'Come Follow Me'

And the below is an excellent round-up of what is a vocation:

The following faith experience of Fred Berretta, a survivor of Flight 1549 –the airliner that went down in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009 – is being circulated through the Internet. Fred shares his amazing story by E-mail to Vinny Flynn, a gifted Catholic speaker/writer/musician. We in turn are requested to diffuse this inspiring witness to God’s mercy. Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River at about three o’clock, which the Risen Christ told St. Faustina was “the hour of great mercy” and at which the merciful Lord “will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request” to him in virtue of his passion.

Saturday, January 24, 2009 Subject: Passenger of Flight 1549

Vinny,

I sincerely hope this E-mail finds itsway to you. I was a passenger on flight 1549 and my name is Fred Berretta. You might have caught a glimpse of me or heard of me on CNN or Fox the night of the crash. I interviewed with Lou Dobbe, Wolf Blitzer and Bill O’Reilly and discussed the crash that night.

I had been on a one-day business trip to New York and sat in seat 16A just behind the left engine. My trip was a last minute decision the day before. I finished my meetings early on Thursday and realized I had time to attend the 12 noon Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral. It was unusual for me to have the extra time, but that day I did. After Mass, I stopped by the gift shop just across from the cathedral and purchased your book, “7 Secrets of the Eucharist”. As I waited to board flight 1549 bound for Charlotte, where I live, I began reading your book. I continued reading while we taxied until just after take off.

I think I got through about half of it and then decided to close my eyes and reflect on the incredible insights your book gave me regarding the Eucharist. We were climbing out and just a minute or so into the flight I heard the impact of the bird strikes and then the explosion in the left engine. I cold see it on fire and the cabin began to smell like jet fuel. As a private pilot, once I realized the second engine was also not functioning, things became quite tense.

While I had known about and prayed the Divine Mercy chaplet years before, I had not really focused on it in a quite a long time. Ironically, I had prayed the chaplet the day before at 3 pm. I had forgotten that in my briefcase I had long kept a copy of a booklet of the Divine Mercy chaplet, which had excerpts from St. Faustina’s diary. When I arrived in New York, I had some time at my hotel and decided to clean out my briefcase, something long overdue. I found the Divine Mercy booklet, prayed the chaplet, and read some of the words of Jesus to Faustina.

Before we hit the water, I thought about the words Jesus said, that nothing would be refused if asked for during the hour of mercy. I really thought there was a good chance myself and others would die that day, but I asked God to be merciful to us. I prayed the Lord’s Prayer and a Hail Mary. I then prayed to St. Michael, and we impacted the water. The odds were not with us that day, but God clearly was. I believe it is the only jet airliner to successfully ditch in the water without fatalities in the history of aviation.

I just want you to know that your book gave me comfort as we were going down, and for that I am grateful. I know a lot of people prayed on that plane, and I believe the Miracle on the Hudson was a testament to the mercy of God, and a sign of hope.

Take care and may God continue to bless your ministry and all you do to spread the message of Divine Mercy and the wonders of Holy Communion.

Best regards,

Fred Berretta

On a lighter note (this means that effectively I was supposed to prepare a more serious post instead) I would like to share this funny image with you guys:

... And what is your view?

A very short post, to share with you another great video I was linked to. This video answers 9 interesting questions someone discerning his vocation would be questioning. 7 priests answer the above questions in a very straight and clear way. This video discuss loneliness of a priest, celibacy, the call to the priesthood, how to answer one’s vocation, do I measure up?, am I worthy to this call and many other questions.

A good quote I found was Jesus’s own quote: What you leave behind for my name, I would give a hundredfold back! Such a promising statement!!

Have to share with you that some tears popped out from my eyes after viewing this short movie .. but shhh don’t tell anyone

Hopefully someone who might be discerning a vocation to the presbyterate will find this video encouraging. To the Maltese guys reading this post, I would like also to invite to a 2 day live-in with the Seminarians at the seminary. Further details to be found at :  https://www.facebook.com/groups/191533894218493/

All settled In. It took some effort to settle in, especially trying to sort all my staff. All that’s missing is the aquarium now!

This is just going to be a very short post, since I’m between a lecture and mass, and have to prepare the chapel for mass, since my new ‘ministry’ (if you may) is that of the Chapel and Liturgy coordinator! For the Friday’s voluntary work, together with Yendrick, I was assigned to the Hospice Movement. Really eager to start this experience there!

Am off to prepare …. See ya soon!

PS: Stay tuned for the group’s new web-blog we are preparing to launch. The domain (URL) is a very catch one, but until it is all set will keep it in pettore!

A big thanks goes to all those who supported me moving, naming my family, and all my friends for the moral support they offered. Many thanks for all the messages of encouragement I received as well.

Now that all the Facebook messages are turning Christmassy, and everyone is full blast packing his last gifts, let us pause for a second and remember once more the true reason for Christmas. Let us arise with joy in our hearts for truly our God lives, and our God loves. Let us remember the very true meaning of Christmas: The birth of Jesus – God’s son.

So there it goes: Have a merry Christmas and may you be blessed with the true joy of Christmas!

And to make this post a bit longer, and thus worth your click (and share? ) :

Jesus: The true meaning of Christmas

Jesus Christ was born this day
So many years before
He came a servant to the lost
Though he was Lord of Lords

 

We celebrate this joyous time
Reflecting on His birth
Not born in a mansion, but a stable
As if He had no worth

 

He came so He could identify
With the human heart of man
And gave His life as a sacrifice
Offering a better plan

 

A plan that reconciles us back
To our loving Father God
Bringing hope and redemption from
Sins ruling iron rod

 

For this is the only reason that we
Should celebrate this day
To become focused on anything else
Would take the meaning away

 

So let’s arise with joy in our hearts
And share it with everyone
The meaning of Christmas will always be
The birth of Jesus – God’s son

 

By M.S.Lowndes

bla bla bla .. <insert many random words here> <repeat> .. bla bla bla

This is how I thought I would feel after the first silent retreat. Inserting random words for the sake of speaking to make up for the lost words.  But I was wrong! I surely was.

The day when the freethinkers were mourning or rather celebrating the life of Christopher Hitchens  - the one who claims that religion should be treated with hatred and contempt, we started our 3 day retreat. 3 days of silence, and the only allowed words were those in prayer. Silence nowadays is feared. I feared silence. God speaks only in silence, in the most humble and soft way possible. Just as the world is bombarding each one of us reminding us that Xmas (written purposely with an X) is coming, we need to remember to buy our gifts, be merry and enjoy life.

CHRISTmas

But what is Christmas? What is the true message of Christmas? This is the question I would like to discuss in this post. Who is Christ for me? For me personally, Matthew Pulis who is Christ? Who do I say is Christ? Christ is that God / that friend with whom I feel ME. He completes ME. Why? Coz I (as everyone else) was made an image of God. I am (and everyone else) the reason why Hitchens and people agreeing with him are wrong. Each one of us is the reason why atheists are wrong. We (even atheists) are images of God. We are unique. How can you not be happy and joyful remembering that YOU are unique, because YOU are God’s image. This is not some mere belief that I have to believe to be a good Christian, it is a belief I live. God not only loves each one of us, God lives in each one of us. This is our main vocation guys, to allow Him to live in us.

Yes I am in a spiritual high, can’t say no. But the mere fact that over the period of 36 hours (nahhh less) I learnt and lived this love of God cannot not put me in this high. God understands and accept that we sin, so let’s not hinder around mentioning our sins and forgetting the true meaning of Christianity, that God Himself dressed our humanity in order to be us, as we are like Him. He wanted to complete this circle: We in Him as Him in Us. We are on par! (Yes I had to re-read this line to make sure I am not writing myself a letter to the Pope to excommunicate me from the Church). We are on par with God, coz He himself wanted to be like us and elevated us to being in his family.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ, and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages, he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  (Eph. 2:4-7)

So what is exactly Christmas? What does it have to do with all of these joyful words? Simples! He who made everything, including each one of us, He couldn’t complete this circle without US. Mary, a full human, had to say YES to Him. Theoretically, and practically, she could have chickened out and say NO and basically the whole plan to join us to His family would be a total flop. He wanted a human to say a mere yes. Strange as it may sound let’s imagine us instead of Mary, a 16 year old girl, praying in her room. Some light / voice / insert medium here happens and we are asked to to be the mother of God. In your own womb you would carry a cell that would develop to be God Himself. Your own placenta feeding this cell to mature into a baby. Your own health is His health. God’s health! Read from a very cynical point this makes a nice fairy tale, a good fable for the kids. Read from someone who is living the mystery, and has the same question as Mary: Why me?! this takes a whole different light!

What is God asking from me? Why me? Why now? What should I do? Those are the typical answers that recur in my mind day in day out. But mysterious aren’t there to be understood! But to be lived. And all God wants from us? Simple! Say Yes and blindly let Him lead. That’s all to it. That is the recipe. No teaspoons of sugar, no measures for salt: Just add faith. And the (magic) is done. Say Yes to Jesus, follow His words (the gospel is a good start) and *ta **da* you are a living answer that God exists.

Phew that was a long one! Please if you see some blasphemous comments blame them on my English or better yet coz I am tired

Here goes another big thanks to my friends, the other 5, for together we have just concluded the first of many chapters of our journey together. In less than 2 weeks we start our propaedeutic (<- glad someone invented a spell checker) 6 months at the seminary!  Many thanks goes to all our animators, especially our spiritual directors and course director Fr. Alex for all the patience (if he is reading this post by now he would already be eye rolling) in guiding us to truly find the meaning of Christmas, ie: God loves us!

A very cool video I got linked to: – the Nativity Story told via Facebook by the main protagonists themselves. Especially liked the part when Joseph is updating his wall, and he replaces the word “hurting” with “confused” – Let’s not forget that these 2 persons : Joseph and Mary were normal human beings, with all the confusion and pain one would expect from such an overwhelming news!

Feel free to share

Yousef Nadarkhani

I just received an email mentioning this Yousef Nadarkhani chap. Am very intrigued how the international media is

quite silent about this case, even though the likes of Barack Obama voiced his opinion back last September. I am going to share some media posts I found on this guy, and more precisely who is he. Also I am quite concerned why in Malta we didn’t hear of this news, especially when last November 17th this case was also discussed at the European Parliament!

Youcef Nadarkhani (born 1977) (first name also spelled Yousef, Youssef, or Yousof; last name also spelled Nadar-Khani or Nadar Khani) is an IranianChristianpastor who has been sentenced to die in Tehran. Initial reports, including a 2010 brief from the Iranian Supreme court, stated that the sentence was based on the crime of apostasy, renouncing his Islamic faith. Government officials later insisted that the sentence was instead based on alleged violent crimes, specifically rape and extortion. The Iranian government has offered leniency if he will recant his Christianity.

The above is a shameless copy/paste from Wikipedia.

The contrast between what we might call “deserving” and “undeserving” Death Row-ers has been thrown into sharp relief with the news that Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani is to be put to death on trumped-up charges. His gravest offence, in the eyes of the Iranian authorities, was to have Muslim ancestry yet be a practising Christian. The pastor has, in an astonishing act of bravery, refused to renounce Christ three times, on pain of death, before the Iranian supreme court.

I was really looking forward for today, being already a year since I started saying the big yes. Today as I was about to publish this post thanking God and all those around me, for the help and support they gave during this year, I questioned myself: “But it was a Saturday- How come today it is Thursday and last year it was Saturday” . To my total disbelief and total let down, I realised the big day was the 6th not the 16th! Bah: Idiot!

Nonetheless, the spirit of this post remains untouched. I would like to start by thanking my family for all the support (in their sometimes unique way ) they give me, my group of friends (with a special note to those guys who for them the Church is nothing but corrupt! The amount of support these guys give me brings to life the words: “These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff–no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.”  Mark 6:8. Truly God does work in mysterious ways. A big thanks also goes to my spiritual direction, starting from Fr. Paul Camilleri, and lately Fr. Nicholas. Another big thanks goes to Fr. Alex for directing the propaedeutic group. Last but not least another bigger thanks goes to the rest of the group. The support I’m seeing from the rest of the guys I just hope I am reciprocating. As Fr. Alex once mentioned, we are not together just for the simple reason that we are starting together, but for a bigger motif, and surely the spirit that reigns between us is for a bigger motif.

Also this change of date, means that another patron saint has to be replaced. The new saint is St. Leonard, which is the patron for political prisoners. Having myself the love for politics, this Saint surely fits much better than St. Gertrude. Whoever is interested in the biography of St. Leonard please follow this link.

I would like to conclude this post by promising everyone that the least support I’m seeing is surely not being missed out. Thanks everyone for your support! Much appreciated. May God grant you thousandfold what you give

Another note to self: 6th not 16th! 6th not 16th! 6th not 16! ..