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.

Help from Heaven

Gloria Trevisan and Marco Gottardi

In 2017, the Grenfell Tower in London was devastated by a major fire, which left 80 people dead and many others injured and burned. The final report of what actually happened will be released today. The 1,700-page report is expected to spotlight serious failings among national and local politicians, builders, material manufacturers and sales people, fire-testing experts and the London fire brigade. On that day, two young Italian architects were caught in the top floor, the 23rd floor. Gloria Trevisan and Marco Gottardi had no way out. Gloria called frantically for the last time her mother in Italy. These were her emotional last word: ’Mother, I am sorry I will never be able to hug you again. I had my whole life planned ahead of me. This is not fair. I don’t want to die. I wish I can help you, and reciprocate all you did for me. Me and Marco are ready to go to heaven. I will help you from up there. I love you.’

St Gregory the Great

St. Gregory, born at Rome about the year 540, was the son of Gordianus, a wealthy senator, who later renounced the world and became one of the seven deacons of Rome. After Gregory had acquired the usual thorough education, Emperor Justin the Younger appointed him, in 574, Chief Magistrate of Rome, though he was only thirty-four years of age. After the death of his father, he built six monasteries in Sicily and founded a seventh in his own house in Rome, which became the Benedictine Monastery of St. Andrew. Here, he himself assumed the monastic habit in 575, at the age of thirty-five.  After the death of Pelagius, St. Gregory was chosen Pope by the unanimous consent of priests and people. Now began those labors which merited for him the title of Great. His zeal extended over the entire known world. He was in contact with all the Churches of Christendom and, in spite of his bodily sufferings, and innumerable labors, he found time to compose a great number of works. He is known above all for his magnificent contributions to the Liturgy of the Mass and Office. The mainstream form of Western plainchant, standardized in the late 9th century, was attributed to Pope Gregory I and so took the name of Gregorian chant. Gregory wrote over 850 letters in the last 13 years of his life (590–604) that give us an accurate picture of his work. He is one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church. He died March 12, 604. St Gregory is the patron saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachers.

Gregorian Chant at Solesmes

In anticipation of tomorrow’s feast of Saint Gregory the Great, I’d like to share with you some classic and vintage Gregorian Chant, as it should be sung. The St. Peter’s Abbey in Solesmes (pronounced Solemm) has perfected the chant over the years, thanks to their Abbot Dom Prosper Gueranger after the French Revolution. I’ve heard many versions and recordings of chant, but by far this is the quintessential performance that surpasses all others. I have quite a few recordings of the monks’ chanting over the years, and I invite you to enjoy a sample recording that is an hour long. Just play it in the background while you’re reading or resting, or even before you go to sleep, and you’ll find yourself in heaven.

A small lie

On April 25, 2013, Ex-President Jimmy Carter was giving a talk at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and during his speech, he recalled a story that happened after he retired from the White House. A female journalist interviewed his mother, Lillian. She was reluctant at first, but finally she accepted. When the journalist arrived, she knocked on the door and told her she could come right in. The journalist had some tough questions for her, aggressive at times, and rude also. She asked Lilian, ‘your son had promised to always tell the truth. Do you think he ever lied?’ Lillian answered her ‘I think my Jimmy always tells the truth’ The insistent journalist persisted, ‘But during his presidency, did he ever tell a small lie?’ Lillian responded ‘I think he did.’ The journalist fired back ‘Well then, he did lie! If he even said a small lie, he lied.’ The journalist kept insisting ‘how do you describe a small lie? And the mother replied, and ended the conversation this way: ‘Like when you knocked at my door, and I opened the door for you and told you what a pleasure it was to speak to you!’