Following Drake....and Jesus

Sir Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596) was one of Britain’s most famous explorers. For one of his trips, he wanted some young people to follow him. He told them that if they are willing to join him, they will see some marvellous things, beautiful scenery, splendid beaches, exquisite fruit, hidden treasures, and many other surprises. None of those young people applied to join him. The next day, he met another group of young people, and told them that if they join him, they will meet severe thunderstorms on the sea, terrible gusts of wind, deprivation of food and water, and constant danger wherever they looked. But at the end they will enjoy and cherish many of their dreams. And this group of people, all of them joined Drake on his next expedition. The first appeal was centered on gifts, while the second one was built on challenges. The first one offered them an easy life, while the second one offered them pain and suffering. It is the same with our spiritual journey – Jesus promised us happiness only if we are ready to pick up our cross and follow Him.

The Pope’s Prayer –Part 3

This is the last part of the prayer that Pope Francis offered for the consecration of Ukraine and Russia:

O Mother, may your sorrowful plea stir our hardened hearts. May the tears you shed for us make this valley parched by our hatred blossom anew. Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace. May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside. Holy Mother of God, as you stood beneath the cross, Jesus, seeing the disciple at your side, said: “Behold your son” (Jn 19:26). In this way he entrusted each of us to you. To the disciple, and to each of us, he said: “Behold, your Mother” (v. 27). Mother Mary, we now desire to welcome you into our lives and our history. At this hour, a weary and distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ. The people of Ukraine and Russia, who venerate you with great love, now turn to you, even as your heart beats with compassion for them and for all those peoples decimated by war, hunger, injustice and poverty.

Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world. The “Fiat” that arose from your heart opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace. We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more. To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world. Through your intercession, may God’s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days. Our Lady of the “Fiat,” on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony that comes from God. May you, our “living fountain of hope,” water the dryness of our hearts. In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster the growth of communion. You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace.  Amen. 

The Pope’s Prayer – part 2

                      
Continuing sharing with you the prayer that Pope Francis shared at the Penitential Service last Friday at the Vatican, during which he consecrated Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

We now turn to you and knock at the door of your heart. We are your beloved children. In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion. At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times. In you we place our trust. We are confident that, especially in moments of trial, you will not be deaf to our supplication and will come to our aid.

That is what you did at Cana in Galilee, when you interceded with Jesus and he worked the first of his signs. To preserve the joy of the wedding feast, you said to him: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). Now, O Mother, repeat those words and that prayer, for in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal help!

Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer.
Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war.
Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.
Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world.
Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness.
Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons.
Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love.
Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity.
Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world. 

The Pope’s Prayer - part 1

Over the next three days, I will be sharing with you the prayer that Pope Francis shared at the Penitential Service last Friday at the Vatican, during which he consecrated Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Since it is pretty long, but very meaningful, I split it in three parts.

O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we turn to you. As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our hearts is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced your watchful care and your peaceful presence! You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young. We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns. We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons. We stopped being our neighbor’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!

Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war, you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life. He has given you to us and made your Immaculate Heart a refuge for the Church and for all humanity. By God’s gracious will, you are ever with us; even in the most troubled moments of our history, you are there to guide us with tender love.

Lenten mood

It is customary that many churches do the minimum of decorations during the Lenten season, not only to accentuate the mood for this time of the year, but also because of traditions that some countries have. Some churches do not use any flowers at all. And even though it is no longer common practice, but many churches used to cover crucifixes, statues and other images during Lent. Here in Malta, some of the beautiful baroque churches hang black tapestries on the walls, all around the church. These walls are usually empty during the year, or covered in red tapestry during special celebrations, like the titular feast of that particular parish. These pictures show one particular church dressed up in black, signifying also the mourning that permeates the entire season, and especially Holy Week until Easter. There are two other interesting facts in the two photos displayed here. The one above shows the main altar with a large crucifix erected on the altar during the last few days of Lent. 

The second photo shows some of the statues, which are displayed around the church during Lent. They will be carried in procession on Good Friday throughout the streets of the particular town, in the case the village on Naxxar. Several other parishes will be hosting processions also, and especially this year they will be eager to do this since for two years they were suspended because of Covid-19.

Today I’ll make a promise.

Yes, you’ve read it right....today I am making a promise to see Jesus in every person I meet. Every person I love and every person I don’t like that much. Those I can’t stand, and those I don’t see eye to eye with. Yes, it’s gonna be difficult, but it’s not impossible. It is possible because He is going to be with me. He will lead me and guide me. He will show me the way. It’s not impossible because in them I will see Him. I will not visualize them as rich or wealthy, poor or needy. I will look at people from a different perspective, using a different lens from what I’ve been using so far. No longer the lens of prejudice, but the lens of love, empathy, compassion. Today I will make a promise that the color of the skin or religion or social status will condition my perspective on life. They will no longer tell me who to talk to and who to avoid, who to keep as friends and who to ignore. A good heart does not have color or race or economic status. I am making a promise today that I will not gossip, and hurt others by nasty comments. I will not bully anyone, invent stories about people, create lies that will damage people’s reputation. Today I will tell the truth always, especially to praise others to say a good word, to bite my tongue when a harsh word is ready to come out of it. Today I am making an important promise, and to keep it and pass it on to others.

The Annunciation

Annunciation by Emvin Cremona

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 that 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 changed many people’s lives, especially those who have not heard of Him yet, and those who have distanced themselves from Him. In a special way today, let us pray with the Pope and all Bishops around the world for world peace, especially in Ukraine, and hope that our prayers will be answered to see the violence, aggression and death stop immediately.

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 Judah Ben Hur 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. This is cinematography at its very best!

St Bernard’s Pass

The border between Switzerland and Italy is called the St. Bernard’s Pass, covered with snow most of the year. Now back in 1050, St. Bernard of Menthon, an Augustinian priest, opened a hospitality place right at the border, to help the stranded travellers and also give comfort to those fearful of frequent avalanches. Towards the end of the 17th century, the Augustinian monks acquired some large dogs to help in the search-and-rescue operations. These dogs had a special sense to find travellers trapped under the snow after avalanches. They always worked in twos, 2 dogs together. Whenever they found a trapped person, one of the dogs would stay with the traveller to keep him warm, while the other one would run to alert the monks of their find. One of the most famous dogs was Barry der Menschenretter (Barry who saves people,) who between 1800 and 1812, saved 40 people.  With the use of helicopters  and better roads today, there is less need of them, but they still thrive at the area, having also a foundation where the St. Bernard’s are raised and reared.

Earliest Crucifixion

Earliest Crucifixion known - from 420 AD

This is one of the earliest known depictions of the Crucifixion in Christian art. It was made in Rome about AD 420-30, at a time when the Roman empire in Western Europe was fragmenting. The panel is one of four, originally mounted on the sides of a small ivory casket, each carved with a scene from Christ’s Passion. This panel is exhibited at the British Museum in London. In this image the Crucifixion is combined with another scene of death: the suicide of the disciple Judas after he has betrayed Jesus. The stiff, clothed body of Judas pulls down the branch of a tree, and a spilled sack of coins lies at his feet. In contrast the exposed limbs of Christ still appear vigorous, and he gazes at the viewer, triumphant in death. A plaque over Christ’s head is inscribed REX IUD (King of the Jews). The Virgin Mary and John the Baptist stand to the left of the cross, while on the right Longinus steps from beneath the arm of the cross, just before he pierces Jesus’ side with a lance.

Consecration

Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Friday, March 25, during the Celebration of Penance at which he will preside at 5 p.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica. The same act, on the same day, the feast of the Annunciation, will be carried out in Fatima by His Eminence Cardinal Krajewski, Apostolic Almoner, as envoy of the Holy Father. Ukraine’s Latin Rite Catholic bishops asked Pope Francis earlier this month to consecrate Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, claiming that “in these hours of immeasurable pain and terrible ordeal for our people, we humbly ask Your Holiness to publicly perform the act of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Ukraine and Russia, as requested by the Blessed Virgin in Fatima.” In the past, several popes have consecrated the entire Church and world to Mary. Pope Pius XII consecrated the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Oct. 31, 1942, and Pope St. John Paul II renewed that consecration on May 13, 1982, one year after his assassination attempt.  He repeated the consecration again on March 25, 1984, and once more on Oct. 8, 2000. Pope Francis during Oct. 2013 renewed the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and dedicated his pontificate to Our Lady of Fatima. Many Bishops from around the globe will join the Holy Father in their diocese at that moment of prayer.

Who is God?

                   
A teacher in California asked her 8-year old bright students to write an essay to explain who is God to them. One of the students wrote this: “One of God’s jobs is to create people. He makes these people to replace those who die. This way there will be enough people to manage the world. But God does not create old people only, but also babies. I think since they are little, it’s easier for God to create them. This way God does not need to waste precious time to teach them how to read and write and walk, because He entrusts their parents to teach them these duties. The second most important thing God does is to listen to our prayers. This is a never-ending job for Him, because some people like priests and nuns pray all the time, not just before they sleep. Because of this, God does not have any time to listen to the radio or watch some television. Jesus is the son of God the Father. He did many difficult things, like walk on water, do miracles and teach the people who did not believe in God. But when they got bored hearing Him talk and preach, they killed Him. However, having a kind heart Jesus told His Father to forgive them, because they did not know what they were doing. And God said ‘OK!’ The Father was happy with the work Jesus was doing on the earth, and one day He told Him that he doesn’t need to work anymore, but come up to heaven with Him. And now Jesus stays in heaven listening to the prayers that people say, and He helps everyone from up there. When I am afraid in the dark, I just have to remember that God is there with me, and I stop worrying. That’s what I believe about God.”

St Joseph

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 mother as a widow. Joseph, you showed your greatness precisely 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 know 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. May you also help us bring peace once again into our troubled world, and safety, good health and caution everywhere.

Pope Francis and Kirill

Pope Francis and Archbishop Kirill when they met in 2015.

Pope Francis on March 16 spoke by video conference with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. They had previously met in person in Cuba, in 2016. In the call, the two religious leaders pledged their respective commitments to securing peace. In recent weeks, Kirill has previously used religious language to justify his support for Russia's military aggression.  However their conversation focused on the war in Ukraine and the role of Christians and their pastors in doing everything possible for peace to prevail. Pope Francis said: "We are pastors of the same Holy People who believe in God, in the Holy Trinity, in the Holy Mother of God: for this we must unite in the effort to help peace, to help those who suffer, to seek ways of peace, to stop the fire. Those who pay the bill for the war are the people, it is the Russian soldiers and it is the people who are bombed and die. The Church must not use the language of politics, but the language of Jesus. Wars are always unjust. Because the one who pays is the people of God. Our hearts cannot help but cry in front of the children, the women killed, all the victims of the war. War is never the way. The Spirit that unites us asks us as pastors to help the peoples who suffer from war.” A Vatican communique stated that Francis rejected the justifications for the invasion as a "holy war," saying "today we cannot speak like this.” Particular attention was paid to the humanitarian aspects of the current crisis and the actions of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church to overcome its consequences. The parties stressed the exceptional importance of the ongoing negotiation process, expressing their hope for the soonest achievement of a just peace. While Kirill has since expressed his desire for an end to the conflict, he has refused to denounce Putin or Russia's actions against Ukraine, despite pleas from religious leaders from around the globe. We continue to pray and hope.

Irish Blessings

Saint Patrick was born around 385 in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick from parents Calpurnius and Conchessa. Taken as a slave, he escaped, became a Christian and was ordained  a priest by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, with whom he had studied for years. Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop, and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland March 25, 433, at Slane. Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. After years of living in poverty, travelling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461. This is a typical Irish Blessing which are very popular among the Irish people.

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow.
May the soft winds freshen your spirit.
May the sunshine brighten your heart
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you.
May God enfold you in the mantle of His love.
And may you be in heaven
Half an hour before the devil knows you’re gone!

Crucifix Tree

On a busy road in Malta, between the towns of Attard and Rabat, there grew a pine tree that took an unusual and fascinating shape. The trunk mysteriously developed into what looks very distinctly like a crucifix, complete with the head, outstretched arms, and the twisted body of Jesus. I took this picture over 30 years ago, and since then more people discovered its presence and started placing flowers in front of it. Unfortunately, recently it started to deteriorate, also because some uncaring and stupid fellow started to stain it with wood stain, and is not as photogenic as it was 25 years ago. And just recently I discovered that it was transplanted and placed across the street from its original position, and it is just a stump with the crucifix shape still visible, but not growing anymore. But at least for a number of years, it served as a true place of worship, making many people pause for a prayer, or slow down as they drive by, to bless themselves.

We adore you o Christ and we praise You because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

The Ides of March

Vincenzo Camuccini - The death of Julius Caesar

Back in 1967, I was studying at the Minor Seminary and one of the books we had to dissect and digest was the play ‘Julius Caesar’ by William Shakespeare. In it we were introduced to the phrase ‘Beware the Ides of March’, referring to March 15, the eventual date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC by a a bunch of his friends senators, including Brutus, whereby the phrase ‘E tu Brute...?’ The Ides of March is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, corresponding to March 15. That date was marked by several religious observances and was notable for the Romans as a deadline for settling debts.  The day was also enthusiastically celebrated among the common people with picnics, drinking, and revelry. One source from late antiquity also places the Mamuralia on the Ides of March. This was a Greek observance, which involved beating an old man dressed in animal skins and perhaps driving him from the city. The ritual may have been a new year festival representing the expulsion of the old year.

Declaration for Peace

Pope Francis with Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb

Pope Francis in his third Encyclical 'Fratelli Tutti' lists this declaration he made with the Grand Imam of Egypt Ahmad el-Tayyeb. They met on November 7, 2017 in the in the Vatican, to discuss spreading the culture of peace and coexistence and renouncing extremism and Islamophobia. They had successive meetings in February and November 2019. This is section 285 of the encyclical:

In my fraternal meeting, which I gladly recall, with the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, “we resolutely declared that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding of blood. These tragic realities are the consequence of a deviation from religious teachings. They result from a political manipulation of religions and from interpretations made by religious groups who, in the course of history, have taken advantage of the power of religious sentiment in the hearts of men and women… God, the Almighty, has no need to be defended by anyone and does not want his name to be used to terrorize people”. For this reason I would like to reiterate here the appeal for peace, justice and fraternity that we made together:

“In the name of God, who has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and who has called them to live together as brothers and sisters, to fill the earth and make known the values of goodness, love and peace;

“In the name of innocent human life that God has forbidden to kill, affirming that whoever kills a person is like one who kills the whole of humanity, and that whoever saves a person is like one who saves the whole of humanity;

“In the name of the poor, the destitute, the marginalized and those most in need, whom God has commanded us to help as a duty required of all persons, especially the wealthy and those of means;

“In the name of orphans, widows, refugees and those exiled from their homes and their countries; in the name of all victims of wars, persecution and injustice; in the name of the weak, those who live in fear, prisoners of war and those tortured in any part of the world, without distinction;

“In the name of peoples who have lost their security, peace and the possibility of living together, becoming victims of destruction, calamity and war;

“In the name of human fraternity, that embraces all human beings, unites them and renders them equal;

“In the name of this fraternity torn apart by policies of extremism and division, by systems of unrestrained profit or by hateful ideological tendencies that manipulate the actions and the future of men and women;

“In the name of freedom, that God has given to all human beings, creating them free and setting them apart by this gift;

“In the name of justice and mercy, the foundations of prosperity and the cornerstone of faith;

“In the name of all persons of goodwill present in every part of the world;

“In the name of God and of everything stated thus far, we declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard”.

What Jesus saw from the Cross

As we approach Holy Week and the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus, let us meditate for one moment on the hours Jesus spent on the cross. He uttered 7 words while dying, 7 words that have been reflected and meditated upon and preached by various preachers, especially during the Good Friday service. We always look at the cross with two others next to Jesus, the good and bad thief, all of whom are usually pictured or painted on a hill, known as Golgotha. Very few artists however have looked at this scene from a different perspective. James Tissot did precisely this when he painted the scene entitled "What Jesus saw from the cross." Besides local folks, soldiers and accusers, one can see the tomb in the background, the sponge and vinegar which would be offered to Jesus when he said "I Thirst." More prominently, in the foreground, one sees Mary Magdalene just beneath the cross, while the apostle John, the Blessed Mother and two other women look inconsolably at the dying Christ. The Centurion stands erect, ready to pierce Jesus' side when He dies. It is a painting filled with symbolism, worth meditating upon, especially during this Lenten season. (click once to enlarge)

Forgiveness

                      

O God, forgive us for the faults which make us difficult to live with.
If we behave as if we were the only people for whom life is difficult;
If we behave as if we were far harder worked than anyone else;
If we behave as if we were the only people who were ever disappointed, or the only people who ever got a raw deal; If we are far too self-centered and far too full of self-pity: 
Forgive us, 0 God.
If we are too impatient to finish the work we have begun; If we are too impatient to listen to someone who wants to talk to us, or to give someone a helping hand; If we think that other people are fools, and make no attempt to conceal our contempt for them: Forgive us, 0 God.
If we too often rub people the wrong way;
If we spoil a good case by trying to ram it down someone's throat;
If we do things that get on people's nerves, and go on doing them, even when we are asked not to: Forgive us, 0 God.
Help us to take the selfishness and the ugliness out of life and to do better in the days to come.

Litany of Consolation

Emvin Cremona - 'Sacred Heart Aglow'

When my life lacks any purpose or direction - Lord Jesus you say: “Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome.”

When the harshness and ruthlessness of life assail me - Lord Jesus you say: “I am gentle and humble of heart; your souls will find rest.”

When I am full of doubt, with no one to depend on - Lord Jesus you say: “Everything is possible to one who trusts.”

When bitterness and resentment poison my heart - Lord Jesus you say: “If the Son frees you, you will truly be free.”

When I see nothing but my wrongdoings and failures - Lord Jesus you say: “Do not let your heart be troubled; have faith in me.”

When I am done in by the hatred and violence of the world - Lord Jesus you say: “Take courage; I have overcome the world.”

When I think that happiness is nothing but a delusion - Lord Jesus you say: “Do you love me?”

When my life reaches a dead end and I lack all desire - Lord Jesus you say “Do you love me?”

When it seems that life has no meaning - Lord Jesus you say “Do you love?”

"Yes, Lord Jesus, I do!" - Lord Jesus, you say: “Live on in my love.”

Lumber

Ponderosa trees, popular in Oregon

While I was serving in Oregon between 2003 and 2016, one of the most common scenes on the road was the sight of huge trucks carrying lumber from some forest to a local lumber yard. There they would unload the logs and clean them up, shave them and eventually cut them up in strips or planks of wood. Depending on how big the trunk is, they could get a nice supply of wood even from one huge log.

A typical Lumber Yard in Prairie City, Oregon.

The most popular trees were the Ponderosa Pines which have a reddish/light brown texture to it, and you can see them in the close-up of the bark of the ponderosa tree in the first picture above. In Lumber yard you can see hundreds of log waiting to be  cleaned up. I was told that there is a plentiful supply of trees for the next few decades, but the loggers and farmers keep planting more trees which would take a good 40 to 60 years to grow a large tree that would give you a good supply of wood when cut. Then whenever there is fire, which are pretty frequent in Oregon and California, not everything is lost, because when a tree is cut down, another one starts growing. And in a burnt up area, the seedlings starts growing within a few months of the fire.

Miracles still happen

The damaged crucifix and the bullet on the left

Several hours before the beginning of 2021, a 9-year-old Argentine boy was saved from a stray bullet by a small metal crucifix on his chest, an event that local media have called “a New Year's Miracle.” According to a report from the police office of San Miguel de Tucumán, capital of the northwestern province of Tucumán, “the event took place around 10:00 pm on December 31 2020: a 9-year-old boy named Tiziano, from the neighborhood of  Las Talitas, checked in with his father into the ER of the Baby Jesus Hospital in the southern part of the capital city with a superficial wound in the thorax, produced by a firearm.” After being checked thoroughly by several doctors on staff for 48 minutes, the boy was released. Tiziano‘s family explained how this miracle happened: the bullet hit in the middle of the small metal crucifix that the boy received as a gift from his father. Tiziano's aunt took a picture of how the bullet damaged the crucifix, which prevented the bullet from causing any real damage, except for a minor superficial wound.

Crucifix in Ukraine

A Ukrianian photographer, Dennis Melnichuk, snapped this image outside the Catholic Bernardine monastery and church in Lviv on Feb 24. The photo shows an unidentified man hugging a life-size crucifix in Ukraine which went viral across social media platforms as Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country. The image captures a quiet moment in the midst of chaos: A darkly-clothed man embraces the crucifix in a courtyard outside by wrapping his arms around the foot of the cross. While the photo does not show his face, it reveals Jesus’ face, bent down toward the man. Two passers-by walk past him against the backdrop of the monastery. At the time, Melnichuk said “I was feeling my heart quiver with unbelief and shock. Also, I felt faith rising in my heart.” Instead of fleeing, Dennis and his wife chose to stay in Ukraine to “be the hands and feet of Jesus on the ground, assisting and sheltering refugees” through their ministry, Awakened Generation. 

Devotion to St. Michael

One of the most prominent statues in the Ukraine capital’s Independence Square is a powerful image of St. Michael the Archangel, watching over the city of Kyiv. The bronze and gold statue was placed atop the Lach Gates in 2002, a decision that matches the devotion to St. Michael that the people of Kyiv have had over the centuries. One of the most recognized buildings in Kyiv is the “Golden-Domed” Monastery of St. Michael, built in 1108 and dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. It is said that St. Michael, patron of soldiers, was chosen at the time to honor military victories during the 12th century. During the early 20th century, the monastery and church was destroyed, and it wasn’t until the 1990s that work began to restore St. Michael’s Monastery and create the new Golden Domes that are visible today. 

The Monastery of St Michael in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The building’s “resurrection” was seen by some people as a miracle. This revival of St. Michael’s Monastery is a miracle of God, for when the church was destroyed, no one even believed that it would rise from the ruins. This witnesses that the Lord can even revive his shrine from ashes is a witnessing to the unconquered spiritual strength of the Ukrainian people. Furthermore, St. Michael was featured prominently on the seals of Kievan grand princes and then on the coat of arms of the city of Kyiv since the 17th century. When the city voted on a new coat of arms in 1995, they restored the original design featuring St. Michael the Archangel.

Ice chapel in Michigan

As part of Winter Carnival 2022, students of Michigan Technological University in the USA built an ice chapel in which Holy Masses were celebrated. The students have been building a chapel with snow and ice every year since 2016. This project is exactly what we’d expect from a community of tech-savvy students. The construction of the chapel was organized by the St. Albert the Great Campus Ministry, and judging by their social media posts it took several days to complete. The students have really gone above and beyond to beautify their construction, known as “The Ice Chapel at Our Lady of the Snows.” The walls, which rise over 10 ft high, are sculpted with ornamentation, while several notches cut into them are adorned with candles or statues. The onion-like dome above the sanctuary gives it a distinct and reverent outline. The chapel includes an altar, where Mass is celebrated before a crucifix, which is sunken into the ice wall. Colored water is frozen, then broken up to create mosaics. One of the more ingenious features is the fully covered pulpit, where readings are proclaimed and homilies given. This, however, is the only covered area, as the nave is completely open to the elements. Those who attend a Mass at Our Lady of the Snows are advised to dress warmly. It snows often during Mass but the large crowd in attendance doesn’t mind – they’re used to sub-freezing temperatures. This video takes you to see the ice chapel being constructed......

https://youtu.be/X3KPTwILkPY

Canonizations

                              

Blessed Titus Brandsma

The canonization of a few Blesseds were just approved by the Vatican, and they will canonized on May 15. Among them is Blessed Titus Brandsma, a Dutch Carmelite friar who was sent to Dachau for treason after defending Jews and press freedom and was killed with a lethal injection in 1942 at the age of 61. He was beatified by St. John Paul II in 1985. He was one of more than 2,700 clergy — 2,400 of them Catholic priests — who had been detained at the notorious Nazi concentration camp in Germany after urging editors of the Dutch Catholic press to violate a new law of the Third Reich and not print any Nazi propaganda. 

Blessed Charles de Foucauld

Another Blessed is Charles de Foucauld who was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1858, and strayed from the faith during his adolescence. During a trip to Morocco, he saw how devoted Muslims were to their faith, which inspired him to return to the church. He joined the Trappists, living in monasteries in France and in Syria, before seeking an even more austere life as a hermit. After his ordination to the priesthood in 1901, he lived among the poor and finally settled in Tamanrasset, Algeria. In 1916, he was killed by a band of marauders. His writings inspired the foundation, after his death, of the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Little Sisters of Jesus. The others to be canonized are: Sister Maria Rivier, Blessed Sister Maria of Jesus, Blessed Lazarus (Devasahayam Pilla), Blessed César de Bus, Blessed Luigi Maria Palazzolo, Blessed Giustino Maria Russolillo, Blessed Maria Francesca di Gesù, Blessed Maria Domenica Mantovani.