Saint Lawrence

"St Lawrence helping the poor" by Fra Angelico

Saint Lawrence was one of seven deacons in Rome who were in charge of giving help to the poor and the needy. When a persecution broke out, Pope St. Sixtus was condemned to death. As he was led to execution, Lawrence followed him weeping, "Father, where are you going without your deacon?" he said. "I am not leaving you, my son," answered the Pope. "in three days you will follow me." Full of joy, Lawrence gave to the poor the rest of the money he had on hand and even sold expensive vessels, chalices and candlesticks to have more to give away.
The Prefect of Rome, a greedy pagan, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. So he ordered Lawrence to bring the Church's treasure to him. The Saint said he would, in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered together all the poor and sick people supported by the Church and lined them all up. When he showed them to the Prefect, he said: "This is the Church's treasure!"  

"Martyrdom of St Lawrence" by Valentin-de-Boulogne

In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The Saint was tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire that roasted his flesh little by little, but Lawrence was burning with so much love of God that he almost did not feel the flames. In fact, he even joked, "Turn me over," he said to the judge. "I'm done on this side!" And just before he died, he said, "It's cooked enough now." Then he prayed that the city of Rome might be converted to Jesus and that the Catholic faith might spread all over the world. After that, he went to receive the martyr's reward.
St Lawrence is one of thousands of martyrs who were mercilessly killed by the ruthless Emperors in the first 300 years of Christianity. Others were crucified, sent to the lions, beheaded, burned, tied to a tree and arrows shot at them, others were skinned or had parts of their body taken out or cut off. With St Stephen he is the patron saint of deacons.

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross  was a German-Jewish philosopher, nun, a martyr and a highly unusual saint of the Catholic Church. Born into an observant Jewish family in Breslau, a German province of Prussia on October 12, 1891, she was named Edith and her family name was Stein. Edith was a very gifted child who enjoyed learning. She greatly admired her mother's strong faith; however, by her teenage years Stein had become an atheist.  In 1916, she received a doctorate of philosophy from the University of Göttingen, and soon afterwards became a member of the faculty in Freiburg.

As Edith Stein, just before her conversion to the Catholic faith

While Stein had earlier contacts with Catholicism, it was her reading of the autobiography of the mystic St. Teresa of Ávila on a holiday in Göttingen in 1921 that caused her conversion. She was eventually baptized on January 1, 1922, gave up her job at Freiburg and started to teach at a Dominican girls' school in Speyer from 1922 to 1932.
In a letter to Pope Pius XI, she denounced the Nazi regime and asked the Pope to openly denounce the regime "to put a stop to this abuse of Christ's name.” Although she never received an answer, in 1937, Pope Pius XI issued an encyclical written in German, "Mit brennender Sorge," in which he criticized Nazism, and condemned anti-semitism. I’m sure her letter had some influence on this.

St Teresa at Auschwitz concentration camp

She entered the Discalced Carmelite monastery Our Lady of Peace at Cologne in 1933 and took the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.  Although she moved from Germany to the Netherlands to avoid Nazi persecution, in 1942 she was not safe there. The Dutch Bishops had a public statement read in all the churches of the country in July 1942, condemning Nazi racism. In a retaliatory response a few weeks later, the Reichskomissar ordered the arrest of all Jewish converts, who had previously been spared. Sr. Teresa Benedicta and her sister Rosa, also a convert, were captured and shipped to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where they were gassed on August 9, 1942 when Edith was only 50. Edith Stein was canonized as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross by Pope John Paul II in 1998; however, she is also often referred to as "Saint Edith Stein".

Saint Dominic

Along with the Franciscans and the Jesuits, the Dominicans are probably the most popular religious order, both for men and women, priests, brothers and nuns. The son of Felix Guzman and Bl. Joan of Aza, Dominic was born at Calaruega, Spain. The story is told that before his birth his mother dreamed that a dog leapt from her womb carrying a torch in its mouth, and "seemed to set the earth on fire". That is why in many of the statues of St Dominic, a dog carrying a torch is placed near his feet.
He studied at the University at Palencia , was probably ordained there while pursuing his studies and was appointed canon at Osma in 1199. There he became prior superior of the chapter, which was noted for its strict adherence to the rule of St. Benedict. In 1203 he accompanied Bishop Diego de Avezedo to Languedoc where Dominic preached against the Albigensian heresy and helped reform the Cistercians. When papal legate Peter of Castelnan was murdered by the Albigensians in 1208, Pope Innocent III launched a crusade against them headed by Count Simon IV of Montfort which was to continue for the next seven years. Dominic followed the army and preached to the heretics but with no great success. In 1214 Simon gave him a castle at Casseneuil and Dominic with six followers founded an order devoted to the conversion of the Albigensians; the order was canonically approved by the bishop of Toulouse the following year. He failed to gain approval for his order of preachers at the fourth General Council of the Lateran in 1215 but received Pope Honorius III's approval in the following year, and the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans) was founded.

Guido Reni painting of St Dominic in a church in Bologna, Italy

Dominic spent the last years of this life organizing the order, traveling all over Italy, Spain and France preaching and attracting new members and establishing new houses. The new order was phenomenally successful in conversion work as it applied Dominic's concept of harmonizing the intellectual life with popular needs. He convoked the first general council of the order at Bologna in 1220 and died there the following year on August 6, after being forced by illness to return from a preaching tour in Hungary. He was canonized in 1234. Dominicans today number 6,500, not counting many nuns who work as teachers, in social work and in hospitals.

A Dog's Plea

Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.
Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I might lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me learn.
Speak to me often, for your voice is the world’s sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when the sound of your footsteps falls upon my waiting ear.
Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements. 

I ask no greater glory than the privilege to sit at your feet beside the hearth.
Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst.

Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.
And, my friend, when I am very old and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun.
Please see to it that my life is taken gently. I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw that my fate was always safest in your hands.

Transfiguration

Raphael - The Transfiguration

Jesus took Peter, James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on  earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice: "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him."

Are we listening to Him? He still talks to us through Scripture, through miracles that still happen daily, through the Eucharist, through recommendations we receive from the Pope, our Bishops and priests. Are we listening to them? Because if we don't listen to them, we're not listening to Him!

Heavenly Lake

"Heavenly Lake"

I offer you today one of my most recent water color paintings, which I named “Heavenly Lake.” This was done on very good quality paper, precisely 300 lb. Please click once on the painting to get a larger image of it. More paintings will be posted over the next few weeks. A section of it also presently seen in the heading for this blog, which I will change periodically.

St John Baptist Vianney

My all-time favorite Saint is not just the patron saint of priests, but also the patron saint of all those who find learning and going to school tough and hard. The Cure of Ars’ life is itself a miracle. Jean-Marie Vianney was born on May 8, 1786, in the French town of Dardilly and was baptized the same day. His parents had six children of which Jean-Marie was the third. He grew up on his family's farm in a very devotional environment. His parents frequently helped the poor and gave hospitality to many pilgrims
By 1790, the French Revolution forced many loyal priests to hide from the government in order to carry out the sacraments in their parish. The Vianneys continued attending Mass, even though it was illegal. In order to attend Mass, they traveled to distant farms where they would pray in secret. Since the priests would risk their lives day by day, Jean-Marie began to look upon priests as heroes. During the Mass, the windows were covered so that the light of the candles could not be seen from the outside.
By 1802, peace was re-established, and Jean-Marie wanted to start studying, but he still had to serve in the army. He was 19 when he started school, while his classmates were all 11 or 12, but he persevered, even though he found the study of Latin very hard. He gave up many times, but he was eventually ordained a priest on August 13, 1815. He was sent as Assistant to his sponsor, Father Balley in the parish at Ecully. Three years later he was made parish priest of Ars, a remote French hamlet, where his reputation as a confessor and director of souls made him known throughout the Christian world.

The body of the Cure of Ars, in the Basilica of Ars, France

His life was one of extreme mortification. Accustomed to the most severe austerities, beleaguered by swarms of penitents, and besieged by the devil, this great mystic manifested tremendous patience. He was a wonder worker loved by the crowds, but he retained a childlike simplicity, and he remains to this day the living image of the priest after the heart of Christ.
He heard confessions of people from all over the world for 16 hours each day. His life was filled with works of charity and love. It is recorded that even the staunchest of sinners were converted at his mere word. He died August 4, 1859, and was canonized May 31, 1925.

Meeting the Berries

The Berry Family - click once to enlarge

As you can read from the list of my favorites further down, one of my favorite food items are strawberries. Unfortunately their season is pretty brief, but I remember picking them in New York and splurging on them. They are becoming quite popular in Malta too, although growing up, they were very rarely found. Well today I’d like you meet the rest of the berry family, and since I love everything that ends with the word -berry, this is one of my favorite photos. One of our parishioners, Mike Skidmore came over to the office yesterday and presented me with a variety of berries that grow in his garden. Needless to say I was smiling from ear to ear when I saw this collection of the berry family, and I quickly positioned them with a name tag for each group, and took this photo, which is easy to understand.

Listed in the photo are: strawberries, blueberries, green gooseberries, pixwell gooseberries, black currants, red currants, josta berries, loganberries, red raspberries, jewel black raspberries, crandall black currants, royal purple raspberries. Other berries are cranberries, mulberries, elderberries, bearberries, barberries, boysenberries and nannyberries. Enjoy them while they last.

St Peter Julian Eymard

Born in France in February 1811, Peter Julian Eymard worked at his father's trade as cutler until eighteen when he went to the seminary at Grenoble. In spite of his poor health, he was ordained a priest in 1834. He served as a parish priest for several years, then in 1845 he joined the Marists where he worked as a well-respected spiritual advisor with seminarians and priests. He worked with  other lay organizations promoting devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the Eucharist. He rose to the position of Provincial of the Marist Society at Lyon in 1845. In 1856, due to disputes with the Marists, Eymard left them and founded the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament and 2 years later founded the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, a congregation for women.
The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament began working with children in Paris to prepare them to receive their First Communion, even though this custom was only approved in 1909 by Pope Pius X. It also reached out to non-practicing Catholics, inviting them to repent and begin receiving Communion again. Eymard was a tireless proponent of frequent Holy Communion, another idea approved by Pope Pius X in 1905. 

Eymard overcame a number of difficulties to reach his goals, including poverty in his family and in his community, his father's opposition to his only son’s desire to be a priest, years of serious illness and pain, and the difficulties of getting diocesan and papal approval for his new Order. Eymard was a contemporary and a friend of other saints including Peter Chanel, John Vianney and Marcellin Champagnat, the founder of the Marists.
The French sculptor Auguste Rodin received counsel from Eymard when Rodin entered the Congregation as a lay brother in 1862, having giving up art after the death of his sister. Eymard recognized Rodin's talent and advised him to return to his vocation. Rodin later produced a bust of Eymard.
St. Peter Julian died on 1 August 1868. He was beatified in 1925, and canonized by Pope John XXIII on 9 December 1962. His Order runs a church in New York City where they have perpetual adoration of the Eucharist.

St Alphonsus Liguori

Saint Alphonsus Liguori was born in 1696 in Marianella, in the Kingdom of Naples, the first born of seven belonging to the Neapolitan nobility. Liguori went to law school at age sixteen, becoming a very well-known lawyer. He was thinking of leaving the profession, when at age 27, after having lost an important case, he made up a resolution to leave the profession of lawyer. He wrote to someone, “Our profession is too full of difficulties and dangers; we lead an unhappy life and run the risk of dying an unhappy death. For myself, I will quit this career.”
In 1723, after a long process of discernment, he abandoned his legal career and, despite his father's strong opposition, began his seminary studies in preparation for the priesthood in the Oratory of St Philip Neri. He was ordained a priest in 1726, at the age of 30. He lived his first years as a priest with the homeless and marginalized youth of Naples. He founded the "Evening Chapels". Run by the young people themselves, these chapels were centers of prayer, education, community, and social activities. At the time of his death, there were 72 of these chapels with over 10,000 active participants. His sermons were very effective at converting sinners. He had a special closeness to the much poorer and abandoned street children in Naples, known as scugnizzi. 

In 1732 Alphonsus founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, (Redemptorists) when a nun named Sister Maria Celeste Castarosa told him that it was revealed to her that he was the one God have chosen to create the Congregation. This order's goal was to teach and preach in the slums of cities and other poor places. They also fought Jansenism, a heresy prevalent at his time. He gave himself entirely to this new mission. Sister Castarosa later founded the Redemptorist order of Nuns.
Alphonsus was consecrated bishop of the diocese of Sant' Agata dei Goti in 1762. He tried to refuse the appointment because he felt too old and too sick to properly care for the diocese. During this time he wrote sermons, books, and articles to encourage the devotion of the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1775 he was allowed to retire from his office and went to live in the Redemptorist community in Pagani, Italy where he died on August 1, 1787. He was canonized in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI, proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1871 by Pope Pius IX. He was named Patron of Confessors and Moralists by Pope Pius XII in 1950, who also wrote an encyclical on him. Redemptorists today number over 5,800 world-wide.

St Ignatius of Loyola

St Ignatius writing his "Spiritual Exercises"

The Jesuits had quite an important role in my education and spiritual formation. My spiritual director in the Seminary was a Jesuit as were many of my priest friends. My two nephews were educated in a school run by the Jesuits, and which has actually produced quite a few well-known people in Malta. Jesuits have provided many good priests, many of whom have dedicated their lives to work in the missions. We thank St Ignatius of Loyola, their founder, whose feast we celebrate today.
St. Ignatius was born in the family castle in Guipúzcoa, Spain, the youngest of 13 children, and was called Iñigo. When he was old enough, he became a page, and then a soldier of Spain to fight against the French. A cannon ball shattered his leg and subsequently, a series of bad operations ended his military career in 1521. While St. Ignatius recovered, he started reading the Bible and the lives of the saints, and decided to dedicate himself to becoming a soldier of the Catholic Faith.

Soon after he experienced visions, but a year later suffered a trial of fears and scruples, driving him almost to despair. Out of this experience he wrote his famous "Spiritual Exercises". After traveling and studying in different schools, he finished in Paris, where he received his degree at the age of 43. Many first hated St. Ignatius because of his humble lifestyle. Despite this, he attracted several followers at the university, including St. Francis Xavier, and soon started his order called The Society of Jesus, or Jesuits.
He was a gifted spiritual director, and has been described by Pope Benedick XVI  as “being above all a man of God and a man of profound prayer who gave the first place of his life to God.” He was very active in fighting the Protestant Reformation and promoting the subsequent Counter-Reformation. St Ignatius died at the age of 65. He was canonized on March 12, 1622.  There are 38 members of the Society of Jesus who have been declared Saints. So many other Jesuits have become Cardinals, Bishops and great writers.

Sparrows

Photo I took in 1983 at Hyde Park, England

Every Sunday morning, I open the doors of the Cathedral very early in the morning, anytime between 2 AM and 3 AM. Since the Cathedral gets very hot in the afternoon, that’s the best time to let some cool air in, like having a free air-conditioner from God, being that we’re in a high elevation, at 3,500 feet. Well, yesterday I closed the doors at 6:45 AM, because I had to give a sunrise prayer service at the Relay for Life being held this weekend. The little extra time that I left the doors open, which I usually close by 5:30 AM, gave the opportunity for a sparrow to sneak into the Cathedral. He was flying around very discreetly towards the end of the morning Mass. In fact during the homily I had mentioned that God takes care of us, just as he takes care of the sparrows and lilies of the field. I guess this particular sparrow wanted to hear me mention them, and felt he had to represent his friends by his presence.
Of course he stayed here overnight, and this morning I went to check on him and found him hopping around the altar. Trying to capture him was impossible, but then he flew away towards the bell tower, and I was able to trap him in there. Then opening the doors, I was able, with a lot of patience, to guide him towards the doors, and bingo, off he flew, after a very holy night inside a beautiful Cathedral.
“Praise Him all ye birds of the sky, all ye sparrows and creatures that fly!”

Martha was right

Vincenzo do Campo - St Martha

We all remember that domestic scene in the Gospels when Jesus visits his friends Martha and Mary, who along with their brother Lazarus, were close friends to Jesus. We read how Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to listen to him talk, while Martha was busy with the household chores and duties of hospitality, which were very important in Middle Eastern culture. Eventually Jesus reprimanded Martha and praised Mary for choosing the better part. I always felt bad for Martha, because she was doing her duty as a host. As if she was trying to tell Jesus: “Let’s all fix some snacks together and then we can sit down and talk....”
Then I came across this painting by Vincenzo di Campo, and I’m sure you would agree with me....Martha was absolutely right! Look at all the food she had to prepare, foul, chicken, pheasants, lamb, fish, vegetables, and so much more. She had every right to complain and ask for her sister to help her out.
July 29 is the liturgical feast of St Martha, and even though we do not celebrate her feast today because it is a Sunday, it’s good to remember her and pray for all housewives, cooks 
and chefs, of whom she is the patron Saint.

$20 worth of time

A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5 year old son
waiting for him at the door.  "Daddy, may I ask  you a question?"
"Yeah, sure, what is it?" replied the man.  "Daddy,  how much money do you make an hour?"
"That's none of your business!   What makes you ask such a thing?"  the man said angrily.
"I just wanna know.  Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy.
"If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."
"Oh," the little boy replied, head bowed.  Looking up, he said,  "Daddy, may I borrow $10.00 please?".
The father was furious.  "If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you're being so selfish.  I work long hard hours everyday and don't have time for such childish games."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.  The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy's questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son.  Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
"Are you asleep son?" he asked.  "No Daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.
"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier," said the man.
"It's been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you.   Here's that $10.00 you asked for." The little boy sat straight up, beaming.  "Oh, thank you Daddy!" he yelled.
Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills. The man,
seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man. "Why did you want more money if you already had some?" the father grumbled.
"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.
 
"Daddy, I have $20.00 now.  Can I buy an hour of your time?"

Citius, Altius, Fortius

Tower Bridge and Thames river with the Olympics Logo

This is the motto of the Olympics, meaning “Faster, Higher and Stronger.” As the London Olympic Games start today, we remember also the spirit of the Olympics, crystallized in the words of Pierre Rene de Coubertin, the father of modern Olympics, who said “The most important thing for the athletes is to participate, and not to win." The first modern Olympics were held in Greece in 1896, and they’ve been held ever since, with the exception of the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Games, because of World Wars. The 1980 Olympics held in Moscow were also boycotted by 65 nations because of the Cold War, while the Soviets boycotted the 1984 Games held in Los Angeles, USA.

Original soda can boxes display at local Albertson's Store

Here are some interesting trivia about the Olympics
- In the ancient Olympic Games, a flame would be ignited by the sun and then kept burning until the closing of the games. The flame first appeared in modern Olympics at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam and nowadays is still lit using a curved mirror and the sun.
- The last Olympic Games medals that were made entirely of gold were awarded in 1912.
- Women were first allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in 1900.
- During the opening ceremony, the procession of athletes is always led by the Greek team, followed by all the other teams in alphabetical order, with the last team being that of the hosting country.
- The five rings on the Olympic flag symbolize the five continents. However, three continents, Africa, South America and Antarctica – have never hosted the Olympic Games.
- The first Olympic Games to be televised were the Berlin games in 1936.
- At the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens, the winners received a silver medal and an olive branch, and second placed athletes got a bronze medal. Third placed athletes received nothing.
- Although China frequently tops the medal winning charts, it only won its first medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, when Xu Haifeng won gold in the 50-metre pistol event.
- The youngest Olympian ever was Dimitrios Loundras, a 10-year-old Greek gymnast at the 1996 Athens Olympics. The oldest Olympian ever was 72-year-old Oscar Swahn, a Swedish shooter at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games.
- The London 2012 Olympic Village will be home to 10,500 athletes.
- At the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, the skeet shooting targets were real pigeons. Belgian sharpshooter Leon de Lunden won the gold medal with a perfect score of 300 birds.
- Until 1992, the Winter and Summer Olympics were held in the same year, but since then they alternate every two years. So the next Winter Games will be held in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, while the next Summer Games will be in Brazil in 2016.
- Malta has never won a medal, but they are hoping this year they will win the first ever medal, even if it is bronze. The athlete whom they are hoping to bring glory is William Chetcuti, a trap shooter, who is rated Number 5 in the world, and recently won the World Championship.   

Saints Joachim and Anne

Saint Joachim and Saint Anne are the parents of Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ and were privileged to be the grandparents of Jesus Christ. What we know about Mary's parents come from the Gospel of James. It is not part of the Bible, but the document, which was written around 170 AD gives insight into the life of Mary and her parents. Joachim was a prominent and respected man, and is described as a rich and pious man of the house of David who regularly gave to the poor. However, as his wife was barren, the high priest rejected Joachim and his sacrifice, as his wife's childlessness was interpreted as a sign of divine displeasure. Joachim consequently withdrew to the desert where he fasted and did penance for forty days.
Angels then appeared to both Joachim and Anne to promise them a child. Joachim later returned to Jerusalem and embraced Anne at the city gate, a traditional meeting that is frequently painted and reproduced in art. In an answer to his prayers, he and Anne, his wife, were given the daughter Mary, who was conceived without sin, a virtue we remember also on December 8, her Immaculate Conception. Their prayers were answered greater than they could have ever imagined!

Joachim and Anne embracing each other at the gate.

There is a great Shrine to St. Anne in Canada which is a site of constant miracles. Cripples have entered the Shrine on crutches and left by walking through the door as they were completely healed. Another Shrine is in Britanny, France. There is also a church of St. Anne in Jerusalem, and it’s believed to have been built on the location where Saints Joachim and Anne lived.
The feast of St Joachim and Anne was introduced to the liturgical celebration in 1584, for celebration on March 20, the day after the feast day of Saint Joseph. Early in the 20th century Pope Pius X transferred it to August 16, the day after the Assumption, so that Joachim may be remembered in the celebration of Mary's triumph. St Anne is the patron saint of barren women, grandparents; homemakers; housewives; pregnant women; women in labor; Brittany, France and Quebec, Canada; archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan; diocese of Norwich, Connecticut; New Mexico. St Joachim is also the patron of grandfathers and fathers.

Feast of Saint James

James and his brother John left their boat and even their father behind, and followed Jesus.
The first thing James saw after he followed Jesus was his teaching with authority in the synagogue and the cure of Simon's mother-in-law. We all know that Jesus was the focus of James' life from then on, but it is also evident that James held a special place in Jesus' life. He was chosen by Jesus to be one of the 12, given the mission to proclaim the good news, and authority to heal and cast out demons. But even among the apostles he held a special place. When Jesus raised Jairus' daughter when all thought her dead, he only allowed James, John, and Peter to come with him. Even more important when he went up to the mountain to pray, he wanted James, John, and Peter to go with him. And it was there on the mountain they were privileged to witness what no one else had seen -- Jesus transfigured in his glory, speaking to Moses and Elijah. And with Simon Peter, James and John were the only ones of the apostles that Jesus gave a special name: Sons of Thunder.
It's no wonder then that James, along with John, felt that he had the right to go to Jesus and ask him to give them whatever they asked. When their mother asked Jesus to give them preferential treatment, they didn't see the cross in his future, but an earthly throne. But despite all these misunderstandings, it was still James, Peter, and John that Jesus chose to join him in prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane for his final prayer before his arrest. It must have hurt Jesus that the three of them fell asleep on this agonizing evening.
 

"Saint James" by Alonso Cano

James did drink of the cup Jesus drank of, all too shortly after the Resurrection. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that James was one of the first martyrs of the Church. King Herod Agrippa killed him with a sword in an early persecution of the Church. There is a story that the man who arrested James became a convert after hearing James speak at his trial and was executed with him. James is called James the Greater because another younger apostle was named James. St James evangelized in Spain before he died and the cult of St James in Santiago de Campostela is well known as people make a long pilgrimage to visit his Cathedral in northwest Spain.

We pray, and remember

Yet again, the eyes of the world have turned with shock to the suburbs of Denver, Colorado,  and another unspeakable loss of life. Thirteen years after two high-school students in the same metro area murdered 11 of their classmates and wounded over 20 others before killing themselves, a lone gunman's overnight rampage at an Aurora movie theater claimed 12 lives among 71 people shot during a midnight showing of the new Batman film, ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’

12 crosses, symbolizing the 12 lives lost in Aurora, Colorado

Let us pray for and remember the 12 victims who lost their lives:
Alex Sullivan, 27
Micayla Medek, 23
Jessica Ghawi, 24
Navy Petty Officer John Larimer, 27
Rebecca Wingo, 32
Matthew McQuinn, 27
Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jesse Childress, 29
Alexander Boik, 17
Alexander Teves, 24
Jonathan Blunk, 26
Gordon Cowdon, 51

Just 2 days earlier, Denver installed its new Archbishop, Samuel Aquila. He released the following statement:
“ We are shocked and saddened by this tragedy. Our hearts and prayers go out to those impacted by this evil act. In the chaos of the moment, people poured from the movie theater into the darkness of the night—the darkness of confusion, of ambiguity, of despair. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters cast into that darkness. They do not stand alone. As Catholic bishops, we “weep with those who weep. But in Aurora, which means “the dawn,” the sun rose this morning. In a city whose name evokes the light, people of hope know that the darkness may be overcome. For those who were killed, our hope is the tender mercy of our God. “Neither death nor life,” reflected St. Paul, “can separate us from the love of God.” We commend their souls, and their families and friends, to God’s enduring love.  For those who were wounded - physically, emotionally and spiritually, our hope is in their recovery and renewal. To them we offer our prayers, our ears to listen, and our hearts to love. The road to recovery may be long, but in hope we are granted the gift of new life.  We hope also for the perpetrator of this terrible crime, and we pray for his conversion. Evil ruled his heart that night. Only Jesus Christ can overcome the darkness of such evil. We hope that all of us may find the peace which surpasses understanding.”

St Bridget of Sweden

Various images of St Bridget

Born on June 14, 1303 of a very devout family, Bridget’s mother died when she was only 10. She was raised with her siblings by her father and other aunts. As was customary during the Middle Ages, Birgitta was married when she was 13 years old to a young man, Ulf Gudmarsson with whom she had eight children, four daughters and four sons, all of them survived infancy, and that was very rare at that time.
The King of Sweden, Magnus Eriksson married a foreigner, and asked Birgitta to come and be Lady-in Waiting and to teach his new bride and young queen the language and customs of her new country. After her years of service at Court, Birgitta and Ulf made the long pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostela in Spain. On the return journey Ulf became ill but survived until early in the year 1344, when he was very ill again, and so Birgitta took him to the monks at Alvastra where he died and was buried. Birgitta remained in a little house near the abbey and she spent long hours in prayer by Ulf’s grave. She arranged her affairs among her children and various charities and prayed for guidance.

St Bridget handing the Rule of her order, the Brigittines

When she was 41 years old, in the abbey at Alvastra she felt God calling her to start a religious order, mainly for women. He said that the other orders had fallen into decay and this new order would be a vineyard whose wine would revivify the Church. She needed a monastery, chaplains and priests, besides 60 nuns to start the order. King Magnus donated a little palace and much land to the new monastery in Vadstena, but as soon she had begun altering the palace and organizing the work, Christ appeared to her and asked her to go to Rome. Birgitta left Sweden at the end of 1349 never to return, spending the Holy Year 1350 there.
Although she had longed to become a nun, she never even saw the monastery in Vadstena. It was not until 1370 that Pope Urban V confirmed the rule of her order, but meanwhile Birgitta had made herself universally beloved in Rome by her kindness and good works. Save for occasional pilgrimages, including one to Jerusalem, she remained in Rome until her death on July 23, 1373. She was originally buried at San Lorenzo in Panisperna before being moved to Sweden. She was canonized by 1391. Birgitta was the first women ever to found a religious order, known as the Brigittines.
The order spread swiftly throughout Europe with monasteries from Scandinavia throughout Europe, in particular Spain, Italy, Mexico and the USA. None of these foundations have brothers (except U.S.A. which has one male convent.)

England's week

Front page of a French newspaper honoring Bradley Wiggins

This is a historic week for England, and I thought of giving the British a tribute they deserve. The Olympic games start this week in England, and I'm sure the British are well prepared to host a magnificent spectacle. This weekend the British Open in Golf was played at Royal Lytham and St Anne's Golf course, with a British golfer, a South African, an Australian and two Americans in contention. (The South African Ernie Els eventually won.) But most of all, I salute today Bradley Wiggins, the first ever British cyclist to win the Tour de France in 99 years. In 1987, Ireland's Stephen Roche had won the only other title from the British Isles, but Wiggins is the first British to win. To make it even more special, another British cyclist, Chris Froome, from the same Sky Team came in second place. Another British cyclist, the sprinter Mark Cavendish won three stages, while yet another Brit, David Millar won another, making it a total of 7 stages won by the British cyclists, one third of all the stages!.

So today I say hail to the British. After all the British defended Malta during World War II and even gave us in 1942 the George Cross as the highest honor a country could receive, and which was then incorporated in the Maltese flag.

The Secret

He has the secret for all of our happiness

One day, one friend asked another, ““How is it that you are always so happy? You have so much energy, and you never seem to get down.”
“With her eyes smiling, she said, ““I know the Secret!””
““What secret is that?””
To which she replied, “I’’ll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to share the Secret with others.”
The Secret is this: I have learned there is little I can do in my life that will make me truly happy. I must depend on God to make me happy and to meet my needs. When a need arises in my life, I have to trust God to supply according to HIS riches. I have learned most of the time I don’t need half of what I think I do. Since I learned that 'Secret’, I am happy. He has never let me down”
The questioner’s first thought was, “ That’’s too simple!” But upon reflecting over her own life she recalled how she thought a bigger house would make her happy, but it didn’t! She thought a better paying job would make her happy, but it hadn’t. She thought a luxurious car, a hefty bank account, a cruise on an ocean liner...., but nothing did make her better.
When did she realize her greatest happiness? Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren, playing games, praying with them, walking on the beach in bare feet with them, or reading a story, a simple gift from God.
Now you know it too! We can’t depend on people or objects to make us happy. Only GOD in His infinite wisdom can do that. Trust HIM! And now I pass the Secret on to you! So once you get it, what will you do?
YOU have to tell someone the Secret, too! That GOD in His wisdom will take care of YOU!

How the poor live

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.  On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.
"Oh Yeah" said the son.
"So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father proudly.
The son answered:
I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. 
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. 
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. 
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. 
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. 
We buy our food, but they grow theirs. 
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
With this the boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."
Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don't have. 
What is one's persons worthless object is another's prize possession. It is all based on one's perspective.
It makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for all the bounty we have instead of worrying about wanting more.
Take joy in what you have and see the treasure in it.

Happy 90th Birthday

Bishop Thomas Connolly, the 4th Bishop of our Baker Diocese turns 90 years old today. Even though he is not in the best of health as he is living at Maryville Nursing Home in Beaverton, Oregon, nonetheless we pray for him on this special day as becomes a nonagenarian. Bishop Connolly was born in Tonopah, Nevada on July 19, 1922, and was ordained a priest in his hometown on April 8, 1947. He was actually the second priest of Tonopah that was ordained a bishop, as only two months earlier, a fellow priest and townsman William Johnson was ordained a Bishop of Orange, California. Connolly was consecrated Bishop at the Cathedral on June 30, 1971 with an overflow congregation that included the Governors of Nevada and Oregon, 4 Archbishops, 18 Bishops, 135 priests and more than 600 lay people and nuns.
 

Bishop Connolly preaching on his 60th anniversary

Bishop Connolly was much beloved here in Baker City and even though he moved the Chancery to bend in 1987, people have many wonderful memories of him, and he was always welcome whenever he visited here. His last major celebration in the Cathedral was in October 2007 when he celebrated his 60th anniversary as a priest while on the same occasion he rededicated the Cathedral after the centennial renovation. We wish him the best of health, our prayers are with him and Ad Multos Annos!

Two Frogs

Two frogs fell into a bucket of cream. The sides of the bucket were shiny and steep, the cream was deep and cold. "Oh, what's the use?" said Frog Number One, "There’s no help around, and no hope for us. “Good-bye, my friend. Good-bye, cruel world." And weeping still, he drowned in the cream.
But Frog Number Two, made of sterner stuff, dog-paddled in surprise and defiance, and as he licked his creamy lips and blinked his creamy eyes, he thought  "I'll swim at least a while."
He kicked and kicked with his hind legs, trying to get out of the bucket. After an hour he found out that all his kicking had churned up a tub of butter underneath him. Happily he perched on top of the butter and hopped off to safety.

Moral of the story: never, ever give up, no matter how difficult the situation is around you.

Marian prayer for the sick

'Pieta' by Emvin Cremona at Balzan church, Malta

Mary, health of the sick,
be at the bedside of all the world’s sick;
of those who are unconscious and dying;
of those who have begun their agony;
of those who have abandoned all hope of a cure;
of those who weep and cry out in pain;
of those cannot receive care because they have no money;
of those who ought to be resting but are forced by poverty to work;
of those pass long nights sleeplessly;
of those who seek vainly in their beds to find a better position;
of those who are tormented by the cares of a family in distress;

of those who suffer through painful cancer, dementia or Alzheimer's disease;
of those who must renounce their most cherished plans for the future;
of those, above all, who do not believe in a better life;
of those who rebel and curse God;
of those who do not know that Christ suffered like them and for them. Amen.