Editorial approved by Fr. Stuart Chipolina
Do you love God
all your
In one of his many teachings Fr. Tony Kadavil reflects and comments on the readings for the feast of Christ the King. This falls on 24th November in 2019, right at the end of Church’s liturgical year, when the readings describe the enthronement of the victorious Christ as King in Heaven in all His glory.
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nstituting this Feast of Christ the King in 1925, Pope Pius XI proclaimed: “Pax Christi in regno Christi” (the peace of Christ in the reign of Christ).
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This means that we live in the peace of Christ when we surrender our lives to him every day, accept him as our God, Saviour and King and allow him to rule our lives. Christ has conquered, Christ now rules: In the middle of St. Peter’s Square in Rome, there stands a great obelisk. It is about four and half thousand years old and it originally stood in the temple of the sun in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. But it was brought to Rome by the dreadful Emperor Caligula and it was set right in the middle of Circus of Nero, equally dreadful, that was on the Vatican hill. It was in that Circus that St. Peter was martyred, and the obelisk may
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well have been the last thing on this Earth that Peter saw. In ancient times the obelisk was topped with a gold ball representing, of course, the sun. Now there is a cross however, the cross of Christ, and on the pedestal of the obelisk there are two inscriptions. The first of them in Latin, “Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat”, which translated means, Christ has conquered, Christ now rules, Christ now reigns supreme. The other inscription, “The Lion of Judah has conquered”. So here we have the language of victory. Christianity has triumphed by the power of the cross and triumphed over even the greatest power that the ancient
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heart? world had known, the Roman Empire, and here in the middle of St. Peter’s Square stands the obelisk bearing those triumphant inscriptions. In the Church’s calendar, Christ the King is like the World Cup Final in rugby. The Church’s liturgical year concludes with this feast of Christ the King, instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to celebrate the Jubilee Year and the 16th centenary of the Council of Nicaea. This feast was established and proclaimed by the Pope to reassert the sovereignty of Christ and the Church over all forms of government and to remind Christians of the fidelity and loyalty they
owed to Christ, who by his incarnation and sacrificial death on the cross had made them both adopted children of God and future citizens and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Feast, instituted in 1925, was also a reminder to the totalitarian governments of Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin that Jesus Christ is the only Sovereign King. Christ is our spiritual King and Ruler who rules by truth and love. We declare our loyalty to him by the quality of our Christian commitment, expressed in our serving of others with sacrificial and forgiving love, and by our solidarity with the poor. Although emperors and kings with real ruling
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power exist today only in history books, we nevertheless honour Christ as the King of the Universe and the King of our hearts by allowing him to take control of our lives. In thousands of human hearts all over the world, Jesus still reigns as King. The Cross is his throne and the Sermon on the Mount, his rule of law. His citizens need obey only one major law: “Love God with all your being, and love others as I have loved you.” His love is selfless, compassionate, forgiving, and unconditional.
He is a King with a merciful, saving and liberating mission: freeing us from all types of bondage, enabling us to live peacefully and happily on earth, and promising us an inheritance in the eternal life of heaven. To read this text unedited, and other teachings of Fr. Tony see his website, frtonyshomilies. com. Photos opposite, Upon This Rock; Above Christ the Merciful King, Florence Baptisry © http://www. theyorckproject.de/
25th, 40th, 50th or 60th
Wedding Anniversary in 2019?
Or, have you been married for more than 60 years? If your anniversary fell between 1 January and 31 December in 2019 you are invited to participate in a special Service at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned early next year, dates to be announced. For more information and to receive an application form leave your names and contact details at the bookshop and a member of the Christian Family Movement will get back to you
Upon this Rock magazine is published monthly by EuropeAxess Media, Gibraltar. Editor: Fr. S. Chipolina: editor@uponthisrock.gi. Production Editor: A. Sargent: angela@europeaxess.com. Upon this Rock magazine is entirely supported by advertising and donations. It is run in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar by EuropeAxess Media Ltd. as a not-for-profit project. For Advertisers: This magazine is handdelivered to homes, churches, hospitals and many businesses around Gibraltar every month. To discuss your advertising requirements, or promote your church group or charity, call Tel: +350 200 79335 email: angela@europeaxess.com. Editorial is selected by EuropeAxess Media in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Neither of these parties is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor do the views and opinions expressed herein necessarily reflect the views and opinions of either party. Advertisers are not endorsed by virtue of advertising in this magazine. EuropeAxess Media Ltd. reserves the right to refuse space to any submissions or advertisements. Efforts have been made to establish copyright owners of images, but if we have used your material, and have not credited you, please contact us to discuss restoration. The magazine is online at uponthisrock.gi. Cover: Wild flowers near Atajate, in the Ronda mountains. Photo © Anne Mesilio
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The Rosary Round the Rock and The History of the Miracles at Siluva
iracles
Concluding a three part Series by Rev. Dr. Bernard Farrell-Roberts
How miracles preserve our faith, and the Catholic Church, in Gibraltar and Lithuania
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ave you ever heard of “Our Lady of Siluva”, known popularly as “Lithuania’s Greatest Treasure”, and the miracles that have occurred there? No? Well, this is not very surprising, as for nearly 50 years the Soviet Union chose to suppress all knowledge and devotion to Our Lady of Silva. Surprisingly, there is a certain similarity between the trials and repression of historical devotion to Our Lady in Gibraltar in the south of Europe, and to Our Lady of
Siluva in the north. In Gibraltar, as most of you will know, the Church and devotion to Our Lady suffered centuries of persecution, which brought great sadness and suffering to Catholics. The history of Our Lady of Siluva and the Catholic Church during this same period is similarly disrupted, violent, and sad, but with one major difference, in their case Our Lady felt it necessary to intervene personally! In 1251 Peter Giedgaudas, a diplomat for Vytautas the Great, built a church in Siluva, bequeathing the land to the Catholic Church. Continued overleaf
First Rosary Round The Rock a huge success on October 7th, 2019
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he Diocesan Youth Ministry organised a ‘Rosary Round the Rock’ which was held last month. Members of the local Community were joined by Sister Jennifer who prayed from her location in Ronda. Numbers were also swollen by a party from the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Pueblo Nuevo, nearby in Spain. Participants met together at 35 pre-planned Prayer Posts which are marked on the map of Gibraltar above.
Representatives of many of the Prayer Posts were able to send selfies or group photos to the Diocesan Youth Ministry and with their permission or group photos and we have published these here and on the following pages.
Forthcoming Events
Alpha will be running at St. Joseph’s Parish centre, every Wednesday evening for 10 weeks from mid-January 2020. Each evening comprises a meal, a short video and a lively, pressure-free, fun discussion. It’s absolutely free and open to everyone, especially people who are looking for the answers to life’s big questions.
Welcome to Alpha!
Please contact by phone or whatsapp Chris Pitaluga on 56584000 or by email on cjpitaluga2012@gmail.com
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The Rosary Round the Rock images and The History of the Miracles at Siluva
iracles
Continued from previous page Soon afterwards, he went to Rome and brought back a magnificent painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the child Jesus, which he placed in the new church. Then came the Reformation, when all the property owned by the Church would be confiscated and given to the Calvinists. In 1532 the local Catholic parish priest, Fr. John Holubka, justifiably fearful that the church treasures in Siluva would be destroyed, just as many others had been, placed the treasured painting, some liturgical vestments, and documents which proved that Vytautas the Great had given the land to the Catholic Church, in an ironclad box, which he buried in the ground near a large rock. A short time later the Calvinist authorities seized the church. Eighty years passed, the practice of the Catholic faith died out, and only the oldest villagers remembered that there had once been a Catholic Church in Siluva. One summer day in 1608, children were tending their sheep on the outskirts of the village, when suddenly one after another they stood transfixed, staring in the direction of a large rock. They all saw a beautiful young woman standing on the rock holding a baby in her arms and weeping bitterly. She wore flowing blue and white robes, and had long, light-brown hair. A strange light surrounded both the woman and child. Then she disappeared. One of the boys ran to the village to tell the Calvinist pastor, who told him to stop imagining things and to return to his work the fields. That evening, the children told their parents about the weeping woman. The news spread quickly, and the next morning most of the villagers gathered around the rock, impressed by the fact that all the
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children recounted exactly the same story, even to the smallest detail. The Calvinist pastor went to the rock to warn the people that this must be the work of Satan, but as he spoke he was interrupted by heart-rending sobbing, and turning he and the others saw the same weeping lady with the baby in her arms, just as the children had described her. They all stood in amazement, and when the pastor asked, “Why are you weeping?”, she replied, “There was a time when my beloved Son was worshipped by my people on this very spot. But now they have given this sacred soil over to the ploughman and the tiller and to the animals for grazing.” Then, without another word, she vanished. This all occurred two hundred and fifty years before Lourdes and Fatima! The rock formation on which Our Lady stood is visible on both sides of the altar of the “Chapel of the Appearance”. The belief that the Mother of God had appeared in person grew among the people,
causing many to return to the One True Church founded by Jesus Christ. A decade later, on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, more than 11,000 people received Holy Communion during a mass offered at the scene of the apparitions! But that was not all! The news reached a blind man, more than 100 years old, who lived in a nearby village. He recalled a night some eighty years before when he had helped Fr. Holubka bury an ironclad chest beside a large rock. The villagers led him to the field of the apparitions and no sooner had he reached the spot than his sight was miraculously restored. Falling to his knees with joy and gratitude, he pointed to the exact spot where the chest had been buried. The ironclad chest was dug out of the ground and inside it, perfectly preserved, was the large painting of the Madonna and Child, several gold chalices, vestments, the church deeds, and other documents. The painting was later enshrined permanently in the Basilica of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is venerated to this day as the Miraculous Image of Siluva. The documents proved the Church’s ownership of the site of the old church, and this land later became the site of the current chapel. The miraculous apparition was verified and authenticated by Pope Pius VI in 1775. Our Lady had appeared and thereby restored faith in her son Jesus Christ in the whole of Lithuania. Her tears of sorrow brought the joy of Christianity to a nation, past and present. Since then many other miracles have been recorded there. Then came World War II, when Lithuania would once more lose its freedom to practice its Catholic faith, although this time it would not lose this Faith. I was privileged to be invited to Lithuania seven years ago to help them commence a formation programme for the permanent diaconate, one which later resulted in the ordination of the first five Lithuanian “Permanent” Deacons in 2018. Whilst there I was taken to the amazing site of Out Lady’s
appearance, and saw evidence of the deeply held Catholic faith of the majority of the people there, faith that had survived the German occupation from 1940 to 1944, and then five decades of atrocities during the Russian occupation, during which time nearly 10 percent of Lithuanians were exiled to Siberia, with more than 50,000 dying following exile to the inhospitable Russian hinterland, many of these simply for their
love of their faith. My host while there, the Archbishop of Kaunas, had endured arrest by the KGB and 7 years in a Siberian prison for preaching the truth of our Catholic faith. His one wish before his retirement? To commence the formation of deacons! Our Lady’s appearance had given these people the strength they needed to survive these aggressions and persecutions, and the Lithuania I witnessed was strongly Catholic with strongly Catholic values. Gibraltar too has witnessed many miracles through the intercession of Our Lady, including that of Luis Lecayo in 1633, who survived being thrown overboard in stormy seas, and many others recounted by Alonso Hernández del Portillo and Fray Jerónimo de la Concepción in their writings. Let us pray that the miracles brought about by God by the intercession of Our Lady of Europe are similarly powerful in protecting the Catholic faith and values that have always been so strong in Gibraltar, but which are now under attack. Our Lady of Siluva images: Opposite, origin unknown. Above: The original miraculous image of the Madonna and Child installed in the Basilica.
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Ethics
In a conversation about abortion, some people say, “I am personally pro-life, but I can’t tell anyone else what to do.” by Clara Auersperg, ProLife Europe
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hat about other topics in today’s world? When hearing about knife crime, nobody would say: “I’m personally against it but I would not judge someone else for committing a knife crime.” When reacting to a newspaper article about genocide, people use words like “horrible” or “terrifying”. How is abortion different? Many people claim that they can’t tell anyone what to do regarding abortion, but at the same time those people say that knife crime and genocide are wrong and no one should commit those crimes. Clearly, there are some things which are right and some which are wrong, such as purposefully violating or killing another human.
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“I’m personally pro-life, but…”
In a discussion about abortion, the first argument for abortion often is: “But what if a woman got raped and - as a result pregnant?” Rape is a horrible crime. Women who become victims of that crime need every possible support they can get and if that rape results in a pregnancy, they do need even more help. Nicole got pregnant after being raped by her boyfriend. She thought if she could separate herself from every part of him, she could get the control over her life back, but after the abortion, this was not what happened. Sometimes abortion seems to be the only option in the eyes of those women. Often, they are not given the support, love and compassion they need in their situation. Often, they are not shown different paths. When Louise found out she was pregnant after being raped by someone she knew, she decided not to let her unborn child pay for one man’s intent to hurt her. Louise expressed: “She [her daughter] didn’t hurt me. She provided me with healing and growth and new experiences that I never knew could happen in my life!” Rape is a horrible and violent crime. Its perpetrators need to be strictly punished. Yet should innocent life pay for a crime someone else committed? Survivors of rape need every support. They need healing and a chance to find joy in their life again. Though unplanned and likely difficult, having a child brings hope and the ability to bring good out of a horrible situation. Abortion advocates often claim that there are cases where an abortion is needed to save the mother’s life. This is not quite true. While there are
indeed illnesses that endanger the mother’s and unborn baby’s lives if not separated from each other, a doctor honouring the line ‘to do no harm’ in the oath he took, would consider both mother and unborn child as patients. Sometimes unfortunately very early delivery is necessary to save the mother’s life, too early for the child to live outside of the womb. But it is not the purposeful killing of the preborn child. The Dublin Declaration states: “[…] There is a fundamental difference between abortion, and necessary medical treatments that are carried out to save the life of the mother, even if such treatment results in the loss of life of her unborn child.” A third argument often heard in pro-abortion discussions, is disability or short life expectancy of the unborn child. A couple of weeks ago a woman working with children with special needs explained: “I am pro-life. I don’t like abortion. But I work with children with special needs who are severally disabled, and I think, wouldn’t it be better if they were spared of the pain and suffering?” It is unimaginably difficult to live
with special needs or even care for people who do. But even with intense disabilities, life is worth living. Another woman responded to this lady by telling her story: “I have a younger sister. And like a good big sister, I was naturally very protective of her. Slowly it became clear that she wasn’t meeting her milestones. She was very small for her age and wasn’t developing properly. When we went to visit a family member, they said, ‘Since it’s clear your child is brain damaged, I hope she dies before you do.’ Today, she is the main caretaker of our aging parents. She does have a lower intelligence, yet her heart is so kind and thoughtful.” And then with tears in her eyes she said, “I love my sister and think it is so horrible that anyone would wish that she would die.” Raphael Müller is a young German man who is wheelchair bound. His hands are bent; he can’t speak. From the outside, he looks like he is the type of person described earlier as probably better off aborted. But Raphael is a warrior. He is taking university classes and has written several books, including a best-seller and fiction. Life with special
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needs is different. But Raphael, like many other individuals living with special needs, emphatically argue that it’s worth living. To some people it might seem that children with disabilities would be better off being aborted and it is shocking to see the drastically dropping numbers of people with Trisomy 21, for example. Just
because the doctor says that there is a higher chance the baby might have Trisomy 21, does not mean that the baby really is going to have that illness. Regardless, talking with families who have a family member with Trisomy 21 conveys the feeling that those family members are real enrichments for the family. As horrific as some situations
are and as bad as some circumstances seem, abortion is not a solution. A new life not only can change your world but will change it. And with this change comes a new adventure. Being pro-life personally, because you recognize the intrinsic beauty and value of every person, requires being pro-life. Period.
2016 FACTS
lifecharity.org.uk/ lifemattersresources Below: Annual abortion numbers for countries 2008, PP USA 2013, IPPF 2014[1] tinyurl.com/UTR-pro-life
FUNDING AVAILABLE
The Christian Mission Trust provides local Christians with donations for evangelistic initiatives and outreaches. The Trust is ecumenical and has provided money to many groups, individuals and churches during the last 12 years. It is run by a Board of Trustees. We invite applications for funding from anyone who wishes to launch an evangelistic initiative or who needs support for an existing Christian missionary activity.
Please write to: The Chairman, Christian Mission Trust, 4 South Pavilion Road, Gibraltar.
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Fionn Shiner writes
Aid to the Church in Need
keeps Crimean children
off the streets
Against a backdrop of rising poverty, a leading Catholic charity is providing funds for holiday camps in Crimea that keep children off the streets.
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peaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Jacek Pyl of OdessaSimferopol, said that due to the annexation of the peninsula by Russia, wages and earnings have decreased while the cost of living has soared. He said: “In comparison to 2013, salaries in the first half of
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2017 dropped by 18 percent and pensions by 14 percent.” With the risk of poverty for families with three or more children at 78 percent, and summer holidays unaffordable, the danger is that children take to the streets as their parents work. Bishop Pyl said: “The risk of becoming addicted to computers, the internet, drugs or alcohol is particularly high for children and adolescents who spend their holidays on the streets, bored.” In response to requests from the Diocese of OdessaSimferopol, ACN has supported two holiday camps titled “Holidays with God” aimed at young people, irrespective of their religion. Bishop Pyl added: “This is the age at which many young people have a lot of unanswered
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questions: how should I live, who do I want to be and what should I live for? “These summer camps are not just about recuperation, but also about the future of the country and the Church, because it is very important to communicate and live Christian values.” One participant, Bogdan Loginov, told ACN that he enjoyed his summer cap run by religious Sisters. He said: “If it hadn’t been for the camp, this summer would have gone by without anything meaningful happening. I am hoping that it will be held again next year.” Andrej Prospunov, a 15 year-old participant, described to ACN how his faith had been strengthened.
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He said: “Thanks to the summer camp, my friends and I understand that you can remain religious even if you are having doubts – and more than that: that belief in God and the experience of community with believers of the same age are wonderful things. “Thank you to all the organisers and particularly to all the people who made this time possible for us through their financial support.” Aid to the Church in Need supported summer camps for young people in countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, India, Lebanon, Syria, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia and Russia.
Fresh conflict in north-east Syria could unleash renewed exodus of Christians from the region A
rchbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo said he feared a massive exodus of Christians in Hassaké – where half of Catholics and Orthodox have left since 2010 – as well as Qamishli, in north-east Syria. Concerns that the fresh violence in north-east Syria could unleash a renewed – and potentially fatal – exodus of Christians from the region have come from the man who has accused the US and the international community of inflicting huge damage on the country. Speaking in an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Emeritus Archbishop of Hassaké-Nisibi highlighted his concerns for the region amid reports of thousands of Daesh (ISIS) fighters and their families on the run following a strike on Chirkin prison, Qamishli. The Syriac Catholic archbishop warned that the Daesh fighters could infiltrate Europe via Turkey. Describing the plight of 5,000 families in his former diocese, Archbishop Hindo said: “In recent days, many had already moved from the border towns to Hassaké.” The archbishop, who reported the killing of two Christians on Thursday, 10 October, shortly before this
issue of Upon This Rock was being compiled, in attacks on Qamishli, added: “Now the conflict has become even more serious and I fear that many will emigrate.” Stating that before the latest conflict 50 percent of Catholics and Orthodox had fled Hassaké – with almost as many leaving Qamishli – Archbishop Hindo said: “I fear a similar exodus, if not a greater one.” Speaking out against the international community’s intervention in Syria over the years, Archbishop Hindo said: “The United States, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Germany should all offer their own mea culpa. “They acted in Syria for
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their own interests, hiding behind the ideals of freedom and democracy. Instead they have done nothing but weaken our country at the expense of its own people.” He said: “As always, everyone has their own interests, but it is we Christians who will suffer the consequences.” The archbishop, who in March met Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party leaders, said he predicted the Kurds will lose in the conflict with Turkey, especially in the absence of support from the US or other
leading world nations. Criticising Kurdish defensive actions in the conflict, he said: “It was not a clever move from the Kurds. It was clear that no one would help them. Now they will lose everything.” Images: Above, Archbishop Emeritus Jacques Behnan Hindo of Hassaké-Nisibi, Syria © Aid to the Church in Need Opposite, Participants at the summer camp in Crimea, including clergy © Aid to the Church in Need.
The world is largely silent in the face of Christian persecution. The scale of the problem is so great, silence is no longer acceptable. Persecuted Christians need YOU - and all of us! Together our prayers and actions can make a difference. You can PLEDGE YOUR SOLIDARITY by: • Praying ACN’s Prayer found in leaflets in your local Church, or your own prayers for Persecuted Christians in danger. • Sharing this article and Christian Persecution facts with others so that all understand the need.
Can you give £10 a month?
Bishop Carmel Zammit Lenten Appeal for‘Aid to the Church in Need’, Gibraltar International Bank, Account Name: ‘Trustees RCC/CAN’ Account Number: 00812022, Sort Code: 60-83-14.
Since 2011 ACN has provided more than £32 million for 850 projects in Syria, including essential food aid for Internally Displaced Persons, fuel and heating for poor families and medical assistance.
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So many died ‘for our tomorrow’ … can we act to save the next generation’s tomorrows?
Remember N
ovember is a month of remembrance. We begin with the 1st, All Saints Day, a celebration of all Christian saints, especially those who don’t have a designated saints day. We gather them all together in a bouquet of memory. On the 2nd we commemorate All Souls, the souls of all the faithfully departed, our loved ones among them as we acknowledge the ache of good bye. We do not just pray about them, we pray for them; “If I flew to the point of sunrise, or westward across the sea, your hand would still be guiding me, your right hand holding me”. (Psalms 139: 9-10) Blessed be the ties that bind us. Remember, remember the 5th November, now Guy Fawkes or Bonfire night, celebrating the thwarted attempt on King James I’s life, when Guy Fawkes was arrested while
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guarding the explosives meant to blow up the House of Lords in 1605. Then comes the most poignant remembrance of all. With bruised hearts and desolate compassion we commemorate the signing of the Armistice in 1918 when at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month the brutality that had been World War One would end. The world was shattered, empty and grim after four years of terrible suffering. The red poppy is the well known symbol of remembrance which also incorporates hope for a positive future in which we live in a peaceful world. “In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses row on row”. They sprang up around the bodies of the fallen where once were barren fields. The very fields wept blood red tears of remembrance. Oh yes, we remember though no living memory exists now, we
remember and honour those who died “for our tomorrow” to defend the democratic freedoms we enjoy today. Forever remembered, forever missed, “we will remember them”. Thomas Hood (1799-1845) rather morosely observed two centuries ago “no shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds”. He was referring to November! Fast forward to today and looking just less than 12 years ahead, these words could pertain to the bleak future which awaits this planet, our one and only home. We need to remember how it was when on the 6th day of creation God gifted us thus: “See, I have given you every herb that yields seeds which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and everything that creeps on
earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”. Then he created man! Not quite finished he gave man free will, a singular gift, but oh, how irresponsibly have we (mis)used it? Where is pristine nature, God’s handiwork in all it’s glory. Lost, through our greed, apathy and selfishness as the population has rocketed to 7 billion placing intolerable demands on our environment. Pope Francis said “We received this world as an inheritance from past generations, but also as a loan from future generations, to whom we will have to return it!”—Remarks, meeting with political, business and community leaders, Quito, Ecuador, July 7, 2015 Where is our desire, longing and hunger with every heart beat to unite across faiths, cultures and backgrounds, to place greater value on our natural world. Since the times of our earliest ancestors, human activity has been having an impact on our environment. It is in peril like never before. The youth of the world, to whom we owe trust, are marching in their millions inspired by the example of a 16 year old teenager from Sweden, Greta Thunberg, who’s impassioned cry at the UN on September 23rd 2019 has resonated around the world; “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words”. What an indictment on the our custody of
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Anne Mesilio writes
THE ENVIRONMENT NEEDS
YOU TO ACT
NOW TO SAVE OUR FUTURE.
our home. A cry like this from a grandchild of mine would leave me cowering in abject shame with no credible reply. What would it do to you? I had to pause here for a while and reflect on the phenomenal technological advances which seem to have increased the speed of time! These advances have made our lives both good and bad in their ways. The most relevant ones at this moment in time seem to be: the internet, mobile phones, computers, space flight, genetic engineering and nuclear power. The youth in particular have easily embraced these, and more, and take them for granted. It has come at a cost and I wonder if they are cognisant of the sacrifice that will be needed, to make low carbon choices in the effort that is required to combat climate change. Are they willing, as indeed we all must be, to give up the luxuries we have become accustomed to. The youth have been blessed with plenty and giving up might be a rare concept for them. Reducing green house emissions, the urgent need to recycle, reducing our carbon footprint, eating less processed foods, eliminating plastic, bottled water, etc. understanding how our activities affect the world helps us find the best way to protect it. Nature provides everything we need, remember the 6th day of creation? There is intense pressure on our planet to go on doing this so we must help.
Yes, governments must legislate, but even more than that it must be workable and enforced, and very soon. In this month of remembrance which ends with the American celebration of Thanksgiving, let us collectively place great value on our natural environment. What is stopping us? The answer is one word,
mindset. If we care enough we will value and protect our planet as the only home we have and one which we must bequeath to our children and generations yet to come. Remember; “The whole of creation is under the bondage of decay”. (Romans 8; 20-22). What are YOU going to do about it?
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Images left to right: background, also front cover ©Anne Mesilio; All Saints Giovane del Biondo catholictradition.org; North Front Cemetery © Scott Wylie; Guy Fawks © Wellcome Library, London; Gibraltar War Memorial © Captain S Buckle RE. UK National Archives; Laudato Si © Catholic Truth Society; Greta Thunberg © C.Suthorn Wikimedia Commons
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SAMUEL
The continuing serialisation of a story by Manolo Galliano.
- God’s Special Gift
This is the story of Samuel, a child with a mental disability and his encounter with Jesus, who became his very special friend.
Chapter 7
Samuel and his family are staying with Mathias and Anna in Bethpage…
The following day, Samuel was up at first light, having been woken by the insistent crowing of a cock in the distance. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, peering around in the semi-darkness at the unfamiliar room, and noticed that his sister, who was lying
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just beside him, was still asleep and snoring softly. He rose silently and left the room on tiptoe, looking furtively to his right and left, but without seeing anybody else around. He walked stealthily down a narrow corridor and, coming to a partially-open door, he crept in and found himself in a large kitchen area. There was nobody in the room, but he could nevertheless hear the sound of female voices in an adjoining open courtyard, one of them being the unmistakable hearty laugh of the fat lady, Anna. This
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jogged his memory, and in his mind he went over the events of the last few days since he and his family had left Magdala on their long and tiring journey to Jerusalem. He also remembered quite distinctly that his friend Jesus had promised to come and collect him and take him with him; but these thoughts were soon forgotten the moment he saw the huge bowl of shining red pomegranates on the kitchen table. Unable to resist, he grabbed the largest of them and accidentally toppled the whole bowl, which made a deafening
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noise as they bounced and rolled onto the floor. “Who’s there?” someone shouted from outside the courtyard. Samuel jumped in surprise, and instead of waiting around for the outcome of whatever might happen, he rushed out of the room and raced up a short flight of stairs onto an open terrace. The bright morning sun was just rising over the nearby Mount of Olives and the air was sweet with the aroma of spring flowers, as he gazed around him at the marvellous
view over the roofs and terraces of Bethpage. To the south, he could see literally thousands of tents and small booths covered with palm fronds among the olive trees. He vaguely remembered his father telling him that this was the main encampment used by many of the poorer pilgrims arriving for the Passover. He then looked towards the city and noticed that already the winding road, leading over a deep ravine to the main gate, was beginning to fill up with dense crowds of people, all heading in that direction. As he leaned slightly over the low parapet, to his great delight, he saw down below a donkey and its foal, near the front entrance of the house. Down the steps he run again, as fast as he could, and without another thought, he lifted the door-latch and let himself out into the cobbled lane. Samuel crept warily towards the animals, which were tethered by a long rope to an iron ring set into the wall of the house. At first, the foal shied away from him, trying to hide behind its mother, but, apparently realising that no harm was going to come to it, it approached Samuel; then gazing up at him with huge sorrowful eyes, it rubbed its damp nose against the boy’s face. Samuel was startled for a moment, but he was soon giggling with delight and caressing the little foal, watched rather anxiously by its mother. Just then, he heard the sound of sandals on the cobblestones and turning around, saw the approach of two men running towards him. To his great surprise, they began to untie
the donkeys with the intention of taking them away with them. Samuel instinctively knew that something was not quite right, and without further ado, he yelled out, “Help! Help! My donkeys are being stolen!” The men froze for an instant, and before they could react in any way, the front door of the house burst open and Mathias rushed out of the house, his face contorted in rage, “What
on earth do you think you are doing, taking my donkeys without permission?” One of the men stared at him calmly and replied, “We have been
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told to tell you that the Master has need of them and will send them back at once.” To be continued…
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