St John Bosco

We celebrate today the feast of the founder of the Salesian Order, St John Bosco  who was well-known for educating young boys in Italy, mainly by correcting them gently and kindly. He lived between 1815 and 1888, and these are some of his popular quotes:

"Be brave and try to detach your heart from worldly things. Do your utmost to banish darkness from your mind and come to understand what true, selfless piety is. Through confession, endeavor to purify your heart of anything which may still taint it. Enliven your faith, which is essential to understand and achieve piety."

"Remember, God does not pay us for results, but for effort."

"All past persecutors of the Church are now no more, but the Church still lives on. The same fate awaits modern persecutors; they, too, will pass on, but the Church of Jesus Christ will always remain, for God has pledged His Word to protect Her and be with Her forever, until the end of time."

"Believe me... nobody can be truly happy in this world unless he is at peace with God."

"Put up willingly with the faults of others if you wish others to put up with yours."

"Guard your eyes since they are the windows through which sin enters the soul."

A clenched fist and an Open Hand

                        

A clenched fist represents anger, aggression, jealousy,  rebellion,
frustration, hatred, superiority and punishment.
A clenched fist is always ready to destroy and annihilate,
to hurt, kill and mutilate, to inflict injury without regrets,
to show hatred, to challenge and to attack, to tear up plans,
to criticize mercilessly,  to show resistance to Peace,
to put someone down, to turn people away,
to destroy the spirit of a happy person,
to discourage the enthusiasm of a child full of life,
to have no respect for life, to show opposition,
and to turn away from God.

An Open Hand represents love, forgiveness, giving,
sharing, openness, encouragement, hope,
patience and tolerance.
An Open Hand is always ready to show compassion,
to give advice, to share a smile and give a helping hand,
to feed the hungry and alleviate thirst,
to show leniency and concern,
to work and help clean up, to change a diaper and nurse
a wound, to heal a broken heart, to applaud an effort,
to give another chance, to cheer up, comfort and console,
to reconcile with a friend, to be open to life and growth,
and to return back to God.

Ministry of Lectors and Catechists

During the Mass celebrated in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican for the Sunday of the Word of God this January 23, Pope Francis instituted for the first time the ministries of lector and catechist to lay faithful, men and women, from different parts of the world. of the world. During that special ceremony, he shared a very important message which I share with you today. He said that they "are called to the important work of serving the Gospel of Jesus, of proclaiming him, so that his consolation, his joy and his liberation can reach everyone. Through the Gospels,” the Pope said, “it is clear that Jesus has not come to deliver a set of rules or to officiate at some religious ceremony; rather, he has descended to the streets of our world in order to encounter our wounded humanity, to caress faces furrowed by suffering, to bind up broken hearts and to set us free from chains that imprison the soul. In this way, he shows us the worship most pleasing to God: caring for our neighbor." Francis said "rigidity can be a temptation in the church, giving some people the idea that the stricter they are and the more they follow precise norms the better Catholics they will be. But our God is not like that. A spiritual life without care for others and work for justice may put a person ‘in orbit’ but it touches no one,” he said. "The Word of God became flesh and wants to become flesh in us. Sacred Scripture has not been given to us for our entertainment, to cuddle us with an angelic spirituality," he said, "but to make us go forth and encounter others, drawing near to their wounds."

Maltese platters

The Maltese love their antipastos before their main meal. A typical Maltese platter can be considered a complete meal in itself, as it is a healthy combination of items that can really fill you up. Among the items one may find is the Maltese ‘ħobż biż-żejt’ – toasted bread similar to a bruschetta with tomato paste and oil, water crackers (known as galletti in Maltese,) olives, cheese cubes, snails, various types of dip, among them the Maltese ‘bigilla’ (made from mashed dried broad beans, olive oil, salt and chilli flakes.) 

Other common items are: salami, goat cheese known in Malta as ‘ġbejniet’, figs, capers, large beans, cherry tomatoes, grapes, other types of crackers. Most of these items are placed on a large platter and served while the guests are waiting for their main meal, along with the drinks they may have ordered. Bon appetit! 

Heaven talking

While doing my sabbatical with the Trappist monks of Spencer in Massachusetts in 2002, we often had plenty of incense used during the solemn Masses as well as every Sunday. With the rays of sunshine coming from outside the sacristy window, the abundance of incense used in the thurible often created quite a beautiful image, as if heaven was speaking to us and calling us to prepare for our eternal journey. Many people who were close to death have claimed that they saw some form of a tunnel with light at the end of it. This is probably what you might see when your time is up, and then you re-join your relatives and friend and all the saints in heaven. But make sure to work hard to get there!

Precious Food for thought

Learn to abandon people who are not willing to love you. This could be the toughest move you’ll ever make in your life, but it is definitely the most important. Do not get involved in conversation with whoever is not willing to change. Do not persist in being present to whoever is not interested in your presence. I can understand that your instinct is to try to win your friends’ appreciation. But such people are trying to rob you of your mental and physical energy, besides your precious time.

When you are willing to fight for life with joy and enthusiasm, not everyone would be willing to follow in your footsteps. But this does not mean for you to change who you are. This means simply that you don’t need people who are not willing to walk along with you. If you feel forgotten or ignored by those same people to whom you gave your time and attention, do yourself a big favor, and stop wasting your energy with them. Instead, be kind to yourself and with your needs.

You will always feel better and special when in life, you meet people who can reciprocate a good action. Because this shows that your are a precious person in their eyes. The more you try to please whoever is not interested, you are wasting quality time which could be otherwise used wisely with those who really appreciate you. In this world there are many people who appreciate you the way you are. Two of the things that have real value are your time and your energy. Both are limited. So today, make up your mind. Choose that you deserve a sincere relationship, everlasting love with people who love you and respect you for who you are. Nothing less, nothing more!

Conversion of St Paul

The conversion of Saint Paul was an important milestone in the history of Christianity. Paul was not one of the original 12 apostles, but is considered as the Apostle of the Gentiles, because after his conversion on the way to Damascus. Paul embarked on 4 missionary voyages, preaching, at times challenging the people to change their lives, admonitions that are recorded in many of his letters. This two painting of Caravaggio shows the scene of his conversion, with Saint Paul on the ground after he was overpowered with the light that eventually blinded him for a few weeks, until he was healed by Ananias. The chiaroscuro that Caravaggio uses in many of his paintings are prevalent here, even though the scene was supposed to have been highlighted with the light from heaven. Still the artist wanted to show the darkness in which St Paul was engulfed at that time, darkness caused by the lack of faith, his hatred of Christians, feelings that would soon change, thanks to this momentous conversion of this great Apostle.

St Francis de Sales

                    
Today is the feast of St Francis De Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva, patron of journalists, writers and social media. Author of  ‘Introduction To the Devout Life ‘ and ‘The Treatise on the Love of God.’  He was my patron saint in the Baker City Cathedral, dedicated to him in Baker City, Oregon, where I served as pastor between 2005 and 2013.

Two quotes from the writings of St Francis De Sales: 
“Do not distress yourself about prayer. It is not always necessary to employ words, even inwardly. It is enough to raise your heart and let it rest in Our Lord, to look lovingly up towards the Divined Lover of your Soul, for between lovers the eyes speak more eloquently than the tongue.”
I always say that the most eloquent form of prayer is Silence. We think we have to verbalize words and read prayers from a book to be effective in our prayer life. But most probably the best prayer is the unspoken word that lies in our hearts. Even sitting in silence in a darkened chapel, Jesus can read your heart, can sense your feelings, and can respond to your needs, maybe not right away, as if by magic, but in due time. Because most often, He knows what we need, but not necessarily what we desire or what we ask for.

“Do not look forward to the trials and crosses of this life with dread and fear. Rather, look to them with full confidence that, as they arise, God to whom you belong, will deliver you from them. He has guided and guarded you thus far in life. Do you but hold fast to His dear hand and He will lead you safely through all trials. Whenever you cannot stand, He will carry you lovingly in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same Eternal Father Who cares for you today will take good care of you tomorrow and every day of your life. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you the unfailing strength to bear it. Be at Peace then and put aside all useless thoughts, all vain dreads and all anxious imaginations.“
These are words of consolation. Words that give us courage and hope. Words that have given many other saints and holy people in the past the consolation they were looking for when they could not see any light at the end of the tunnel. That light is present all through our lives, symbolized also by the Paschal Candle which is used at our Baptisms and at our Funerals and is never extinguished in the years between, hopefully to enlighten every step we take, every move we make. This quote invites us to hope and trust in the presence of the Lord by our side.

Discipline

With President Obama in charge for 8 years, the Obama girls had quite a ride at the White House, but it’s not as pleasant and as glamorous as it seems. Aides who know the girls say they are disciplined, thanks to their father but mostly to their mother. (Some staff members even joke that they wish they could send their own children to Mrs. Obama’s boot camp for training.) Here are just a few of the household rules that she has mentioned in interviews and other appearances:

¶ When the girls go on trips, they write reports on what they have seen, even if their school does not require it.

¶ Technology is for weekends. Malia, the oldest may use her cellphone only then, and she and her sister cannot watch television or use a computer for anything but homework during the week.

¶ Malia and Sasha had to take up two sports: one they chose and one selected by their mother. “I want them to understand what it feels like to do something you don’t like and to improve,” the first lady has said.

¶ Malia must learn to do laundry before she leaves for college.

¶ The girls have to eat their vegetables, and if they say that they are not hungry, they cannot ask for cookies or chips later. “If you’re full, you’re full,” Mrs. Obama said in an interview with Ladies’ Home Journal. “I don’t want to see you in the kitchen after that.”

We all wish all children grow up under these rules, but so many of them are spoiled, and so many parents lose all kind of control over them.

Saint Publius

St Publius as Bishop of Malta, painting by Emvin Cremona

Today the church in Malta celebrates the feast of St Publius. He was the chief of the island of Malta when St Paul was shipwrecked here in 60 AD. He welcomed St Paul, St Luke and the 276 sailors who ended up drifting to shore on planks of wood from the broken vessel on which they had traveled. Publius was very generous and hospitable to all these people, and when St Paul found out that his father was sick with fever and a bout of dysentery, he went to his house and healed him, whereupon many other natives came to be healed of various ailments. Eventually, St Paul ordained St Publius as the first Bishop of Malta. Later on in his life, he was captured and martyred by the cruel Emperor Hadrian. Most probably he was sent to the amphitheatre and devoured by a lion, as his statue always shows him with a lion next to him. The parish church of Floriana is dedicated to him, and the impressive ceiling of the church was painted by Emvin Cremona with various scenes from the life of St Publius. The account in the Acts of the Apostles says" Once we had reached safety, we learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us extraordinary hospitality; they lit a fire and welcomed all of us because it had begun to rain and was cold.......It so happened that the father of Publius, the governor of the island, was sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and after praying, laid his hands on him and healed him. After this, the rest of the sick on the island came to Paul and were cured. They paid us great honor and when we eventually set sail, they brought us the provisions we needed.” (Acts 28: 1-10) The italicized words show the positive characteristics of the Maltese people. He was martyred c. 125 AD, during the persecution of Emperor Hadrian, and canonised in the year 1634.

Saint Agnes

One of the early and young martyrs of the church is the beloved Saint Agnes. According to tradition, Saint Agnes was a member of the Roman nobility born around 291 AD and raised in a Christian family. She suffered martyrdom at the age of twelve or thirteen during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, on 21 January 304. The Prefect Sempronius wished Agnes to marry his son, and on Agnes' refusal he condemned her to death. As Roman law did not permit the execution of virgins, Sempronius had a naked Agnes dragged through the streets to a brothel. Various versions of the legend give different methods of escape from this predicament. In one, as she prayed, her hair grew and covered her body. It was also said that all of the men who attempted to rape her were immediately struck blind.  When eventually she was led out to die she was tied to a stake, but the bundle of wood would not burn, or the flames parted away from her, whereupon the officer in charge of the troops drew his sword and beheaded her. It is also said that the blood of Agnes poured to the stadium floor where other Christians soaked up the blood with cloths. A few days after Agnes' death, her foster-sister, Saint Emerentiana was found praying by her tomb; she claimed to be the daughter of Agnes' wet nurse, and was stoned to death after refusing to leave the place and reprimanding the pagans for killing her foster sister. Emerentiana was also later canonized. Agnes' name may have derived from the Latin 'agnus', meaning lamb, and she is always represented with a lamb near her. Then there is another beautiful tradition......

On this day, the feast of St Agnes, the Pope traditionally blesses two lambs raised by Trappist monks near Rome. The lambs are sheared and the wool is given to the cloistered Benedictine nuns at Rome’s Basilica of St. Cecilia. The nuns use the wool to make palliums, which are bands that the heads of archdioceses wear around their shoulders during liturgical functions. Every year on the June 29 feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the Pope places the bands around the necks of archbishops who have taken office in the past year. Today, after blessing the animals, the pope also asked God to “bless the pastors who will receive the palliums made from the wool of these lambs.”

Thank you Ellen Organ

If it wasn’t for a young girl named Ellen Organ, we probably would not have received our First Holy Communion at such a young age. She was the fourth child of an Irish Catholic family, born in 1903. Her mother Mary died of tuberculosis when Ellen was just 4, while her father William had joined the British Army and had to place the children in an Institute. Ellen was very much loved by the group of nuns that took care of the children. But an accident caused her a fracture in her spinal chord. She could hardly walk but she never complained. She used to be carried most of the time. She also developed at a very young age a special affection towards the Blessed Sacrament. She desired so much to receive Holy Communion, but at that time the age for reception of the Eucharist was 12. So she used to ask those who received Communion to come to kiss her, this way she was in some way participating in the Eucharist. When she was 5 years old, she developed a severe pain in her jaw and suffered from tuberculosis. By 1907, the nuns knew that she was not going to live much longer, and Ellen got permission to make her first confession and receive her First Holy Communion. She also received Confirmation, and received Communion 32 times before she died in February 1908. It was at that time that Pope St. Pius X was considering reducing the age of Communion, and when he heard of Ellen Organ’s story he told his secretary ‘this is the sign that I was waiting for.’ And with the decree ‘Quam Singulari’ he lowered the age of Holy Communion from 12 to 7 years.

Another side of Novak Djokovic

As we all heard, Novak Djokovic had to return home to Serbia since he did not receive the Covid vaccine. Disappointed that he could not defend the title he won last year at the Australian Open, one of 20 Grand Slam titles, he claims he still finds the energy he needs for competition thanks to his regular Bible reading. The number one tennis player in the world is an Orthodox Christian, and he does not hesitate to say it publicly. It is not uncommon to observe Novak Djokovic invoking Christ during a meeting or wearing a cross around his neck to witness to his faith. A multi-millionaire thanks to his tournament winnings and numerous advertising contracts, Novak Djokovic willingly puts his fortune at the service of the underprivileged and helps causes that are dear to him. Last December, the Novak Djokovic Foundation, of which he is one of the main benefactors, contributed 94,000 Euros for the renovation of a school in Pozega (Serbia). In October of 2017, the tennis player announced the opening of a restaurant in Serbia offering free food to the homeless and the poor. “Money is not a problem for me. I have earned enough to feed all of Serbia. I think they deserve it after the support I received from them,” he said in a statement released at the time. In 2015, his foundation joined forces with the World Bank to provide young Serbs with access to schooling and care. As a faithful Christian who lived out his childhood in a country rife with violent conflict — the war between Bosnia and Herzegovina lasted from 1992 to 1995 — Novak Djokovic has never lost sight of his roots. And this is surely welcomed by his wife Jelena, whom he began dating in 2005, when they attended the same high school in Belgrade. They made their marriage vows before God in July 2014, and their two children are named Stefan and Tara. We can imagine their home life will be an excellent school to learn not only tennis, but also generosity.

A great honor for Malta

A truly historic day for Malta as one of the Maltese members of the European Union was elected President of the European Union. Dr. Roberta Metsola received 458 votes, which is 74% of the total votes cast, and thus became the third female President of the European Union. Born as Roberta Tedesco Triccas, on January 18, 1979 in St. Julian’s, she became a member of the European Union in 2013, representing Malta, being elected again 6 years later. Roberta and her Finnish husband Ukko Metsola (National Coalition Party) both ran for the 2009 European Parliament, becoming the first married couple to run in the same European Parliament election from two different member states. 

Roberta with her husband Ukko and their 4 sons.

They first met in 1999 and married in October 2005. Together, they have four sons, Luca, Alec, Marc, and Kristian, the oldest 14 and the youngest 4. She has a passion for cooking and baking, a trait she inherited from her paternal grandfather who was a chef with the Royal Navy. In her acceptance speech, she stressed a politics of hope, in spite of the struggles we are all facing. She also had a special message for the youth, encouraging them to be more involved in society and the world of politics. Roberta will be the catalyst to bring all the parties, groups and organizations together, and involve everyone in the many decisions to be taken. And she also showed concern towards the front liners, workers, farmers, migrants and other minority groups. This is by far the highest honor a Maltese has ever received. She is now representing not just Malta but all of Europe. Besides, it’s a double celebration for Roberta today as she also celebrates her 43^rd birthday.

St Antony Abbot

Saint Antony is also known as St. Anthony of the Desert or St. Anthony of Egypt. Along with St. Francis of Assisi, he is invoked as the patron saint of animals, and special Masses take place on the Sunday closest to his feast day of January 17th, with the blessing of animals and pets held afterward. His parents died when he was still a teenager, and then took care of his younger sister, and made sure their property was taken care of. St Antony, however, decided to live a life of a hermit who lived in Northern Egypt. He was a staunch defender of the faith against Arianism. During his travels, he met many animals, some helpful and some not, but they all befriended him and were kind to him, just as he was kind to them. Antony died when he was 105 years old. A life of solitude, fasting, and manual labor in the service of God had left him a healthy, vigorous man until very late in life. And he never stopped challenging himself to go one step beyond in his faith. Saint Athanasius, who knew Antony and wrote his biography, said, "Antony was not known for his writings nor for his worldly wisdom, nor for any art, but simply for his reverence toward God." We may wonder nowadays what we can learn from someone who lived in the desert, wore skins, ate bread, and slept on the ground. We can, by living his life of radical faith and complete commitment to God.

Pope Benedict XVI quote

A photo I took of the Pope when in Malta April 2010.

The last tweet that Pope Benedict gave to the people following his Twitter account was very significant. He is now 94 years old and resigned from the Papacy in February 2013, living now on Vatican grounds. This is the sentence he shared, which is full of meaning and pregnant with thought: “May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ in the center of your lives.” May we take this tweet to heart and eventually experience every joy possible by looking at Jesus inside of us, where He will reside forever, in the center of our lives.

Mary’s feet

And just like her soft hands, Mary’s feet also had a lot of work to accomplish. She had to walk all the way to visit Elizabeth at the news of her pregnancy. While at her house, who knows how much work she had to do to assist her cousin in her daily chores, while being pregnant herself. Who knows how often she carried Jesus in her arms, and how often she ran towards Him to pick Him up if He fell. With St. Joseph, she had to walk towards Egypt, searching for a lost child in Jerusalem, calling Him for lunch or dinner when He wandered by Himself to pray. How many times she travelled to see her Son preach and heal, to get a tiny glimpse of Him, before He would be taken from her forever. She walked the way of the cross, not carrying a cross, but carrying a big burden of responsibility to care for the apostles after Her Son would be taken up into heaven. And who knows how much longer she lived after His Ascension, visiting friends, Mary Magdalen, then Martha, Mary and Lazarus, the apostles as they dispersed to teach the Word of God.

Mary’s hands

Like most women, the Blessed Mother used her hands and feet to work, pray, walk and reach out to those around her, especially Jesus as he was growing up as a baby, toddler, teenager and adult. She didn’t have a washing machine, so she had to scrub, wash, rinse with her own hands. She didn’t have a dish-washer, and she had to clean, wash, wipe and polish her plates and dishes with her own hands. She didn’t have running water at home, and so she had to walk with a bucket to the nearest well and draw water herself, walking back home a few times until she gathered all the water she needed to cook, wash and drink, and with her Jesus and Joseph. We admire today Mary’s hands which we imagine folded in prayer, teaching her Son the basic prayers, which He would teach to the rest of the world. But they were also hands that scrubbed, washed, cleaned, swept, dusted and helped all those who need her assistance.

Choosing Patron Saints

Last Sunday, the feast of the Baptism of our Lord, I started a new tradition in my chapel which was very well received. While emphasizing the importance of choosing Christian names for new babies, and appreciating while researching some information about our own names, I suggested also for the parishioners to adopt a Patron Saint for this coming year. I prepared a box with names of over 100 saints, and asked the people to pick a name to be their protective saint during this year. They were all popular names whose liturgical feast is celebrated throughout the year. Quite a few of them commented on the name chosen, as they relate to their lives. One person told me she had some financial concerns, and St. Matthew will surely help her as the patron of accountants. Another one is a law student and St. Thomas More was the perfect or coincidental choice, as patron of lawyers. Yet another one was from the capital city Valletta which was built thanks to her new patron, Pope St. Pius V who sent his architect to help in the construction. I hope this idea can be adopted by other churches, a simple, yet meaningful project which can be done also on All Saints Day, November 1st.

Winning the race

When the movie Ben Hur was being filmed, the director William Wyler spoke to Charlton Heston about the famous chariot race, and early in the production suggested to him to start training the 4 horses and using the chariot. Heston spent hours practicing manoeuvring those 4 white horses and handling the reins of the chariot. When he was ready to start filming that colossal race, he told Wyler, ‘Willie, I think I can manage the chariot with the horses, but I don’t think I can ever win the race.’ William Wyler told him, ‘Now Chuck, you take care of starting the race and handling the chariot, while I make sure you will win the race.’ In the tough times of our lives, God is telling us the same message ‘You start the race, while I take care of winning it!’ Even if we feel we are running or driving alone, God is always there as our co-pilot, and we can be assured that we will win the race.

New Year’s Sunrises

If these two sunrises are anything to go by, we should have a beautiful year ahead of us, especially where our health and climate are concerned. The first sunrise is a photo I took myself right here at our retirement village of Hilltop Gardens, Naxxar, Malta, with a few palm trees by the swimming pool gracing the orange and yellow sky in the first few days of January. 

The second photo was sent to me from my former parish in John Day, Oregon, precisely taken from the Clark Quarter Horse Ranch in Mount Vernon. I hope that as the sun rises over us, we may experience harmony and peace, an gradual end to the pandemic, and consistent collaboration between nations.

Sidney Poitier (1927-2022)

I may have telepathy! Just 2 days ago I watched one of my favorite movies ‘To Sir with Love,’ starring Sidney Poitier, acting as a teacher trying to reform a group of disobedient students in a secondary school in England. It has always inspired me when I was teaching, watching that movie and feel like I can conquer any group of unruly students. As soon as I finished watching this movie, the news came to me that Sidney Poitier passed away at the age of 94. He was the first Afro-American to win an Oscar for his role in the movie ‘Lilies of the Field,’ and until 2002, he remained the only colored actor to win such an honor when Denzel Washington joined him. In the same year, Sidney was given an Honorary Oscar for his extraordinary performances on the silver screen and his dignity, style and intelligence. Among his famous movies were ‘To Sir With Love,’’ Patch of Blues,’’ Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,’’ The Blackboard Jungle,’’ A Raisin in the Sun’ and ‘In the Heat of the Night.  His last film was ‘The Last Brickmaker’ of 2001. 

Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

He was a US and Bahamas citizen and died in his home in Los Angeles on January 6. On television, he portrayed icons of history such as South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela and the first Black justice on the US Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall. And in 1997, he took up a ceremonial post as Bahamian ambassador to Japan. He was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the country's highest civilian honour -- by President Barack Obama in 2009. Poitier was married to his second wife Joanna since 1976, and had six daughters as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The Baptism of Jesus

                         
Ending the Christmas season today we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of Christ, which actually took place when he was 30 years old, at the Jordan River by St John the Baptist. It is an ideal opportunity for us to ask ourselves a few salient questions about our own baptism.

- how proud are we with the decision our parents took for us when they baptized us?
- how faithful have we been to that decision, and did we ever regret it?
- do you know which church you were baptized in?
- do you know the name of the priest who baptized you?
- do you know the date when you were baptized?
- do you know the name of your godparents?
- how close are you to our godparents, if they are still alive?
- do you participate in baptisms in your parish, especially by renewing your baptismal vows?
- do you try to live an unblemished, pure life symbolized by the white baptismal robe you wore on that special day?
- do you follow the light of Christ symbolized by the Paschal candle which was present on that special day?
- do you commemorate your baptism day in any way?

Pope Francis prays

                   
This is a prayer by Pope Francis for an end to this pandemic:

Eternal Father, You have made the whole world stop walking for a while.

You have forcibly silenced the noise that we have all created around us.

You have made us bend our knees and ask for miracles.

You closed Your Churches so that we realize how dark our world is without You in it.

You humiliated the proud and powerful. The economy is collapsing, businesses are closing.

We have been very proud to think that everything we have, everything we own, have been the result of our hard work.

We have forgotten that it was Your grace, Your mercy, that made us who we are and has given us everything we have.

We are going around in circles looking for some cure for this disease, when in fact we need to humble ourselves and ask for guidance and wisdom only from You.

We have been living our lives as if we are here on Earth forever, as if there is no Heaven, no Purgatory, no Hell.

Perhaps this virus is actually Your way of purifying and cleansing our souls, bringing us back to You.

Today, as these words travel the internet, may all who see them join their hearts and hands in prayer, asking for forgiveness, asking for healing and protection against this virus, but above all, asking that Your Holy and Divine Will be done and not ours.

GOD we beg You, deliver us from all evil on Earth if it is Your will!

Father, You have been patiently waiting for us to turn our faces to You, to repent of our sins. We are sorry to ignore Your voice!  Selfishly, sometimes we have forgotten that You are GOD!!  Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my house, but one word from you will be enough to heal me!

You Lord only need to say the Word and our souls will be healed.

We ask You for healing and deliverance in Jesus' name! By the infinite merits of his Most Sacred Heart and of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Amen.

Prayer for the New Year

Dear GOD: I want to thank You for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards. I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better. I'm not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop hurting and talking about me. I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears. I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves. I am not going to wait until the children are back and asleep in their beds. I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get a new job. I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief. I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed. I am thanking you right now. I am thanking you because I am alive, because I made it through another year. I am thanking you because I made it through the days of difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles, overcoming many odds. I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better. I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me.

Epiphany

                   

Today the three Kings or Magi arrive in Bethlehem and present Jesus with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Even though the Catholic church moved this festivity to the Sunday after January 1st, there are various customs that are connected to this feast. Two traditions in particular are held on this day, both of which come to us from the Eastern European tradition. The first is when families write the names of the Three Kings on doorways of their homes as the head of the house goes around the house saying prayers and chanting various hymns. Chalk blessed by the priest on the feast of the Epiphany is given to the faithful to mark their entrance door with the current year and with the inscription C+M+B, the initials of Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, the traditional names of the Magi. The entire phrase would read    20 + C + M + B + 22. In addition to remembering the Magi, the inscription means the Latin phrase Christus Mansionem Benedicat, which means “Christ, bless this home.” The second tradition is repeated in Greece and Greek communities around the world every January 6 or the feast of the Epiphany when dozens of teenage boys or young men jump into the murky, chilly and sometimes frozen water and dive for a wooden cross tossed in by a priest. The one lucky enough to surface with it earns instant celebrity status, a ride through the streets on the shoulders of his peers and – the Greek-American boys believe – the favor of God in the coming year.

Blog’s 10th Anniversary

                    
Today January 5th is exactly the 10th anniversary when I started my blog when I was still in the Cathedral parish in Baker City, Oregon. I have remained very faithful to my posting, and apart from a few days when I was away on retreat or traveling, I rarely missed a day. Starting in my Cathedral parish in Baker City with my previous blog www.fatherjulian.blogspot.com I have to admit that my reason for starting this blog was because of an annoying parishioner who had a blog which she used to criticize the bishop, our parish, and my work as pastor there. My intention was to share something positive, uplifting, creative, inventive and inspirational to my parishioners and friends, and to counteract the negativity she was cruelly spreading. And so I started and never stopped! Along also came some personal anecdotes, lives of saints, flashes from the past and anything intriguing, unusual, informative and surprising. I cannot believe that this journey has been going for 10 years, and every post is still accessible on line. Thanks to Blogspot, and to all of you who click on my link, sometimes daily, or weekly or even by accident, and then keep coming, from all parts of the world. Occasionally they are looking for a photo through Google, and they find it here. I get many comments from all parts of the world saying how they find this blog so varied and interesting. At times there have been close to 300 hits a day, but on average I get anywhere between 100 and 150 hits. My wish is to spread the link to as many people as you know, and let’s keep it going.

This was my very very post in the USA, on January 5, 2012: http://fatherjulian.blogspot.com/2012/01/starting-off.html

This was my very first post here in Malta when I started in April 2016: http://dungiljan.blogspot.com/2016/04/dun-giljan-is-back-to-blogging.html