The Gardjola

Around the island of Malta, various sentry boxes were built, mostly by the Knights of Malta over the two hundred and fifty years when they ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798. They were built mainly on top of fortifications and bastions, to serve as watch-towers against the incoming enemy, in our case the Ottoman Empire, the Turks, against whom Malta fought the Great Siege in 1565. These sentry-boxes are still well-preserved and often restored and they still create a nice addition, especially to photographs. They are called a gardjola in Maltese.

Here are two gardjolas, one in the foreground and another across the main harbor.

Well-attended talk

Two-thirds of a page in the TIMES OF MALTA about my talk.

Yesterday and today I presented a talk at Hilltop Gardens about my 35 year experience working in various parishes, in New York and Oregon. The talk was presented twice for a standing room only crowd of residents and visitors from outside. The first half of my PowerPoint presentation consisted of an overview of my work with parishioners, youth and children in 7 parishes between 1981 and 2016. The second half was a collection of wildlife, scenic and nature photos I took, mostly in the state of Oregon. I had made various announcements at the chapel, and I knew people would respond, but never expected such an overwhelming crowd. I also had sent a note about the talk to the local newspaper ‘Times of Malta,’ with the hope they would print my note on a Sunday, but it was not printed, thinking it would have been overlooked with more important news about the local elections. But then yesterday, my note appeared covering two-thirds of a page, and included 4 photos which I had sent along with m e-mail. So I was more than surprised to see this page dedicated to my talk, and so more people showed up, and were delighted they did.

One of the photos reproduced in better quality, taken in Baker City 2009.

Watercolor project 2

Here is another watercolor painting I just finished in my own personal style. It may look similar to the first one I posted over a week ago, but one can see various farmhouses, so typical of the Maltese landscape, a parish church, wayside chapel and a windmill. One can also notice a saint's niche, popular in the Maltese countryside, as well as a gateway, which were built by the Knights of Malta, At the top right hand one can see a gardjola, a sentry-box built over various promontories also by the Knights. A typical tower or castle is also seen on the top, which were built by the Knights to defend us from the invasion of the Turks during the Great Siege in the 16th century. Rubble walls are also very popular in Malta, as are a few cabins made from rubble-wall, called a girna, two of which are also in the painting. Last but not least, the typical colorful fishing boats are waiting for a trip out in the sea by local fishermen. The second painting shows the work in progress, just to see the process I use to paint each section, and before I highlight each building with a distinctive outline. Please do click to enlarge the painting.

Most used Letters

These are the most used letters in books and writing. They are listed in order of how frequently they are used, from the most to the least used: 

 1. E     2. T    3. A    4. O    5. N    6. R    7. I    

8. S   9. H    10. D    11. L    12. C   13. M    14. U 15. F    16. G    17. Y    18. P    19. W    20. B   

21. V    22. K    23. X    24. J   25. Q    26. Z

In just the two sentences I wrote in the introduction they are 19 uses of the letter E, and in this sentence, there are 26 uses of the letter T, the first and second most used letters in the alphabet.

To grow, to love and to live.

To see a greater vision of the work there is to do.

To gain a better insight of the way to see it through.

To share another’s knowledge of the things that he may learn.

To help to solve the problems we meet at every turn – 

THAT IS TO GROW !

To lift a weary burden from a neighbor’s heavy heart.

To weed out hate and malice where a prejudice might start.

To care about another and the load that he must bear.

To know a brother’s heartache and feel that you can share – 

THAT IS TO LOVE !

To find some bit of beauty in the common things of life.

To hear some word of comfort in the midst of toil and strife.

To have a sense of longing for the values that will last.

To know that God will help you, as you face your common task – 

THAT IS TO LIVE !

Pentecost

Pentecost stained glass from Baker City Cathedral, Oregon.

As we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles today, the birthday of the church, let us reflect on the beautiful words of the popular hymn Veni Sancte Spiritus – Come Holy Spirit.....

Come, Creator Spirit, visit the minds of your children,
and fill the hearts you have made, with heavenly grace.

You are called the Comforter, the gift of God most high,
living spring, and fire, love, and spiritual anointing. 

You are sevenfold in your gifts, the finger of God’s right hand;

you are the Father’s  true promise, endowing our tongues with speech. 

Enkindle your light in our senses, infuse your life in our hearts;
strengthen our bodies’ weakness by your never failing might.

Drive far away our foe, and grant peace without end,
that with you to lead us on, we may escape all harm. 

Grant us, through you, to know the Father, also the Son;
may we ever believe in you, the Spirit of them both. Amen.

Election Day in Malta

People line up to vote, usually in schools transformed into Polling Stations for the day.

Certainly I will never write anything controversial in my blog, and this goes especially where politics is involved. But since this is Election day in my home country of Malta, it happens to be a historic day for me personally as I have not voted since 1976. In fact that was the only time I ever voted in Malta, 41 years ago. Since then I voted many times in the USA, mainly because elections are held annually in November, with the highlight being every 4 years when the Presidential election is held. So I was looking forward to vote in my town of St Julian’s today anytime between 7 AM and 10 AM. Since in the USA, voting is done by mail, I always missed the excitement of going to the polling stations, wait on line, see other people arriving and get involved in the voting process, which is quite complicated here in Malta, especially where the counting of votes is concerned. I was at the Polling Station by 6:30 AM, and voted at 7:10 AM, and I was done in 10 minutes, but enjoyed waiting on line, getting approved, getting the long ballot paper, and vote in secret, as everyone else did.

People line up to vote

The party that gets the most votes will govern for the next 5 years, but the way that candidates are elected is much more complicated, as the proportional system is observed here. So if a candidate gets more votes than the quota needed to be elected for that particular district, the extra votes are given to the person who is given the number 2 vote on a particular ballot. The ballots are very long and can carry as many as 37 names, as was in my district, which included 21 names for one particular party. So a person can vote for 21 candidates or even more, as long as the votes are given in numerical order, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. Usually 5 candidates are elected from each of the 13 districts. Some are running on 2 districts and are frequently elected on both. This will give way to a casual election, whereby that particular elected member concedes one of the seats and that is given to whoever inherits the most votes from the double-elected member.

The complicated method of counting of votes

The counting of votes is very complicated as each ballot has to be sorted out individually, and counted individually. We were told that as from 2019, the counting will be done electronically, but the voting will be done manually, as has been done for decades. As is the case with the United States, we have two major political parties, the Nationalist party and the Labor party, and they always run neck-and-neck, although in the last election in 2013, there was a difference of 36,000 votes. This election is predicted to be much closer, and the final result will be made know sometime during the day on Sunday. People in Malta take their voting rights very seriously and usually there is over 90% turnout for election voting.

Flowers from Malta

I share with you some flowers I came across in my brief travels around the island. Spring is a colorful season even in Malta, and one comes across a variety of flowers which are not common in the USA. So enjoy these samples as we welcome the month of June, with warmer weather definitely around the corner. 

The Art of.......

There really is an art in everything you do.......

Patience – the art of losing one’s temper slowly.

Music – the art of expressing that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.

Drawing – the art of taking a line for a walk.

Conversation – the art of telling people a little less than they want to know.

Diplomacy – the art of shutting up and biting your tongue seven times before closing your mouth.

Painting – the art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the art critic.

Inflation – the art of cutting a dollar (or paper Euro or pound) in two, without damaging the paper.

Living – the art of getting used to what we didn’t expect.

Fanaticism – the art by which one cannot change his mind, and won’t change the subject.

Smiling – the art of perfecting a giggle and a laugh, politely.

Feast of the Visitation

Today we celebrate a very special moment in the history of the church – when the Blessed Mother visits her cousin Elizabeth. You might say there is nothing particularly special about a visit that a woman makes to another woman. Most women love to visit and talk, have a cup of coffee and brag on their children, their houses, and their appearance, not to mention what they might say about their husbands. But the feast of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth is a fairly late feast, going back only to the 13th or 14th century. It was established widely throughout the Church to pray for unity. The present date of celebration was set in 1969 by Blessed Pope Paul VI, in order to follow the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25) and precede the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (June 24.)
Like most feasts of Mary, it is closely connected with Jesus and his saving work. The more visible actors in the visitation drama, as recorded in the Gospel of St Luke, chapter 1:39-45, are Mary and Elizabeth. However, Jesus and John the Baptist steal the scene in a hidden way. Jesus makes John leap with joy—the joy of messianic salvation. Elizabeth, in turn, is filled with the Holy Spirit and addresses words of praise to Mary—words that echo down through the ages. Then comes the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Here, Mary herself traces all her greatness to God, a prayer that is recited daily in the Evening Prayers priests recite in the Breviary.

This feast gives us the opportunity to review the spirit of visits we make to each other. How welcoming are we when people visit us? How kind and gracious are we when we visit other people, whether they are family or friends? How much of an opportunity we take to speak about our faith and our values when friends visit us? And with the explosion of social media in our lives, it is good to communicate the way we used to, sitting down, face to face over a cup of coffee, recollecting past experiences and family stories. I am sure that Mary and Elizabeth had a great time talking and chatting about their lives, their unborn babies and plans they had for them, Jesus and John the Baptist respectively.

The Chapel at Hilltop Gardens

'The Risen Christ' painting by John Grima

Continuing on my overview of Hilltop Gardens and its quaint chapel, it is a modern place of worship, where I find many hours of comfort and prayer as I prepare my liturgies and celebrate Mass daily. On the sides there are 6 paintings or murals done by a Maltese-Gozitan artist John Grima, and they depict on the right side 1. Creation of the universe and planets, 2. Creation of the animals, and 3. Creation of Adam and Eve. On the left side the murals depict 1. The Nativity, 2. The miracle of the multiplication of 5 loaves and 2 fishes, and 3. The Resurrection of Jesus. The ceiling is blue with cloud formation, and the base of the altar as well as the tabernacle is made of onyx, similar to the flooring. 

The outside of the "Risen Christ" Hilltop Gardens chapel.

There is a balcony or choir loft where the extra people who show up, especially on Christmas and Easter, can stay. Visiting choirs also use the balcony as they embellish our liturgies with their music, and they enjoy looking over the congregation while singing at various parts of the Mass. Many visitors come in at various times and admire the chapel, and they all have a similar comment....”how peaceful and how serene.” The Staff had told me on various occasions that the chapel and the Masses are what mostly attract prospective residents to eventually join Hilltop Gardens. 

'The miracle of the loaves and fishes' by John Grima

I treat it as if it were a regular parish, with the Adoration, Benediction and Rosary on the first Fridays, and Stations of the Cross during Lent. I also introduced the Diocesan Rosary where we offer each Hail Mary to different parishes in Malta and Gozo, besides other Diocesan institutions like the Chancery, Cathedral, Museums, Homes for the Elderly, the handicapped, University and many others. Please do click on each photo to enlarge, especially the paintings.

1st Anniversary at Hilltop Gardens

Today is the first anniversary of my appointment as chaplain at Hilltop Gardens at Naxxar. It is a retirement home that caters for both independent living as well as a care home for the elderly. My duty is to celebrate Mass daily, twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday, (including an English Mass) plus any additional Masses that are needed for visiting groups. 

Playing the Ave Maria during one of the Masses

The chapel itself is very modern as you can see from the photos. The whole complex was opened in December 2015 and presently has close to 200 residents. My Masses are attended also by the local neighbors who enjoy the simplicity of the liturgies without the huge crowds one finds in larger parishes. An occasional meditation on my flute adds to the warmth and atmosphere of the community. The chapel holds close to 80 people and is surrounded by a moat, which gives it the impression that it is a floating chapel. Many of the residents are wheeled into the chapel in their wheel-chairs and those who cannot attend can follow the Mass on their closed-circuit TV in their rooms. After each Mass I go around with communion calls to anywhere between 15 and 25 residents who are bed-ridden. 

Foot-washing ceremony on Holy Thursday

The chapel is dedicated to the Risen Christ, and the floor is covered with onyx, a special type of marble that the owner found in a quarry, and saved it for this chapel, which he designed himself. Tomorrow I will show you more photos of the artistic aspect of the chapel. For today you can see the inside during various celebrations, including the Holy Thursday foot-washing ceremony. 

Ascension

Raffaele Caruana 'Ascension' at Lapsi church, St Julian's

Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension, a celebration that has been transferred in many Dioceses to the 7th Sunday of Easter. This is the day that the Lord gave his final “Goodbye” to his followers, although it was more like a “So Long.” This feast has special memories for me as a child, because of a painting that was in my childhood parish, dedicated to the Ascension of Jesus. It was painted by the Maltese artist Raffaele Caruana (1820-1886.) As a child and especially as an altar-boy I frequently reflected on this painting, even connecting the faces of the apostles to men in the parish, whom they resembled. The actual church was dedicated to Saint Julian, the old parish church until 1969, but was always known as the Lapsi Church (Ascension Church.) The feast of the Ascension opens officially the swimming/summer season, and the weather usually warms up steadily from now on.

And as Jesus leaves us today, He is also empowering us to continue His work, as He did with the apostles 2 millennia ago. They have not let Him down, and neither did the many saints and holy people that have followed. Let us not let Him down, but continue this enticing relay race of Christianity, passing the proverbial baton to our children and children’s children, as our forefathers have done over the centuries. 

Some more exotic flowers

The Ballerina orchid

Here are four more really unusual flowers, which obviously remind you of other things, like a ballerina, parrots, Darth Veda and even monkeys. Most of them are from the orchid family. 

Darth Veda flower

Two monkeys in this Orchid plant

In this spring season, a variety of flowers crop up, some of them dormant after many years, especially after some dry years or even decades. Yet the seeds buried in the dark ground wait patiently for a wet winter to burst forth in beauty and splendor. Yet these flowers shown here are exotic and tropical, and are not usually seen in European or American floral displays.

The parrot flower

St Philip Neri

St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

If one had to choose one saint who showed the humorous side of holiness that would be St. Philip Neri, whose feast we celebrate today. Born in 1515 in Florence, he showed the impulsiveness and spontaneity of his character from the time he was a boy. His father was not successful financially and at eighteen Philip was sent to work with an older cousin who was a successful businessman. During this time, Philip found a favorite place to pray up in cave on a mountain that had been turned into a chapel. He then went to Rome in 1533 where he studied philosophy and theology until he thought his studies were interfering with his prayer life. He then stopped his studies, threw away his books, and lived as a kind of hermit.
Night was his special time of prayer. After dark he would go out in the streets, sometimes to churches, but most often into the catacombs of St. Sebastiano to pray. He felt so filled with energy to serve God that he went out to work at the hospital of the incurables and starting speaking to others about God, everyone from beggars to bankers.
In 1548 Philip formed a confraternity with other laymen to minister to pilgrims who came to Rome without food or shelter. The spiritual director of the confraternity convinced Philip that he could do even more work as a priest. After receiving instruction from this priest, Philip was ordained in 1551.
At his new home, the church of San Girolamo, he learned to love to hear confessions. Young men especially found in him the wisdom and direction they needed to grow spiritually. But Philip began to realize that these young men needed something more than absolution; they needed guidance during their daily lives. So Philip began to ask the young men to come by in the early afternoon when they would discuss spiritual readings and then stay for prayer in the evening. The numbers of the men who attended these meetings grew rapidly. In order to handle the growth, Philip and a fellow priest built a room called the Oratory to hold them in.
Philip understood that it wasn't enough to tell young people not to do something ‑‑ you had to give them something to do in its place. So at Carnival time, when the worst excesses were encouraged, Philip organized a pilgrimage to the Seven Churches with a picnic accompanied by instrumental music for the mid‑day break. After walking twelve miles in one day everyone was too tired to be tempted!
In 1555, the Pope's Vicar accused Philip of "introducing novelties" and ordered him to stop the meetings of the Oratory. Philip was brokenhearted but obeyed immediately. The Pope only let him start up the Oratory again after the sudden death of his accuser. Eventually Philip decided it would be best for the group to have their own church. They became officially known as the Congregation of the Oratory, made up of secular priests and clerics. Philip was known to be spontaneous and unpredictable, charming and humorous. One of his men was Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina who wrote beautiful harmonic choral music and Masses.
Humility was the most important virtue he tried to teach others and to learn himself. Philip died in 1595 after a long illness at the age of eighty years. This prayer is a fitting conclusion to this brief biography of this happy joy‑filled saint: Saint Philip Neri, we take ourselves far too seriously most of the time. Help us to add humor to our perspective ‑ remembering always that humor is a gift from God.

Unusual Flowers

White Egret Orchid

Here are some really weird and unusual flowers you may not come across while walking in the countryside. It’s truly fascinating how nature presents us with some bizarre animals, trees, birds, fish and in this case, flowers. (a few more in the coming posts)

Hookers Lips flower

Flying Ducks orchid

Roger Moore (1927-2017)

We bid goodbye today to one of the most prominent actors of the last half of last century. Roger Moore passed away yesterday in Switzerland after a brief battle with cancer. He was 89. Born on October 14, 1927 he is probably best known for his 7 magnificent James Bond movies, issued between 1973 and 1985, playing the British secret agent, following the footsteps of his predecessor Sean Connery. He also played Simon Templar in the television series ‘The Saint’ between 1962 and 1969. 

Roger Moore in his role as Ivanhoe

But my childhood recollection of him goes back even further as he played the role of Ivanhoe between 1958 and 1959, a show which was one of my favorites on black-and-white TV. He also played TV roles in ‘The Alaskans,’ ‘The Maverick,’ and ‘The Persuaders,’ before starting his classic role as 007. Sir Roger Moore was involved with UNICEF, helping children all around the world. He died on May 23, 2017.

Interesting Trivia

There are more chicken than people in the world.

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

The longest one syllable word in the English language is screeched.

On the Canadian two-dollar bill, the flag flying over the Monument is an American flag.

The Name for the Wizard of Oz was thought up when the creator, Frank Baum looked at a filing cabinet and saw the files categories in two batches A-N and O-Z, hence Oz.

The microwave was invented when a researched walked by a radar tube, and a

chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

The average person falls asleep in 7 minutes.

Stewardesses is the longest word you can type with the left hand.

How come “abbreviated” is a such a long word ?

Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of a bottle ?

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

The Strength of a Man

The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders....... It's seen in the width of his arms that circle you.
The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice. It is in the gentle words he whispers.
The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has. It's how good a buddy he is with his kids.
The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work. It's in how respected he is at home.
The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits. It's in how tenderly he touches.
The strength of a man isn't in the hair on his chest. It's in his Heart...that lies within his chest.
The strength of a man isn't how many women he's loved. It's in his loyalty to one woman.
The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift. It is in the burdens he can carry.

No matter what happens

I remember a time when each day was long, 

when the world was a playground and my life a song,
and I fluttered through years with barely a care,
Ignoring the future and what waited there.

School was intriguing and filled with delights.
I played away day-times and dreamed away nights.
My parents assured me I had nothing to fear,
And that no matter what happened, they'd always be there.

Little I knew of a world outside home,
Where tragedy, sorrow and murder could roam.
All I saw were blue skies, rainbows and stars.
I looked past destruction of buildings and cars.

As a child, my biggest concern was just me;
I had to be happy, I had to be free.
And if I was content, I would not shed a tear,
And no matter what happened, I still would be here.

But as I grow up, darkness starts to set in;
My bright world has turned into concrete and tin.
I now see the violence I looked past before;
My friends start to die and my heart hits the floor.

Deadly diseases claim people I love,
There are landfills below me, pollution above.
I often think back to when life was a game.
But no matter what happens, it can't be the same.

There are days when I just want to break down and howl,
To give up completely, to throw in the towel,
But I hold my head high and I push my way through.
I have too much to give and so much to do.

And I make a vow that, though it'll be hard,
I'll go on with a smile and play every card.
I'll give all I can, help others and love.
And the strength I don't have will come from above.

So come, take my hand, and through darkness we will sail,
If we all join together, we never can fail.
We'll remember to care, remember to feel,
And no matter what happens, our world we will heal.

Buddhists 10 Commandments

We are used to our own 10 Commandments, given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai. But it’s interesting to see what the Buddhist 10 Commandments say. Some of them would be very appropriate to apply them in our own lives. So here they are:

1. Do not destroy life.
2. Do not take what is not given to you.
3. Do not commit adultery.
4. Tell no lies and deceive no one.
5. Do not become intoxicated.
6. Eat temperately and not at all in the afternoon.
7. Do not watch dancing, nor listen to singing or plays.
8. Wear no garlands, perfumes or any other adornments.
9. Sleep not in luxurious beds.
10. Accept no gold or silver.

A Malta scene - in watercolors

A Malta scene - click to enlarge

It took almost a year for me to get re-started with my watercoloring hobby, but I present to you my first official Maltese project, and obviously I had to put a Maltese touch into it. After producing a few similar paintings while in Oregon, with the main features highlighted with a black fine liner, I thought this would be my signature style now, especially after a few of my Oregonian friends have requested these type of paintings and have them hanging in their living rooms, framed beautifully. So I will explain how I worked on this first project.
                    
The outline of the entire was made in pencil with various typical Maltese structures, like a palace, churches, houses, a windmill, a Neolithic temple, rubble huts known as ‘girna’ and the occasional rubble wall, besides the colorful fishing boats.
                    
Then I started painting the colorful fields, alternating between green and brown or tan, adding a few trees in the process, besides shrubs and tiny plants in different shades of green.
                
Then it was time to color the buildings with different hues that alternate from brown to grey to light yellow, the color of limestone, the predominant stones used for most buildings. The boats were also colored and the final touch was the outline of each structure with a fine liner, as well as the rubble walls and trees.
And there is the finished painting, placed on top of this post. I am planning a few similar projects with a variety of buildings and historical structures interspersed throughout the countryside, frequently dominated with the Baroque churches on the skyline, although nowadays the high risers are taking their place. But at least my paintings will highlight the traditional landscapes we all remember nostalgically.

Art in the sky

It's amazing what one can see in the skies, if we only observe and behold the magnificent display of clouds, lightning and other cloud formation during twisters and hurricanes. Of course most of us are hurrying for shelter when a thunderstorm is approaching, but some daring photographers risk their lives by taking incredible photos. Here are some of them which can be really described as true art in the sky.

Tomorrow: My first watercolor painting from Malta....don't miss it.