June 2020 228

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MARY

THE MOTHER OF THE

We give thanks to Our Lady on this his new Feast day instituted by Pope Francis two years ago.

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CHURCH

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ccording to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Mary is the Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church.

It is fitting to consider her place in the mystery of the Church. “The Virgin Mary … is acknowledged and honoured as being truly the Mother of God and of the redeemer… She is ‘clearly the mother of the members of Christ’ … since she has by her charity joined

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in bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its head.”

MARY’S MOTHERHOOD WITH REGARD TO THE CHURCH Wholly united with her Son … Mary’s role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. “This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made

who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation.” … also in her Assumption “Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.”508 The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death. … she is our Mother in the order of grace By her complete adherence to the Father’s will, to his Son’s redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church’s

Screenshot taken during live streaming from St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Cathedral was almost empty due to Coronavirus restrictions.

model of faith and charity.

Thus she is a “pre-eminent and … wholly unique member of the Church”; indeed, she is the “exemplary realization” of the Church.

Her role in relation to the Church and to all humanity goes still further. “In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace.”

“This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues

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uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfilment of all the elect.

Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation … Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.”

Full text: Catechism of the Catholic Church: 963 - 969

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courtesy of Vatican News | gbc.gi

manifest from the time of Christ’s virginal conception up to his death”; it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion as is made clear in Lumen Gentium, on the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, this is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council: Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother’s heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: “Woman, behold your son.”

After her Son’s Ascension, Mary “aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers.” In her association with the apostles and several women, “we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit,

Pope Francis prays before an icon of Our Lady and the Child Jesus on Easter Sunday.

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PRA YE R for Priests has never beenso Annual ‘Worldpriest Rosary Relay’ Day: 19th June 2020 at 13:30 in Gibraltar

2 0 2 0 W o r ld p r ie s t R o s a r y R e la y

119 p r i e s t s hav e die d of coronav irus in Italy

URGENT

as at 18.05.2020.

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‘Humble and dedicated’ bishop dies from the coronavirus The Archdiocese of Liverpool said that Bishop Vincent Malone, 88, died after testing positive for COVID19 last month. He is at least the fourth bishop to die of the coronavirus. Bishop Malone was an auxiliary bishop of Liverpool archdiocese from 1989 to 2006, when he reached the retirement age of 75. But he continued to serve as a vicar general and trustee of the archdiocese until last year.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster recalled that as a young priest he had lived at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral’s clergy house when the then Mgr. Malone was in charge.

“Above all I remember his endless patience to get right every aspect of the work of the cathedral; his unfailing courtesy with every person he met, even those who were occasionally very difficult; his kindness to those in need who came to the door,” he said.

Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool said: “His mild and polite manner found its fulfilment in his ministry as a priest and bishop which was characterized by unfailing kindness and respect to all those he met and served.

Bishop Vincent told me that he enjoyed being an auxiliary bishop because it kept him close to people.”

Bishop Malone is the latest Catholic bishop to die amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Four priests who completed a 54-mile “Walk for the Poor” last month caught on camera outside St. Andrew Apostle Catholic Church in Silver Spring, USA. The walk raised more than £117,550 for local and international charitable Report from Mark Zimmermann, CNS. Photo courtesy The Holy Ruckus programs.

The first reported death of a bishop from the infectious disease was on March 25, when Bishop Angelo Moreschi (above) died in Brescia, Italy.

A member of the Salesians, the 67-year-old had served as apostolic vicar of Ethiopia’s Gambella Vicariate.

The second reported death was on April 15, when Bishop Gérard Mulumba Kalemba died in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 82-year-old was the emeritus bishop of Mweka in Kasai Province. His nephew, Congolese President FélixAntoine Tshisekedi, attended his funeral the following day.

Boston auxiliary Bishop Emilio Allue died April 26 at the age of 85 of complications from COVID-19.

Chinese Bishop Joseph Zhu Baoyu died May 7, months after recovering from the coronavirus. The 98-year-old bishop of Nanyang diocese in Henan province was thought to be the oldest person to survive the disease when he left hospital Feb. 14, according to UCAN News.

Cardinal Angelo De Donatis became the first cardinal to test positive for the coronavirus in March. On April 8, the vicar general of Rome diocese announced he was recovering in a letter written from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

How to join the rosary for priests around the world

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orldpriest has designated prayer locations dotted all over the world where people can join the Worldpriest Rosary Relay for the Sanctification of Priests 2020.

Details about these managed locations are provided on worldpriest.com. In Gibraltar the event normally takes place at the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe.

You can also join in the relay anywhere outside these locations – praying wherever you are located, on 19 June this year.

It is hoped that where possible the Global Rosary Relay will be livestreamed. In this way many prayer locations will be able to join in what will be a virtual

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Global Rosary Relay for 2020.

Please be mindful of your local time to pray, as this day of prayer is an actual real-time rosary relay involving the whole world. So lockdown or no lockdown, this will be the biggest and best year ever as the world is open for prayer like never before.

SEE LOCAL MEDIA FOR JUNE 19TH EVENT UPDATES Please follow the instructions of your local health authority on social distancing and other related COVID-19 matters wherever you may be located.

In the meantime, we extend our prayerful best wishes to all of our beloved priests and parishioners for your safety and good health at this time.

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Take this, all of Rev. Dr. Bernard Farrell-Roberts

S piritual Communion and Streamed Adoration

versus

The Real Presence

O

ver the last few weeks we have all had to suffer the consequences of locked churches, and to get used to the live streaming of our devotional service.

I for one have watched everything from Masses in Cathedrals, to Eucharistic Adoration, and the Blessing of a hospital from across a

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road in Preston, Lancashire.

During this time I have been asked on numerous occasions what the difference is when we watch a live streaming instead of being in the church, when communion is spiritual rather than physical, or adoration is on line, and not in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

I have given a lot of thought to this. It seems to me that the problem people have comes not from the lack of an answer but is implicit in the question itself.

We have been talking for a very long time now about “cherry picking Catholics”, those who think the sacraments grow on trees, and that they can grab a wedding, baptism, or Holy

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Communion whenever they wish. This attitude leads even the good folks to fall into the error of thinking “If I receive Holy Communion, my reward will be some additional grace, or if I sit in a church during Adoration I will automatically get added grace. This is what would make someone now ask what they might lack due to receiving spiritual rather than physical Holy Communion, or lack by praying in front of streamed Adoration instead of the Blessed Sacrament in Church. For me we are talking about the same thing here whichever of these two activities we are speaking about, Christ’s physical and spiritual presence on Earth, his Mystical body.

The basis is of their thinking is all wrong. Just think of the Mystical Body of Christ that Jesus himself instituted, not just spiritually, but physically too.

The Mystical Body of Christ is made up of us all, together with Christ, spiritually and physically. “For as one body we have many parts…so we, though many, are one body with Christ,” (Romans 8: 4-5).

St. Paul goes on to say: “… the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love,” (Ephesians 4: 15-16).

The Catholic Church is the body, in and through which, Christ continues to live and love and speak, and will do so until His Second Coming – He does this just as truly as when He lived and loved and spoke in the Holy Land two thousand ago. Our Lord emphasized the supernatural quality of His

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Church when He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches.

He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The branches express the life of the vine. Branches can do nothing apart from the vine. But the vine bears fruit only through its branches.

The Blessed Sacrament is both the physical and the spiritual food that nourishes every part of Christ’s body on earth.

Do we lack anything in our union with Christ if we only receive the Body of Christ and not the Precious Blood?

Of course not, we can never receive anything less than the fullness of Christ, Man and God, physically and spiritually.

Why then would we lack anything if we receive Christ spiritually and not physically?

Screenshot of Fr. Michael celebrating Mass on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima copyright catholic.gi

you…

Is Christ’s presence limited to his physical presence? Of course not. He is present both physically and spiritually.

However, it is clearly better for us to receive Christ, or to adore Him, in the communion that is his Mystical Body, within the Church, together with other fellow parts of His body – to do so is to receive Christ or adore Him in the fullest possible way, and is the

way Christ ordained it. But if we are prevented from doing so by circumstances beyond our control, then we have not lost out on anything, we just have not had the fullness of Christ’s desire for us.

Is Spiritual Communion important? Of course, it is, it is still union with Christ. Just as in adoration we are still adoring the Holy Trinity, St. Thomas Aquinas described

spiritual communion as “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the most holy sacrament and lovingly embrace Him” at a time or in circumstances when we cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion.

In his encyclical, “Ecclesia de Eucharistia” in 2003, Pope John Paul II encouraged the practice of spiritual communion, noting that it “has been a wonderful part of Catholic life

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for centuries and recommended by saints who were masters of the spiritual life.”

As for Adoration, Pope Pius XII said it doesn’t matter when or where you are, as long as you practice the devotion with “renewed faith, reverence, humility and in complete trust in the goodness of the Divine Redeemer” and are “united to Him in the spirit of the most ardent charity.” (Mediator Dei).

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John Newton and John Pontifex outline how Bishop Carmel Zammit’s Lenten appeal funds are badly needed during the Covid-19 Crisis

Suffering but with a heart filled with hope.

On the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, ACN chaplain recalls desecrated statue in Iraq in a message of hope amid the pandemic and ongoing persecution of Christians

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t a live-streamed Mass for Aid to the Church in Need, the charity’s UK chaplain invited ACN’s friends and supporters to draw strength from the Virgin Mary during this time of pandemic and to reach out in acts of compassion – especially for persecuted Christians.

At today’s Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Fatima – to whom the Catholic charity is dedicated – Father Dominic Robinson recalled a recent visit to Batnaya, a Christian village in northern Iraq overrun by Daesh (ISIS) and how he saw a decapitated statue of the Virgin Mary.

Describing how the families he met there highlighted their struggle to rebuild their lives and forgive their persecutors,

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ACNhas announced a £4.38m COVID-19 aid programme.

he said the desecrated statue he saw offered fresh hope.

Speaking during the Mass at Farm Street Church, in London, where he is parish priest, Father Robinson said: “[The statue of] Our Lady may have lost her head but her heart was reaching out to the Christians, calling them to constant conversion, to reconciliation, to work for a better world, to bring the kingdom of her son back to this sorry place when the evil one had to flee.”

The Jesuit priest said just as the villagers he met in Iraq had offered to pray for him so persecuted and other suffering Christians today have pledged to pray for us in the West during the COVID-19 crisis.

Father Robinson said: “So many of our brothers and sisters have said they pray for us now as we take the brunt of this

pandemic.”

He added: “Our communion with our brothers and sisters in Iraq teaches me about what it is to be a Christian and how much we, as Christians, need to shed rays of light in a world often darkened by the evil inflicted on fellow human beings, the freedom stolen from whole generations, yes, in the false name of religion.”

And, in a message especially relevant during the COVID-19 lockdown, Father Robinson said Our Lady offers great hope.

He said: “She protects each one of us, as does a mother, because she loves us as only a mother could.

“And she teaches us to become authentic disciples, responding to [God’s] call as she did.”

Stating that Christianity is the world’s most persecuted

religion, he called on people to support ACN whose work he described as “important” and “prophetic”.

The charity has announced a €5m (£4.38m) COVID-19 aid programme.

Images this page: Father Dominic Robinson, Chaplain to Aid to the Church in Need (UK); Decapitated statue of Our Lady from Mar Qeryaqos Church, Batnaya, in northern Iraq’s Nineveh Plains, both images: © Aid to the Church in Need. Our Lady of Fatima © catholictradition.org

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CHRISTIANS DENIED COVID-19 AID

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Pleas to Pakistan Government to give domestic and sanitary workers PPE

GOs and Muslim leaders in Pakistan stand accused of refusing to give COVID19 emergency aid to Christians and other religious minorities – even though they are among those worst affected by the pandemic.

Cecil Shane Chaudhry, Executive Director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace, a Catholicrun human rights organisation, described reports of religious organisations and mosques making announcements telling Christians not to come forward for food and other emergency handouts.

Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Mr Chaudhry said Christians and other religious minorities were particularly in need of help as many are in the lowest paid jobs, dependent on daily wages, and on the breadline, with work drying up because of the lockdown.

And, stressing how minority women were especially at risk, he called on the Pakistan government to provide masks, gloves and other COVID-19 protective equipment (PPE) for sanitary workers and domestic workers – many of whom are Christians.

With Pakistan’s government now easing the lockdown, Mr

Chaudhry said he feared a spike in COVID-19 cases especially among Christians and other minorities whose jobs, he said, make them particularly at risk of infection.

Mr Chaudhry gave reports of how Christians in a village near Lahore on Raiwind Road had been denied food aid and how, in a separate incident, about 100 Christian families were excluded from food distribution in Sandha Kalan village, in the Punjab’s Kasur district.

He said there were reports of COVID-19 emergency aid staff on the ground refusing to give help to non-Muslims as the donations had come as Zakat charitable offerings, in accordance with Islamic Shari‘a law.

Mr Chaudhry said: “COVID-

19 knows no boundaries – everyone is at risk, irrespective of their religion so how can it be fair to deny food and other emergency help to Christians and other minorities, especially when they are among those suffering the most at this time?”

The NCJP chief quoted an imam from a mosque in Lahore’s Model Town who, he said, had announced in a recent sermon: “There will be a ration distribution tomorrow morning for needy people but only for Muslims.”

Pakistan has 32,819 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, according to latest reports, with 733 deaths, although Mr Chaudhry stressed many cases were going unreported.

The NCJP chief called on

the government to consult with minority groups about COVID19 response initiatives and to make better use of census data to target aid for the most vulnerable.

He said: “Although plans are being worked on, for now we do not know of [any initiatives to include] religious minority members to ensure their needs are not ignored.”

In early April 2020, ACN reported on claims that the Saylani Welfare International Trust, a charity in Karachi, had been handing out food vouchers in the port city’s Korongi district but when they got to Christian homes they moved on.

Images this page: Christians in Pakistan © 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.

Set up a monthly gift:

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.

ACN has announced a £4.38m COVID-19 aid programme.

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Defending our next generation’s right to life.

CONVENIENCE M o re i

fe i t s e l f, i l n a h t t mp o r t a n

at a n d at w h

p r i c e?

I

have been a family man all my life. I am the fourth of five children, and for many years I shared a small bedroom with two of my brothers – it wasn’t convenient but, looking back, it was an experience that I now treasure.

As my own parents advanced in years their care was not “convenient” for me, now a father of six, with all that this entailed, but I do not regret any of the time my wife and I spent caring for elderly parents. I now have many treasured memories of those months and years.

My children are now all now adults themselves, and it is often “inconvenient” to be asked to lend them money, to go out late at night to give them lifts, or respond to the “Dad I need your help” requests, but once more I would not change any of this, and I know that when I look back later in life, these too will be treasured memories. Life is often “inconvenient.” especially when you are part of a family, but we accept this and, looking back, we would not have it any other way - many of my most treasured memories today come from past “inconvenient” moments.

The other day I read the story

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of a young couple who were told that the child they were expecting would have serious brain damage. It may have been more convenient for them to follow the medical advice and abort the child, faced with the probability of his death or disability, yet they didn’t, and their physically perfect little son was born. Another story I read was of a couple who were advised six times to abort the twins they were expecting as they would have downs syndrome. Again, it may have been more “convenient” to have done so, but the accompanying photo shows beautiful twin girls who had already brought their parents joy, love, and the beauty of their wonderful smiles. They were born because their parents did not wish to give in to the pressure imposed on them by others, or to any concerns about possible future “inconveniences” that may “negatively” impact on their lives.

These stories, and hundreds of others I have read like them, reinforce in me two beliefs. The first is that modern society has become a servant to “convenience” How many times do we see cars parked

in the most difficult and often dangerous places so that the drivers have a few less metres to walk. How many times do we see litter dropped on the ground when there is an empty bin nearby, just because it was inconvenient to walk the few steps to it, or we see individuals using their mobile phones in medical waiting rooms despite the posters asking them not to, just because it is more convenient that going outside.

My second belief is that in society’s search for human perfection we have lost track of the natural beauty of the diversity of humanity. Who are we to say what is “normal” and “acceptable”, especially when it is so often the “not so normal” or “abnormal” that brings us the greatest beauty, pleasure, love, memories, and joy? Just look at the following three true stories, all of which may well have ended up with the mothers having an abortion today: A pregnant woman was admitted to hospital with appendicitis.

The doctors applied ice to her stomach and, when the treatments ended, suggested that she abort her child, as the child was bound to be born disabled.

The young woman took the risk, decided not to abort, and the child was born. That baby was Andrea Botticelli, who has brought so much beauty into the world with his marvellous voice, as is clear from the more than 70,000,000 recordings he has sold worldwide.

A mother with Tuberculosis

was pregnant again with her third child. Her first child didn’t survive birth, and her second only lived for six days.

The mother had tuberculosis.

Her husband had syphilis, and was an abusive alcoholic.

Fortunately, the mother took the risk and gave birth to a male child. This child was Ludwig van Beethoven.

A white man raped a 13-yearold black girl and she became pregnant. Her family lived in extreme poverty. Against all advice and pressure from others she went ahead and gave birth to a girl, Ethel Waters. Ethel was an African American blues and jazz singer and dramatic actress. She turned out to be an African American trailblazer, becoming the first black woman to perform on radio in 1922, and the first black singer to appear on television in 1939.

Did any of the above deserve to die? Of course not. Would the world have been a poorer place if they hadn’t lived?

Undoubtedly so. And if they had been aborted, and not lived, why would that have happened?

For any one of, or combination of, three principal reasons.

Firstly, because at the time they might have been considered “inconvenient additions” to their families. Or secondly, because the medical profession could have persuaded them that this was the best course of action, despite the fact that doctors are often wrong in their predictions as to the true outcome of perceived “abnormalities” in

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Rev. Dr. Bernard Farrell-Roberts unborn children. Or thirdly, because of fear and ignorance.

Fear of the unknown, fear of the possible reality of having to bring up a child with a disability, and ignorance of the great joy and love that parents, family, and friends often experience following the birth and presence of a child, no matter what that child’s state of health is.

Some say that human life does not commence at conception.

Science today conclusively demonstrates that human life does indeed commence at this time. Those choosing to tell us anything else are refusing to accept a truth of science, a truth not only held by scientists of faith, but also by atheistic and agnostic scientists.

During the last few weeks, we have all discovered what it is to be deprived of our freedom, and to have to put up with numerous inconveniences, ones that the vast majority of us have been happy to accept.

The result for many of us of these “inconveniences” has been a new appreciation of those who work serving the

needs of society, a renewed appreciation of the contact we have with other humans, and a new appreciation of the many treasures that everyday life brings to us that we did not appreciate fully before we were deprived of them. All of this has come from the many inconveniences that Covid 19 brought with it – Ones that we accepted. However, we now need to put this acceptance into perspective. Deaths related to the virus so far are just over 330,000. The inconvenience of pregnancies in just the first two days of 2020 produced 220,000 child deaths! This year, up to the 13th May, there have been 15.6 million deliberate deaths of unborn children, the vast majority because they were “inconvenient” to the woman, the couple, or the State - even the” UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has recently demanded that there should be abortion access worldwide. Why? Why has abortion been classed as a “medical emergency” in many countries during the Coronavirus Pandemic, when the only life

in danger is that of the unborn child? Oh, and don’t let the promoters of abortion mislead you – most aborted children do suffer tremendously.

This then is the challenge we all face. How do we make the millions who passively support the practice of inducing abortions, understand that the only genuine motive for this lies in convenience, or should I say in the possible inconvenience of a pregnancy, and of bringing up a child, especially one that may be deemed by them or by others to be less than perfect. But, have you ever asked yourselves who it is that decides what is normal, what is human perfection? Each of us is unique, and each of us is a perfect “me”, so in reality we are all perfect humans, all with the same equal right to life, and to respect.

As Barrister Charles Gomez stated not so long ago in the Gibraltar Chronicle, the number of children deliberately aborted worldwide each and every year is now equal to the entire population of the UK – is there any way

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that “convenience” can possibly justify the death of so many children? Can it justify the ending of their lives before they have the chance to take the places rightly theirs in today’s world? Are we heading for societys so top heavy that the elderly are considered to be “inconveniences” that need to be euthanised? Many think so. We really do need to think again!

Photos: Above, Annette and Charlotte’s family from Monmouth, Oregon. Opposite, Annette and Charlotte at six months old. Credit: MERCURY PRESS

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Anne Mesilio writes

Green

“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it!”

William Shakespeare.

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his quote is from ‘As You Like It’, well, I was not liking it, this on-going lock down during the harrowing time of pandemic.

I had idly picked up a volume of Shakespeare and it opened at its own resolve at this

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Glendalough © Erik Lattwein | Dreamstime.com

Spaces

page. It startled me because this play was my introduction to his works and has remained a lifelong favourite.

I have no idea if the Bard meant his home or a favourite place outdoors but it struck a chord at this particular time.

No matter how much I kept myself motivated during this enforced time at home, and being very honest it was not a great hardship to be isolated in the comfort of my own home alone, some days were sent to try me! This was one of them, even though an easing of lock down restrictions seemed to be on the way.

It was a demoralizing experience to find myself dependant on outside help for everything I could do myself, like shopping, which was probably the biggest bugbear of the lot. It was like an irritant under the skin which could not be alleviated. I am of course

n’ Quiet Places very thankful for friends who kept me supplied and the on line deliveries which included medical items.

One gloomy evening wishing the long hours away I searched for and found a movie I would normally avoid. The theme was during the second world war and I knew it would rip me over the edge but I needed to know I could feel emotions of say, desperate sadness, anger and compassion, because I was sure I had gone numb inside.

In tears at the end I knew all was well, it brought me back to normality and was good for my mental health. I learned the value of not bottling things up.

A couple of days later I came across this; “You need to get out and have some fun to reduce tension”, a horoscope proclaimed! I laughed. Well, maybe physically I was in lock down but my mind could be set free. Of course it could.

My thoughts started flitting about all over the place, like the butterfly I was not going to emerge as. This thought was sparked by the Irish version of lock down, called cocooning for the over 70’s, such a user friendly word with a focus at the end.

OK, we all need beauty, preferably that gifted us by nature, where it is possible to heal and pray, and cheer us in strength of body and mind. To be at rest is not to be idle, the mind is absorbing lost sights and sensations as it is set free.

I was off, cycling along childhood country lanes, to get lost for a while experiencing the sensory vibrations of sound, colour, sun, wind, freedom, oh yes, this is a vibration, it courses through the soul with a liberating joy. You are in control, you and your bike, you set the speed and choose your own journey. Oh yes, how many times had I done that to revel in the sheer triumph, yes triumph of breaking free from the constraints of a home life that was often dire. I did not need to leave behind the hustle of city living but riding along quiet lanes awakened me to the beauty all around me. Ernest Hemingway put it thus; “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best.; since you have to sweat up hills and coast down them”.

I certainly concur with that.

Thoughts can wander at

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St. Kevin and the Blackbird © hpatey | Flickr

Sponsored by random and I had all day to let mine do so. I was seeking green places and quiet spaces, my soul needed nurturing where in an old Irish blessing; “the blessing of the rain fall upon your spirit so that all the little flowers may spring up and shed their sweetness on the air”. I knew just the place.

Glendalough, valley of the two lakes, in Wicklow Ireland, is a glacial valley renowned for its early medieval monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. I had been there twice, once as youngster on a school trip and then as a teenager on a day trip from Dublin.

Time to revisit. Its beauty is renowned, rugged landscape carved by crunching glaciers during the Ice Age which have bequeathed incredible natural beauty and above all, serenity, a place to this day that says “be still and know that I am God”. Bubbling crystal clear streams, heady birdsong, lush green countryside and a silence so complete it takes over the soul. The round tower, almost 1,000 years old, still stands.

In medieval Ireland these towers served as refuges from marauding Vikings and the monks would flee there taking their precious manuscripts with them.

It takes little guessing as to why St. Kevin chose this incredible place to found his monastery. Born in the year 498, tradition tells us his mother felt no labour pains and the snow that fell that day, 3rd June, melted as it fell! Myths

and wonder surround his life and the legend of St. Kevin and the blackbird is one that lives on in mythology and history.

Seamus Heany; The saint is kneeling, arms stretched out, inside His cell, but the cell is narrow, so one turned up palm is out the window, stiff As a crossbeam, when a blackbird lands And lays in it and settles down to nest.

Kevin feels the warm eggs, the small breast, Is moved to pity: now he must hold his hand Like a branch out in the sun and rain for weeks Until the young are hatched and fledged and flown.

Well, make of it what you will but it was just what my parched being needed on a day of lock down, a day that had shuttered my spirit, shackled my mind, and seemed never ending. Pope Francis said “For the many people who are not succeeding in coping and remain in fear because of this pandemic, may the Lord help them to have strength to cope for the good of the entire community”.

It is June now, month of Summer and outdoor delights which may very well be restricted for us this year. We can only keep our distance and be thankful for the technology which keeps us in touch. Pope Francis; “The digital world can be an environment rich in humanity.

A network not of wires but of people”

www.uponthisrock.gi

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SAMUEL - God’s Special Gift

A Story by Manolo Galliano continues to be serialised

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 227

Chapter 10 continued..

Samuel has passed away, as soon as he realised what had happend, his friend Jesus appeared to him and brought his mother to comfort him for a short while…

And as rapidly as she had first appeared, Samuel

watched in utter amazement, as the same brilliant pillar of pulsating light enveloped his mother and vanished. Unable to comprehend what was happening, and feeling rather bewildered, he approached Jesus, who once again took his hand and told him. “Come, Samuel, there is still one last thing that I would like you to do for me”.

He then led him through the field, for a short distance, arriving at what looked like a cavern excavated out of the sheer rock-face, in front of which there was a sort of huge

millstone set in a groove. As Samuel entered the cavern, Jesus suddenly disappeared, and he found himself alone in a fairly large chamber, smelling faintly of sweet aloes and containing various stone ledges.

On one of these lay some neatly folded linen cloths, and a much longer shroud-like sheet, bearing some kind of imprint.

Just then, he heard the sound of voices and looking up, he saw a group of black-cloaked women entering the chamber. Coming in from the light, they failed to see him at first, but then one of them, whom he immediately recognised as Mary of Magdala, stared at him in fright and let out a loud scream. To his great surprise, she then threw herself face down on the ground before him, trembling in apparent fear, whilst the others fled in panic, dropping some small, alabaster pots as they went.

Samuel, who seemed rooted to the ground, heard himself speak out in a deep, almost crystalline voice. “Woman, do not be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He is not here. Come and see the place where they

laid him”. Then some unknown force made him point to the ledge where the folded cloths lay, and he continued, “Now go quickly and give this message to his disciples - He has been raised from death and now he is going to Galilee ahead of you.

There you will see him! Now go and remember what I have told you”.

Mary raised herself warily on one knee and looked up at him with a mixture of fright and joy.

Then turning around, she ran out of the tomb as fast as her legs could carry her.

Samuel did not have enough time to wonder about the strangeness of all that was happening to him, for at that very instant, the interior of the cavern seemed to radiate with all the glorious brilliance of a million suns, and he felt himself being propelled ever upwards at a lightning speed.

Images of his past life flashed rapidly before his eyes and he was delighted to see, once again, among many others, the familiar faces of his old nurse Hannah, his sister Rachel

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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Story so far can be found at uponthisrock.gi

and his beloved father. Then in the twinkling of an eye, he was instantly transformed into a spirit of pure light, becoming totally engulfed in a rapturous feeling of ecstasy and peace.

At that very precise moment, Samuel knew, with absolute certainty that, at long last, he had achieved what his heart had always yearned for, and that was to be with his very own special friend, Jesus, for all of eternity.

To be continued‌

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