Refuse to Let Fear Stop You! - Luke 19:21

"I was afraid..." Luke 19:21
Ask yourself, 'What would I attempt, if I weren't afraid of failing?' Jesus told of a man who entrusted his business to three key workers. He gave the first worker five talents, the second two, and the third one. In Bible times one talent was about fifteen years' salary, so you begin to grasp what an opportunity this was. It was a defining moment which gave each of them the chance to test their skills, develop initiative, practice good judgment, and profit from their investment. The first two men did exactly that, doubling theirs. But the third was afraid of failing, so he buried his talent. Jesus described this man as 'wicked' and said his talents would be taken from him and given to the man who used his profitably. He wasn't judged for what he did, he was judged for doing nothing. Fear of people, fear of failure, and fear of rejection can tempt you to bury your gift. Don't do it! Unless you've the courage to start-you're already finished. When God called people like Moses, Gideon, Deborah and Esther they all had to overcome their natural fears; so will you. When they were in the wilderness, fear of lack made the Israelites want to go back to Egyptian slavery. Fear of persecution caused the disciples to forsake Jesus in His darkest hour, and caused Peter to deny Him-three times. Refuse to let fear stop you! How you use your talents is a matter of the utmost importance. The truth is, it's the basis upon which God will finally judge and reward you.

7/May/2010 UCB word for today

INNU Madonna Ta' Pinu

Our Lady of ta' Pinu - L-inkwadru fil-Knisja tal-Mosta 22 April 2010

L-Inkwadru tal-Madonna ta' Pinu fil-Knisja tal-Mosta 22 April 2010. Bews tal-inkwadru bil-Warda tad-deheb li nagħtat mill-Papa Beneditto XVI, qabel ma ttieħed lura fis-Santwarju ta' Pinu f'Għawdex, f'pellegrinaġġ nazzjonali 'l għada 23 ta' April 2010.




Our Lady of ta' Pinu devotional Painting entrance - back in Gharb Sanctuary Gozo 23 April 2010


Minn Malta... lura lejn is-Santwarju Ta’ Pinu, Għawdex.




Rit:
Madonna Ta’ Pinu
Omm taghna l-Maltin
Hawn f’darek gejn’ahna
Ghax inti tilqaghna
Madonna Ta’ Pinu
Quddiemek herqana
gejn’ahna nitolbu
Biex tfittex tismaghana


Gewwa darek, f’dik is-sikta, gie jkellmek il-Mulej;
Lilna ukoll fis-skiet u l-gabra, ikellimna l-Mulej.

Rit:

Lejn l-gholjiet int erhejtilha, taqdi u tfahhar lill-Mulej;
Ahna wkoll, bhalek nixtiequ, illi nservu lill-Feddej;

Rit:

Fuq gholja ohra tlajt imnikkta, ma’ genb ibnek mislub bqajt;
Vergni mbierka, Omm qalbiena, uri mieghi din il-hniena.

Rit:

F’das-Santwarju ahna gejna, f ‘ din id-dar minn tal-Mulej,
Id f ‘di mieghek, lkoll nimxu lejn l-ghamara tal-Feddej.

Rit:
+ (....Biex tfittex tismaghana - Ave, Ave Marija, Ave Marija)





Our Lady of ta' Pinu Marian Sanctuary Gozo - The Gospel - John 2:1-11 - 23rd April 2010






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Pope Benedict XVI’s Homely at the Floriana Granaries in MALTA – 18/04/10

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,
Maħbubin uliedi [My dear sons and daughters],

I am very glad to be here with all of you today before the beautiful church of Saint Publius to celebrate the great mystery of God’s love made manifest in the Holy Eucharist. At this time, the joy of the Easter season fills our hearts because we are celebrating Christ’s victory, the victory of life over sin and death. It is a joy which transforms our lives and fills us with hope in the fulfilment of God’s promises. Christ is risen, alleluia!
I greet the President of the Republic and Mrs Abela, the civil authorities of this beloved Nation, and all the people of Malta and Gozo. I thank Archbishop Cremona for his gracious words, and I also greet Bishop Grech and Bishop Depasquale, Archbishop Mercieca, Bishop Cauchi and the other bishops and priests present, as well as all the Christian faithful of the Church in Malta and Gozo. Since my arrival yesterday evening I have experienced the same kind of warm welcome which your ancestors gave the Apostle Paul in the year sixty. Many travellers have disembarked here in the course of your history. The richness and variety of Maltese culture is a sign that your people have profited greatly from the exchange of gifts and hospitality with seafaring visitors. And it is a sign that you have known how to exercise discernment in drawing upon the best of what they had to offer. I urge you to continue to do so. Not everything that today’s world proposes is worthy of acceptance by the people of Malta. Many voices try to persuade us to put aside our faith in God and his Church, and to choose for ourselves the values and beliefs by which to live. They tell us we have no need of God or the Church. If we are tempted to believe them, we should recall the incident in today’s Gospel, when the disciples, all of them experienced fishermen, toiled all night but failed to catch a single fish. Then, when Jesus appeared on the shore, he directed them to a catch so great that they could scarcely haul it in. Left to themselves, their efforts were fruitless; when Jesus stood alongside them, they netted a huge quantity of fish. My dear brothers and sisters, if we place our trust in the Lord and follow his teachings, we will always reap immense rewards.
Our first reading at Mass today is one that I know you love to hear, the account of Paul’s shipwreck on the coast of Malta, and his warm reception by the people of these islands. Notice how the crew of the ship, in order to survive, were forced to throw overboard the cargo, the ship’s tackle, even the wheat which was their only sustenance. Paul urged them to place their trust in God alone, while the ship was tossed to and fro upon the waves. We too must place our trust in him alone. It is tempting to think that today’s advanced technology can answer all our needs and save us from all the perils and dangers that beset us. But it is not so. At every moment of our lives we depend entirely on God, in whom we live and move and have our being. Only he can protect us from harm, only he can guide us through the storms of life, only he can bring us to a safe haven, as he did for Paul and his companions adrift off the coast of Malta. They did as Paul urged them to do, and so it was “that they all escaped safely to the land” (Acts 27:44).
More than any of the cargo we might carry with us – in terms of our human accomplishments, our possessions, our technology – it is our relationship with the Lord that provides the key to our happiness and our human fulfilment. And he calls us to a relationship of love. Notice the question that he put three times to Peter on the shore of the lake: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” On the basis of Peter’s affirmative response, Jesus assigns him a task – the task of feeding his flock. Here we see the basis of all pastoral ministry in the Church. It is our love for the Lord that must inform every aspect of our preaching and teaching, our celebration of the sacraments, and our care for the people of God. It is our love for the Lord that moves us to love those whom he loves, and to accept gladly the task of communicating his love to those we serve. During our Lord’s Passion, Peter denied him three times. Now, after the Resurrection, Jesus invites him three times to avow his love, in this way offering him healing and forgiveness and at the same time entrusting him with his mission. The miraculous catch of fish underlined the apostles’ dependence on God for the success of their earthly projects. The dialogue between Peter and Jesus underlined the need for divine mercy in order to heal their spiritual wounds, the wounds of sin.
In every area of our lives we need the help of God’s grace. With him, we can do all things: without him we can do nothing. We know from Saint Mark’s Gospel the signs that accompany those who put their faith in Jesus: they will pick up serpents and be unharmed, they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover (cf. Mk 16:18). These signs were immediately recognized by your forebears when Paul came among them. A viper attached itself to his hand, but he simply shook it off into the fire, and suffered no harm. He was taken to see the father of Publius, the protos of the island, and after praying and laying hands on him, Paul healed him of his fever. Of all the gifts brought to these shores in the course of your people’s history, the gift brought by Paul was the greatest of all, and it is much to your credit that it was immediately accepted and treasured. Għożżu l-fidi u l-valuri li takom l-Appostlu Missierkom San Pawl. [Preserve the faith and values transmitted to you by your father the Apostle Saint Paul.] Continue to explore the richness and depth of Paul’s gift to you and be sure to hand it on not only to your children, but to all those you encounter today. No visitor to Malta could fail to be impressed by the devotion of your people, the vibrant faith manifested in your feast-day celebrations, the beauty of your churches and shrines. But that gift needs to be shared with others, it needs to be articulated. As Moses taught the people of Israel, the words of the Lord “shall be upon your heart, and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise” (Deut6:6-7). This was well understood by Malta’s first canonized Saint, Dun orŸ Preca. His tireless work of catechesis, inspiring young and old with a love for Christian doctrine and a deep devotion to the Incarnate Word of God, set an example that I urge you to maintain. Remember that the exchange of goods between these islands and the world outside is a two-way process. What you receive, evaluate with care, and what you have that is of value, be sure to share with others.
I would like to address a particular word to the priests present here, in this year devoted to a celebration of the great gift of the priesthood. Dun Ġorġ was a priest of remarkable humility, goodness, meekness and generosity, deeply devoted to prayer and with a passion for communicating the truths of the Gospel. Let him serve as a model and an inspiration for you, as you strive to fulfil the mission you have received to feed the Lord’s flock. Remember, too, the question that the Risen Lord put three times to Peter: “Do you love me?” That is the question he asks each of you. Do you love him? Do you wish to serve him through the gift of your whole lives? Do you long to bring others to know and love him? With Peter, have the courage to answer, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you,” and accept with grateful hearts the beautiful task that he has assigned you. The mission entrusted to priests is truly a service to joy, to God’s joy which longs to break into the world (cf. Homily, 24 April 2005).
As I look around me now at the great crowds gathered here in Floriana for our celebration of the Eucharist, I am reminded of the scene described in our second reading today, in which myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands united their voices in one great song of praise: “To the One seated on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honour, glory and power, for ever and ever” (Rev 5:13). Continue to sing that song, in praise of the risen Lord and in thanksgiving for his manifold gifts. In the words of Saint Paul, Apostle of Malta, I conclude my words to you this morning: “L-imhabba tieghi tkun maghkom ilkoll fi Kristu Ġesù” [“My love is with you all in Christ Jesus”] (1 Cor 16:24). Ikun imfahhar Ġesù Kristu! [Praised be Jesus Christ!

The Extraordinary Ordinary by Father Émile Brière

Many feel that they are wasting their lives, that their work is unimportant and their contribution to Christ's saving act just about nil. Their motto seems to be that of the defeatist: "I hope not to do too much harm before I die."

True, the vast majority of us are called by God all through life to do little things, unimportant things. To get up in the morning to another day of lifting, carrying, washing, cooking, cleaning, painting, hammering, teaching, nursing — repeating over and over again for years on end the same mechanical gestures.

Our eye is not clear and we judge by the standards of worldly prudence. We feel unimportant perhaps, and we would like to be important in the eyes of the world. We want to do something that will make others sit up and take notice; we want to feel important.

Many say: "My life is useless," "I'm only a housewife," "I'm just a factory worker or clerk or office worker," not realizing sufficiently that the infinite God himself was "just a carpenter," and that our Lady was "only a housewife."

How beneficial to look at the Holy Family of Nazareth on those days when dissatisfaction with the ordinariness of daily living takes hold of us. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, and St. Joseph were doing little things! Their every act was clothed in greatness because of love — love received from above and given back in perfection, each moment filled with its full measure of faith, trust, and love: a perfect circle, a constant movement.

All of us are called to repeat daily the most important actions ever performed, to use our hands as Christ and Mary and Joseph used them, making gestures infinitely sanctified. These daily actions are made holy, precious, redemptive by the One who made them in Galilee — thousands of years after He had decreed from all time that they should be the lot of man.

There are many ways of sweeping a floor or stacking boxes or doing anything that is in itself indifferent. There is a pagan way, an evil way, a mediocre way, a redemptive way. It all depends on the intention, on the love in the heart of the doer.

Doing little things well, with love and with prayer, will set the world on fire. For such is the power of love, of divine grace, that it does transform ordinariness into extraordinariness. It transforms unimportance into greatest importance, and little things into big things. Years ago Benny Goodman popularized a one-line tune: "It isn't what you do, it's the way you do it." That's a good line to make our own.

What is great? To do the will of God the Father irrespective of the form which it takes in various lives, or in our life at any one time. Joy comes with this. In it we find the redemptive cross and the greatness of a beloved son or daughter of a loving Father.

Let us rejoice that our life is useful, valuable, redemptive, important. And rejoice that, in the eyes of the world, we may be unimportant, small or weak. Let us rejoice at our needs and our inability to fulfill them, for we have a Father who takes care of all the needs of his little ones. We have a Father who reveals his secrets to little children and to adults who have become as little children. We have a Father who insists on using those whom the world considers weak to shame the strong (1 Cor 1:19). We have a Father like no other father.

A day spent in doing little things with love is a day well spent. A person can go to bed in peace. The Father has been well served, well loved, and He is well pleased.

From The Power of Love by Father Émile-Marie Brière