St John Lateran

Today is the anniversary of the dedication of the Lateran church in Rome, the mother church, which was dedicated on November 9, 324 AD. King Constantine had built the original church on a plot of land owned by the Laterani family. It was pillaged and attacked and desecrated over the years, but it survived. However, an earthquake in the 9th century destroyed it completely. The Lateran Basilica along with the Palace adjacent to it have been rebuilt and rededicated twice. Pope Sergius III dedicated them to Saint John the Baptist in the 10th century, while Pope Lucius II dedicated them to Saint John the Evangelist in the 12th century. Two destructive fires in 1307 and 1361 ravaged the Palace and Basilica. The successive Popes had to move to Avignon, and the Avignon Papacy sent money for their reconstruction and maintenance. However they never regained their former splendor, until Pope Clement XII launched a competition to design a new façade. In the meantime, the Popes returned to Rome, but settled now at the Vatican, where they still remain.

St. Paul's marble statue, one of 12.

Over 23 architects took part in the competition and the winner was Alessandro Galilei. The majestic façade as it appears today was completed in 1735. I was fortunate to visit the Basilica in May 2012 and took quite a few photos, 2 of which are accompanying this post. I was especially impressed with 12 massive statues of the 12 apostles situated inside the basilica, sculpted by the best sculptors in Rome in the early 18th century: Rusconi, Moratti, Rossi, Mazzuoli, Ottoni, Monnot and Le Gros. An elaborate baldacchino stands above the main altar, surrounded by various paintings and an intricate mosaic in the apse. It is believed that the table on which the Last Supper was held is preserved in the Cathedral. as well as the skulls of both St Peter and Saint Paul.

St Elizabeth of the Trinity

                         
This is a fairly new saint, having been canonized only 5 years ago. St. Elizabeth of the Trinity was born in France in 1880, the second of two daughters, and grew up in Dijon close to the city's Carmelite monastery. Upon the sudden death of her father, the girls and their mother moved into a second-story apartment that overlooked the Carmel of Dijon. Her name was Elizabeth Catez, and her family’s fond nickname for her was Sabeth. In her childhood she was regarded as a brilliant pianist and a very good student, overall. She would have been a most delightful child, in fact, were it not for an instinctive stubbornness, a naturally noisy nature, and a fiery temper. Elizabeth visited the monastery when she was 17, after reading a copy of the Story of a Soul, the manuscript of St Therese of Liseiux, which her sisters had spread among the Carmelite monasteries after her death. Elizabeth then told her mother she wanted to enter the Carmel, but her mother replied that she couldn't enter until she was 21, and so Elizabeth continued to work with troubled youth throughout that time, and do a lot of other good work in the city of Dijon, especially teaching catechism to the children and adults. As her twenty-first birthday loomed, Elizabeth’s mother knew her defeat was coming. In August of 1901, two weeks after turning twenty-one, she claimed her birthday present, walked into Carmel with her mother and her sister and then bidding them a loving adieu as she passed into the cloister.

A young Elizabeth at the piano

She died there in 1906 – at the age of 26 – from Addison's disease. Elizabeth wrote several works while there, the best-known of which is her prayer "O My God, Trinity Whom I Adore." Also particularly notable are her "Heaven in Faith," a retreat she wrote three months before her death for her sister Guite; and the "Last Retreat," her spiritual insights from the last annual retreat she was able to make. She continued playing the piano and probably also the organ in their chapel. Cardinal Albert Decourtray, who was Bishop of Dijon from 1974 to 1981, was cured of cancer through Bl. Elizabeth's intercession – a miracle that allowed her beatification in 1984. The healing for her canonization was acknowledged by Pope Francis on March 4, 2016. It was that of Marie-Paul Stevens, a Belgian woman who had Sjögren's syndrome, a glandular disease. In 2002 Stevens had asked Bl. Elizabeth to help her manage the extreme discomforts of the pathology she had, and in thanksgiving, because she felt like she had received graces … she travelled to the Carmelite monastery just outside Dijon, and when she got to the monastery, she was completely healed. Elizabeth of the Trinity was canonized on October 16, 2016 by Pope Francis at the Vatican.

NYC Marathon

After the 1985 NYC Marathon

Today the annual New York City marathon is held in New York, going through the 5 boroughs of the Big Apple. Of course this brings back nostalgic memories when I took part in the race three times, in 1985, 1986 and 1987. It all started when a parishioner asked me if I wanted to participate in the marathon, because he got the official number, but could not go. So, without any training and with no idea what running 26 miles and 385 yards meant, I was on the starting line-up with 30,000 other athletes. Of course I walked all the way to the end, but successfully finished and received the medal, which I treasure. Two more medals later I retired from running, and even though I did not win the race, I always cherish the immortal words of Pierre Rene de Coubertin, the founder of the Olympic Games...’ the important thing is not to win, but to participate.’ Orlando Pizzolato, the winner took home $100,000 and a Mercedes Benz, but I took with me many happy and precious memories.

In 2008 with the 3 marathon medals

Close-up of the three NYC marathon medals, 1985, 1986, 1987.

A New Look English

                

Having chosen English as the preferred language in the EEC, the European Parliament has commissioned a feasibility study in ways of improving efficiency in communications between Government departments. European officials have often pointed out that English spelling is unnecessarily difficult - for example, cough, plough, rough, through and thorough. What is clearly needed is a phased programme of changes to iron out these anomalies. The programme would, of course, be administered by a committee staff at top level by participating nations.

In the first year, for example, the committee would suggest using "s" instead of the soft "c." Sertainly, sivil servants in all sities would reseive this news with joy. Then the hard, "c" could be replaced by "k" sinse both letters are pronounced alike. Not only would this klear up konfusion in the minds of klerical workers, but typewriters kould be made with one less letter. There would be growing enthusiasm in the sekond year, it kould be announsed that the troublesome "ph" would henceforth be written "f." This would make words like "fotograf" twenty per sent shorter in print. In the third year, publik akseptance of the new spelling kan be expekted to reash the stage where more komplikated shanges are possible. Governments would enkourage the removal of double letters which have always been a deterent to akurate speling.

We would al agre that the horible mes of silent "e"s in the languag is disgrasful. Therefor we kould drop thes and kontinu to read and writ as though no thing had hapend. By this tim it would be four years sins the skem began and peopl would be reseptiv to steps sutsh as replasing "th" by "z." Perhaps zen ze funktion of "u" kould be taken on by "v", vitsh is, after al, half a "w." Shortly after zis, ze unesesary "o" kuld be droped from words kontaining "ou." Similar arguments vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters. Kontinuing zis proses yer after yer, ve vud eventull hav a reli sensibl riten styl, after twenti yers zer vud be no mor trubls, difikultis and evrivun vud fin it ezi tu understand ech ozer. Ze drems of ze Guvermnt vud finali hav kum tru.

Altar decorating

It was something that I enjoyed doing in my parishes, and I still try to embellish our sanctuary with meaningful and related items to celebrate a particular feast. These are just three photos, two of them from my parish in John Day, Oregon and the third one from my parish in Pleasant Valley, New York. It was always my sincere intention to involve the people as much as possible during the liturgical functions, especially daily Mass. Presently I have a picture of the saint of the day on the altar, as I share a reflection on their life during my homily, which the parishioners appreciate. 

In past parishes I placed a few items in front of the altar to bring inspiration and a spiritual presence on the people attending Mass, or praying privately in church. According to the season, I add various religious items, like Icons, flowers, banners, small statues, rosary beads, crucifix, chalice, a bible, wheat and grapes, etc. Around Christmas of course the Nativity is placed right there in front of the altar. More about this as we approach December.

St Charles Borromeo

St. Charles was the son of Count Gilbert Borromeo and Margaret Medici, sister of Pope Pius IV. He was born at the family castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore, Italy on October 2, 1538. He received the clerical tonsure when he was twelve and was sent to a Benedictine abbey at Arona for his education. In 1559 his uncle was elected Pope Pius IV and the following year, named him his Secretary of State and created him a cardinal and administrator of the see of Milan. He served as Pius' legate on numerous diplomatic missions and in 1562, was instrumental in having Pius reconvene the Council of Trent, which had been suspended in 1552. Charles played a leading role in guiding and in fashioning the decrees of the third and last group of sessions. He was consecrated bishop of Milan the same year. Before being allowed to take possession of his see, he oversaw the catechism, missal, and breviary called for by the Council of Trent. 
When he finally did arrive at Trent (which had been without a resident bishop for eighty years) in 1556, he instituted radical reforms despite great opposition, with such effectiveness that it became a model see. He put into effect, measures to improve the morals and manners of the clergy and laity, raised the effectiveness of the diocese, established seminaries for the education of the clergy, founded a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the religious instruction of children and encouraged the Jesuits to be more visible and active. He increased the systems to the poor and the needy, and during his bishopric held eleven diocesan synods and six provincial councils. He founded a society of secular priests, Oblates of St. Ambrose (now Oblates of St. Charles) in 1578, and was active in preaching, resisting the inroads of Protestantism, and bringing back lapsed Catholics to the Church. He encountered opposition from many sources in his efforts to reform people and institutions. He died at Milan on the night of November 3-4, 1584 and was canonized in 1610. He was one of the towering figures of the Catholic Reformation, a patron of learning and the arts, and though he achieved a position of great power, he used it with humility, personal sanctity, and unselfishness to reform the Church, of the evils and abuses so prevalent among the clergy and the nobles of the times.

St Martin de Porres

St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru on December 9, 1579. Martin was the illegitimate son to a Spanish gentlemen and a freed slave from Panama. At a young age, Martin's father abandoned him, his mother and his younger sister, leaving Martin to grow up in deep poverty. After spending just two years in primary school, Martin was placed with a barber/surgeon where he would learn to cut hair and the medical arts. As Martin grew older, he experienced a great deal of ridicule for being of mixed-race. In Peru, by law, all descendants of African or Indians were not allowed to become full members of religious orders. Martin, who spent long hours in prayer, asked to be accepted as a volunteer who performed the most menial tasks in the monastery. In return, he would be allowed to wear the habit and live within the religious community. When Martin was 15, he asked for admission into the Dominican Convent of the Rosary in Lima and was received as a servant boy helping the poor.

During his time in the Convent, Martin took on his old trades of barbering and healing. He also worked in the kitchen, did laundry and cleaned. After eight more years he was granted the privilege to take his vows as a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic. Still Martin was called horrible names and mocked for being illegitimate and descending from slaves. Martin was assigned to the infirmary where he would remain in charge until his death. He carefully and patiently took care of the sick people, regardless of race or wealth. Martin's life reflected his great love for God and all of God's gifts. It is said he had many extraordinary abilities, including bilocation, instant cures, and an excellent relationship with animals. He would feed little mice who came into the kitchen. During an epidemic in Lima, many of the friars in the Convent of the Rosary became very ill and were locked away in a distant section of the convent. However, on more than one occasion, Martin passed through the locked doors to care for the sick, thinking that charity is more important than obedience. In 1639 when Martin was 60-years-old, he became very ill with chills, fevers and tremors causing him agonizing pain. He would experience almost a year full of illness until he passed away on November 3, 1639. By the time he died, he was widely known and accepted. Talks of his miracles in medicine and caring for the sick were everywhere. After his death, the miracles received when he was invoked in such greatness that when he was exhumed 25 years later, his body exhaled a splendid fragrance and he was still intact. St. Martin de Porres was beatified by Pope Gregory XVI on October 29, 1837 and canonized by Pope John XXIII on May 6, 1962.  He has become the patron saint of people of mixed race, innkeepers, barbers and public health workers.

All Souls

Addolorata Cemetery in Malta

The celebration of All Souls follows that of All Saints. Today thousands of people visit cemeteries to pay their last respects towards their loved ones. In Malta in particular, families decorate tombstones with flowers, candles and photos. They offer Masses for the deceased and memorialize them with notices in the newspapers, especially on their anniversaries. The celebration for All Souls started in the 11th century when St Odilo, an abbot in the Monastery at Cluny chose the day after All Saints to memorialize the dead friars of his order and all Benedictines. From then on the celebration for all the souls in purgatory was held on November 2. Let us pray especially today for those who have left us this year, and let us also pray for their loved ones. Eternal rest grant unto them o Lord, and may the perpetual light shine on them.

We seem to give them back to you, Lord, you who gave them to us. We treasured them as long as we had them among us. Now, following their example, we will imitate them, and pray that others will also follow their example. Yet, as we did not lose them in giving, so we do not lose them by their return from us to You. We became richer because they lived among us. But we did not become impoverished when we lost them. Our loss is your gain, o Lord. And we know that life is eternal, and Love is immortal. And death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing but the limit of our own sight. Our perspective is only limited. But with You, o Lord, there is not limit. Lift us up strong Son of God, that we may see further. Cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly. Draw us close to yourself that we may know ourselves to be nearer to our Loved Ones, who are now with You in heaven.

All Saints

A great solemnity today as we honor All Saints, those canonized by the church, and those who may be in heaven without a halo or without holy pictures. These could very well be our own parents, grandparents, spouses, brothers and sisters, children and many dear friends. There are hundreds of canonized saints in heaven, but there are many who have been canonized recently, mostly unknown to us until we read their biography and learn something about their lives. This was the case with many saints with whom I was not familiar with, until I shared their life story with the people in a brief homily during the week. Yes, there are some incredible stories of courage, martyrdom and deep faith and commitment. These include the courage of St Gianna Beretta Molla, who sacrificed her life for her newborn daughter, instead of committing an abortion to save her own life. These include the great sacrifice St. Maximilian Kolbe did to help a married man survive and be reunited with his family, while the martyred friar died in his place in Auschwitz. These include St. Josephine Bakhita, a colored girl who was abused until saved by an Italian family, becoming a much-beloved nun and saint. These include St Louis and Zelie Martin, the couple who were married with the intention to remain celibate. But they followed their spiritual director’s advice and had 9 children, with the surviving 5 all becoming nuns, including a saint, Therese of Lisieux. These include the first Maltese Saint, George Preca who started a movement to teach young people about the Catholic Faith. These include many other newly-canonized saints and others who are beatified, among them the much loved Carlo Acutis, whose love for the Eucharist made him spread its devotion through the internet, and died at the age of 15, now beatified. 

Saying nice things

The theme of Love dominates today’s liturgical readings at Mass, and this reminds me of a moving, touching story which you can all imitate. A couple were celebrating their golden jubilee, 50 years of marriage. And during their reception, the husband was asked what was the secret of their happy marriage. And he told this story which had kept to himself for 50 years. Sarah his wife was the only woman he dated. He was raised in an orphanage and worked tirelessly all his life. He didn’t have time to meet girls, and so never dated anyone, until he met Sarah who blew him away with her beauty and went crazy after her. Within a year they were married.

On the day of the wedding, Sarah’s father called Trevor alone and gave him a small packet as a gift and told him: “In this package you have all you need to make your marriage happy and successful.” Feeling nervous, Trevor opened the package and found a gold watch. When he looked closer, he noticed an inscription on the face of the watch, a phrase he would see frequently, every time he checked the time of the day, several times a day. It was a phrase that had the secret which kept their marriage joy-filled, healthy and prosperous. The phrase was ‘Say something nice to Sarah!’ Then he showed them the watch, still on his wrist, gave a kiss to Sarah and gave her a big hug, with tears trickling down everyone’s cheeks. So when Jesus is reminding us today to love God and each other, as if He is telling us the same message that was on Trevor’s watch: ‘Say something nice to each other daily.....Do something pleasant to each other.....speak nice of one another.....’ This is the secret of happiness, love and successful marriages, harmony and unity between us.

Shoulder wound of Jesus

St Bernard recalls a conversation he once had with Jesus, who told him that the most serious and painful wound were not in his hands or feet or even his side, but it was a shoulder wound, certainly from carrying His cross to Calvary. One should know that even Padre Pio had this shoulder wound on his body, along with the stigmata. St Bernard then wrote this prayer: O loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I, a miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Your Shoulder, on which you bore Your heavy cross, which so tore Your flesh and laid bare Your bones as to inflict on You an anguish greater than any other wound of Your Most Blessed Body. I adore You, O most sorrowful Jesus. I praise and glorify You and give You thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound. I beseech you, through that exceeding pain and by the crushing burden of Your heavy Cross, to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me towards Heaven along the Way of Your Cross. Amen.

Daily Miracles

There are thousands of medical miracles that most of us take for granted every day. Scientific advances have produced many fascinating inventions that have been described as miraculous in centuries and millennia past. For example, think of antibiotics, corrective lenses for our vision, antiviral medications, hearing aids, surgical technologies, MRI and sonograms, dental care, organ transplantation, blood transfusion, vaccines, and so much more. When I slow down to think about these amazing human achievements and how we benefit from them, I cannot help but find myself captivated by a spirit of awe and wonder at what is truly miraculous.

Consider for example the miracle of birth. That a mother not only literally gives of herself in the months of pregnancy to sustain and grow a new human person within her is indeed miraculous, but so is the ability to breastfeed, to sacrifice one's time and energy at all hours of the day and night, to put the interests and concerns of a child ahead of one's own, and to do all the things required of parents and caregivers that seem impossible to do and give. Let us make an effort, or should I say a duty, a responsibility, to slow down, to see the world anew, to look at what is before us and what we experience everyday as a form of divine intervention, a form of grace, a form of the miraculous. There is, I believe, a spiritual need that calls us to cultivate a better sense of awe and wonder in the world. This is what recognizing everyday miracles means: that God not only intervenes in rare occasions, but is present in a variety of human experiences at all times.

Perhaps the next time you feel ill or are injured and can be healed by medications or procedures we too often take for granted today, you might reflect on the miracle that is the natural and medical sciences, embrace a feeling of awe and wonder, and give thanks to God. Perhaps the next time you find yourself delayed in travel, you might reflect on the miracle that is modern travel technologies, embrace a feeling of awe and wonder, and give thanks to God. Perhaps the next time you get frustrated or feel impatient at the behavior of your fellow citizen in the grocery store line, you might reflect on our interconnectedness and interdependence, embrace a feeling of awe and wonder, and give thanks to God.

Breastfeeding Madonna

A very special statue of the Blessed Mother was recently crowned by the Archbishop of Madrid in the Cathedral Basilica.  The image of Our Lady of La Leche depicts an intimate moment as the infant Jesus is cradled by the Virgin Mary and is feeding at her breast. This was an occasion to recall Mary’s sacrifice, humility, and faith-filled loyalty. The cardinal stood a few feet in front of the image and blessed it with incense before bowing in gratitude and respect. The crowning acknowledges that the specific image, while having local significance, also has universal importance for the Catholic Church as it pertains to Christ’s salvation through his death and resurrection. The practice of honoring this statue began in the 17th century but became increasingly popular in the late 1800s. Our Lady of La Leche holds a special place in the heart of the Diocese of St. Augustine in North Florida. The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary breastfeeding the infant Jesus dates back to the 16th century in Madrid, where she is called Nuestra Señora de la Leche y Buen Parto (Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery). After learning of miracles associated with the devotion to Our Lady of La Leche, King Philip III wished to erect a shrine in her honor. While the original was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, a replica of the original statue is currently housed in the historic chapel on the grounds that is now a national shrine and is the first U.S. Marian shrine. Since Mary is so tender, parents wanting a child have been very attracted to Our Lady of La Leche, and they pray to her when pregnant, raising babies and of course while nursing their babies with their breast milk.

3 brothers now priests

The Avenido Brothers are now the Avenido Fathers! On a very rare occasion, three brothers were ordained as new Catholic priests at St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral in Cagayan de Oro City, in the Philippines, on September 8, 2021. Archbishop Jose Cabantan led the successful ordination of REV. FR. JERSON REY OLAYVAR AVENIDO, CSS, REV. FR. JESSIE JAMES OLAYVAR AVENIDO, CSS and REV. FR. JESTONIE OLAYVAR AVENIDO, CSS, all from the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata of our Lord Jesus Christ. The three are relatively young with Rev. Fr. Jessie James (30 yrs old), Rev. Fr. Jestonie (29) and Rev. Fr. Jerson Rey (28). Of the three, Rev. Fr. Jessie James was the first to enter the seminary in 2008, followed by Rev. Fr. Jestonie in 2009 and finally Rev. Fr. Jerson Rey in 2010. Rev. Fr. Jessie James initially wanted to become a police officer or an electrical engineer. He even enrolled at Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). He eventually ended as a “Soldier of Christ”. Meanwhile, Rev. Fr. Jestonie wanted to become a teacher but he became a teacher of the Lord’s teachings. Rev. Fr. Jerson Rey wanted to become a doctor. But God had other plans for him as he became a healer of spiritual needs. They have 4 other siblings. Their father Gallardo is a farmer and security guard while their mother Barbara is a babysitter.

Blessed Carlo Acutis - his mother speaks

                   
The mother of Carlo Acutis, the recently beatified teenager, spoke about her son. Antonia said “You could feel Christ’s presence near Carlo.” Both she and her husband realized early on that he was very special. “When he was very small, I used to joke around, calling him ‘little Buddha’ because I used to say he was enlightened. He was always so generous, so good, so altruistic, polite, and obedient…” He also had a deep faith, which was unusual given that his parents hadn’t been to church in years. Carlo went to Mass every day, went to Eucharistic adoration, and prayed the Rosary daily. In addition, of course, like all boys of his age, he went to school, did his homework, and played soccer—”but very badly.” Carlo was aware that God is always by our side, and anyone who was near Carlo sensed Jesus.” Antonia also returned to her faith thanks to her son’s example, and to his embarrassing questions….“ Since he was a little boy he’d ask me questions about Jesus, about Our Lady, about the guardian angels, or the lives of the saints, and I was terribly ignorant…” Carlo Acutis had many talents and always put them at the service of others. He was especially attentive to the needs of the weakest and poorest, both from the material point of view—he helped fellow students and took blankets and food to the homeless, even depriving himself of some “extras” and reprimanding his “wasteful” mother—and from the spiritual point of view: he was a catechist, and made exhibitions on the Internet including one about Eucharistic miracles, which became popular around the world and made him famous. His death when he was just 15 years old revealed to everyone who Carlo Acutis really was, and how a simple faith can really change the world. His mother recounts: “Witnessing the death of my son I actually thought to myself: ‘this is a saint.’ He never complained, he was always smiling… Carlo truly experienced his death as an encounter with the Beloved.” Fifteen years later, Carlo Acutis was beatified. Love moved him to open himself to whomever he met, even with a simple “hello.”  At his the funeral the church was so full that many had to remain outside. “I thought: How did he know these people? They were all friends that Carlo had made in his daily life, when he went to buy something at the supermarket or passed by on his way to school.”

Even more apple facts

While it may seem that your grocery store has a nice selection of apples, we’re a long way from what fruit historians describe as ‘the golden age of pomology.’ During the 19th century, there were about 14,000 distinct apple varieties across the United States. Today only 100 varieties of apples are commercially grown. And remember that there is plenty of truth to the saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ A large apple has 115 calories and 5 grams of fiber per serving, and the fruit’s polyphenols and fiber help balance bacteria in your gut. But make sure not to peel it: two-thirds of the apple’s antioxidants and much of its fiber are found in the skin. And finally who called New York the Big Apple? It was Edward S. Martin who wrote in the magazine ‘The Wayfarer in New York’ ......the midwest inclines to think that the big apple (New York) gets a disproportionate share of the national sap.’ 

More on Apples

Unfortunately the two Steves (Jobs and Wozaniak) weren't the first to use Apple as its corporate moniker. Those familiar with the Beatles, remember their famous Apple label on many of their records. It was in 1968 that the Fab Four  formed Apple Corps to represent their creative and musical interests. But after Apple Computer rose to prominence, the two companies worked out an agreement that Apple Computer would keep its logo and name out of the music business. And that changed in 2003, when Apple began selling music through Itunes. It took 7 more years before the Beatles (Paul and Ringo) finally let it be, and let Itunes carry their music.

How Apple got its name

How did the most popular fruit on earth, the one that supposedly tempted Eve at the Garden of Eden, become the symbol of one of the world’s wealthiest corporations? One day, in the mid-70s, Steve Wozniak picked up Steve Jobs at the airport. The paperwork for the nascent  computer company was due the next day. As it happened, Steve Jobs had just been pruning apple trees in Oregon, and when they started throwing around potential names for their company, they came up with Matrix, Executek, Personal Computers Inc. and others. But when Apple Computer was suggested, they said ‘it was fun, spirited and not intimidating.’ Steve Jobs ended up by saying ‘ Apple took the edge off the word computer. Besides, it would get us ahead of Atari in the phone book.’

Pope St. John Paul II

We celebrate today the liturgical feast of the Man of the 20th century, Pope Saint John Paul II. He was born Karol Wojtyla on May 18th, 1920 in Poland and became the first non-Italian Pope in almost 400 years. Also known as John Paul the Great, he reigned from October 16th, 1978 until his death on April 2nd, 2005. He was the second longest-serving Pope in modern history after Pope Pius IX who served for nearly 32 years from 1846 to 1878. As a young boy, he lost his mother at the age of 8 and his father when he was 21. He even had to work at a limestone quarry, but then started his studies at the underground seminary run by Cardinal Sapieha in Krakow. He was ordained a priest on November 1, 1946, and after further studies, he ended up teaching at the Jagiellonian University. He was made a bishop on July 4, 1958 and later became Archbishop of Krakow on June 26, 1967. He remained very staunch to his faith in Poland, even when he became a Cardinal 3 years later. His election as Pope was a big surprise as Pope John Paul I died suddenly after 33 days, and the trend was to elect Italian Popes, but the white smoke showed that a new Pope was chosen on October 16, 1978, aged 58, relatively young for a Pope. At the balcony he waved to the thousands gathered in the Piazza and  said “the cardinals have called for a new bishop of Rome. They called him from a faraway land — far and yet always close because of our communion in faith and Christian traditions. I was afraid to accept that responsibility, yet I do so in a spirit of obedience to the Lord and total faithfulness to Mary, our most Holy Mother.”

Pope John Paul in my hometown of St Julian's in 1990

John Paul II is recognized as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He upheld the Church's teachings against artificial contraception and the ordination of women, supported the Church's Second Vatican Council and its reform, and in general held firm to orthodox Catholic stances. He was one of the most traveled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,340 people and canonized 483 saints, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. He was very much devoted to the Blessed Mother, well respected in his native Poland, especially with the famous Black Madonna, and he even chose his motto as Totus Tuus, “Totally Yours,” even with the letter M on his coat-of-arms.
John Paul II's cause for canonization commenced in 2005 one month after his death with the traditional five-year waiting period waived. His successor Pope Benedict XVI beatified him on May 1st 2011 after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints attributed one miracle to him, the healing of a French nun from Parkinson's disease. A second miracle, attributed to the late pope, was approved and confirmed by Pope Francis two days later. John Paul II was canonized on 27 April 2014, alongside Pope John XXIII.

Points to Ponder

'The Divine Jesus' by El Greco

Today reflect on these little quotes, and better yet, put them to work

1. Be ye fishers of men.... You catch them - He'll clean them.
2. Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
3. Don't put a question mark where God put a period.
4. Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
5. Forbidden fruits create many jams.
6. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
7. God grades on the cross, not the curve.
8. God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"
9. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
10. You try to do your best - He'll do the rest!
11. If God is your Copilot - swap seats!
12. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity.
13. Prayer: Don't give God instructions  - just report for duty!
14. The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
15. The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.
16. We don't change the message, the message changes us.
17. You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

40 years ago

This is a flashback from 1981, where I had just arrived at my first US parish of Holy Spirit, in New Hyde Park. Back then I was the sixth priest in the parish, but soon we would be 5, then 4 and finally 3, and at times even just two of us, me and my pastor Fr. John Heinlein. I spent 10 years in that parish, visiting families, spending time with schoolchildren in their classrooms, and since I did not have a car, biking just about everywhere, until I got my license in 1983. I worked also with the Youth Group, the Folk Group, the altar-servers and other organizations. There I experienced snow and ice for the first time. In fact where I'm standing there next to the parish sign, one October morning, I slipped on a sheet of ice, being unaware that water can freeze. I was carrying my breviary, a missalette and my cassette for music during communion on my way to celebrate Mass, and they all came flying, thankfully all of them ending on the grass. I was not hurt, but that day I learned the lesson that you have to be careful walking in the winter months, as water freezes and snow can be very slippery too, even when you're wearing boots and good shoes.

North American Martyrs

The North American Martyrs, also known as the Canadian Martyrs, were eight French Jesuit missionaries who worked among the Huron Indians, and who were martyred in the 17th century in Canada and Upstate New York, all martyred between 1642 and 1649. The Martyrs are St. Jean de Brébeuf, St. Noël Chabanel, St. Antoine Daniel, St. Charles Garnier, St. René Goupil, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Jean de Lalande and St. Gabriel Lalemant. They all laid the foundation of the Catholic religion in the North East, just as Blessed Junipero Serra did in the North West of the USA. They were each killed during the wars between the Huron and Iroquois. They had converted many of the Hurons, but the Huron considered them to be evil men who brought death and disease wherever they traveled. The Iroquois considered them legitimate targets as the missionaries were nominally allies of the Huron, and they had often helped organize resistance to Iroquois invasions. Isaac Jogues and his assistant, Rene Goupil, besides being beaten to the ground and assailed several times with knotted sticks and fists, had their hair, beards and nails torn off and their forefingers bitten through. What grieved them far more, was the cruelty practiced on their Christian converts. The first of all the martyrs to suffer death was Rene Goupil, who was tomahawked on September 29, 1642, for having made the Sign of the Cross on the brow of some children. This Rene Goupil was a remarkable man. He had tried hard to be a Jesuit and had even entered the Novitiate, but his health forced him to give up the attempt. He then studied surgery and found his way to Canada, where he offered his services to the missionaries. These martyrs were canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930. The Martyrs' Shrine church is in Midland, Ontario, the site of their missionary work among the Huron, and the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs is in Auriesville, New York, along the Mohawk River.

St Luke

Guercino - 'Luke painting the Blessed Mother'

Luke, the writer of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, has been identified with St. Paul's "Luke, the beloved physician". He was born in Antioch in Syria, a Greek and a Gentile. Luke's gospel shows special sensitivity to Gentiles. It is only in his gospel that we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan, that we hear Jesus praising the faith of Gentiles and the story of the one grateful leper who is a Samaritan. Luke was also known to be a doctor. In our day, it would be easy to assume that someone who was a doctor was rich, but scholars have argued that Luke might have been born a slave. Not only do we have Paul's word, but St Jerome, Eusebius and St Irenaeus all refer to Luke as a physician.
We have to go to Acts to follow the trail of Luke's Christian ministry. We are grateful for St Luke who followed St Paul on his missionary journeys and recorded with great detail what St Paul did between 51 until 65 AD. Luke is the loyal comrade who stays with Paul when he is shipwrecked on Malta in 60 AD, and later imprisoned in Rome a year later. And after everyone else deserts Paul in his final imprisonment and sufferings, it is Luke who remains with Paul to the end: "Only Luke is with me," Paul writes to Timothy.
Luke's unique perspective on Jesus can be seen in the 6 miracles and 18 parables not found in the other gospels. Luke's is the gospel of the poor and of social justice. He is the one who tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man who ignored him. Luke is the one who uses "Blessed are the poor" instead of "Blessed are the poor in spirit" in the beatitudes. Luke also has a special connection with the women in Jesus' life, especially Mary. It is only in Luke's gospel that we hear the story of the Annunciation, Mary's visit to Elizabeth, the Presentation, and the story of Jesus' disappearance in Jerusalem. It is Luke that we have to thank for the Scriptural parts of the Hail Mary: "Hail Mary full of grace" spoken at the Annunciation and "Blessed are you and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus" spoken by her cousin Elizabeth. Forgiveness and God's mercy to sinners is also of first importance to Luke. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the forgiven woman disrupting the feast by washing Jesus' feet with her tears. Throughout Luke's gospel, Jesus takes the side of the sinner who wants to return to God's mercy. The reports of Luke's life after Paul's death are conflicting. Some early writers claim he was martyred, others say he lived a long life. Some say he preached in Greece, others in Gaul. The earliest tradition we have says that he died in 84 AD in Boeotia after settling in Greece to write his Gospel. A tradition has it that Luke was also a painter, painting various images of the Blessed Mother, including one he did in Malta when he stayed for 3 months with St Paul. Several images of Mary appeared in later centuries claiming him as the artist and because of this tradition, he is considered a patron of painters of pictures and is often portrayed as painting pictures of Mary. Being the patron of doctors and surgeons, many hospitals around the world were dedicated to him.

More wildlife photos

Since a few people appreciated my photos of deer yesterday, here are three other wildlife photos I took while on my mission travels in Oregon and other neighboring states. The first one is a friendly chipmunk, many of whom usually run away from people - this one happens to be extra friendly, probably looking for food. The second one shows two birds catting with each other, one of whom nesting, and the other one asking her if she is hungry. And the third one shows three playful foals just a few days old at the Clark Quarterhorse Ranch in Mount Vernon, Oregon.

Oh Deer!

Over the years I took thousands of wildlife photos, especially during my years in Oregon. While going through some of my collections, I pulled out a series of deer photos. While hunters shoot them with a bow and arrow or with their rifles, I shoot them with my camera, and then share them with the rest of the world, as I’m doing right now. These were taken between Baker City and Halfway, during my weekly mission trips, probably between 2007 and 2013. When people ask me how am I able to get them looking at me so obediently, I tell them trick that I use. When I see a bunch of deer in a field, I park my car next to it, and stay inside. Then I roll down the window slowly, prepare my camera, frame them focus and ready to shoot. Then I beep the horn and Click! As soon as they hear the beep, they all look up towards the car. That’s how they’re always looking at me.

St Teresa’s prayer

A great Carmelite mystic and nun, today we celebrate the feast of St Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church, author of Way of Perfection, Interior Castle and Meditations on the Canticle. A great reformer of the Carmelite Order, she was born in 1515 and died in 1582. This is a famous quote of this great saint:

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks Compassion on this world
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good
Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world
Yours are the hands; Yours are the feet
Yours are the eyes; You are His body
Christ has no body now on earth but yours

Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away: God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices.