The legend of the first robin

One day, long ago, a little bird in Galilee saw a large crowd gathered around a man carrying a heavy wooden cross. On the man’s head was a crown made from a thorn branch. The thorns were long and sharp. The little bird saw that the thorns were hurting the man very much. It wanted to help him, so it flew down, and took the longest and sharpest thorn in its tiny beak.
The bird tucked and pulled until the thorn snapped from the branch. Then a very strange thing happened. A drop of blood fell from the thorn onto the bird’s chest, staining it in bright red. The stain never went away. And so today, the robin very proudly wears a red chest because it helped a man named Jesus.

Litany of Consolation

Emvin Cremona "Sacred Heart aglow"

When my life lacks any purpose or direction - Lord Jesus you say: “Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome.”
When the harshness and ruthlessness of life assail me - Lord Jesus you say: “I am gentle and humble of heart; your souls will find rest.”
When I am full of doubt, with no one to depend on - Lord Jesus you say: “Everything is possible to one who trusts.”
When bitterness and resentment poison my heart - Lord Jesus you say: “If the Son frees you, you will truly be free.”
When I see nothing but my wrongdoings and failures - Lord Jesus you say: “Do not let your heart be troubled; have faith in me.”
When I am done in by the hatred and violence of the world - Lord Jesus you say: “Take courage; I have overcome the world.”
When I think that happiness is nothing but a delusion - Lord Jesus you say: “Do you love me?”
When my life reaches a dead end and I lack all desire - Lord Jesus you say “Do you love me?”
When it seems that life has no meaning - Lord Jesus you say “Do you love?”
"Yes, Lord Jesus, I do!" - Lord Jesus, you say: “Live on in my love.”

More miniature statues

Sharing today a few more photos of miniature statues displayed in various exhibitions in Malta during Holy Week. Click on each photo to enlarge and admire the intricate work, detail and craftsmanship.

Miniature statues on display

One of the best places to experience the solemnity and spirituality of the Passion and Death of Jesus is certainly in my home country of Malta. Among the hundreds of photos I took in 2010 during Holy Week are these of miniature statues on display, replicas of the larger statues which will be carried in procession on Good Friday. Many exhibitions are held in private homes, churches and parish halls. Enthusiasts and amateur sculptors prepare a variety of statues representing scenes from the passion of Christ.

The Agony in the Garden miniature statue

Displays of Last Supper tables were also very popular, which unfortunately were only on display during Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Photos of these will be posted later. But today we focus on the miniature statues, some of which were also draped with real clothes. This is the result of hours and hours and days of patience, and a sheer passion and love of ecclesiastical art and culture.

The miniature statue of Veronica

 

The Forgiving Father in the key of F

The return of the prodigal son by Esteban Murillo

I shared this story last Sunday in my homily. It is actually the story of the prodigal son, or better yet, the Forgiving Father, written with emphasis on the letter F, all clean words from start to finish. So fasten your seat-belts, and here we go.

Francis the Foolish felt a filial fondness for his flawless, fastidious father, Ferdinand the Fourth. Following one February fortnight, Francis, feeling footloose and frisky, this featherbrained fellow forced his fond father to fork over five hundred forty five farthings. Fleeing to foreign fields, Francis finally frittered away his fortune on fickle females, firkins of foaming ale, freeloading friends, and feasting fabulously.
Finally facing famine and fleeced by his fellows-in-folly, he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farmyard as a forlorn farmhand.. Footsore and fairly famishing, he fain would have filled his flaccid frame with foraged food from the fodder fragments. "Fooey, my father’s flunkies fare far fancier," the frazzled fugitive fumed feverishly, frankly facing facts.

Frustrated by failure and filled with foreboding, fortunately the frazzled fugitive fled forthwith to his faraway family. Falling fatigued at his father’s feet, he floundered forlornly, and feebly phrased his feelings: "Father, I have flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor . . .forgive me" But the far-sighted and faithful father, forestalling further future flinching, frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch forth the finest fatling and fix a feast. "Fetch a fatling from the flock and fix a feast for Francis. Faster! Faster!"

Francis' feisty, fault-finding brother Frederic frowned upon his father's forgiveness of Francis' former philandering.His fury flashed but fussing was futile. The far-sighted father figured, "Such filial fidelity is fine, but what forbids fervent festivity? - for the fugitive is found! Unfurl the flags. With fanfares flaring, let fun and frolic freely flow. Former failure is forgotten, folly forsaken. Forgiveness forms the foundation for future fortitude."
The far-sighted father, forestalling future family fissures flagged his flunkies. "Fetch a fatling from the flock and fix a feast for Francis. Forthwith. Fall to! Faster!"  Frederic the Feculent, Francis' feisty, fault-finding brother, frowned upon his father's forgiveness of Francis' former philandering.
"Filial fidelity is what fathers are for, Frederick," said Ferdinand with feelings flowing. "Forsooth, the fugitive is found, so what forbids festivity? Fly the flags freely, amid fifes, fiddles and fanfares... FLING A FEAST!"And the faithful felt that Francis' former foibles should be freely forgiven. Francis, face flushed, foreswore frippery forever more by faithfully following his forgiving father Ferdinand, with his frater Frederic finally feasting with the rest of the faithful.

A healing prayer

I share with you today this beautiful prayer of healing and forgiveness, written by Saint Thomas Aquinas:
To you, o God, Fountain of Mercy, I come, a sinner. May you wash away my impurity.
O Sun of Justice, give sight to the blind.
O Eternal Healer, cure the wounded.
O King of Kings, restore the despoiled.
O Mediator of God and man, reconcile the sinful.
O Good Shepherd, lead back the straying.
O God, have pity on the wretched, show leniency to the guilty, bestow life on the dead, reform the impious, and give the balm of grace to the hard of heart.
O most merciful God, call back the one who flees, draw back the one who resists, lift up the one who falls, support the one who stands, and accompany the one who walks.
Do not forget those who forget you.
Do not desert those who desert you.
Do not despise those who sin against you.
For in sinning, I have offended you, my God;
I have harmed my neighbor;
I have not even spared myself injury.

I abandoned you Lord. I questioned your goodness by yielding to evil cravings and weakening myself with harmful fears. By such things I preferred to lose you rather than abandon what I desired, to offend you rather than face what ought not to be feared.
Out of my weakness I beg you to pay heed not to my iniquity, but rather to your immense goodness. And I beg you mercifully to pardon what I have done, granting me sorrow for my past actions and precaution in the future.

Fixing the Date for Easter

The moon, as well as the sun, has a powerful effect upon the earth and upon the life of man. Some ancient people, such as the Hebrews, felt so strongly about this, that they based their calendars upon the rhythms of the moon. We call these “lunar” calendars. Other people based their calendars on the sun, including the Romans.
As Christianity began in the Holy Land, establishing certain dates became difficult because some people used the “lunar” calendars while others used the “solar” calendar. They agreed on mostly all dates except for Easter Sunday. Then in the 4th century, with the help of some astronomers, a decision was made, taking into account the position of both the moon and the sun in relation to the earth.
It was finally accepted that Easter would always be celebrated on the First Sunday after the full moon that follows the Spring Equinox (March 20 or 21). That is why Easter falls anytime between March 22 and April 25. Recently, a group of British bishops have started a campaign to set the date of Easter on a fixed Sunday, like the 2nd or 3rd Sunday in April. But this would need world-wide approval to be implemented, especially from the Vatican.

More Passion stamps

I showed you yesterday some stamps that reflect Holy Week and the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus. Various countries have issued stamps over the years using well-known paintings depicting the holiest of weeks. Paintings of course provide thousands of opportunities to showcase artistic representations of the last few days of Christ. Leonardo da Vinci, El Greco, Roger van der Weyden, Rembrandt and so many others have put on canvas their impression of the sufferings of Christ. Reproduced here are paintings by De Juanes, Cimabue, Roger Van der Weyden, El Greco and Salvador Dali.

The stamps are a meditation in themselves and offer a great source of comfort for many people, especially when used during Lent and Holy Week, just like a Christmas stamp has a definitive effect when used in the Christmas season, especially when sending Christmas cards to family and friends.

Passion Stamps

I’ve always been fond of collecting stamps, although it’s not considered one of my favorite hobbies. However there is so much history and art related to philately. Many countries have used paintings from various artists to commemorate Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Above you can see 5 beautiful stamps from the African nation of Burundi issued in 1974. They are paintings by Roger van der Weyden, Titian, Veronese and El Greco, beautifully presented. Below you see a stamp from the African nation of Cameroon from 1977, depicting the famous painting I reviewed recently, the Crucifixion by Mathias Grunewald. Stay tuned, I will share a few more stamps over the next few days. You can always click on the image and enlarge it for better viewing.

 

Fasting and Abstinence

Prior to 1966, Catholics practiced what some folks today might consider heavy-duty fasting. Catholics who were 21 years of age and who had not begun their 60th year were obliged under pain of mortal sin to fast every day in Lent except on Sundays. On fast days, only one full meal was allowed (either at noon or in the evening), with about two ounces of bread with coffee, tea or chocolate in the morning, and about eight ounces of food except meat for lunch or supper. On Holy Saturday, the fast ended at noon. People excused from fasting included the sick, the infirm, the convalescent, those engaged in hard labor, the poor who could not get sufficient food for their principal meal, and women bearing or nursing children. Before Vatican II, even December 24 was a day of fasting and abstinence. That’s why, to this day, many families have the tradition to east fish on Christmas Eve. Pope John XXIII in 1959 said that Catholics could fast on December 23 instead if they wished.
In 2014, the Archbishop of New Orleans, Louisiana said that alligator meat was permissible on Fridays during Lent, because alligator is considered part of the fish family. According to the US bishops: “Abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chicken, cows, sheep and pigs - all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meat.” In particular cases where a person's health prohibits fasting, they may instead try to give up some pleasure, or do more positive outreach, like almsgiving, praying, be more forgiving and helping out.

More Last Supper displays

Here are a few more extraordinary photos of intricate plates made from edible items like pasta, rice, beans, salt, semolina, along with other arrangements of fruit and bread. Each of the apostles are represented with their own coat-of-arms and a chalice. A large donut-shaped bread embedded with almonds is also placed in front, a very popular item on Holy Thursday.

 

Last Supper displays

The coat-of-arms of Pope Benedict XVI

This astonishing exhibition of a Last Supper table has to be seen to be believed. These photos I took in 2010 show a sample of plates decorated with pasta, rice, beans, rice and other edibles. All kinds of pasta are used, as well as colorized rice and salt to decorate these plates with various designs, including coat-of-arms of various prelates from Malta and other passion symbols, or others related to the 12 apostles. Please do click on each photo to see the intricate and tedious work that went into creating these plates. The whole display was set up in a beautifully ornate hall, and the table was set up in a horse-shoe fashion, as you can see from the general photo featured at the end of this post.

More Passion exhibits

Intricate filigree display of the Way of the Cross

Here are a few more photos showing various items from exhibits held during Lent and Holy Week in Malta. Most of these are displayed every year in various churches and halls, and new items are introduced regularly.

Chalices and candlesticks made from pasta, sprayed in gold.

Holy cards showing various crucifixes

Crowning of thorns made from colorized salt

 

Miniature Good Friday processions

Good Friday processions are held in various parishes in Malta, with statues that represent various scenes from the way of the cross. You will see scenes from these processions at a later post, but 6 years ago, I found an exceptional exhibition showing a miniature procession with little figures that depict the entire procession which includes all the people participating, including the clergy, marching bands playing funeral marches, and of course the statues themselves. Enjoy these photos I took at this exhibition, which was set up in the President's Palace, in Attard, Malta. (more tomorrow)

More Malta exhibits

Continuing my posts on the Holy Week celebrations in my homeland of Malta, here are a few more decorative plates, made from salt, semolina, rice and other edible ingredients, all colorized and placed strategically to create a real painting related to the Passion and Death of Jesus. These were displayed in the towns of Zebbug and Cospicua, Malta, soon to be displayed within a few weeks again. These photos were taken during my trip to Malta in 2010.

Malta's Passion exhibits

Over the next few weeks, I will post some of the photos that describe the innumerable exhibits that dominate Lent and Holy Week in Malta. Over the next week, you will see various displays, miniature statues of the passion of Christ, and decorated plates related to Holy Thursday and the commemoration of the Last Supper. Many of these plates are made from colored salt, rice, beans, pasta, semolina, sugar and other dried edibles, which are eventually given to orphanages and nursing homes - so nothing is wasted or thrown away after the exhibits are closed. 

Most of these decorative plates are hand made, intricately positioned so as to paint and design these artworks, simply by placing salt and the other ingredients on a tray, with the eventual result looking like a real painting. Added to the display are loaves of bread, fruit, statues of the apostles and other decorative details. Please do click on each photo to get a better resolution and admire the intricacy of such crafts and artistic work. I took these photos during Holy Week in 2010.

What Jesus saw from the cross

Jams Tissot "What Jesus saw from the Cross"

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 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. It is a painting filled with symbolism, worth meditating upon, especially during this Lenten season. (click once to enlarge)

The earliest Crucifixion image

Ivory depiction of the Crucifixion of Christ (British Museum 420 AD)

This is one of the earliest known depictions of the Crucifixion in Christian art. It was made in Rome about AD 420-30, at a time when the Roman empire in Western Europe was fragmenting. The panel is one of four, originally mounted on the sides of a small ivory casket, each carved with a scene from Christ’s Passion. This panel is exhibited at the British Museum in London. In this image the Crucifixion is combined with another scene of death: the suicide of the disciple Judas after he has betrayed Jesus. The stiff, clothed body of Judas pulls down the branch of a tree, and a spilled sack of coins lies at his feet. In contrast the exposed limbs of Christ still appear vigorous, and he gazes at the viewer, triumphant in death. A plaque over Christ’s head is inscribed REX IUD (King of the Jews). The Virgin Mary and John the Baptist stand to the left of the cross, while on the right Longinus steps from beneath the arm of the cross, just before he pierces Jesus’ side with a lance.