The Canary

Another flash-back from the USA: Going back to 1994, when I was in St Anthony of Padua parish church in Rocky Point, New York, I had an elderly lady whom I visited to give her communion once a week, and she had a canary in a cage. Incredibly, every time I opened my pyx to give her the Eucharist, this canary would start to sing a most beautiful song, with thrills and arpeggios, and would not stop until she had received communion on her tongue. This happened repeatedly and I was always mystified how a tiny bird can sense the presence of the Lord close by. It is hard to believe it but it is true. The pyx is the small container where we place the consecrated hosts while visiting the homebound – that’s a good word to remember if you like to pay Scrabble. Animals often fascinate us with their instinct and how they respond to us in incredible, spontaneous and fascinating way. This canary certainly recognized someone special who visited him every week, and responded with his brilliant song and excitement to have such a treasured Guest visit him in the solitude of his cage. When I ended up as chaplain at Hilltop Gardens, back in Malta, there were two ladies who had similar birds, and even though they weren’t as demonstrative as the one in Rocky Point, they always moved around and chirped a little bit when I was showing the host to the couple, as I said ’Behold the Lamb of God.....’