The Nurse

An elderly woman was talking to nice lady and asked her what she does for a living. Responding that she was a nurse, the elderly lady rudely asked her how much money she makes in such a nice job. The young nice lady responded by saying: ‘I work as a nurse, and instead of telling you much money I make, let me tell you what I do......

-        When you are scared before an operation, I hold your hands, and spend an hour with you  to encourage you and not to feel afraid.

-        When your son was choking, I was the one to help him breathe again.

-         I can keep your father alive after he had his heart-attack.

-         I get up at 5 in the morning to bring the medicine to your mother who needs it to live a few extra days.

-         I can work non-stop all day to save a life of a person who I do not know.

-         I often keep my own family waiting for dinner in the evening, because I have to care for a patient who is anxious about his prognosis.

-         I occasionally do not have time to eat, since I need to register the care your mother or wife needs in our hospital.

-         I work often on Saturdays and Sundays, even on holidays, just because people die on weekends too.

-         Today I can save your life.

How much money do I make? I don’t know. I only know that with my work I can make a big difference in the life of many people. 

The Archangels

Michael, Raphael and 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.

Leaves and Snow

I take you back 40 years today when I was serving as Associate Pastor at Holy Spirit in New Hyde Park, New York. I share with you two photos taken from my window a month apart. You can see plenty of maple leaves on the ground in the first photo, just falling from the maple trees which are quite popular in the Northeast. Most of the time we had to rake them, collect them and bag them, a tiring process. 

A month later, by mid-November all the way into April of the following year, leaves are replaced with snow, as you can see in the second photo. Since the foreground is a lawn with grass, we didn’t have to shovel it as the snow waters the grass, a big blessing for us. But we had to shovel the snow from the sidewalks where people walk. This was a big responsibility, especially around schools and churches, since anyone slipping on ice, and getting hurt, can sue the church or the parish. I enjoyed shovelling as it was good exercise, but I didn’t like raking. Rather I would pray that the wind will blow them away to the next town or neighborhood.

Mother nature gets angry !

Never underestimate Mother Nature ! Rain, hail, snow, mudslides, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, lightning, avalanches – you’ve get them all here in these fascinating, scary and at times catastrophic scenarios. As much as I miss snow,  there is nothing more devastating and heart-pounding as seeing that avalanche coming towards you, and with no place to hide. Thanks to all those cell-phone users who risked their lives in taking these videos. And we offer our prayers to all those suffering from Hurricane Helene which is causing mayhem in the Southern-Eastern states in the USA, as well as central Europe, Vietnam as well as those who are suffering from ongoing droughts.

Being together

An elderly man used to attend church regularly, but for some reason, he suddenly stopped going. The priest noticed his absence and went to see him at his house. It was a cold wintry night, and as the man was sitting to warm himself next to his fireplace, the priest grabbed a chair and sat next to him. Nothing was said as the man was a quiet man. At one moment the priest grabbed the fork and pickup a smouldering charcoal from the heap in the fireplace. Then he placed it by itself in a tray, and from red hot, it gradually cooled down. He let it stay there for a while and said nothing. The man was wondering why he did that. After a while, the solitary charcoal had cooled enough that the priest picked it up with his fingers and once again placed it on the pile of burning charcoals. Right away, feeling the heat from the other charcoals, it turned orange again within a few seconds. The priest stood up and was ready to leave, when the elderly man spoke up, ‘thank you Padre for giving me a great lesson today. On Sunday you will see me again in church with my fellow parishioners.’ Sometimes you don’t have to say much to convince people of what’s in your heart. The priest wanted the elderly man to know that by coming back to church, he will re-ignite his faith, just as the cooled charcoal re-ignited itself when placed with the other red-hot ones. We are a stronger church when we are together, helping each other, supporting one another.

Your Feet

As soon as a baby is born, the first three things parents do is look to see if it’s a boy or a girl, admire his face, and then peek at his feet and see those 10 tiny toes and soft pinkish soles. We tend to underestimate our feet, and some people feel they are disconnected from the rest of their bodies. You notice this when looking at people’s feet, unkempt toes, rugged heels and overall disregard. What a difference when see the feet of a girl with a perfect pedicure, painted toe-nails, showing them off in pretty sandals. Yet those feet do an incredible amount of walking throughout a lifetime. The average adult will walk almost 75,000 miles over their lifetime – the equivalent of travelling around the world three times. A study of 2,000 adults found they each typically stroll 6,839 steps a day – amounting to 2,496,235 a year, 2 miles daily, over 700 miles annually. The human foot is a complex mechanical structure of the human body composed of 33 joints, 26 bones, and more than a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Think of how much work your feet accomplish. The constant pounding during a marathon, the weight they carry during  a weightlifting competition, the flapping during an Olympic 1500 meters race, the pirouetting of a ballerina during a ballet performance, the precise adjustment during a slalom race on snow, the crushing of grapes, the old-fashioned way,  the dribbling and scoring of immortal goals by Messi, Pele, Maradona and Bobby Charlton. And how about the walking done by missionaries as they travel to bring the Good News to converts, natives and agnostics. Now ask yourself: what am I doing with my feet, what have I done with them in the past, what do I plan to do with them in the future?

Your Hands

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel has a classic depiction in the fresco by Michelangelo of the creation of Adam. The hand of the elderly father reaches out to the finger of a young Adam, and man was created. ‘Let us make man in our own image.’ God created man with His own hands, and gave Adam hands that can create, invent and do marvellous things through the millennia that followed. Man’s hands are a special gift that God gave him. With them he can make fascinating melodies on the piano, the flute and other instruments. The hands of a surgeon can perform delicate and life-saving surgeries. The hands of an artist can paint immortal masterpieces which now hang in huge museums in our large cities. The hands of a mother can soothe the pain of a child, change hundreds of diapers, cook innumerable meals, wash tons of laundry. Hands can join in prayer, help in volunteering, build an entire house, help feed the hungry. The hands of a priest can bless countless objects, join couples in marriage, absolve sins and consecrate the Eucharist. Now ask yourself: what am I doing with my hands, what have I done with them in the past, what do I plan to do with them in the future?

St Pio of Pietrelcina

In Assisi, by the frescoes of St Clare and St Francis

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.

Father and Son

 

A son took his old father to a restaurant for an evening dinner. The father being very old and weak, while eating, dropped food on his shirt and trousers. Other diners watched him in disgust while his son was calm and patient. After he had finished, his son, who was not at all embarrassed, quietly took his father to the washroom, wiped the food particles, removed the stains, combed his father’s hair and fitted his glasses firmly.  When they came out, the entire restaurant was watching them in dead silence, not able to grasp why someone could embarrass himself publicly like that. The son settled the bill, and started walking out with his dad. At that time an old man among the diners called out the son and asked him ‘Don’t you think you left something behind?’ The son replied in the negative. The old man retorted: ‘Yes, you have. You left a lesson for every son and a hope for every father.’ The entire restaurant went silent. Truly, to care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors. We all know how our parents cared for us for every little thing. Let us love them, respect them and care for them, and pray for them if they are gone to heaven.

Malta’s Independence Day

PM George Borg Olivier receiving the documents of Independence Sept 21, 1964

Malta was ruled over the past 2 millennia by the Romans, the Arabs, the Normans, the Spanish, the Knights of St John, the French and the British. Following a Maltese constitutional referendum in 1964, approved by 54.5% of voters, on September 21st 1964, Malta became an independent state as a Constitutional Monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as its Head of State. So September 21st every year is celebrated as Independence Day or Jum l-Indipendenza in Maltese, this year being the 60th anniversary. One can say that both Labor Leader Dom Mintoff, as well as Nationalist Leader and Prime Minister George Borg Olivier contributed towards the attainment of Independence. On December 1st 1964, Malta was admitted to the United Nations. In 1965 Malta joined the Council of Europe, and in 1970, Malta signed an Association Treaty with the European Community. Malta was declared a republic on December 13th, 1974 and in 2004, Malta finally became the 25th nation to join the European Union.

The Korean Martyrs

We honor today the men and women who were slain because they refused to deny Christ in the nation of Korea. The faith was brought to Korea in a unique fashion. The intellectuals of that land, eager to learn about the world, discovered some Christian books procured through Korea’s embassy to the Chinese capital. One Korean, Ni-seung-houn, went to Beijing in 1784 to study Catholicism and was baptized Peter Ri. Returning to Korea, he converted many others. In 1791, when these Christians were suddenly viewed as foreign traitors, two of Peter Ri’s converts, named Paul and Jacques, were martyred. The faith endured, however, and when Father James Tsiou, a Chinese, entered Korea three years later, he was greeted by four thousand Catholics. Father Tsiou worked in Korea until 1801 when he was slain by authorities. Three decades later the Prefecture Apostolic of Korea was established by Pope Leo XII, after he received a letter smuggled out of Korea by faithful Catholics. In 1836, Monsignor Lawrence Imbert managed to enter Korea. Others arrived, and they worked until 1839, when a full persecution started, bringing about the martyrdom of the European priests. Young Korean seminarians were sent to Macau for ordination. The first native priest, Andrew Kim Taegon, returned to Korea in 1845 and was martyred the following year. Severe persecution followed, and Catholics fled to the mountains, still spreading the faith. In 1864, a new persecution claimed the lives of two bishops, six French missionaries, another Korean priest, and eight thousand Korean Catholics. The Korean martyrs of 1839, 1846, and 1867 were canonized in Korea in 1984 by Pope John Paul II. Today 30% of South Korans are Catholic, but only 2% of North Koreans are Catholic, and obviously they find it very difficult even to attend their churches.

St Januarius

St Januarius, and the annual liquification of his blood.

The patron saint of Naples, St. Januarius was born in Italy and was bishop of Benevento during the Emperor Diocletian’s persecutions, who was one of the most ruthless Emperors. Bishop Januarius went to visit two deacons and two laymen in prison. He was then also imprisoned along with them. They were thrown to the wild beasts, but when the animals did not attack them, they were beheaded. What is believed to be Januarius' blood is kept in the Cathedral of Naples, as a relic. It liquefies and bubbles miraculously when exposed in the Cathedral. St Januarius died in 305 A.D. A dark mass that half fills a hermetically sealed four-inch glass container, is preserved in a double reliquary and liquefies 3 times during a year. Tradition connects it with a certain Eusebia, who had allegedly collected the blood after the martyrdom. The ceremony accompanying the liquefaction is performed by holding the reliquary close to the altar on which is located what is believed to be the martyr's head. While the people pray, often tumultuously, the Bishop turns the reliquary up and down in the full sight of the onlookers until the liquefaction takes place. This has been going on for the past 600 years. Various experiments have been applied, but the phenomenon eludes natural explanation. Similar miraculous claims were made for the blood of John the Baptist, Stephen, Nicholas of Tolentino and Aloysius Gonzaga — nearly all in the neighborhood of Naples. Many residents of Naples believe that if the saint’s blood does not turn to liquid form, it is a sign that some tragedy will befall the city. The miracle did not occur in 1980, and an earthquake south of Naples caused over 2,500 deaths. In the most distant past, the absence of the regular miracle was associated with military losses, volcanic eruptions, and outbreaks of the plague. The important thing to realize and believe is that there is something even more special that turns into blood – the consecrated wine during Mass that becomes the Blood of Christ, just as the bread turns into the real Body of Christ.

Sharing with love

In a Guatemalan forest two friends were hiking when they came across a poor village with children who came running towards them smiling even though they looked very poor. The friends had some oranges with them and as they peeled them they distributed them to the children, with each having a sliver or two. When they only had half an orange left, they noticed a bashful girl all by herself and called her over and gave her two slivers of the orange. She quickly turned around and gave one each to her little brother and sister. Sadly there was nothing left for her. A year later, these same two friends were camping in the same area, and once again met the family, which now had one member missing as the father had died. The two friends this time had some buns which they gave to the mother to share with her children. As they were leaving they noticed that girl hiding behind a rubble wall, and they called her over. They had one bun left and they gave it to her. She thanked them, and as she did the previous year, she broke it in half and walked towards her two younger siblings and gave them each half of the bun.

Two plants

A young boy named Stephen asked his grandpa one day,’ Grandpa, I’d like to be successful when I grow up – do you have any advice for me?’Grandpa was delighted at the opportunity and took his grandson to a plant store and bought two rose bushes in pots. He took them home with them, and quickly planted one of them in the garden, and the other one in a small pot and left it inside the house. Grandpa asked Stephen which one does he think will bloom most beautifully. The boy said the one inside, because it will be protected from the wind, elements, bugs, etc. Grandpa answered simply by saying ‘We’ll see, we’ll see....’ He took care of both plants over the years while Stephen focused on his studies and other you activities as he grew up. Years later, Stephen asked him ‘Grandpa once I asked you what should I do to be successful, but you never gave me an answer.’ So grandpa took him to the yard and showed him a huge rose-plant covered with beautiful red roses, that has attached itself to a trellis. Then he took him inside and showed him the other plant that remained pretty small and unattractive with only a few roses. Stephen asked his grandfather why is this possible since the rose in the garden had to face the wind, the cold, the elements, bugs, etc. Grandpa slowly explained how when we face tough situations in life, we become stronger in the process. The rosebush outside, built a strong root network in the soil, while the leaves could point towards the sky and and absorb periodic sunshine. And if we act like that plant we will be successful in our life’s struggles. If we choose the easy way out, you will never grow, but if you face opposition and challenges, you will reach for the stars. Stephen couldn’t agree more, The same goes for us all. Without any struggles and challenges, we will never learn to overcome the impossible. The easy life never made great people, but most successful people went through tough times and courageously achieved what they dreamt to accomplish.

Mary in the kitchen

Blessed be the days, the years,

You spent upon the earth,

Engaged in little household chores

That seemed of no great worth.

 

Many were the meals you cooked

And placed before the Two,

The growing lad, our Jesus Lord,

And kind St. Joseph too.

 

Mending, sweeping, marketing,

The pots and pans – so clean!

No kitchen task beneath your love,

Although you were a Queen.

 

Come teach me Mother Mary,

In your sweet and gentle way

To sanctfiy my duty, and

the labor of the day.

 

O the Treasure bring you,

God’s peace and love divine,

To dwell in every heart and room,

Of this little home of mine! 

Burnt toast

When the mother was preparing breakfast for the family, one of the children sat next to dad and looked at his large plate of fries, eggs, bacon, baked beans, and coffee. As he waited for the toast, the children ate their cereal and got ready for school. Little Benjamin stayed next to dad as he was going to kindergarten. When the toast arrived it was burnt, really burnt, but dad didn’t say anything, he covered it with butter and jam and ate it. After he finished the mother came over to apologize for giving him burnt toast. But dad said ‘honey, don’t worry, I love burnt toast.’ Later in the evening Benjamin snuggled on his father’s lap, and asked him ‘dad, do you really love burnt toast?’  Dad smiled and said ‘you know mama had a tough day yesterday, with lots of washing and sewing and cooking, and she was dead tired as she didn’t sleep well either. And besides, little burnt toast never killed anyone.’ Benjamin never forgot that lesson – how we should never criticize others because we don’t know what they’ve been through. So never judge or complain, but please do keep an eye on the toast!

The Finding of the Cross

This feast is also called the Exaltation of the Cross, or even the Triumph of the Cross. Early in the fourth century St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ's life. She razed the second-century Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the Jesus's tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre over the tomb. During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman. The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus' head: Then "all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on." To this day the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica's dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclitus recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, 15 years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.

The cross is today the universal image of Christian belief. Countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewellery. To the eyes of the first Christians, it had no beauty. It stood outside too many city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses, as a threat to anyone who defied Rome's authority—including Christians who refused sacrifice to Roman gods. We adore You o Christ and we praise You, because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Pope in the Far East

Pope Francis just ended his longest trip outside the Vatican, that saw him visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore. During his 12 day-voyage he met the predominantly Muslim nation of Indonesia, the poverty-stricken, crime-ridden and indigenous people of Papua New Guinea, the poor and exuberant, mostly Catholic nation of Timor-Leste and the ultra-modern and affluent city-state of Singapore. Francis’s trip to Asia and Oceania – the longest and farthest, and by far the most arduous, of his 11-year papacy – has in many ways been a contrast in global realities, an example of the sharp disparity between the developed and developing nations. The trip, in essence, has been a microcosm of Francis’s entire papacy and the spirit of poverty, unity, dialogue and fraternity that he has sought to grow in the Church – and in the world. As he himself has described it, the trip has largely been a voyage “to the peripheries.” From the moment he arrived until his departure, especially in Timor-Leste, Francis was greeted by massive crowds that lined either side of the street wherever he and his entourage drove, as they waved, cheered and held up signs asking for blessings or telling the Pope that they loved him. Many admired his resilience and strength, as the almost 88-year old Pontiff moved around in a wheelchair, but always with a smile, and a strong voice in the many speeches he had to deliver.

Holy Name of Mary

It’s hard to imagine that the Blessed Mother has many more feasts than Jesus himself in the Liturgical calendar. In one week between August 15 and September 15, there are five celebrations honoring Mary. August 15 is the Assumption, while August 22 i the Queenship of Mary. September 8 is the Nativity of Mary, September 15 is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, and today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Name of Mary, a feast only recently introduced, even though this was made officially a universal feast by Blessed Pope Innocent XI to commemorate victory over the Turks at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. The feast was only a local one at its inception in 1513, when it was instituted in Cuenca, Spain. It was initially celebrated on September 15th and later on the 17th. Pope Gregory XV extended the celebration to the Archdiocese of Toledo in 1622. In 1666 the Discalced Carmelites received the faculty to recite the Office of the Name of Mary four times a year. In 1671 the feast was extended to the whole of Spain. After the victory of the Christians, lead by King John III Sobieski of Poland, over the Turks in the Battle of Vienna in 1683, the feast was extended to the whole Church by Pope Innocent XI, and assigned to the Sunday after the Nativity of Mary. Before the battle King John had placed his troops under the protection of the BVM. Even in the past 60 years, there has been some controversy over the date of this festivity. In 1954, it was re-instated at September 12, but was removed temporarily as many thought it was duplication of the Nativity of Mary, but in 2001, the feast of the Holy Name of Mary was once again set to be celebrated today.
Mary is Mariam in the Holy Land. The Hebrew variant of the name is Miriam. The name may have originated in the Egyptian Meri-Amun, "beloved of the God". It was incorporated in the Exodus narrative as Miriam, the name of Moses' sister. It became common in ancient Israel, hence its appearance in the gospel narrative as the name of Jesus' mother and several other women. The name is very common among Arabs, Iranians and other Muslim cultures.
However, Mary is called by an innumerable number of names that denote a connection with something special, Our Lady of Lourdes, Fatima, Queen of Peace, Angels, Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Snows, even Refuge of Migrants, a title added by Pope Francis in the Litany of Loreto.

The Twin Towers

Two Towers of Faith - An image I designed after 9-11-2001

We saw them disappear 23 years ago in a ruthless, heinous and unspeakable terrorist attack. But the Twin Towers live on in my memory, as I see the Two Spiritual Towers take their place. The images of Jesus and Mary have replaced the two landmark skyscrapers that disappeared for the iconic New York skyline forever. The metal and beams and glass are gone, but the spirit of what they represented will live on in the spirit of the people, as well as the 3,000 who lost their lives that day September 11, 2001.  Let us pray and remember.

“When damaged, those buildings eventually plummeted to the ground, imploding in a moment's time. Yet underneath the debris is a foundation that was not destroyed. We have a choice, whether to implode and disintegrate emotionally and spiritually as a people and a nation, or to become stronger through this entire struggle to rebuild on a solid foundation. And I believe that we're in the process of starting to rebuild on that foundation. That foundation is our trust in God. And in that faith we have the strength to endure something as difficult and horrendous as what we have experienced this week.”- Rev Billy Graham

Nativity of Mary photos

Visiting our sister island of Gozo last Sunday I was able to attend a procession of the Nativity of Mary in the town of Xagħra (pronounced shara.) The place was jam-packed with people, tourists, locals and visitors from Malta. The beautiful church was lit up splendidly as you can see from these photos, and many other decorations were spread out throughout the large square in front of the Baroque church. The warm, humid weather didn’t dampen the spirit of the people attending who were entertained by marching bands, lots of fireworks, and for those who got hungry there were plenty of food stands to entice them. The festa season in Malta is now coming to an end with three more feasts left between now and he end of the year.

The necklace

Little Tiffany loved to dress up, and she had her eyes on a necklace she saw in the jewellery store. It was a child’s necklace and was only 5 Euros, but she only had some change to buy it. So her mother asked her to do some chores for her and start saving. She even encouraged her to go and help some neighbors with raking leaves and other easy errands. Within a month she had collected 5 Euros and 40 cents. And she went happily with her mother to buy the green necklace. Tiffany was in seventh heaven wearing the necklace. She took it off only to take a bath and sleep. Her father observed the whole story and one evening, before tucking in bed little Tiffany and reading a story as usual, he asked her ‘Tiff, do you love me?’ ‘Yes of course dad!’ Dad then asked her ‘then can you give me your necklace?’ ‘Oh no dad, how about I’ll give you the blanket instead, but not my necklace!’ Dad let it go, but a few days later he asked her again. This time she said to him ‘dad, this cost me 5 Euros and I love to wear it....how about you take some of my books.’ ‘No, that’s OK honey, go to sleep.’ A week later, dad was tucking Tiffany again at night and again, ‘Tiffany do you really love me?’ ‘Of course dad.’ ‘Then can I have the necklace.’ She almost started to cry, and suggested he could take her roller-skates.’ Of course he said no. Finally, some weeks later he asked her again ‘Tiff, do you really, really love your dad?’ ‘And with tears trickling down her cheeks she said ‘Yes dad, I really love you.’ And again for the last time ‘then can you give me your necklace?’ Sobbing Tiffany answered ‘yes you can have it.’ So dad took Tiffany’s necklace and slipped it into his pocket as she eyed her precious charm disappear with utter disappointment. Then dad knelt next to his daughter and gave her a velvet blue-covered box. In it was a necklace with real genuine pearls. He waited until she could part from her little treasure so that he could gave her a much more expensive and genuine necklace she would wear for the rest of her life. You know that God works the same with us. He  wants us to part from things that have no value, so that He can give us treasures that are invaluable and priceless. And ask yourself if your life is attached to some vice, habit, something artificial or even a bad relationship, some fear or ambition that you can really do without. And let God take control of your life.

The Birth of Mary

The church celebrates today the birth of the Blessed Mother. To affirm the duration of human pregnancy the church celebrates Mary’s Immaculate Conception exactly 9 months prior to this feast, on December 8. Her birth was promised by an angel to her parents St. Joachim and St. Anne who were shunned by many neighbors as they were childless, and this was considered as a dishonor by many. But I like to remember Mary as a toddler, a young child, a teenager, who must have been a regular teenager with the peer pressure issues that all young people face today. We always imagine Mary with folded hands, a sweet smile, an obedient disposition and other attributes we imagine when we look at statues and paintings. But just as boys will be boys, girls will be girls also, and she was probably similar to our young girls and teenagers, with the exception of not having a cell-phone attached to her ears. We honor Mary today and ask her protection over our young people, as so many of them have drifted away from the church. May she keep our families close to her heart, and bring peace in our troubled world.

Fiesta time

The town where I live, Naxxar is one of 4 parishes where they celebrate the feast of the Nativity of Mary tomorrow. The other three are Senglea, Mellieħa and Xagħra in Gozo. All towns are fully decorated with banners, statues, lights and every imaginable decoration that paint the town in color, symbols of Mary, and everything enhanced by bells peeling, fireworks exploding and marching bands all over town. 

Of course the churches and the statue of Mary are always the highlight and focal point of the whole week-long Marian celebration.  These are just three photos from Naxxar parish.

Nativity of Mary parish church in Naxxar

Blue Angels

The British have the Red Arrows, the Italians have the Freccie Tricolore, the French have the Patrouille de France, the Canadians have the Snowbirds, and the Americans have the famous Blue Angels. Here I share with you three photos of these fascinating planes that perform acrobatic routines all over the USA. The first one shows them over the Twin Towers before September 2001. The Blue Angels, formally named the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstation Squadron, are a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy. Formed in 1946, the unit is the second oldest formal aerobatic team in the world, after the French Patrouille de France formed in 1931. 

The team has six Navy and one Marine Corps demonstration pilots. They fly the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets along with the Lockheaed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. The Blue Angels typically perform aerial displays in at least 60 shows annually at 30 locations throughout the United States and two shows at one location in Canada.

St. Teresa of Calcutta

Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa, 1910-1997) said this prayer each day. The prayer was written by Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890), and Mother Teresa changed the original singular to plural and said it with her Missionaries of Charity sisters. Then she added the second part of this prayer:

Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly
that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us and be so in us that every soul we come in contact with
may feel your presence in our soul.
Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine,
so to shine as to be light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from you. None of it will be ours.
It will be you shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best
by shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching, not by words, but by our example;
by the catching force – the sympathetic influence of what we do,
the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you. Amen.

Jesus is the Word – to be spoken.

Jesus is the Truth – to be told.

Jesus is the Way – to be walked.

Jesus is the Light – to be lit.

Jesus is the Life – to be lived.

Jesus is the Love – to be loved.

Jesus is the Joy – to be shared.

Jesus is the Sacrifice – to be offered.

Jesus is the Peace – to be given.

Jesus is the Bread of Life – to be eaten.

Jesus is the Hungry – to be fed.

Jesus is the Thirsty – to be satiated.

Jesus is the Naked – to be clothed.

Jesus is the Homeless – to be taken in.

Jesus is the Sick – to be healed.

Jesus is the Lonely – to be loved.

Jesus is the Unwanted – to be wanted.

Jesus is the Leper – to wash his wounds.

Jesus is the Beggar – to give him a smile.

Jesus is the Drunkard – to listen to him.

Jesus is the Retarded – to protect him.

Jesus is the Little One – to embrace him.

Jesus is the Blind – to lead him.

Jesus is the Dumb – to speak for him.

Jesus is the Crippled – to walk with him.

Jesus is the Drug addict – to befriend him.

Jesus is the Prostitute – to remove from danger and befriend.

Jesus is the Prisoner – to be visited.