Passion Flower

Known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, Passiflora is a genus of about 500 species of flowering plants, the namesakes of the family Passifloraceae. They are mostly vines, with some being shrubs. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries adopted the unique physical structures of this plant, particularly the numbers of its various flower parts, as symbols of the last days of Jesus and especially his crucifixion:

The Blue Passion Flower (Passiflora Caerulea) shows most elements of the Christian symbolism:
The pointed tips of the leaves were taken to represent the lance that pierced Jesus’ side.
The tendrils represent the whips used in the flagellation of Christ.
The ten petals and sepals represent the ten faithful apostles (excluding St. Peter and Judas Iscariot)
The flower's radial filaments, which can number more than a hundred and vary from flower to flower, represent the crown of thorns.
The chalice-shaped ovary with its receptacle represents the chalice or the Holy Grail.
The 3 stigmas represent the 3 nails and the 5 anthers below them the 5 wounds (four by the nails and one by the lance).
The blue and white colors of many species' flowers represent Heaven and Purity.
I took the above photo in Malta, where the Passion flowers grow profusely, especially in the spring.

Flash-back from Palm Sunday 2006

Zack and Jenny leading the Palm Sunday procession

This is another flash-back from my journals of 2006 - A beautiful day arrived with a clear sky that heralded a spectacular day for the Palm Sunday procession. I had arranged for the donkeys, owned by Gene Roark, to show up 9:15 AM. By 9 AM, most of the parishioners were gathering on the grassy field behind the Cathedral Church in Baker City, but by 9:14 AM, the donkeys were nowhere to be found, and I started to panic, knowing that this was my idea and a no-show would prove disastrous. But by 9:16 AM, Zack and Jenny arrived, led by Al and Danielle McCauley, who brought them over in their trailer, neatly brushed and in perfect photogenic condition. They were supposed to also bring their pony Tony along. However Tony the pony was not there, and since we did not have time for explanations, we started the ceremony of the blessing of palms. A huge crowd filled the field, and I wondered how these people would ever fit inside the Church. After the reading of the Gospel, the procession was led by the Cross and candles, followed by the two donkeys, then myself and the deacons and the rest of the people. It was a short procession around the block, but enough to give the impression that we were following Jesus, as we sang “Hosanna to our King.” Zack wanted to join in the singing, and at one moment he started braying loudly, which brought laughter from everyone, but they proceeded without any problem, ending in the middle of the road on 1st Street, leading everyone into the Cathedral. We waited by the new Church sign as the congregation packed themselves like sardines inside the Church, after which we went in, while Zack and Jenny went home.

The story that Al and Michelle McCauley told me afterwards was quite hilarious, but serious too. Apparently when they brought the donkeys into their corral on Saturday night, their pony Tony got a liking to Jenny, who has been Zack’s companion for years. So this morning, when they were rounding them up to put them into the trailer, Tony and Zack had a vicious jealously-enraged fight over the girl. They even had to call their neighbors to help them separate them, which was not an easy job for anyone, however experienced a rancher or farmer they could be. Tony the Pony must be terribly disappointed that his dreams were shattered by the disappearance of Jenny, and as his hormones were getting crazy, before you know it, she was gone forever. I’m sure they’ll have another re-union next year, but I doubt if they will let the donkeys again with Tony, the jealous heart-throb who almost stole Jenny away from Zack, but was left disappointed, disheartened, frustrated and utterly dejected. A nice spread in the front page of the Baker City Herald appeared the next day, displaying three pictures of the donkey procession we had on Palm Sunday.  A nice article written by the ever-faithful Lisa Britton used much of the material I shared with her earlier in the day, and it was a perfect page for a Holy Week celebration. In a state that is 9% Catholic, it is very reassuring to see Catholic news displayed so prominently in our newspapers.

Praying for the Royal Family

It’s appropriate to offer prayers today for the Royal Family as the news was revealed that after King Charles was undergoing treatment for cancer, even Princess Kate is now receiving chemotherapy for a cancer diagnosis. We pray for her young family as they adjust their lives, hopefully temporarily, until she regains her full health. We’ve all been affected by cancer, including my mother and sister, besides losing many friends in the USA and here in Malta from this illness. Our prayers continue relentlessly for the entire Royal family as they shuffle duties and important appointments as the King and Princess recover fully over the next  few months.  As she said in her message ‘It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful. Most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both. We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.’

Sorrowful Mother

We honor today the Sorrowful Mother as she stands by the cross waiting for her Son to die, His body to be placed on her lap soon afterwards. This is an image that has been painted, sculpted and drawn by many artists. Many countries honor the Sorrowful Mother (Mater Dolorosa) on this Friday before Holy Week, as seen in this procession held in Malta in the city of Valletta. Thousands of people accompany the procession, also attending Mass and going to confession on a day of atonement and repentance.

With the 7 sorrows Mary experienced throughout her life, including the prophecy of Simeon, the escape into Egypt, Jesus lost in the temple, seeing Jesus crucified, being taken down from the cross, being placed on her lap as a dead body, and being buried in a borrowed tomb, I see 7 other sorrows that are happening today. 1. Seeing so many single mothers raising their children by themselves, as their husbands left them. 2. Seeing so many young people abandoning their faith. 3. Still seeing innocent babies being killed before they are born. 4. Seeing people disregard all efforts to protect the environment and avoid pollution. 5. The rampant use of social media, carelessly and immorally. 6. Seeing people in authority abusing their responsibility, eventually being accused of corruption. 7. Seeing elderly people abandoned by their children who hardly ever visit them in nursing homes.

Thousands of people follow the statue of Mary through the streets of Valletta.

Blessed Mother, who had to see your Son grow into a handsome young man, and then let Him go, we ask your protection on our children and young people. May they feel protected from the world's dangers, and feel safe in your care. As you saw your Son tortured and killed, we pray for those mothers who had to see their children killed in wars, sudden accidents, through suicides and other terrible disasters. May these mothers find compassion in you, O Blessed Mother, and we ask that you give them the comfort they so much desire. This week we stand by you, and suffer with you, as we witness once again the passion, death and eventual resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Organizing the Chrism Mass

The Chrism Mass at the Baker City Cathedral in 2012

Another flash-back from the past – this time I go back to April 2006 when I was Rector at the Baker City Cathedral, and one of my duties was to organize the annual Chrism Mass, held of course in the Cathedral, led by the Bishop.

Even though I experienced three Chrism Masses so far, when you have to organize it yourself, you know you have to go at full throttle – full speed ahead with constant work, coordination, acute planning and hope for a nice turnout, both of priests as well as people during the Chrism Mass held on Thursday evening, a week before Holy Thursday, since the priests have to travel hundreds of miles. It is by far the biggest event for the Cathedral and for its Pastor, because besides celebrating a unique Mass, I had to host over 30 priests, two Bishops and 6 Deacons, starting with a Holy Hour at 3 PM, which I led of course and was reverently done and  well-coordinated. Then for a Happy Hour, as drinks were served and snacks were tasted in the Rectory, an annual event hosted by Brian Collard and Troy Stewart who were the barmen. By 5 PM, we all headed to the parish hall for a dinner hosted by the Rosary Altar Society, and which consisted of a Caesar’s Salad, stuffed pork and a cheesecake. Incidentally, someone told me that all the African priests do not eat pork, which could be a cultural custom, like the Jews who never eat pork. My life has been going non-stop since early in the morning, and now I was at the stage to finally slow down, and enjoy the result, because the Bishop now took over and we all got ready for the Chrism Mass.

 

A group photo with all the priests of the Baker Diocese

All the preparations were done to perfection, and all the necessary details were in place. I had encouraged the parishioners to show up for the Mass, and not to leave me disappointed, and sure enough they did not disappoint me as the Church was packed. Just before we started the procession, I told the Bishop: “One of my dreams when I came here was to see the Church packed for this Mass. And you’re gonna be pleasantly surprised.” The Mass went as smoothly and as organized as it ever was, with altar-servers doing their best, the 6 jubilarians seated close to the Bishop, and lectors in Spanish and English. All priests celebrating 10, 20, 25, 40, 50 years or beyond are honored on this day. And Bishop Vasa, who is not one known to complement his priests, approached me at the Sign of Peace, and said to me “Great job Julian, great job!” It was another huge success, especially because I was able to pack the Church as I had dreamed of doing, something none of the previous Pastors were able to do, and even Bishop Connolly, who was celebrating his 35 th Anniversary as a Bishop, told me he’d never seen such a crowd. After the oils were consecrated, the three Deacons processed with them to the basement where a group of well-prepared volunteer parishioners filled the little plastic bottles and distributed them to the respective parishes and the priests who were waiting for them, collected them and left, some of them driving for another 4 to 5 hours, and a few others staying at the Welcome Inn Motel, courtesy of the Langrell family. And while priests and parishioners mingled in the parish hall, they sampled the sandwiches and cookies that I had requested from the Altar Society and the sense of gratitude and appreciation was evident on everyone’s face. Another long but very rewarding day came to a peaceful and satisfying end. I could only sense in advance the satisfaction of all those who would attend the Chrism Mass in the future as they see the renovated sanctuary which I was dreaming of doing to coincide with the centennial of the Cathedral in 2008.

St Joseph's procession

I was able to visit the procession held in honor of St Joseph yesterday in the town of Rabat in Malta, and from the 60 photos I took, I share with you only three that show the statue of St Joseph, besides one of the beautifully decorated church. This church is not even a parish, but run by the Franciscans monks who have a lot of help from neighbors and lovers of St Joseph. Thousands of people descended on this little town, and of course they enjoyed it because it is still winter, unlike summer when most of the village feasts are held, and everyone will be sweating and complaining of the heat. 

The curious thing is that all the decorations, inside and outside the church will have to make room for the Lenten and Holy Week decorations, starting with the celebration of Our Lady of Sorrow, celebrated in Malta on Friday.

A Letter to St Joseph

Dear Saint Joseph,

Today being your feast day, I thought of writing you a few lines mainly to show my gratitude for all you did for Jesus and Mary, and for us all. Very few people are greater than you are! Because being so close to Jesus and Mary, you are also the most blessed and full of grace. Well, if you weren’t so special and blessed, God would not have trusted you with his two most priceless possessions, marrying Mary, in spite of all the gossiping that was going on before your engagement, and then taking the role of a foster father of Jesus, protecting him, educating him and raising him from infancy to adulthood. You are fairly unknown around the world, but at least at Christmas time your image explodes all around the world with the millions of religious Christmas cards exchanged between families and friends.
We read in the Gospels that God always conveyed his messages to you in dreams and during sleep. This doesn’t mean that He wanted you to be passive, as if you didn’t know what was going on. We never see you in dialogue with Mary, or giving your opinion in stressful situations. But you let Mary handle all situations, as she dialogued with the Angel Gabriel, at the wedding at Cana, or when Jesus was lost in the temple - she spoke, and you were silent. You receive the message, and made sure it was worked out and implemented. That was your divine mission and vocation - to be a silent instrument in the hands of God. I bet you enjoyed teaching Jesus the carpenter’s trade and other duties and chores around the house at Nazareth. 

Please Saint Joseph, just as you protected Mary and Jesus, I ask you to protect our church, of which you are its special patron saint. Give us more vocations because we need priests and nuns to continue the work in parishes, schools, orphanages and hospitals. Give us good parents, responsible and loving, ready to sacrifice their lives for their children and families, just as you and Mary did. Please pray for all workers, that they may honestly give their share of labor and be dedicated in their mission, always admiring you as their patron saint, another feast of yours we celebrate on May 1st. Be patient with us, dear St Joseph, because we tend to be hard-headed and spoiled at times. Remind us always to be grateful for all the blessings that you and your Son and wife give us, day by day.

Signed - a friend and an admirer 

From Killer to Kind

A man committed a murder in a small town, and the court ordered that the letter K should be tattooed on his forehead, to show everyone that he was a killer. While he was in the prison he realized the mistake he made and reformed his life completely, to such an extent that he got out earlier for good behavior. When he was released, he decided to go and live in another town, quite far away. He lived an examplary life, being generous, kind and compassionate towards everyone. When some children saw him with the letter K on his forehead, they asked their mother what it means. The mothers, knowing what a pleasant man he was told them...’that means he is a very kind man.’ Yes, even the worst person can turn his life around and become compassionate, loving and kind.

St Patrick

Stained glass from St Stanislaus, Pleasant Valley, NY

St. Patrick was of Romano-British origin, and born about the year 389AD. His father, Calpurnius, was a deacon, and Patrick's own full name was probably Patricius Magonus Sucatus. When he was 16, he was captured in Britain by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland. During six bleak years spent as a herdsman, he turned with fervor to his faith. Hearing at last in a dream that the ship in which he was to escape was ready, he fled his master and found passage to Britain. There he came near to starvation and suffered a second brief captivity before he was reunited with his family. Thereafter, he became a priest and eventually a bishop. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland and probably responsible in part for the Christianization of the Anglo-Saxons. In a dream vision it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective, he was sent to carry out the task. He went to the west and north, where the faith had never been preached, obtained the protection of local kings and made numerous converts. Because of the island’s pagan background, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ. He ordained many priests, divided the country into dioceses, held Church councils, founded several monasteries and continually urged his people to greater holiness in Christ. He suffered much opposition from pagan druids and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission. Patrick died about 461, and was buried in the vicinity of the future Cathedral town of Down.

The Echo

A young boy was walking in the countryside and starting shouting and yelling various phrases, and his echo repeated every word he said. He thought another boy was calling back the words he said. So he started yeling at him ‘Stupid, Ignorant, Annoying,’ and to his surprise the echo responded a few seconds later...’Stupid, Ignorant, Annoying.’ He went to his mother and told her that there was another boy calling him bad names. His mother realized what had happened, and told him, ‘son, go back near this boy and start shouting some nice things to him, and see how he would react. So this boy went back and shouted ‘I love you, you are my friend....’ and sure enough the echo responded back ‘I love you, you are my friend.’ And he was finally delighted and happy. Very often the same happens to us. If we treat other people nicely, they will be nice to us. And if we act obnoxious towards them, they will be obnoxious towards us too. So, let’s be nice to each other, and our kindness will surely have a ripple effect on those around us, especially our family members and close friends.

Passion exhibits

I share with you a few more scenes from the many exhibitions taking place all over the Maltese islands these days leading to Holy Week. These are just a few of the many artistic and religious items displayed in parish halls, churches and private homes. One can see various statues in miniature, altars and decorations relating to the passion of Jesus. Ever since I returned to Malta 8 years ago, the number of these exhibitions have doubled, as now each town and village would have at least a dozen or more of these places showcasing the craftsmanship of young people, still enthusiastic about their faith and their religious culture. More exhibits in the next two weeks.

Click on each of the photos to enlarge - the 4th one shows the entire Passion scene

Passion statuettes

Last year I visited an exhibition which displayed various statues of the passion of Christ from a Spanish perspective. They were shown in a parish hall in the town of Mqabba, collected by various friends over the years. One can see the elaborate clothing and detail in the pedestals, trimming and floral additions to make the whole display quite attractive. There were quite a few statues of the Sorrowful Mother as well as the crucifixion itself, but here I show you just three of the many miniature statuettes which will for sure be displayed again this year. More and more of these exhibitions will open up in the coming two weeks, as more craftsmen and women are showcasing their precious creations. I hope to show you more of them in the next 3 weeks, especially new ones I will see personally.

 

What Jesus saw from the cross

Crucifixion by James Tissot

As we approach Holy Week and the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus, let us meditate for one moment on the hours Jesus spent on the cross. He uttered 7 words while dying, 7 words that have been reflected and meditated upon and preached by various preachers, especially during the Good Friday service. We always look at the cross with two others next to Jesus, the good and bad thief, all of which are usually pictured or painted on a hill, known as Golgotha. Very few artists however have looked at this scene from a different perspective. James Tissot did precisely this when he painted the scene entitled "What Jesus saw from the cross." Besides local folks, soldiers and accusers, one can see the tomb in the background, the sponge and vinegar on the ground, which would be offered to Jesus when he said "I Thirst." More prominently, in the foreground, one sees Mary Magdalene just beneath the cross, while the apostle John, the Blessed Mother and two other women look inconsolably at the dying Christ. The centurion Longinus stands on the left. It is a painting filled with symbolism, worth meditating upon, especially during this Lenten season. (click once to enlarge)

Gems from Leviticus

Today’s Office of Readings gave us this gem to meditate on, from the Book of Leviticus, chapter 19, basically what’s in the 10 Commandments, but expanded to remind us more deeply of our duties towards each other:

Each of you revere your mother and father, and keep my sabbaths.....Do not turn aside to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves........When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not be so thorough that you reap the field to its very edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest......Likewise, you shall not pick your vineyard bare, nor gather up the grapes that have fallen.......These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien.....You shall not steal........You shall not deceive or speak falsely to one another.....You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God.....You shall not exploit your neighbor......You shall not commit robbery...... You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your laborer.....You shall not insult the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind......You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment......Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your neighbor justly.....You shall not go about spreading slander among your people...... You shall not hate any of your kindred in your heart.....Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people......You shall love your neighbor as yourself......Keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary......Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the old, and fear your God.....When an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one......You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself......Do not act dishonestly in using measures of length or weight or capacity. I am the Lord your God.

The Praises of God

St Francis of Assisi by Willie Apap

This is a prayer addressed to God, written by St Francis of Assisi to Brother Leo, one of his friars:
You are the Holy Lord God who does wonderful things !
You are strong. You are great. You are the most High.
You are the Almighty King. You Holy Father. King of heaven and earth.
You are three and one, the Lord God of Gods;
You are the good, all good, the highest good,
Lord God, living and true.
 
You are love, charity. You are wisdom, You are humility.
You are patience. You are beauty, You are meekness.
You are security. You are rest.
You are gladness and joy. You are our hope, You are justice.
You are moderation, You are all our riches to sufficiency.
You are beauty, You are meekness.
You are the protector, You are our custodian and defender.
You are strength, You are refeshment, You are our hope.
You are our faith, You are our charity.
You are all sweetness, You are our eternal life.
Great and wonderful Lord, Almighty God, Merciful Savior.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May He show his face to you and be merciful to you.
May He turn his countenance to you and give you peace.

The secret of life

A father used to tell his children ‘when you turn 12 years old,  I will tell you the secret of life. So when the first child turned 12, he asked his father ‘Dad, what is the secret of life?’ His dad told him ‘ I will tell you, but you have to keep this secret to yourself – the secret is that the cow does not give us milk!’ The son was surprised by this weird answer. ‘What are you saying dad?’ The father explained further ‘yes, because if you want the cow to give you milk, you have to milk her yourself. You have to get up at 4 AM, put on boots and go to the pasture, slush around in the mud and muck, tie her tail and legs, sit down, get a bucket under her and start milking. That’s the secret of life. If you don’t milk her, she won’t give you any milk, as simple as that. That, my son, is the secret of life.’ Today, the idea has entered everybody’s mind that things are automatic, and free. Just push a button and you’ll get anything you need instantaneously. You hit your cell-phone and you get anything you desire. Life is much different and more complicated than that. You have to work very hard to achieve successfully what you wish.

From the Pope’s preacher

 

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa preached as usual to the members of the Roman Curia during a Lenten meditation March 1. Pope Francis was not present but he listened to the sermon. During his presentation he made some interesting remarks: “There seems to be more dialogue with the academic elite of the moment and less and less nourishment for the faith of God's people. You can only get out of this situation by prayer, by talking to God before you even talk about God.” Reflecting on Jesus' words from St. John's Gospel — "I am the light of the world" — Cantalamessa said that Jesus is like the sun whose radiance does not reveal itself but rather the things of the world in their proper light. St. John urged people in his letters not to love the things of the world, since they are the source of lust and pride. Worldliness, he said, "is the equivalent in the religious and spiritual environment to what in the social sphere we call secularization. This is the most necessary fast of all today: fasting from the world. Mixing oneself with this world of suffering is the best way of separating oneself from the world, since it removes one from the principle that the world rests on: selfishness.  The root cause behind the modern spirit of worldliness is the crisis of faith, since it is faith that makes Christians no longer of the world. Christ substitutes the worldly model, which he said is governed by its own trinity: pleasure, power and money.” He concluded by quoting from St. John’s Gospel: "I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.”

The Cross at Mt. Canigou

81 years ago, between July 18 and 23, 1943, during the Nazi occupation of France,  a group of Catholic scouts decided to create a large metal cross on Mount Canigou in the Pyrenees between Spain and France, at 2,783 meters above sea level (9130 feet.) A metal worker Georges Margouet was tasked with creating the cross, and spent 5 months working on this project. The cross itself weighed 112 kilos, (246 lbs) and all the young boys enthusiastically took the trip up the mountain to erect the cross. Many of them were malnutritioned because of the war. Along the road, a few priests joined them praying the Stations of the Cross. When they reached the top, one of the priests celebrated Mass in very cold weather. Now since they didn’t ask permission to erect this cross, the Nazis discovered it and blew it up with explosives. The boys scouts were of course disappointed , but they collected all the pieces that were salvageable and crafted another cross, larger and stronger, and and set it in place on the 30th of July 1961, where it still stands.

The Raising of the Cross

Peter Paul Rubens -Raising of the Cross

I share with you today two masterpieces of Peter Paul Rubens. Actually the first one is his original, while the second one is a tapestry made on the same painting. It represents Jesus being raised for crucifixion, helped by 8 strong men, all of them twisting and contortioning themslves to lift the heavy weight of the cross and the crucified Jesus. This painting was one of many others which were chosen to be made into classic tapestries for the Cathedral of St John in Valletta, Malta, which were magnificently displayed last May. It was customary in those days that the ruler or Grandmaster of the island of Malta would donate a special gift to the Order of the Knights of St John, and he chose to donate a magnificent set of 29 tapestries to be hung in the conventual church built in the 1570s.  

Tapestry of the same painting by Rubens.

The tapesties were done in Brussels at the weaving house of Jacobus de Vos between the years 1697 and 1702. The tapestries encircle the entire church, done on the order of the Grand Master Ramon Perellos.  This dramatic moment reproduced in this tapestry shows the cross of Jesus being raised into its place. Tension, motion, space and time are illustrated along with the struggle to upright the cross. The lower part of this action show 4 men trying to straighten the cross, as the other 4 are helping in the upper part of the cross. Even a dog is there to help encourage the men in their struggle. The tapestry itself is bigger than this detail, and shows Mary and John the apostle on the left, and the centurion on a horse on the right side. (Click on each photo to enlarge)

The entire tapestry of the Raising of the Cross

Laughing as a healer

Years ago, a famous American journalist and writer Norman Cousins (1915-1990) was diagnosed with a serious illness. The doctors gave him 6 months to live. Just as depression, anger and disappointment worked against him, he felt that laughter can help him in his favor. So he made an experiment, and got various DVDs of famous comedians, Charlie Chaplin, The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy and others. He also read a lot of jokes and asked his friends to share with him humorous stories and jokes. He was in great pain but when he laughed, all his fear was gone. He was able to beat his illness and lived another 20 years before he passed away. His journey is recorded in his book ‘Anatomy of an Illness.’

Jesus on the Cross

One of the most recognizable images of the crucified Jesus is a painting by Spanish artist Salvador Dali. It is entitled 'Christ of Saint John of the Cross', whose figure dominates the Bay of Port Lligat. The painting was inspired by a drawing, preserved in the Convent of the Incarnation in Avila, Spain, and done by Saint John of the Cross himself in 1550, after he had seen this vision of Christ during an ecstasy.  

The original 1550 drawing by St John of the Cross.

The painting is from 1951, and Dali himself wrote,” In 1950, I had a 'cosmic dream' in which I saw this image in color and which in my dream represented the 'nucleus of the atom'. I considered in 'the very unity of the universe', the Christ! Then I worked out geometrically a triangle and a circle, which aesthetically summarized all my previous experiments, and I inscribed my Christ in this triangle." The painting is presently at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Mary

                    

The name Mary, and other forms like Marie, Maria, Miryam, Maryam and Mia is the most popular name in 17 countries, both Catholics and Muslim. Marie is the most popular name in Austria, Portugal, Romania, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guatemala and Brazil. The name Mia is very popular in Estonia, Croatia, Switzerland, Ecuador, Peru and Malta. Mariam is presently the most popular in Georgia, while Maryam is most popular in Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. The Blessed Mother is mentioned several times in the Koran and is presented as a symbol of purity, fidelity and humility. For over 100 years the name Mary was the most popular in the United States. Last year in the USA, Mia was listed as number 8 most popular name among girls, Maria was number 77, Mary is at number 137.

Your sins....my sins

The French author Henri Barbusse (1874-1935) writes about the many conversions he witnessed during World War I. One of the soldiers who knew he would not live any longer, turned to his friend and told him ‘my friend, I know you have lived a terrible life. The police will soon be looking for you. My name is clean, so why don’t you take my wallet, all my papers of good conduct, take my own identity and give me yours. Take my life and I’ll take yours, this way you can live longer in peace with your family when the war is over. Then I can carry your failures into my own death.’ This reminds me how Jesus took upon himself our own sins, so that we can all be saved.

Passion Stamps

Just like Christmas, the season of Lent with Holy Week and Easter have always encouraged nations all over the world to issue special stamps to commemorate the Passion of Christ, as you can see in these 3 selections. The first one shows a stamp from Oberammergau, issued in 1960 when the famous play is performed every 10 years. One can see  various symbols connected to the passion. 

The second one is from an unknown Arab country with a set of 6 stamps representing various scenes from the passion. The third one is from Spain and shows Jesus carrying the cross, from a famous painting by El Greco, a Spanish artist also known as ‘the Greek.’

13 geese

St. Eulalia, also known as Eulàlia of Barcelona, was a young Christian girl who lived during the 3rd century, during the reign of cruel Emperor Diocletian, in the then-Roman-controlled city of Barcino, today Barcelona. She is the co-patroness of the city, along with La Virgen de Merced. Tradition maintains that Eulalia, who herded geese, openly professed her Christian faith, despite the Roman authorities’ attempts to suppress Christianity in the region. Even though she was only 13, Eulalia refused to renounce her faith. What is more, she ran from home and went into the walled city, looked for the governor, and demanded the cessation of hostilities against Christians. The governor, instead, sentenced her to 13 tortures – one per each year she had lived as a Christian. She was eventually beheaded in 303 AD. Up to this day, in the cloister of the Cathedral in Barcelona, the authorities still keep 13 white geese, in memory of St. Eulalia.