Three Wise Men: Pope Francis on following the Star Prince Charles on the courage of Christians in the Middle East Bishop Carmel on promoting a culture of Life in our community
Editorial selected by Fr. Stuart Chipolina
Are you ready to set out and follow his
Star? 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 Image: Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned, Photo © Angela Sargent
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Fr. Stuart directs us to the Holy Father’s teaching on the feast of the Epiphany for inspiration this month.
T
hree actions of the Magi guide our journey towards the Lord, who today is revealed as light and salvation for all peoples. The Magi see the star, they set out and they bring gifts. Seeing the star. This is where it starts. But why, we might ask, did the Magi alone see the star? Perhaps because few people raised their eyes to heaven. We often make do with looking at the ground: it’s enough to have our health, a little money and a bit of entertainment. I wonder if we still know how to look up at the sky. Do we know how to dream, to long for God, to expect the newness he brings,
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or do we let ourselves be swept along by life, like dry branches before the wind? The Magi were not content with just getting by, with keeping afloat. They understood that to truly live, we need a lofty goal and we need to keep looking up. Yet we can also ask why, among all those who looked up at the heavens, so many others did not follow that star, “his star” (Mt. 2:2). Perhaps because the star was not eye-catching, did not shine any brighter than other stars. It was a star – so the Gospel tells us – that the Magi saw “at its rising” (vv. 2, 9). Jesus’ star does not dazzle or overwhelm, but gently invites. We may ask ourselves what star we have chosen to follow in our lives. Some stars may be bright, but they do not point the way. So it is with success, money, career, honours and pleasures, when these become our life. They are meteors: they blaze momentarily, but then quickly burn out and their brilliance fades. They are shooting stars that mislead rather than lead. The Lord’s star, however, may not always overwhelm by its brightness, but it is always there, ever kindly: it takes you by the hand in life and accompanies you. It does not promise material reward, but ensures peace and grants, as it did to the Magi, “exceedingly great joy” (Mt. 2:10). But it also tells us to set out. Setting out. The second thing the Magi do, is essential if we are to find Jesus. His star demands a
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decision to take up the journey and to advance tirelessly on our way. It demands that we free ourselves from useless burdens and unnecessary extras that only prove a hindrance, and accept unforeseen obstacles along the map of life. Jesus allows himself to be found by those who seek him, but to find him we need to get up and go, not sit around but take risks, not stand still, but set out. Jesus makes demands: he tells those who seek him to leave behind the armchair of worldly comforts and the reassuring warmth of hearth and home. Following Jesus is not a polite etiquette to be observed, but a journey to be undertaken. God, who set his people free in the exodus and called new peoples to follow his star, grants freedom and joy always and only in the course of a journey. In other words, if we want to find Jesus, we have to overcome our fear of taking risks, our self-satisfaction and our indolent refusal to ask anything more of life. We need to take risks simply to meet a Child. Yet those risks are immensely worth the effort, since in finding that Child, in discovering his tenderness and love, we rediscover ourselves. Setting out is not easy. The Gospel shows us this through a cast of characters. There is Herod, wild with fear that the birth of a king will threaten his power. So he organizes meetings and sends people out to gather information, yet he himself does not budge; he stays locked up in his palace. Even “all Jerusalem” (v. 3) is afraid: afraid of the new things God is bringing about. They want everything to remain as it was – that is the way it has always been – no one has the courage to leave. The temptation of the priests and scribes is more subtle: they know the exact place and tell it to Herod, quoting the ancient prophecy. They know, but they themselves make no move towards Bethlehem. Theirs can be the temptation of those who are used to being believers: they can talk at length about the faith they know so well, but will not take a personal risk for the Lord. They talk, but do not pray; they complain, but do no good. The Magi, on the other hand, talk little and journey much. Ignorant of the truths of
faith, they are filled with longing and set out. So the Gospel tells us: They “came to worship him” (v. 2); “they set out; they went in, and fell down and worshiped him; they went back” (vv. 9, 11, 12). They kept moving. Bringing gifts. Having come to Jesus after a long journey, the Magi do as he does: they bring gifts. Jesus is there to give his life; they offer him their own costly gifts: gold, incense and myrrh. The Gospel becomes real when the journey of life ends in giving. To give freely, for the Lord’s sake, without expecting anything in return: this is the sure sign that we have found Jesus. For he says: “The gift you have received, give freely as a gift” (Mt. 10:8). To do good without counting the cost, even when unasked, even when you gain nothing thereby, even if it is unpleasant. That is what God wants. He, who become small for our sake, asks us to offer something for the least of his brothers and sisters. Who are they? They are those who have nothing to give in return, the needy, the hungry, the stranger, the prisoner, the poor (cf. Mt. 25:31-46). We give a gift pleasing to Jesus when we care for a sick person, spend time with a difficult person, help someone for the sake of helping, or forgive someone who has hurt us. These are gifts freely given, and they cannot be lacking in the lives of Christians. Jesus reminds us that if we only love those who love us, we do as the pagans do (cf. Mt. 5:46-47). Today let us look at our hands, so often empty of love, and let us try to think of some free gift that we can give without expecting anything in return. That will please the Lord. And let us ask him: “Lord, let me rediscover the joy of giving”. Dear brothers and sisters, let us imitate the Magi: looking upwards, setting out, and freely offering our gifts. Artwork: ‘The Star of Bethlehem’. In this painting we see just one of the three Magi on the terrace of his house. He stands contemplating the star in the East. The lower part of the picture indicates a party, which he may be supposed to have
just left. The artist, Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton (1830–1896) was a British painter, sculptor and politician. ‘The Star of Bethlehem’, also known as ‘The Eastern King’
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is currently in a collection and exhibition of European academic art of the 19th and 20th centuries in Manhattan, New York City. Photo by Sotheby’s 2013.
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At the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned
“ I am the Immaculate Conception” commented Bishop Carmel presides at Hison Lordship the huge following the devotion has locally and delight at seeing so many packed Mass for popular his attending this popular Feast Day Mass. Marian celebration. The congregation included
Renewal of Marriage Vows Service Registration Form
25th, 40th, 50th & 60th Renewal of Marriage Vows Service at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned on Friday 1st February 2019 at 7:30pm Mr & Mrs:___________________________________________ Forenames: Husband___________________________________ Forenames: Wife______________________________________
many families with young children and babies who filled the Cathedral. A feast of the Conception of the Most Holy and All Pure Mother of God was celebrated in Syria on 8 December perhaps as early as the 5th century. Mary’s complete sinlessness and concomitant exemption from any taint from the first moment of her existence was a doctrine familiar to Greek theologians of Byzantium. Beginning with St. Gregory Nazianzen. In 1858, the 14 year old Bernadette Soubirous reported a series of visions of Our Lady in Lourdes, France. During one of these visitations she heard the lady speak to her, saying “Que soy Immaculada Concepcion” (I
am the Immaculate Conception), and asking that a chapel be built there. Bernadette was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1933. Photos ©UTR, Historical facts from wikipedia.
Née:________________________________________________ Address:____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ E-mail:______________________________________________ Home Tel: ___________________________________________ Mobile______________________________________________ Date of Marriage:_____________________________________ Church:_____________________________________________ N.B. If marriage took place outside Gibraltar please produce a copy of the Marriage Certificate when handing in this form. This form should be handed in at the Cathedral bookshop as soon as possible and not later than Friday 18th January 2019, alternatively, e-mail above detail/form to duos@gibtelecom.net
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-Please keep the details below for your information-
After the church service celebration, couples are cordially invited to the Catholic Community Centre for refreshments, along with four guests. This is due to the limited space available. Couples should arrive at the Cathedral on 1st February 2019 no later than 7.15pm
For further information or queries contact Denise Duo on Home no: 20043386 Mob no: 57021000 email: duos@gibtelecom.net
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Bishop Carmel Zammit’s
Pastoral Letter Edited for publication on the 1st January 2019
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God loved the world so much, that He gave his one and only Son (Jn. 3, 16)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we are starting another year, looking forward to the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, I send you my prayerful good wishes. During Christmas we heard that the Angel Gabriel told Mary “Do not be afraid” and the same words were repeated to Joseph. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife” (Mt. 1, 20). The words ‘do not be afraid’ occur over and over again in Scripture, whenever someone has an experience of the Divine. Gabriel is found in the Gospel of Luke telling the priest Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, not to be afraid. The shepherds were told by angels not to be afraid.
Why shouldn’t we be afraid when God calls us to do something which to us seems difficult to accept? The reason is that God is love, and his love for us will overcome all the fears that we may have. We need to put our trust in God. God cannot prove his love for us more than by what we celebrate in Christmas, that is the fact that he gave us his one and only Son, so that all who believe in him may be saved. In creating us to his image, as we find in Genesis, God has given us not only a thirst to be loved, but also to love. Fear is not the characteristic of the Christian. At the heart of Christianity is love, or to be more precise, sacrificial love. Our whole lives must consist in
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ceaseless efforts to love more and more as Jesus loved, sacrificially. To do this we need a gift from God. That gift is trust. We need to trust God to work things out. We have to trust the Lord to remove the fear that prevents us from loving. We have to trust the Lord to protect us from hurt when we take a step outside of ourselves and a step into love. So many of us are afraid, afraid to trust, afraid to love, afraid to risk. We need to trust God so we can make His Presence real for others. The birth of Jesus is a celebration of a new life destined to save us. His birth reminds us of the fact that life is to be cherished and valued. I take this occasion to invite you to reflect on the value of life. When we consider the story of the Annunciation, it becomes clear that the conception of Jesus from the very beginning is considered as the presence of the divine inside the womb of the virgin Mary. When Joseph had the dream to inform him that what his betrothed was carrying inside her was through the power
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of the Holy Spirit, it is clear that Joseph was considering this conception as the presence of a real human and divine being. Human life starts at conception, and this life must be cherished, protected and loved till its natural end. Human life is a value which surpasses all other values. If we deny this right we are denying the most basic of rights. If we deny this right to the most vulnerable, the unborn, then we are denying the same right by implication to all. If we start doing evil like this, where will we stop? When we look at Mary and Joseph, we can see how much love they showered on the child Jesus, in spite of the problems they had to face. Joseph knew he was not the natural father, but he considered Jesus as his son. He loved and protected him from harm, as shown in his journey to Egypt. I pray with you, that after celebrating Christmas, we are prepared to promote the culture of life in Gibraltar and not of death, to believe that all life matters, and that when sacrificial love is
Adoration of the Magi Bologna early 18th century Unknown artist
required to accept the conception of new life, we will trust in God’s love and provide the courage and help that is at times necessary to carry on with a pregnancy in spite of difficulties. May we also remember this year to help out as much as we can those who are less privileged than we are, the sick, the poor, the housebound and lonely, and those who feel abandoned. I also would like to extend my invitation I made in Lent that as a community we help out those who are suffering persecution due to their Christian faith. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN Gibraltar) will for the time being continue to be our targeted mission in our Diocese. May our Mother, the Virgin Mary, accompany us during this year ahead. From the time the Angel appeared to her at the Annunciation, she accepted God’s will in her life, giving birth in Bethlehem, and departed soon on a difficult journey into Egypt. With my blessing to each of your families, as I continue to keep you in my prayers. +Carmel Zammit Bishop of Gibraltar
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words by Anne Mesilio Pope Francis leads an open-air mass in San Cristóbal de las Casas, in Chiapas. Crowds chanted “Francis friend, San Cristóbal is with you” as he arrived. (GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
The Importance
of the
Word
WHERE THERE’S A WILL.. “Have you made a will?” is a question often recoiled from as it is seen as tempting fate. It might also seem a rather odd question amid the revelry of welcoming a New Year, which is traditionally the time we reflect on our lives and the way ahead. Making a will is similar, we look ahead to decide how to bequeath to our relatives, especially as family heirlooms may be involved. What has been entrusted to us must be passed on. Have we kept these in pristine condition, often improving their value, for future generations to enjoy.
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Will we be thanked for our care, or berated for our lack of it to what is regarded as a rightful inheritance. So, here we are on the threshold of another year with a chance to plan ahead for the good. In a previous edition of this magazine I wrote about the United Nations countdown warning of having 12 years to save our planet. (One year for every bell). This year, 2019 has been designated by the UN as International Year of Indigenous Languages. I must admit my first reaction was: Languages? Surely they mean peoples, but
then again surely the UN would not have made a mistake. Indeed not! A little research revealed some sobering facts. There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous Peoples in a global context. Some say those who were there first, or another definition is that of nomadic peoples within borders. Language is more than just words; it is a way of thinking and being, a crucial building bloc for culture and indigenous cultures have flourished for centuries and are models of how to live in harmony with the earth and each other. It is the loss of these languages that the UN is highlighting in the coming year, and with good reason. With an indigenous population of 370 million people in 90 countries and 5,000 cultures with 7,000 languages of which 2,680 are deemed to be in danger, it is time to take heed. “The loss
of languages passed down for millennia, along with their unique arts and cosmologies, may have consequences that won’t be understood until it is too late to reverse them. There is an immense human wealth of cultural history and tradition about to be lost and if languages are lost then so too is the ability to communicate, as well as social integration and education. This is cultural diversity at its rich best and in this coming year we get the opportunity to promote knowledge, peace, rights, inclusion and diversity. We must learn to speak with a common voice in defence of those striving to maintain their own unique identities. WHAT ABOUT LLANITO? On a smaller scale closer to home, we on the Rock are being challenged to defend our identity. Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean sea. Gibraltarians are British citizens, albeit with a distinct identity of our own. We too have a unique vernacular – the form of language commonly spoken by the people of a particular region by a particular group especially when it is different from the standard language. We call it Llanito. Google defines it thus; Llanito is the main local vernacular, and is unique to Gibraltar. It consists of an eclectic mix of Andalusian Spanish and British English, as well as languages such as, Portuguese, Italian of Maltese and Genoes variety and Haketia. I mention this as a way of creating empathy for those languages, so very much older and more revered than this
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one, which denote a way of life also so very much older and in need of defence. POPE FRANCIS SPEAKING TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLE: “Your peoples, as the bishops of Latin America have recognized, know how to interact harmoniously with nature, which they respect as a ‘source of food, a common home and an altar of human sharing’. And yet, on many occasions, in a systematic and organized way, your people have been misunderstood and excluded from society. Some have considered your values, culture and traditions to be inferior. Others, intoxicated by power, money and market trends, have stolen your lands or contaminated them. How sad this is! How worthwhile it would be for each of us to examine our conscience and learn to say, ‘forgive me!’, ‘forgive me, brothers and sisters!’ Today’s world, ravaged as it is by a throwaway culture, needs you. Exposed to a culture that seeks to suppress all cultural heritage and features in pursuit of a homogenized world, the youth of today, these youth, need to
cling to the wisdom of their elders. Today’s world, overcome by convenience, needs to learn anew the value of gratitude.” (Homily with indigenous people from the state of Chiapas,
Mexico, Feb. 16, 2016) Indigenous people perpetuate ancient traditions through their languages, they keep alive a unique lifestyle whilst making valiant efforts to adapt to the
21st century. So, have we the will required to help ;protect this fragile way of life? Wishing you a thoughtful year ahead.
A young girl attends a mass celebrated by Pope Francis with representatives of the indigenous communities of Chiapas in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico on Feb. 15, 2016. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP)
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Text John Pontifex
Westminster Abbey: Prince Charles
salutes courage and faith of Middle East Christians
HRH The Prince of Wales paid tribute to the courage and faith of persecuted Christians at a service in Westminster Abbey which brought together Church leaders from across the Middle East.
At the service on Tuesday, 4th December, Prince Charles said: “We can only give thanks for the truly remarkable strength of the Faith with which so many Christians face persecution and which gives them the courage and the determination to endure, and to overcome.” He also said: “Earlier this year, I had the great joy of meeting a Dominican Sister from Nineveh [northern Iraq], who, in 2014, as Daesh [ISIS] extremists advanced on the town of Qaraqosh, got behind the wheel of a minibus crammed full of her fellow Christians, and drove the long and dangerous road to safety.” Later on, fellow Iraqi Dominican Sister Nazak Matty gave a testimony, describing how she had returned to Nineveh to help rebuild Christian communities. In his address, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, highlighted the persecution of Middle East Christians, stating: “When the Church of Jesus Christ is attacked, it is an attack on Christ himself – when any part of the Church suffers, we also suffer and yet distance and ignorance take away the pain we should feel.” Attending the service were bishops and other Church leaders who had flown in from Iraq, Syria, Israel/Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt and the Gulf. The Middle East is a priority region for Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, which assisted with the preparation of the service. ACN is giving emergency and pastoral help, providing food, medicine, shelter as well as repair of homes, churches and support for priests, Sisters and Christian education (catechesis). Aid to the Church in Need is a Pontifical Foundation directly under
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Pictures of HRH The Prince of Wales at Westminster Abbey ©Andrew Dunsmore/Westminster Abbey
the Holy See. As a Catholic charity, ACN supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in need through information, prayer, and action. Christians working in the Middle East insert photos left: Archbishop Al Shamani distributes olive tree to a Christian woman with ACN’s
Middle East projects’ coordinator Fr. Andrzej Halemba. In Syria, Mother Superior Siham Zgheib with disabled children and carers, and below St. Elias school children with teacher. Right, Fr. George Jahola in front of a desecrated church tower in Iraq. These photos ©ACN
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.
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Donation Details:
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.
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The Cursillo Team Leaders write…
Joy Love God
The
of the of
I
n many instances Catholics that are born into the faith through being baptised by their parents, what are sometimes referred to as cradle Catholics, go through life without realising the wonderful gift that they have.
Sometimes people that convert into the faith as adults are more conscious of this gift, since they have lived a part of their lives without it and once they make a conscious move to open their hearts to the Lord and they experience this wonderful joy for the first time, they no longer want to live without it. When you open up your heart to the Holy Spirit, there is ultimate joy and happiness and you will feel the greatest Love, Joy and Peace that you can ever know. The Joy of the Lord will give you strength. Pope Francis in “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”) states this: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and
lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew…I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy…The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.” Perhaps a natural question we all ask is, “How can I rejoice when I am going through such difficult times? How can I have God’s joy as my strength when I feel anxious and stressed or fearful about certain difficulties in my life?” The answer is, rest in God’s love for you. Know that as you lay your problem at His feet, His great love for you will bring you through. His love for you causes Him to hold you in the palm of His hand. When you are sure of His love for you, you can know that He will bring the perfect solution for your situation. Take joy in knowing that a God bigger than you, bigger than anything you could imagine, is leading you and holding you. This is true whether or not the difficulties you are facing are of your own doing or not. Most situations in
which we find ourselves are the result of our own choices. Do not worry, God is bigger than your wrong choices and bigger than the injustices of this world. Our Lord is beside us every minute of the day, a very human Jesus who understands all our weaknesses and also sees our struggles and successes. You will find God’s joy as your strength and be able to rejoice knowing that His love for you will help you overcome. God has not left us as orphans to struggle on our own. He has given us His precious Holy Spirit to help us, guide us, and live in us as His children, and as His children and followers of Christ, He will love us and show us the way (Jn. 14:15-21). Commit every situation to Him, and His joy and peace will fill your heart. He will bring you wisdom. He will rebuke the enemy on your behalf. His joy will become your peace and strength. We recently held a Cursillo Weekend Retreat for women and the Lord blessed us with a large group of attendees. It has been quite a long time since we had such a large group, probably this has been because for a time we had failed to involve the Lord directly in our activities and this
time we placed the organisation of the event entirely at his feet from day one. We have spent the last twelve months praying to our Lord for a successful outcome and he delivered as he always does. Whenever we truly place our trust in the Lord, and we leave it entirely to him to choose the very day and hour, then His miracle-working power is marvellously manifested as it was when He was on earth. Trust in the Lord, have boundless faith in Him and you will see how he can influence your lives so that you can enjoy this blessed joy that you can only receive via the Holy Spirit. Following the weekend retreat every single one of the women who attended spoke of this special joy that they had experienced. A number of the women that attended had experienced a Cursillo Weekend previously but as is sometimes the case, life experiences had made them drift away and they had lost that special spark in their lives, so they had returned to regain . If you are not full of joy in your lives perhaps you are in need of an invigorating, refilling encounter with Jesus. If so, you may wish to attend one of our
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. B
215 main street
tel 20071717
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weekend retreats or if it is many years since you attended you may wish to relive this wonderful experience once again. In either case please contact us on 58008885 or send us an email on cursillogibraltar@gmail.com and we shall send you an enrolment form. The next scheduled weekend retreat for men will be held from the 21st March till the 24th March next year. We look forward to hearing from you. God Bless Cursillo Team Leaders
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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. Continuing from Issue 210
Chapter 3
After the death of his carer, Samuel’s life changed drastically. An encounter with Jesus triggered a vast improvement in his relationship with his father. Together they went to visit Jesus but found that he had left… Several months passed and gradually news started to filter back to Nazareth about Jesus, the carpenter, and how he was steadily attracting large crowds of people wherever he went. There was much talk of his teaching publicly about ‘the Kingdom of God’ and also about his apparent healing of all kinds of diseases and sickness. The townspeople were quite amazed about the reports and found it hard to believe that their
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very own down-to-earth fellow Nazarene could, in any way, perform miracles or wonders of any kind. In any case, they muttered, didn’t charity begin at home? So why hadn’t he cured all the sick people in Nazareth first, before gallivanting all over Galilee? Jacob kept silent whenever his acquaintances informed him of the latest ‘tittle-tattle’ picked up at the market, the synagogue or brought back by travellers arriving from the surrounding towns and villages. His first concern was for Jesus’ mother Mary and how all this gossip could be affecting her. Since his first visit with Samuel, he had called in with Samuel to see her on a couple of occasions and had grown to admire her strength of character and sweetness of nature. He was convinced that, although appearing rather frail, she was nevertheless a woman of great resilience who believed completely in her son’s mission. In any case, it was in his own mind that Jacob was confronting doubts and turmoil of all kinds. What if it were true, he wondered, what if Jesus was really doing all those marvellous things ascribed to him? What if he were actually the Messiah, the One for whom the people of Israel had been anxiously awaiting for so long? Could the hour of liberation have finally come? But, on the other hand, what if he
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were a charlatan, a trickster, leading the people to their deaths and their country to its ruin and desolation? Jacob and the people of Nazareth soon had a chance to make up their own minds on the matter as quite unexpectedly Jesus returned one day to visit his mother and family. On the following Sabbath, the small synagogue was almost bursting at its seams with an expectant congregation hoping to see him and possibly hear him speak. Jacob, who had gone quite early to the synagogue, was seated relatively near to the front and was able, therefore, to see Jesus the moment he entered. He noticed that he had a white mantle with brown stripes and the usual blue and white fringes over his long tunic, which was fastened by a leather girdle. His head was covered by a sort of white turban and his dark brown hair was streaked with grey, something that Jacob was certain he had not noticed the last time he had seen him. What really impressed him was the assurance and self-confidence that seemed to radiate from him. He became more convinced that this man, despite the criticism and sneers of many of those attending the service, was somebody very special. Just then, as Jesus took his seat, their eyes met and Jacob felt
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deep emotions of peace and, strangely enough, even paternal love, flowing into his very
being. How curious, he thought, I hardly know the man, but I am certain that I would follow him to the ends of the world. After a few minutes, Jesus stood up to read the Scriptures and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written:
L
t
l o
Story so far can be found at uponthisrock.gi/articles seen, although he was starting to become rather worried about the changing mood in the assembly. As Jesus tried to make himself heard over the increasing crescendo of noise, Jacob spotted three or four of the more hot-headed and vociferous members of the community, make their way towards the front. Suddenly, Jesus was being manhandled and dragged out of the synagogue amidst scenes of frenzied pandemonium. Jacob, on realising the seriousness of the situation, immediately left his seat and pushed his way out through a churning mass of bodies, just in time to see the angry crowd leading Jesus pell-mell out of the town. He ran after them, almost tripping in the process over some loose cobble stones and once he had recovered his balance, he saw that the intention of the mob seemed to be to have their victim thrown over the cliff-top. “Stop, stop!” Jacob shouted at them at the top of his voice, “Let him go! He has done nothing wrong!” But they paid no attention to his pleas and continued to jostle Jesus all the way up to the very brink of a high precipice. All at once, something incredible happened; one moment Jesus was being held tightly, about to meet a certain death, and the very next he was walking calmly away. His would-be captors had moved back as if blown like leaves by a strong wind and some of them had even fallen to the ground, whilst Jesus seemed to exude an air of majesty and power which filled those present with awe and fear. They watched dumbfounded as he slowly made his way down a winding path lined with cacti and fig trees until he disappeared from sight. With downcast faces
“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; To set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save His people.” He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him and it was so quiet that one could have heard a pin drop. Jesus looked around him and said with a firm voice “This
passage of Scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read”. There was an almost inaudible gasp as his words slowly began to sink in, and the next moment people were nervously whispering to each other, sniggering and even raising their fists at Jesus. Jacob, for his part, was quite impressed with what he had heard and
and muttering wildly among themselves, the angry group returned to Nazareth, passing Jacob without giving him a sideways glance. He wondered whether they actually felt guilty about their disgraceful conduct which appeared, to a certain extent, to have had the support of most of the townspeople. He was certain now that he could no longer feel at ease amongst them and, there and then, he made up
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his mind that he would leave Nazareth with his family and settle elsewhere. He would also take the opportunity to follow Jesus’ progress and learn more about his teachings and way of life. And so, with a firm and resolute step, he returned home, feeling at peace with himself and happy with the decision he had just taken. To be continued…
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