. Rita and the Church, and she forgave him for his transgressions. Now her sons wished to exact revenge on their father's murderers. Knowing murder was wrong, she tried to persuade them from retaliating, but to no avail. She, instead, prayed to God for Him to take away the lives of her sons instead of seeing them commit such a terrible sin. God heard St. Rita's words and her sons died of natural causes a year later.

                     
                         Procession in honor of Saint Rita, held in Valletta, Malta.

Soon afterwards, St. Rita desired to enter the monastery at Cascia but was spurned for being a widow, as virginity was required for entry into the convent. However, she persisted in her cause and was allowed to enter the monastery after reconciling her family with her husband's murderers. She was 36, and she remained at the monastery, living by the Augustinian rule, until her death, May 22, 1457. One day, while living at the convent Rita said, "Please let me suffer like you, Divine Savior". Suddenly, a thorn from a figure of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ fell from the crown of thorns and wounded Rita's forehead. The rose is the symbol most often associated with St. Rita. A cousin visited her and asked her if she desired anything from her old home. St. Rita responded by asking for a rose from the garden. It was January and her cousin did not expect to find anything due to the weather and the snow. However, when her relative went to the house, a single blooming rose was found in the garden and her cousin brought it back to St. Rita at the convent. St. Rita was beatified by Pope Urban VIII in 1627, and canonized on May 24, 1900 by Pope Leo XIII.

Another centenarian

                   
Yesterday we celebrated another century for one of our residents at Hilltop Gardens. This time it was man who turned 100, Major Maurice Agius, possibly the last surviving World War II soldier. Maurice manned one of the big guns defending our island, and his duty was to shoot down any enemy in sight. He was lucky to be alive because one night, he was sleeping on a different bed in his barracks, when an enemy bomb fell through the ceiling and fell on the bed he usually sleeps on. The bomb bounced on the mattress and thankfully did not explode. It could have been a much different story if it fell on Maurice’s chest while dozing off at 4 AM! 

At yesterday's party for centenarian Maurice Agius

After the war he coordinated a Nursing Organization popular in our island, the Malta Medical District Nursing Association (MMDNA.) His sister, aged 95,  lives a few doors away from him. Stay tuned because over the next 2 years we have 4 more to turn 100! Right now there are over 100 people in Malta who are centenarians.

Two seasons

                  
It’s amazing what a difference a few weeks can make. These two photos were taken within a month of each other, at the most, the first one probably in early October, and the second one in mid-November. I took these photos back in 2002 when I spent 6 months sabbatical at St Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, a Cistercian Trappist Abbey. These three arched windows were in the Infirmary chapel, where I used to spend a lot of time praying, even as early as 4:30 AM, after the Vigils. How quickly the red and orange maple trees change into bare trees covered with snow. 

Both scenes evoke happy memories for me, as I really looked forward to the fall season with the colorful foliage, as much as I cherished the snow, icicles, snow-covered mountains and maybe not much driving on it, especially when it turns icy and slippery. Then fall and winter quickly turns into spring with spectacular colorful flowers, green grass and nature waking up after a cold long winter.

Give me your heart

The Heart of Jesus by Emvin Cremona

Lord Jesus, give me Your Heart,

So that I can love with Your Heart.

So that I can forgive with Your Heart.

So that I can show compassion with Your Heart.

That I may recognize the will of Your Father.

That I may see the good and the positive around me.

That I can appreciate You Divine Providence.

That I may recognize the needs of those around me.

That I may accept all the situations that come along my way.

So that I may act with kindness in my actions.

So that I may live a pure and modest life.

That I may learn to obey with joy.

That I may share my talents You give me.

That I may become humble and meek like You.

That I may carry my cross with complaining.

So that I may give of myself generously.

So that I may be respectful, sympathetic and considerate towards the poor.

That I may encourage those who have just about given up.

That I may rejoice and share my joy with others.

Thank you Lord Jesus, that You can use our hearts to touch the hearts of those You love so much.

Our Lady Help of Christians

                             
The devotion to Our Lady Help of Christians, known in Latin as Auxilium Christianorum was conceived by St. John Bosco,  who spoke to the painter, Tommaso Lorenzone and he described it as the Virgin that stands in a sea of light and majesty, surrounded by a Host of Angels, who offer her respect as their Queen. With her right hand, she holds the sceptre that is the symbol of her power, and with the left hand holding the Child who has His arms open, thus offering His graces and His mercy to those who appeal to the majesty of His Mother. Around and below are the Apostles and Evangelists. At the bottom of the drawing is the city of Turin with the sanctuary of Valdocco in the foreground and with the hilly Superga in the background. The painting was finished in 3 years and was hung in the highest hall of Palazzo Madama. The painting is also an effective representation of ‘Mary as Mother of the Church,’ a feast that was introduced a few years ago by Pope Francis, to be celebrated the day after Pentecost.

Maltese veggies

Quite a few hawkers still go around in their donkey-driven carts to sell their produce to the women who congregate to pick and choose every morning. This is a typical scene that repeats itself often in neighboring Maltese towns and villages as the colorful carts display all kinds of vegetables, some of which are imported but most of them are home-grown like the ones you see in this photo. You can recognize apples, pears, strawberries, grapes, plums, kiwi, oranges, loquat and in the basket on the ground broad beans which are popular at this time of the year. Food stores also sell these kinds of veggies, but most people prefer the fresh produce that beats any other imported product.

Ascension – a different perspective

We always think of the Ascension of Jesus from His perspective - leaving the apostles and heading to heaven for good. But what thoughts went through the apostles’ heads as well as the Blessed Mother when He really left them for good? This stained glass window is very meaningful to me, because it focuses on those left behind - their emotions, their feelings, their doubts, their bewilderment, their confusion, their pondering the future. The past 40 days were like bonus days for them. But now they realized that He was gone for good. Unaware that He will send an extension of Himself in the presence of the Holy Spirit within a week, they were not prepared yet for another major transformation that will happen to them, when the Spirit will change them completely into new men. I like this stained-glass because it shows also Jesus’ feet, still with the wounds visible, the same feet that Mary had washed with her tears and dried with her hair, and then anointed with balm and perfume. They were the same feet that walked the hills of Galilee, the same feet that I’m sure he rested on a couch when visiting his friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus. We frequently focus on his sacred hands, but his feet were sacred too. Feet used to be anointed in the old rite of  Extreme Unction, now called the Anointing of the sick. And remember that just before he was taken up to heaven, he charged the apostles to continue His work, in using their feet to spread His message of love and compassion, the Good News contained in the Gospel.

Post it Notes inventor dies

Dr. Spencer Silver, Inventor of Post-it Notes (1941-2021)

He created the adhesive that lets the small, square notes stick to surfaces. They became one of the most ubiquitous office products ever conceived. Spencer Silver, a research chemist at 3M who inadvertently created the not-too-sticky adhesive that allows Post-it Notes to be removed from surfaces as easily as they adhere to them, died at his home May 8th, in St. Paul, Minn. He was 80. He was born Spencer Ferguson Silver III on Feb. 6, 1941, in San Antonio, Texas. Since their introduction in 1980, Post-it Notes have become an omni-present office product, first in the form of little canary-yellow pads — billions of which are sold annually — and later also in different hues and sizes, some with much stickier adhesives. There are currently more than 3,000 Post-it Brand products globally.

Dr. Silver worked in 3M’s central research laboratory developing adhesives. In 1968, he was trying to create one that was so strong it could be used in aircraft construction. He failed in that goal. But during his experimentation, he invented something entirely different: an adhesive that stuck to surfaces, but that could be easily peeled off and was reusable. It was a solution to a problem that did not appear to exist, but Dr. Silver was certain it was a breakthrough. “I felt my adhesive was so obviously unique that I began to give seminars throughout 3M in the hope I would spark an idea among its product developers,” he told Financial Times in 2010. Dr. Silver promoted his adhesive for several years within 3M, a company known for its innovative workplace, so assiduously that he became known as “Mr. Persistent.” He patented thr adhesive (technically called acrylate copolymer microspheres) in 1972. But two more years passed before someone at 3M paid serious attention to it: Art Fry, a chemical engineer in the tape division lab, who was looking to develop new products.

Art Fry and Spencer Silver

He didn’t think of an immediate application for the adhesive until one day, while at church choir practice, he realized that he had a problem that Dr. Silver’s invention might solve: The slips of paper that Mr. Fry had been using to bookmark songs in his hymnal kept falling out. So he used a sample of Dr. Silver’s adhesive to create a bookmark that stayed put but didn’t tear the pages when removed. Mr. Fry tested a similar bookmark on some co-workers, with positive results. But he needed more proof that there was a product 3M might want to pursue. So he sent a report to his supervisor with a note on the front written on a piece of the bookmark; the supervisor responded on the same piece of paper, with the adhesive on part of the other side, and returned it.

Silver graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1962. He earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder, four years later. A test release in 1977 of Press ‘n Peel, as the product was called, in four cities — Denver; Tulsa, Okla.; Tampa, Fla.; and Richmond, Va. — flopped with consumers, who were uncertain about the idea of repositionable paper squares. But the next year, 3M had greater success when it flooded offices in Boise, Idaho, with free samples; 90 percent of the recipients said they would buy them. Post-it Notes were introduced nationally in 1980, originally in the form of little canary-yellow and later became available in more hues and colors. Dr. Silver and Mr. Fry were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2010. Dr. Silver received the American Chemical Society’s Award for Creative Invention in 1998.

St Matthias

'St Matthias' by Peter Paul Rubens

After Judas had betrayed Jesus and hung himself, the apostles gathered to choose a replacement for him.  Among the men proposed were two, Matthias and Joseph called Barsabbas. The apostles knew that both these men had been with them and with Jesus through his whole ministry as disciples. They cast lots in order to discover God's will and Matthias was chosen. He was the twelfth apostle and the group was whole again as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Unlike the other 12 who were hand-picked by Jesus, warts and all, Matthias was chosen from among 120 others. So there must have been something special about him - his credentials must have been quite impressive, even though we know so little about him. Legends like the Acts of Andrew and Matthias testify to Matthias' enthusiastic embrace of all that being an apostle meant including evangelization, persecution, and death in the service of the Lord. Clement of Alexandria says that Matthias, like all the other apostles, was not chosen by Jesus for what he already was, but for what Jesus foresaw he would become. He was elected not because he was worthy but because he would become worthy. Jesus chooses all of us in the same way.

Have you ever felt like an afterthought, a latecomer? Or have you ever resented someone new who was added to your group? It is not our prerogative to decide who belongs and who doesn’t belong within our church. God chooses people He deems fit to serve him. The same goes with vocations. We are all called for specific roles, sometimes unknown to us, until we realize our gifts and talents. So let us welcome any newcomers to our parishes, work, or family community as someone chosen by God, as the apostles welcomed St Matthias.

Our Lady of Fatima

Along with Lourdes and Guadalupe, Fatima is the most visited country as far as religious pilgrimages are concerned. And as if to further accentuate its importance in history, May 13, 1917 was replicated in 1981 for a moment of importance, although in a negative way. On that day Pope John Paul II was shot inside the Vatican Square and almost died. But he recovered enough to make a pilgrimage a year later on May 13, 1982, to thank the Blessed Mother for her intervention in saving his life.
But very much like Lourdes and Guadalupe, the quietness of these small little villages was turned upside down when the Blessed Mother appeared to 3 young children, Francisco and his sister Jacinta Marto, and Lucia dos Santos. Nobody would believe them at first, and they were almost imprisoned for fabricating lies. But eventually, religious leaders, priests and bishops in Fatima, Portugal investigated the whole story and found it to be true, with the Vatican officially proclaiming that the apparitions were believable. Francisco and Jacinta died shortly afterwards, but Lucia became a nun and lived into the third millennium in a monastery in Portugal, being visited by 2 Popes. 

A huge basilica was built on the spot where the Blessed Mother appeared to the children, encouraging them to pray the Rosary, and pray for the conversion of souls. She even gave the children some well-kept secrets, which were only shown to the reigning Popes, but we know now that they spoke about the conversion of Russia and other tragic events that took place over the years, and other historic events which were predicted, like the end of World War I. Thousands of pilgrims visit Fatima every year, and the devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Rosary spread far and wide. The prayer that is said between each decade of the Rosary was devised after the Fatima apparition: O my Jesus forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who have most need of thy mercy. Jacinta and Francisco Marto were canonized  by Pope Francis on May 13, 2017, on the centennial of the first apparition. Sister Lucia died in 2004, aged 97.

Lupines from Halfway

I have to share these photos with you from my wildlife collection in my 13 years in Oregon. Stationed at the Cathedral in Baker City, and driving through spectacular countryside, I had to go to Halfway every week to celebrate Mass in a small mission church, a 110-mile round-trip. Whenever there was an abundance of snow in the winter months, some unusual flowers will sprout. This did not happen every year, but only when there was an unusual amount of moisture, and in one particular year, a field which I noticed from the main road was covered with wild lupines. 

Needless to say I searched for a good angle to take my best photos, especially with the snow-capped Wallowa mountains in the background, and the result is here for you to enjoy. A gift from God for us to cherish, especially for those who have eyes keen enough to see the extraordinary in the ordinary scenes of life. (click on each photo to see a larger image)

Five Animals

                  
Various animals are symbolic of something, a value, a vice, a strength, a weakness. The Bear, being so fierce is the symbol of anger, as female bears are very protective towards their young, and would attack anyone if threatened. The Wolf is a cunning, deceiving animal that tricks other animals, and is therefore the symbol of deception. The Pig gives us a lot of meat after we give him lots of food to eat, and is a symbol of gluttony and overeating, and over-drinking. The Pheasant was always considered as the symbol of eternal life, but since he shows off his beautiful feathers, he is also symbolic of pride and vanity. The Snail walks very slowly, and is the symbol of laziness, although he can be looked at as being cautious, methodical, not in a rush, and deliberate. We surely can learn from each and every one of them.

St. George Preca

Saint George Preca (1880-1962)

Today we honor Saint George Preca, the first and only Saint from Malta who has been canonized back in 2007 on June 3rd. We are all proud of his presence in our lives and even more special is the fact that many people who are still in their 50s and over remember him alive.

St George was born on February 12, 1880, and he founded in the early years of the 20th century the Society of Christian Doctrine, a society of lay catechists. In Malta, he is affectionately known as "Dun Ġorġ" and is popularly referred to as the "Second Apostle of Malta", after St Paul, who brought the Christian faith to the shores of Malta when he was shipwrecked in 60 AD.
Preca first came to the attention of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints which examined the scientifically unexplainable healing of Charles Zammit Endrich in 1964. Zammit Endrich had suffered from a detached retina of the left eye. The healing was declared as miraculous and was attributed to the intercession of Dun Gorg Preca after Zammit Endrich prayed to him and placed one of the priest's belongings under his pillow. The healing took place outside of a hospital, overseen by the personal doctor of Zammit Endrich, the ophthalmologist Censu Tabone, who was later to be appointed President of Malta.
On 24 June 1975, Archbishop Michael Gonzi issued a decree initiating the process of Preca's canonization. He was declared "venerable" on 28 June 1999, and on January 27, 2000, Pope John Paul II signed the decree which officially confirmed the Zammit Endrich healing. In a ceremony in Floriana, Malta on 9 May 2001, Dun Gorg was beatified by the same Pope along with two other Maltese blesseds, Nazju Falzon, a cleric, and Adeodata Pisani, a nun.

St George Preca during one of his talks he used to give.

In its early years, the Society of Christian Doctrine was silenced for a while, but its identity was recognized as Dun Gorg continued to teach students and form young unmarried men (and eventually women) so that they will eventually teach others. Today, almost every parish in Malta has a group of dedicated young men teaching catechism to the children, in preparation for their First Holy Communion, Confirmation and beyond. The Society of Christian Doctrine is commonly referred to by the acronym "MUSEUM", which stands for the Latin "Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus!", translating to "Master, that the whole world would follow the Gospel!" St. George died on July 26, 1962, and thousands attended his funeral. His body was recently exhumed and re-buried in the headquarters of the MUSEUM society. The work he started continues on, even in foreign countries like London, Kenya, Peru, Poland, Albania, Cuba, and Australia.

4 new priests

The 4 new priests with Archbishop Charles Scicluna

We rejoice in Malta as 4 new priests were ordained yesterday, 3 of them diocesan priests and another one a Franciscan Capuchin. Two deacons will be ordained this coming week, but the number of seminarians is now down to 9 in the diocesan seminary. Let us continue to pray for vocations and ask a special blessing on all mothers on the occasion of Mother’s Day, that their sons will hear God’s calling to work in the vineyard of the Lord, and some of their daughters will join the consecrated life as sisters.

To all our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, mothers-to-be, foster mothers and step-mothers, our prayers are with you. On this special day, we pray that they will place their lives and their families’ well-being under the Blessed Mother’s protection. Let us also remember those mothers who are in heaven, waiting for us as patiently as they used to wait at midnight when we were late coming home from a party. A news item on TV showed that if a mother who stays home were to be paid according to the work she does, cleaning, cooking, teaching, counselling, fixing, decorating, driving, etc, she would be working an average 92 hours a week, and she will be earning a minimum of $138,000 a year. My own mother would have earned over $8 million in her lifetime! We love them, and we thank them for all they do for us. May God bless them with eternal happiness in his bosom, until we eventually join them at our final destination. 

The Rosary around the world (Part 2)

Ta' Pinu National Shrine, Gozo, Malta

Pope Francis is holding a “prayer marathon” that kicked off on May 1 and will stretch around the globe during the Marian month of May. These are the places chosen as Marian shrines from where the Rosary will be recited, daily at 6PM (Rome time) and 12 noon (Eastern Time Zone):

May 16: St. Mary’s Cathedral (Sydney, Australia): Prayer for victims of violence and trafficking.

May 17: Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Washington, D.C., United States): Prayer for those responsible for international organizations.

May 18: Notre-Dame de Lourdes (Paris, France): Prayer for nurses and doctors.

May 19: Shrine of the House of the Virgin (Meryem Ana, Turkey): Prayer for people at war and peace in the world.

May 20: Our Lady of Charity of Cobre (Cuba): Prayer for pharmacists and health personnel.

May 21st : Our Lady of Nagasaki (Japan): Prayer for social workers.

May 22:  Our Lady of Montserrat (Spain): Prayer for volunteers.

May 23: Our Lady of the Cape (Canada): Prayer for law enforcement, military and firefighters.

May 24: To be determined      Prayer for those who guarantee essential services.

May 25: Ta’ Pinu National Shrine (Malta): Prayer for teachers, students, and educators. (see photo)

May 26: Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico): Prayer for workers and entrepreneurs.

May 27: Mother of God Pochaevskaya (Urkraine): Prayer for unemployed people.

May 28: Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting (Germany): Prayer for bishops, priests and deacons

May 29: Our Lady of Lebanon (Lebanon) Prayer for consecrated persons

May 30: Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompei (Italy): Prayer for the Church

May 31st: Vatican Gardens (Vatican): Prayer for the end of the pandemic and the return to work.