Fall Foliage

At this time of the year, my recollections go back to my time at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, where I spent a sabbatical with the Trappist monks in 2002. There I enjoyed living with them and working with them as I grew in faith and in appreciation of God's beauty in nature, especially as the fall season approaches. 

The trees at the Abbey turn yellow, orange and bright red, especially the maple trees which were abundant and well placed so that nature lovers could enjoy this annual spectacle which starts in early October and by early November all the leaves are gone, and often the ground would be covered with snow and solid ice in some areas. So, for today enjoy these tree photos I took 20 years ago, obviously before the digital age, and so the photos are not as sharp, but worth sharing, nonetheless.

The Archangels

St. Michael, St. Raphael and St. Gabriel

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

Atacama desert

                 
The Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the driest regions in the world, has returned to being wrapped in a rug of flowers dominated by violet and yellow with the beginning of southern spring in mid-September. 'Pata de Guanaco' and 'Yellow Ananuka' are among the 200 species that can bloom in an inhospitable environment with an average of only 0.01 cm of rain per year, and years can go by in some parts of the desert without seeing rain. 

Flowers sprouting from the dry ground at the Atacama.

The secret of this irregular phenomenon is related to the "latent" seeds buried under the sand, which can live for decades while waiting for a minimum amount of water to germinate and then bloom. It takes as little as 15 cubic millimetres of rain for the flowers to germinate. This phenomenon occurs every 5 to 7 years, and when it does, similar photos can be treasured by anyone who is close to Copiaco in Northern Chile.

The Creed for children

                         
When we recite the Creed during Mass or during the Rosary, we underestimate the fact that most young children do not understand it well. So, someone came up with the idea of devising a children’s version of the Creed, a simplified way of learning what we believe in.

I believe that God is the best Father I can ever have.
He gave me this beautiful world where I can live and grow in.
The best gift He gave me was His Son, Jesus Christ.
He became a child like many of us children.
He had a mother who loved Him dearly, and her name as Mary.
And her husband, named Joseph, took good care of them both.
Because of our evil ways and mistakes,
This Jesus suffered a lot.
The bad people crucified Him, He died and was buried in a grave.
But after three days, He became alive again, and continued to live among us.
He opened the way to heaven, and then He went to His Father,
Where He is awaiting us all to be with Him.
Slowly, slowly, all the people will eventually meet Him again,
And they will recognize the good and bad things they did in their lives.
To be able to live a good life, He gave us many opportunities:
He placed in our hearts the spirit of Love.
He gave us the church, so that it can help us live like Him.
He gave us a family of friends, so that we can grow with them,
and they would forgive us when we make mistakes and misbehave.
So when we leave this world, we will live with Him, happily,
Always, always, always.  

Svetlana Alliluyeva

Svetlana as an adult, and with her father as a teenager.

The daughter of Josef Stalin died as a devoted Catholic. Her father was raised in the Orthodox Russian church and his parents even wanted him to become a priest, but eventually he ended up denying God and Christianity. During her young life, she was close to her father, who loved her dearly. After he died, Svetlana became interested in Christianity. She changed her last name from Stalin (meaning steel) to Allilyeva, her mother’s name (which means Hallelujah.) She eventually left Russia for America and was baptized as a Catholic in December 1982, becoming devoted to the Eucharist and attended Mass daily, even going to confession often. She died in 2011 in a nursing home in Wisconsin. Unlike her father, who died a desperate death, she died a happy person, knowing that Jesus and Mary would welcome her into heaven with open arms.

Space Flights and gambling

Werner von Braun (1912-1977) is well known as the father of modern space aviation. He is credited to have invented the Lunar Module (LEN) which landed on the moon in 1969. One day he received a letter from a woman who told him that God is against people leaving this earth to live somewhere else. Then she told him she’ll make a bet for $10 that man will never land on the moon. He answered her with this simple message:’ As far as I know, the Bible does not say anything about space flights and space exploration, but there are a few references against gambling and betting!’

Father Gus Tolton

                    
We meet today a recently beatified priest. Fr Augustus Tolton lived between 1854 and 1897 and was born as a slave. He wanted to become a priest, but American seminaries did not accept colored students back then. But with the help of a Franciscan priest, he entered the seminary in Rome and was ordained on Holy Saturday, April 24, 1886, at the Basilica of St. John Lateran.  He celebrated his first Mass on Easter at St. Peter’s Basilica. He was hoping to go as a missionary to Africa, but he was sent to the United States as the first black priest ever. He was very eloquent, with a strong voice, beautiful sermons, and worked hard against poverty, racism and the degradation of the black population, which was suffering back then, especially the harsh treatment towards the slaves. He was known as ‘Good Father Gus.’ He died of a sunstroke aged 43 and was loved by everyone who knew him. Pope Francis proclaimed him as Blessed in 2019.

St Pio of Pietralcina

This is one of my favorite prayers by St Pio of Pietralcina, (1887-1968) whose liturgical feast we celebrate today:

My dear Jesus, release from my mind and heart 
- any troubles from the past, 
- any worries about the present, 
- any anxieties about the future. 
So that I can desire always, and in everything, just one thing 
– TO GO AGAINST MYSELF IN FAVOR OF YOUR LOVE. 
I entrust my reckless and troubled past to Your bountiful Mercy, o Lord. 

I also entrust to Your infinite Love my confused and undecided present. 

And I entrust to Your holy Providence my mysterious future. Amen.

Real Charity

One day, St Catherine of Siena saw a poor man and gave him her overcoat, that was a part of her Dominican habit. A few people saw her and told her ‘It’s not right that a nun should be without her habit’. She answered them by saying ‘I prefer that you find me without my coat, even completely naked, rather than without charity.’ That same evening, Jesus appeared to her wearing her overcoat she had given to the poor man, covered with jewels and diamonds. 

Independence Day in Malta

The Knights of Malta take the island from the Spanish rule in 1530

Malta today celebrates its independence from Britain. This happened 58 years ago in 1964, although we remained a part of the Commonwealth. The list of rulers that governed Malta is endless, and this is a basic list of who were our Bosses over the centuries. Presently Malta is also a member of the European Union, which we joined on May 1, 2005. We adopted the Euro as our official currency on January 1, 2008. These are the rulers of the Maltese Islands:

The Phoenicians (from 800 BC)
The Carthaginians (from 600 BC)
The Romans (218 B.C. – 870 A.D.)
The Arabs (870 – 1090)
The Normans (1090 – 1194)
Hohenstaufen Dynasty (1194 – 1266)
Angevin Dynasty (1266 – 1283)
The Aragonese Monarchs (1283 – 1410)
The Castillians Monarchs (1412 – 1518)
The Hapsburg Dynasty (1518 – 1530)
Grand Masters of the Order of Malta (1530 -1798)
The French Rule (1798 – 1800)
The British Rule (1799 – 1964)
Civil Commissioners (1799 – 1813)
Governors of Malta (1813 – 1964)
Malta became Independent on September 21, 1964.
Governors General of Malta (1964 – 1974)
Malta became Republic in 1974.
Malta joined the European Union on May 1, 2005.

The Hand of Heaven

Just yesterday we had a spectacular sunset, at the same time when Queen Elizabeth was being eulogized, honored,  and later on buried. As if heaven was calling her and wanted to show through nature that she was being welcomed into eternal life and in a better place. Something similar happened back in January 2002 when my father passed away – I had just taken a photo of a beautiful sunset before he left us so suddenly. God sends us subliminal messages to show how much He cares for us. Between September and December, we usually get the best sunsets, as the sky turns orange and red and bright yellow, and if you’re lucky, you get some clouds to create these vibrant rays. Sometimes you’re lucky, but often it’s God talking through his masterpieces of nature. 

So Long, Lilibet

The last official photo of Queen Elizabeth

Today we bid ‘So Long’ to Queen Elizabeth, affectionately known as Lilibet. With exuberant pageantry, solemn rituals and overwhelming eagerness from the millions who paid their respect to her, we now close this sad week and resume our lives. The inclusion of Christianity in many of her speeches became a growing theme of the Queen in the last quarter-century, as she included more explicit professions of her faith in Christ Jesus in her annual Christmas broadcasts. Pope Francis indicated this in his message to King Charles III on the day of his mother’s death: “I willingly join all who mourn her loss in praying for the late Queen’s eternal rest, and in paying tribute to her life of unstinting service to the good of the Nation and the Commonwealth, her example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith in Jesus Christ and her firm hope in his promises.”

The Prince and his bride in Malta in 1949 - two fingers on the bench.

Having lived in Malta on and off between 1949 and 1951, when her husband was stationed in Malta on HMS Magpie, we in Malta somehow have a special connection with her. She often said that she spent the best days of her life here among us. The house where they lived in Guardamangia will be restored soon and hopefully it will serve as a Royal Museum. And most probably Princess Anne was conceived here in Malta, as the second photo shows. Prince Philip intuitively placed two fingers on the bench when they took this photo, 8 months before Anne was born. Maybe he was giving a subliminal hint that his bride was pregnant again. Rest in Peace, Queen Elizabeth.

The Vatican’s 45 greatest films

One of the Vatican's best movies

To mark the 100th anniversary of the cinematic art form in 1995, the Vatican took on the monumental responsibility of selecting 45 of the greatest cinematic masterpieces made in an entire century of beautiful filmmaking. In order to select films that reached new artistic heights as well as the ones which help spread the values of the church, the Vatican decided to divide the selection into three distinct categories – religion, value and art. By doing so, they judged varying cinematic outputs on the basis of religious value, moral value and artistic value.

   Religion
o    Andrei Rublev (1966)
o    Babette’s Feast (1987)
o    Ben-Hur (1959)
o    The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
o    Francesco (1989)
o    The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1966)
o    La Passion de Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ (1905)
o    A Man for All Seasons (1966)
o    The Mission (1986)
o    Monsieur Vincent (1947)
o    Nazarin (1958)
o    Ordet (1955)
o    The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
o    The Sacrifice (1986)
o    Therese (1986)
Values
o    Au Revoir les Enfants (1988)
o    Bicycle Thieves (1949)
o    The Burmese Harp (1956)
o    Chariots of Fire (1981)
o    Dekalog (1988)
o    Dersu Uzala (1975)
o    Gandhi (1982)
o    Intolerance (1916)
o    It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
o    On the Waterfront (1954)
o    Rome, Open City (1945)
o    Schindler’s List (1993)
o    The Seventh Seal (1957)
o    The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)
o    Wild Strawberries (1957)
Art
o    Citizen Kane (1941)
o    8½ (1963)
o    Fantasia (1940)
o    Grand Illusion (1937)
o    La Strada (1954)
o    The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
o    The Leopard (1963)
o    Little Women (1933)
o    Metropolis (1927)
o    Modern Times (1936)
o    Napoleon (1927)
o    Nosferatu (1922)
o    Stagecoach (1939)
o    2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
o    The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The Invitation

A poster in Gibraltar issued by the tourist board read: ‘Gibraltar has been under the British for 192 years. Isn’t it about time that you spend some time with us?’ Now imagine if the Good Lord would make a poster at the entrance of each city or town that would read something like this: ‘I’ve been with you for 2022 years.... Isn’t it about time that you come and spend some time with me in church?’

Remember that Jesus is the Unseen Guest at every meal we share, and the Silent Listener to every conversation that we are involved in.

Let us honor Him with our presence.

More quotes from the Queen - part 2

Images of the Queen as they appeared on British currency.

Here are a few more quotes from Queen Elizabeth relating to religion and her deep faith in Christianity.

“None of us can slow the passage of time; and while we often focus on all that has changed in the intervening years, much remains unchanged, including the Gospel of Christ and his teachings.”

“Each day is a new beginning, I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God.”

“Grief is the price we pay for love.”

“Over the years, those who have seemed to me to be the happiest, contented and fulfilled have always been the people who have lived the most outgoing and unselfish lives.”

“It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.”

“It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult.”

“We may hold different points of view, but it is in times of stress and difficulty that we most need to remember that we have much more in common than there is dividing us.”

“We know the reward is peace on earth, goodwill toward men, but we cannot win it without determination and concerted effort.”

Quotes from the Queen - part 1

As the world continues to process the loss of Queen Elizabeth, we have time to reflect on the wisdom she acquired over her 96 memorable years. From Christmas messages to public addresses, the Queen was always inspired by her faith, family, and the duty she felt to God and her country. So, take a look at just some of these pearls of wisdom, and consider how they might inspire you in your own life. Not to overwhelm you, I’ll divide this post in two parts. So more tomorrow.

“Throughout my life, the message and teachings of Christ have been my guide and in them I find hope. It is my heartfelt prayer that you will continue to be sustained by your faith in times of trial and encouraged by hope in times of despair.”

“When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.”

“My husband has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years, and I owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim.”

 “When peace comes, remember it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place.”

“Our modern world places such heavy demands on our time and attention that the need to remember our responsibilities to others is greater than ever.”

“Even when your life seems most monotonous, what you do is always of real value — and importance to your fellow men.”

“For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, … is an inspiration and an anchor in my life.”

The Two Elizabeths

Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and Elizabeth I (1533-1603)

Both Elizabeths reigned for a long time. Elizabeth I reigned for 45 years while Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years. The other Elizabeth, 400 years earlier, became queen of a country ripped apart by religious battles: her father, Henry VIII, had broken with Rome – its power and its faith – and declared himself CEO of an upstart religious institution – the Church of England. Her mother was Ann Boleyn, who was beheaded when her daughter was only 3 years old – so she never really knew her.

Elizabeth II was born in 1926, two years before all women could vote on equal terms with men. Growing up in a house in Piccadilly, overlooking Green Park, she did not expect to be queen, and she was dismayed to become queen so young. She only became queen because her uncle Edward abdicated to marry an American woman. That meant leaving behind the ordinary pleasures of a happy marriage, out of the public eye. But, as she had said in a remarkable speech in 1947, when she turned 21: “My whole life, whether it be short or long, will be devoted to your service.”

I go back to the speech Elizabeth I made in 1601, addressing the palace council chamber, her last speech before her death:

It is not my desire to live or reign longer than my life and reign shall be for your good. And though you have had, and may have, many mightier and wiser princes sitting in this seat, yet you never had, nor shall have, any that will love you better.

This is how many millions feel, I think, at the loss of Queen Elizabeth II.

More Quotes

No person in the world ever attempted to wrong another without being injured in return - some way, somehow, sometime. (William George Jordan)

The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them - that’s the essence of inhumanity. (George Bernard Shaw)

The grand essentials to happiness in this life are: something to do, something to love and something to hope for.   (Joseph Addison)

God did not make us to be eaten up by anxiety, but to walk erect, free, unafraid in a world where there is work to do, truth to seek, love to give and win.  (Joseph Fort Newton)

I accept life unconditionally.....Most people ask for happiness on condition. Happiness can only be felt if you don’t set any conditions. (Arthur Rubinstein)

My mission on earth is to recognize the void - inside and outside of me - and fill it. (Rabbi Menahem)

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential. (Liane Cordes)

We should have much peace in our lives if we would not busy ourselves with the sayings and doings of others. (Thomas a Kempis)

Blessed are those who can give without remembering and receive without forgetting. (Anonymous)

When we do what we can, God will do what we can’t.

If God is kept outside, something is wrong inside.

Be grateful for the doors of opportunity - and for friends who oil the hinges.

Photos from a procession

Here are a few photos I took last Thursday of the procession of Our Lady of Victory, the Nativity of the Blessed Mother, held in Naxxar, Malta. Incidentally they were taken when the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth was being announced. The first photo, one of my favorites, shows the statue of Mary as it approached another statue erected in the front of the local Peace Band Club, as if the two Queens of Heaven are talking about welcoming an earthly Queen. I waited to take this shot as the statue-bearers stopped briefly, enough to allow me to take this photo. 

The second photo shows the same statue in front of the beautiful Baroque church, recently restored. The procession is held annually on the 8th of September in two other parishes in Malta, Senglea, Mellieħa and in Xagħra in the sister island of Gozo. They were not held over the last 2 years because of the coronavirus. The third photo shows the facade of the church itself, lit up with hundreds of little colored lights. The festa season is now coming to an end, and only major feast left is the one in Cospicua on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Lest we forget

This is an article I wrote 21 years ago in my parish Bulletin:

It is truly heart-breaking following the events of September 11, 2001! All we can do right now is pray, as we follow the aftermath of the catastrophic tragedy on TV. People have been crowding to our Churches, as Friday the 14th is a National Day of Prayer and Mourning for the victims. The rest of the world joined in solidarity and prayer, and the whole of the United States is grateful for the world-wide support that we're receiving right now. The heart-breaking stories we're hearing are truly incredible....like the man from Fishkill who was buried but was able to get out alive, with minor scratches. Or the CEO of Cantor-Fitzgerald who lost all 658 of his employees who were on the very top floors of one of the Twin Towers, including his brother. He survived simply because he took his daughter to her first day of Kindergarten, and was heading towards work when the tragedy happened. Or the young woman who called her husband in California frantically just before she died, leaving simply a message "They bombed us. I'm going to die. I love you always." Or the Fire Department Chaplain Fr Mychal Judge OFM, who was administering last rites when he was hit by a falling body and other debris. Or so many others who were writing E-mails or sending Instant Messages while the planes crashed into their buildings.
Or the people who died on the planes, like the Priest from Massachusetts, who just found a last-minute seat to go and see his sister in Los Angeles, only to die half-an hour later. Or the three children with their teachers who had won a National Geographic Competition and were experiencing part of their reward on the plane.

A drawing I created having Mary and Jesus replacing the Twin Towers

The feelings of people here had changed from disbelief to shock on the first day, from anger to numbness on Wednesday, from patriotism and prayer to unity and collaboration today and in the weeks to come. In the midst of all this chaos and darkness, we cannot give up hope. As the motto of the Christophers says, "we have to light one candle instead of cursing the darkness." We have to look for something positive, instead of criticizing how terrible everything around us is. We have to look forward to continuing to unite the country and the world, not be divisive by searching for opportunity for revenge. May God continues to bless the generous and hardworking firefighters, police-officers, volunteers and medical teams who are helping with the recovery process, which could be very long, tiring and extremely discouraging.
May God give eternal rest to all the victims, and strength to their families and loved ones. These are the new American Martyrs, or better yet, the New York Martyrs, whose feast should be inserted in the Liturgical Calendar for September 11th.

Lady Diana's prayer

Staying with the Royal family, many people may not know that when Lady Diana visited Mother Teresa just a few weeks before they both died in 1997, she wrote a prayer which is very sincere and touching. You can see in this post both the original hand-written copy of Diana's prayer and the prayer transcribed here since it is not very legible, and also cropped up. The prayer is like a promise or resolution she made after encountering the living saint in her convent in the Bronx, NY.

I would be true for there are those who trust me.

I would be pure for there are those who care.

I would be strong for there is much to suffer.

I would be brave for there is much to dare.

I would be friend of all, the foe, the friendless.

I would be giving and forget the gift.

I would be humble, for I know my weakness.

I would look up and laugh and love and live!

The Queen leaves on the Queen’s feast

Queen Elizabeth II - during her coronation and at Parliament

The Queen of Heaven was honored yesterday on the feast of the birth of the Blessed Mother – and on the same day the most popular Queen on earth leaves us at the age of 96. So much has been written already and more will be printed and cyberspaced over the next few weeks, but I highlight her deep spiritual faith in this post. Elizabeth had a profound personal Christian faith — a faith she publicly articulated more frequently as she got older. Just a few months ago, for her services rendered as supreme governor of the Church of England, she was awarded the Canterbury Cross, to mark her Platinum Jubilee. But Elizabeth II, more than any other monarch, has embodied the title ‘Defender of the Faith.’ Each year of her reign, she has made a broadcast at Christmas, shown on television and broadcast on radio — a tradition started by her grandfather George V when the wireless first became popular, and continued by her father, George VI. Since the turn of the century, she made her message increasingly personal and explicit about her own faith.  In 2000 came a marked change when she spoke of the millennium being the moment that marked the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, "who was destined to change the course of our history.” She went on to speak very personally and frankly about her own faith: "For me, the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example." In 1947, to mark her 21st birthday, then Princess Elizabeth, made a public commitment, saying: "I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service. ... God help me to make good my vow."

Queen Elizabeth with her immediate family a few weeks ago.

Throughout her reign, Elizabeth led the nation at regular services, to honor the war dead, or for thanksgiving for her jubilees. Each year at the traditional Maundy Thursday service, she distributed gifts to elderly people at an ancient royal ceremony established to imitate Christ serving his disciples by washing their feet and turn the spotlight on the monarch's role of service. Elizabeth II was instrumental in improving relations between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, making many visits to the Vatican to visit different Popes and hosting both John Paul II in 1982 and Benedict XVI in 2010 on visits to Britain, while herself visiting Pope Francis in 2014 at the Vatican. No other British monarch, even before the Reformation, had ever done so and the papal visits to Britain and her personal welcome were a remarkable turnaround for a monarchy that once broke so spectacularly from Rome.  Just how much her Christian faith meant to Elizabeth II was revealed in a small book published to mark her 90th birthday in 2016. In a highly unusual move, she wrote the forward to the Bible Society publication, ‘The Servant Queen and the King she serves,’ about her faith. May Elizabeth II rest in peace, hoping that she can now meet the Queen of Heaven, on whose feastday she departed this earth.

With Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2014.