"Les Miserables"-Reflection on the musical movie of 2012

By Merita B.McCormackWashington DC

It had been a while since I went to the movie theatre. I have been discouraged by many Hollywood movies that include violence, promiscuity, expensive ticket and snack prices, and the majority of them not really delivering a naturally ordered message. So I had given up on watching pop-culture movies.

But last night my outlook, at least for now, changed. As I recalled the story of Jean Valjean, which I had read and seen as a movie a few decades ago, I agreed to watch the new creation of “Les Miserables”, directed by Tom Hooper. I am not going to discuss movie-making techniques, such as set design. Instead, I will delve into the deeper messages embedded within the spiritual journey of Jean Valjean.

So thanks to Alicia Sutherland, my good friend and neighbor we went to the local theater to watch “Les Miserables”.  I rarely review movies, as I am not qualified, but I felt compelled to write something about the message “Les Miserables” uses as its theme.

I found it great that the movie was released on Christmas Day since the movie is about grace and redemption. Grace permeates our souls when we are open to receiving it. Redemption is granted to all who seek the grace and pray for it.  The characters are very much like each one of us, struggling with the issues of this world and the spiritual world. Jean Valjean’s past, no matter what circumstances, are conditioning his status in life. Labeled as a perpetual thief, many times he broke parole. The state and society’s punishment was that of captivity. Little did he know that the physical captivity was nothing compared to the slavery of his soul. This is slavery to sin and death until he meets the amazing Grace of God and is truly free.

The Bishop Myriel of Digne from whom Valjean stole valuable silverware, tells the police that he has given the treasure to Valjean. The Bishop’s appearance is that of  “In persona Christi”.

Christ comes to us and dwells in us through the Sacraments and Prayer.  The forgiveness and the Grace of God are readily available to anyone who seeks them and the clergy is there just to deliver that grace. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the fastest way to remove those walls we build and to soften our hardened hearts once we are truly sorry and fearing the Lord.

Having offended God in the past, after being forgiven, Valjean’s conversion of heart begins, but is truly a struggle. His kneeling and pacing up and down the Chapel, in front of the Crucifix, is an evidence of an interior struggle. His crying and agony is a reminder of our own struggles, yet Valjean triumphs once he offers the struggle and trouble up to the Lord. He unites his pain with that of Christ on the Cross. It is not easy, yet is not impossible. Valjean knows that he can now have a personal relationship with God who is a just, forgiving, loving and caring Father. The strong presence of the Christian symbols in every part of Valjean’s life from this point on, is very telling on how long and tough the battle is and how important it is to hold on to the Sacramental life and Prayer. Once Valjean recognizes who is his Lord, everything works out for him, whether it is personal prosperity or taking care of Cosette .

Cossete is the young abused girl, who was an illegitimate child of Fantine, the beautiful hardworking woman turned prostitute turned martyr.  Cosette represents the innocent life, whose life and fate was left in Valjean’s hands. With God’s grace Valjean secures for her a good education at the Convent and as a child of God she gives back love and care for her “papa” who raised and loved her all these years. Cosette meets the love of her life, Marius, the young, devout and energetic revolutionary whose life again, was miraculously saved by Valjean, whose Christ like figure permeates the whole movie.

The Thernardiers, the couple who abuse Cossette and own a town “Inn”, have an opposite life to that of Cossete and Valjean. Their own children, though better characters then those of their parents, are one a run away boy and the other a girl wrapped in misguided feelings of jealousy and envy, which she considers love. They were both “educated” on the streets and killed in the barricades during the revolution. The couple claim to be Christians, yet their life is anything but Christ centered. They are thieves, envious, immoral and greed is their God.

The antagonist character, Javert, the representative of the law and state, (how fitting I thought!)  played by Russell Crowe, is well presented and convincing. Javert, a Deist, believing in predestined paths, is a person who thinks he is doing everything right in the name of the Lord, is also a self – absorbed, self centered man. He “prays” outside of God’s house, is wrapped in envy and jealousy, he is vindictive and doesn’t believe in Grace and redemption though many times the opportunity is presented. The queen of intercessors, Our Lady, through the rosary beads is also made available to him, yet he rejects it all and thus commits the sin against the Holy Spirit by believing that he will never be forgiven for what he has done.  He walks the fine line and eventually ends up committing suicide.  The symbols are very well presented and while Jean Valjean is inside the Church, humbly kneeling in God’s presence, Javert, dressed in black, is outside and convinced that there is nothing new to be created.

Hugh Jackman does a superb job at acting and singing and although in this material world’s Globe and Oscar awards are important to many, if a true conversion like that of Valjean happened to him personally, I think he should care less if he wins Globe or Oscar. His character, I bet  has converted many hearts.

Many have sung praises to Anne Hathaway’s   performance of  “I dreamt a dream”.

She seems to be a fine young lady and a good actress.  All I can say about it is that the burden to play Fantine, and singing a well-known classic such as  “I dreamt a dream”, I thought was too much for her.  Her character, though shortly presented in the movie, along with the holy innocents and other martyrs, represent the communion of Saints and the prayer of Valjean in the end to Fantine is very much a testimony as to how important the prayer to those gone before us, is for our salvation.

Well done Tom Hooper and team and hope everyone sees this very good movie.

A book review by Merita B.McCormack

A book review

"Albania and the European Union: A tumultuous Journey towards Integration and Accession", written by Mirela Bogdani and John Loughlin, and published by I. B. Tauris (London - New York).
By Merita B. McCormack
Published at Illyria Newspaper, New York, 31 August 2007
Is it going to be 2010? 2020? Or maybe earlier then that, maybe 2014?

These are the years of the future when Albania may be able to see itself as an EU member. Is it really going to happen? Probably. Why is it not happening earlier?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Albania joining the EU, what are the obstacles for integration and accession? What favors the process?

These and many more questions are analyzed and clearly answered in
"Albania and the European Union: A tumultuous Journey towards Integration and Accession", written by Mirela Bogdani and John Loughlin, and published by I.B.Tauris (London - New York).

The book opens with theoretical and contextual issues by stating the
meaning of nation-state and the definition of the European Union, and by going into details describing the most influential theories of the
European Integration.

A detailed and well written history of Albania in 1990-s follows in
chapter two. This explains the crossroads between Communism and Democracy and analyzes in great detail and very objectively Albania at the eve of democracy. Elez Biberaj is quoted at the opening of this chapter: "The Albanian road to democracy is strewn with land mines in the form of cumulative political, economic and social legacies of Hoxha Communist dictatorship, which made genuine democratization seem almost impossible".

A statement that says it all! The authors elaborate on political,
historical, economic and cultural legacies of the past, beginning with the Ottoman empire and ending with the communist period.

Meeting the Copenhagen Criteria is a separate chapter that "grills" the
transition period as one of most important steps of Albania toward
integration into the EU. The domestic political and socio-economic current situation is analysed in depth, focusing on the elections, public administration, rule of law and judicial system. In the economic area the authors point out that they are two sides of the Albanian economy: a miracle macro-economy and a poor real micro-economy. Authors emphasise that many changes have happened in these areas, but the reforms still proceed very slowly and changes are mainly cosmetic. The incorporation of acquis communitaire and its 35 negotiation chapters are analyzed further.

Ensuring approximation of EU legislation and applying it are the two
emphasized challenges that Albania faces in this area. The authors
conclude that Albania is still far from fulfilling the Copenhagen Criteria
and a lot of work needs to be done.

A specific and important place in this long and enriching chapter takes
the Albanian religious issue. The concept of EU as a "Christian Club" has raised many eyebrows for EU membership for Turkey and other Muslim countries. Authors, one of them a native Albanian, have given a true picture of what is really going on religious way in Albania and what is the real religion in Albania. What faith dominates and why? What are the real statistics and what are the trends of embracing Christian Faith? And most importantly, does religion represent an obstacle for Albania's chances of accession, as in the case of Turkey? This is a very hot topic today in both European informal and official debates and a "thorny issue" of the EU Enlargement Policy.

Western Balkans and the SAP regional framework are analyzed later in the book, pointing out that each of the 6 WB countries are at different stages of the accession journey, but they are all "passengers of the same train", they have a clear destination, the EU membership, which will be achieved on merit-basis only when they fulfil all the Copenhagen Criteria. The other important goal, the NATO membership, is also analysed briefly. The statement"Future of Albania lies with the EU" closes that chapter.

Political system of post communism takes place ? in a separate chapter as to bring into light the successes and failures of the Albanian political class. Parties, coalitions, and other issues, such as internal party democracy, parties' funding, etc, are also analysed in this chapter.

Corruption, one of the main obstacles for Albania's EU integration, and
other phenomenons like clientelism, nepotism and most importantly the organised crime, are subjected to an objective and open critique. They point out that corruption and bribery have affected every cell of life, but especially in public administration, judicial system and customs. The organised crime is very difficult to combat as the criminal individuals are in many cases connected with the politics and protected by politicians. The authors list facts, refer to certain events and previous works and have themselves very well observed the situation, closely monitoring Albanian society development as a whole and subsequently drawing well sounded conclusions on the issues.

The role of the elite and domestic actors is developed and analyzed in
chapter eight. This is the largest by detail and one of the most important chapters of the book, as it gives a proper insight of why and how Albania is this country on the world map today. Authors should be prepared to receive pats on their backs just for this particular well written chapter.

Government, Parliament, President and other structures of governing bodies in Albania are analyzed in detail. Dr. Bogdani's previous involvement in the Albanian party politics and her experience in the Albanian Public Administration have tremendously helped to gain such a sound knowledge and to further evaluate in a very realistic and impartial way the situation in Albania in these areas. The "brain drain" is brought to the attention of the reader as an unfortunate phenomenon that has happened to Albania during the years of transition and the causes of these phenomena are analysed. The country's elite both during communism and in transition period is analysed. Unfortunately, the handful of rich and intellectual people that emerged at the end of the War World II were crushed and
jailed, properties confiscated, leaving thus a huge gap between the
dictator's clique and the broad masses. The authors emphasize that if any intelligentsia survived, that was mainly concentrated in Tirana, country's Capital. A well-known exiled Albanian political analyst, Shinasi Rama, is quoted when today's "elite" is defined. It is with sadness a true fact that the today's Albanian elite is not even close to any nobility feature, as Mr.Rama states.

The country's local government bodies are shown in its history, since
communism, followed by the current days' role and future challenges that the local government structure face.

In the book is emphasised the great role that the EU is playing for
Albania in three directions: firstly through the prospect of EU
membership, which provides an incentive for carrying out domestic reforms, secondly the concrete processes of SAP and SAA and thirdly the financial assistance and programs (past, present and future ones). This and other external factors, such as the Globalisation, the influence of other CEE countries, the USA, Albanian Diaspora are called to attention in the last chapter.

The concept, the reality and the prospect of the "Greater Albania" (or
"Ethnic Albania", "Pan-Albanism"), as well as the "Future of Kosovo
issue", are objectively and extensively reviewed and analyzed in the book. Authors conclude that the question of "Greater Albania" should be seen under the full light of prospective future accession of Albania, Kosova, other Albanian territories in neighbouring countries, and all Balkan countries into the EU.

As a conclusion, authors point out that many obstacles and challenges remain, but the factor they blame the most is the Albanian political class, who with its incompetence, irresponsibility and selfishness, is the main obstacle for Albania's journey towards the EU. They argue that what will make this journey shorter and less bumpy and what Albania really needs is a new political class, a new generation of leaders, equipped with real democratic principles and values of integrity, decency and honesty, committed and willing to sacrifice and make a difference for their country and its citizens, for a country and a nation which deserves more and has lost a lot of time.

A well written book. Well researched and very interesting, that has been needed long time ago. It could be of interest for a quite a wide range of audience and I think this book should be in the shelves of every foreign scholar, professional or official that is involved in Albanian issues.

Every foreign government body that has engaged itself in projects with Albania should use this book as a very good source of valuable information regarding Albania and the Balkans. The greatest importance of this book is that it is (along with its previous version) the first book which analyses the relationship between the EU and Albania and its accession and integration process.

Congratulations to the authors. The book is available at www.amazon.com

Merita Bajraktari McCormack, BSc, MBA
Long Island, New York, USA

A thought before the Midnight of the Night Before Christmas :-)

When we are away from God we are always making something else to be "our god" in Communist Albania the dictator wanted the people to venerate and worship him, in other countries, other aspects of life became "gods" . In  the developed world sexuality(all forms of sexual relationships outside marriage), consumerism(money.money, money...), pride (I can do anything, I am good and strong and superperson....) materialsm (I must have everything that the Joners have...)  etc ., have become "gods" of the daily lives....The human heart is designed to reach its Creator and during the way, we, the people, make many detours and some of those detours can be fatal for our souls. Our soul does recognize these detours and our behaviors, our restlessness, our sadness, desperations, un-satisfactions, addictions, escapism etc etc,.....are symptoms of these detours... .. Our hearts yearn to rest in our Creator, the God of Abraham, Moses and David, who loved us so much that he stooped down from Heaven and became man....JESUS is his name! .This Christmas, let us recognize our true God and embrace him as he is waiting for our love in return...He gave us Free will so let us will that love, to love Him back so we can find the way to our Eternal Happiness.....We are all called to holiness and eternal Joy! ...Let Him come and dwell in us......Let us start this Christmas! If you don't know any prayer, pray from your heart...pray a simple but meaningful prayer like this:" Dear God, please come and dwell in me. I dont know you but I want to meet you and be a better person in every aspect of my life. Please help me and shed light on my path. My heart will be restless o Lord until it rest in you. Please help me! Amen!" :-) see what happens....xoxo (M.M)

Five stages of persecution (of any group)

The five stages leading to persecution(of any group)

1. Stigmatize the chosen group(any group) to make it feel unworthy and an imposition on the society.
2.Marginalize the group from the main stream society so people don't interact with them and easy believe lies about the group.
3.Vilify the group.Make it the enemy of progress and name it as is the cause of all of the society's problems.
4.Criminalize the group. Place legal restrictions on its activities and its existence

5. Outright persecution.

Many experts and scholars believe that the Catholic Church in the US is at the end of stage 3 and entering stage 4 of the persecution.

The question I have is this:

Shall we(especially we who went through a lot back in Albania) let the process happen and this part of mystical body of Christ here in the USA end up like that in Communist Albania?! 

What do you all think?

LEPANTO by G.K.Chesterton

LEPANTO

BY G. K. CHESTERTON

White founts falling in the courts of the sun,
And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run;
There is laughter like the fountains in that face of all men feared,
It stirs the forest darkness, the darkness of his beard,
It curls the blood-red crescent, the crescent of his lips,
For the inmost sea of all the earth is shaken with his ships.

They have dared the white republics up the capes of Italy,
They have dashed the Adriatic round the Lion of the Sea,
And the Pope has cast his arms abroad for agony and loss,
And called the kings of Christendom for swords about the Cross,
The cold queen of England is looking in the glass;
The shadow of the Valois is yawning at the Mass;
From evening isles fantastical rings faint the Spanish gun,
And the Lord upon the Golden Horn is laughing in the sun.

Dim drums throbbing, in the hills half heard,
Where only on a nameless throne a crownless prince has stirred,
Where, risen from a doubtful seat and half attainted stall,
The last knight of Europe takes weapons from the wall,
The last and lingering troubadour to whom the bird has sung,
That once went singing southward when all the world was young,
In that enormous silence, tiny and unafraid,
Comes up along a winding road the noise of the Crusade.
Strong gongs groaning as the guns boom far,
Don John of Austria is going to the war,
Stiff flags straining in the night-blasts cold
In the gloom black-purple, in the glint old-gold,
Torchlight crimson on the copper kettle-drums,
Then the tuckets, then the trumpets, then the cannon, and he comes.
Don John laughing in the brave beard curled,
Spurning of his stirrups like the thrones of all the world,
Holding his head up for a flag of all the free.
Love-light of Spain—hurrah!
Death-light of Africa!
Don John of Austria
Is riding to the sea.

Mahound is in his paradise above the evening star,
(Don John of Austria is going to the war.)
He moves a mighty turban on the timeless houri’s knees,
His turban that is woven of the sunset and the seas.
He shakes the peacock gardens as he rises from his ease,
And he strides among the tree-tops and is taller than the trees,
And his voice through all the garden is a thunder sent to bring
Black Azrael and Ariel and Ammon on the wing.
Giants and the Genii,
Multiplex of wing and eye,
Whose strong obedience broke the sky
When Solomon was king.

They rush in red and purple from the red clouds of the morn,
From temples where the yellow gods shut up their eyes in scorn;
They rise in green robes roaring from the green hells of the sea
Where fallen skies and evil hues and eyeless creatures be;
On them the sea-valves cluster and the grey sea-forests curl,
Splashed with a splendid sickness, the sickness of the pearl;
They swell in sapphire smoke out of the blue cracks of the ground,—
They gather and they wonder and give worship to Mahound.
And he saith, “Break up the mountains where the hermit-folk can hide,
And sift the red and silver sands lest bone of saint abide,
And chase the Giaours flying night and day, not giving rest,
For that which was our trouble comes again out of the west.
We have set the seal of Solomon on all things under sun,
Of knowledge and of sorrow and endurance of things done,
But a noise is in the mountains, in the mountains, and I know
The voice that shook our palaces—four hundred years ago:
It is he that saith not ‘Kismet’; it is he that knows not Fate ;
It is Richard, it is Raymond, it is Godfrey in the gate!
It is he whose loss is laughter when he counts the wager worth,
Put down your feet upon him, that our peace be on the earth.”
For he heard drums groaning and he heard guns jar,
(Don John of Austria is going to the war.)
Sudden and still—hurrah!
Bolt from Iberia!
Don John of Austria
Is gone by Alcalar.

St. Michael’s on his mountain in the sea-roads of the north
(Don John of Austria is girt and going forth.)
Where the grey seas glitter and the sharp tides shift
And the sea folk labour and the red sails lift.
He shakes his lance of iron and he claps his wings of stone;
The noise is gone through Normandy; the noise is gone alone;
The North is full of tangled things and texts and aching eyes
And dead is all the innocence of anger and surprise,
And Christian killeth Christian in a narrow dusty room,
And Christian dreadeth Christ that hath a newer face of doom,
And Christian hateth Mary that God kissed in Galilee,
But Don John of Austria is riding to the sea.
Don John calling through the blast and the eclipse
Crying with the trumpet, with the trumpet of his lips,
Trumpet that sayeth ha!
Domino gloria!
Don John of Austria
Is shouting to the ships.

King Philip’s in his closet with the Fleece about his neck
(Don John of Austria is armed upon the deck.)
The walls are hung with velvet that, is black and soft as sin,
And little dwarfs creep out of it and little dwarfs creep in.
He holds a crystal phial that has colours like the moon,
He touches, and it tingles, and he trembles very soon,
And his face is as a fungus of a leprous white and grey
Like plants in the high houses that are shuttered from the day,
And death is in the phial, and the end of noble work,
But Don John of Austria has fired upon the Turk.
Don John’s hunting, and his hounds have bayed—
Booms away past Italy the rumour of his raid
Gun upon gun, ha! ha!
Gun upon gun, hurrah!
Don John of Austria
Has loosed the cannonade.

The Pope was in his chapel before day or battle broke,
(Don John of Austria is hidden in the smoke.)
The hidden room in man’s house where God sits all the year,
The secret window whence the world looks small and very dear.
He sees as in a mirror on the monstrous twilight sea
The crescent of his cruel ships whose name is mystery;
They fling great shadows foe-wards, making Cross and Castle dark,
They veil the plumèd lions on the galleys of St. Mark;
And above the ships are palaces of brown, black-bearded chiefs,
And below the ships are prisons, where with multitudinous griefs,
Christian captives sick and sunless, all a labouring race repines
Like a race in sunken cities, like a nation in the mines.
They are lost like slaves that swat, and in the skies of morning hung
The stair-ways of the tallest gods when tyranny was young.
They are countless, voiceless, hopeless as those fallen or fleeing on
Before the high Kings’ horses in the granite of Babylon.
And many a one grows witless in his quiet room in hell
Where a yellow face looks inward through the lattice of his cell,
And he finds his God forgotten, and he seeks no more a sign—
(But Don John of Austria has burst the battle-line!)
Don John pounding from the slaughter-painted poop,
Purpling all the ocean like a bloody pirate’s sloop,
Scarlet running over on the silvers and the golds,
Breaking of the hatches up and bursting of the holds,
Thronging of the thousands up that labour under sea
White for bliss and blind for sun and stunned for liberty.
Vivat Hispania!
Domino Gloria!
Don John of Austria
Has set his people free!

Cervantes on his galley sets the sword back in the sheath
(Don John of Austria rides homeward with a wreath.)
And he sees across a weary land a straggling road in Spain,
Up which a lean and foolish knight forever rides in vain,
And he smiles, but not as Sultans smile, and settles back the blade....
(But Don John of Austria rides home from the Crusade.)

Source: The Collected Poems of G. K. Chesterton (1927)

Humane Vitae— a random talk which prompted an important talk...

I received a call from a blocked number tonight. I answered and listen to the guy who identified himself as a representative of Planned Parenthood Vote. He said: Ma'am, Romney is taking away women’s reproductive health rights so who are you 

voting for? He then added: "You don’t want that reproductive health right go away and those breast cancer screening to"  so he was clearly mixing breast cancer with contraception and abortion , both services provided by Planned Parenthood. I heard him and then gently asked him how was he enjoying talking to me tonight? He said I was a good listener and he could not wait to hear who was I voting for. I said I wouldn’t share that private opinion, but would share the lovely thought about his mom for keeping him, not aborting him so he could enjoy life, even this conversation tonight. He then said yes,correct Ma’am and we went on and discussed what is the definition of reproductive health and what is abortion . He listened, we talked and he was happy to hear that such a document as this below exists and he would read  it. That’s what he said and he also appreciated the prayer we would say tonight for him and other people , so may all minds  may be enlightened and all wills may  be strengthened. In the end making or not making it to HEAVEN DOES MATTER, so friends, here it is for all to read and act, and act according to the just and right Will of our Creator. Hope you can read it and may your hearts leap with joy for knowing the Truth.  And vote Pro-Life. God bless  You!

http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul06/p6humana.htm

September 23 St "Padre" Pio's Feast---Festa e Shenjtorit Padre Pio--23 Shtator

Happy Feast of St.Padre Pio-----Padre Pio Pray for us!
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If that doesn't work--you have the text below...

Sunday, September 23, 2012 St. Padre Pio da Pietrelcina (1887-1968)

In one of the largest such ceremonies in history, Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio of Pietrelcina on June 16, 2002. It was the 45th canonization ceremony in Pope John Paul's pontificate. More than 300,000 people braved blistering heat as they filled St. Peter's Square and nearby streets. They heard the Holy Father praise the new saint for his prayer and charity. "This is the most concrete synthesis of Padre Pio's teaching," said the pope. He also stressed Padre Pio's witness to the power of suffering. If accepted with love, the Holy Father stressed, such suffering can lead to "a privileged path of sanctity."Many people have turned to the Italian Capuchin Franciscan to intercede with God on their behalf; among them was the future Pope John Paul II. In 1962, when he was still an archbishop in Poland, he wrote to Padre Pio and asked him to pray for a Polish woman with throat cancer. Within two weeks, she had been cured of her life-threatening disease. Born Francesco Forgione, Padre Pio grew up in a family of farmers in southern Italy. Twice (1898-1903 and 1910-17) his father worked in Jamaica, New York, to provide the family income. At the age of 15, Francesco joined the Capuchins and took the name of Pio. He was ordained in 1910 and was drafted during World War I. After he was discovered to have tuberculosis, he was discharged. In 1917 he was assigned to the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, 75 miles from the city of Bari on the Adriatic. On September 20, 1918, as he was making his thanksgiving after Mass, Padre Pio had a vision of Jesus. When the vision ended, he had the stigmata in his hands, feet and side. Life became more complicated after that. Medical doctors, Church authorities and curiosity seekers came to see Padre Pio. In 1924 and again in 1931, the authenticity of the stigmata was questioned; Padre Pio was not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to hear confessions. He did not complain of these decisions, which were soon reversed. However, he wrote no letters after 1924. His only other writing, a pamphlet on the agony of Jesus, was done before 1924. Padre Pio rarely left the friary after he received the stigmata, but busloads of people soon began coming to see him. Each morning after a 5 a.m. Mass in a crowded church, he heard confessions until noon. He took a mid-morning break to bless the sick and all who came to see him. Every afternoon he also heard confessions. In time his confessional ministry would take 10 hours a day; penitents had to take a number so that the situation could be handled. Many of them have said that Padre Pio knew details of their lives that they had never mentioned. Padre Pio saw Jesus in all the sick and suffering. At his urging, a fine hospital was built on nearby Mount Gargano. The idea arose in 1940; a committee began to collect money. Ground was broken in 1946. Building the hospital was a technical wonder because of the difficulty of getting water there and of hauling up the building supplies. This "House for the Alleviation of Suffering" has 350 beds. A number of people have reported cures they believe were received through the intercession of Padre Pio. Those who assisted at his Masses came away edified; several curiosity seekers were deeply moved. Like St. Francis, Padre Pio sometimes had his habit torn or cut by souvenir hunters. One of Padre Pio’s sufferings was that unscrupulous people several times circulated prophecies that they claimed originated from him. He never made prophecies about world events and never gave an opinion on matters that he felt belonged to Church authorities to decide. He died on September 23, 1968, and was beatified in 1999. COMMENT: At Padre Pio's canonization Mass in 2002, Pope John Paul II referred to that day's Gospel (Matthew 11:25-30) and said: “The Gospel image of 'yoke' evokes the many trials that the humble Capuchin of San Giovanni Rotondo endured. Today we contemplate in him how sweet is the 'yoke' of Christ and indeed how light the burden are whenever someone carries these with faithful love. The life and mission of Padre Pio testify that difficulties and sorrows, if accepted with love, transform themselves into a privileged journey of holiness, which opens the person toward a greater good, known only to the Lord.” QUOTE: "The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain" (saying of Padre Pio).

Also another great webpage dedicated to this great Saint is listed below..:

http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/chronology.asp

St.Augustine Feast today--- In English and in Albanian-Shen Agustini

"There can be no hope for me except in your great mercy. Give me the grace to do as you command, and command me to do whatever you will. You command us to control our bodily desires. Truly it is by continence that we are made as one, and re

gain that unity of self which we lost by falling apart in the search for a variety of pleasures. For a man loves you so much the less if, besides you, he loves something else which he does not love for your sake. O Love, ever burning, never quenched! O Charity, my God, set me on fire with your love! You command me to be continent. Give me the grace to do as you command, and command me to do whatever you will." (Augustine, Confessions X, 29)

Sot eshte festa e Shen Agustinit, nje nga personalitetet me te shquara te historise njerezore dhe natyrisht nder me te mirenjohurit ne historine e krishtere…Ai jetoi ne shekullin e 4 dhe ka nje histori speciale e rreqethese ne rrugen drejt Zotit…Konvertimi it ij nga nje don zhuan ne nje filozof dhe teolog te paperseritshem shpjegohet vetem me miresine e hirin e Zotit….Po sjell ne ne shqip nje nga

 lutjet e tij famoze dhe uroj festen e emrit te gjithe Agustineve :-) ne fakt tek t egjtihe ne jeton nje (Shen) Agustin ….. ! 

Ja dhe lutja me fame :
"Nuk mund të ketë shpresë për mua, përveç në mëshirën tënde të madhe o Zot!. Më jep hirin tënd për të bërë atë që Ti urdhëron, dhe më urdhëro të bëj çdo gjë që Ti dëshiron . Ti na urdhëron të kontrollojmë dëshirat tona fizike ( trupore) . Vërtet, falë vetëpërmbajtjes, ne mundim të rimarrim atë unitetin e vetvetes, të cilin e kemi humbur duke u sfilitur e ciopëtuar në kërkim të një shumëllojshmërije kënaqëssh fizike e trupore. Kur njeriu kur nuk e do dicka apo dike për hatrin tënd, o Zot , ai nuk të do ty aspak! O Dashuri, flakëronjëse që nuk shuhesh kurrë! O Dashuri mirëbërëse , O Zoti im, më ndiz në zemrën time zjarrin e dashurisë Tënde! Më bëj që të jem i/e vetëpërmbajtur! Më jep hirin tend për të bërë si më urdhëron Ti dhe më urdhëro cfarë të deshirosh Ti! “
( Rrëfimet e Shën Augustinit, X, 29) Perktheu ne shqip Merita B-McC

28 Gusht 2012

Charity...few thoughts to ponder...

I was thinking last night about the virtue of Charity.....As I lied down in bed I recalled an expression that "putting on make up is  Charity :-)", I believe it is said  by a wonderful woma, a EWTN host ,woman of Grace, her name in Johnette Bencovich.. So as I admired that expression , few thoughts came to my mind and like to share them with my friends and readers here.

 We often  think and act or "measure" Charity by the way how Charity manifests itself in the  good deeds of ours towards others. That is very true. That is charitable. But we also act in certain ways towards others while we do those good deeds and those ways reflects our own inner self and intentions. Many times we do things to please others so we can get credit for those deeds. Other times we do it because the others are our own family and as spouse, parent or sibling and  we do wish to help them. We also feel an obligation by tradition to do certain things. For our friends we also do good deeds with  some multi purposeful intentions. All those (not so good) intentions are rooted in our fallen human nature. Again, there is nothing wrong with being charitable to others and the more acts of charity the better. But is all that looks and sound like Charity a  true Charity ?
For a moment I want to call to our attention the Charity towards ourselves. How charitable are we towards ourself ?  I know, for a fact, that we, women, want to look at our best, especially when we are in the company of others. Many just get up and first thing in the morning, make themselves up, so when we look in the mirror we enjoy what we see, and we are happy and content with the way we look with the make up on or some fitting clothes that make us look ...well...some say nice.... But why do we want to look pretty or slim or in a nice dress, what is the purpose of that desire? Why is that? There could be a gazillion answers....I am not going to explain that here, but I wanted to bring it up so we can think about making ourselves pretty in other ways so we can be charitable towards ourselves and then others for a higher purpose and with a better intention....so as to change the direction of intentions and actions, making it in line with the true nature that we are designed with and should manifest.
I know some atheists or agnostics won't agree with my last sentence, but whether we like it or not, our nature is designed and has a purpose.Everything has "to be something" before it has "to do something"...so since we are humans we are set to do certain human things...In that light I think tending our bodies to make us look good (for what?) should equally be done in order to make it the perfect dwelling place of God(hence serving that higher Purpose). The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, lives in us(if we allow Him to live and thrive). He always does search for us, but we often close the door. He always descends so we can ascend , but  we ignore Him.  But if we do open our minds and hearts we can certainly make our body a temple of the Holy Spirit, a place where God can live and make His graces flow in us. One can not have the graces flow, unless is in the State of Grace, and State of Grace means a person is without sin (hard to find someone might say)...The sins go away when the Absolution is given and received after  true sorrow has captured your heart and the true contrition has occurred. That happens during a sincere confession during the sacrament of Reconciliation...and to take that step requires courage, humility and a lot of prayer...We often lack courage and humility but we can certainly can pray or try to be open to prayer...that requires an act of Will and that Will to be engaged requires Intellect and for that Intellect to be enlightened, it  requires truthful information and that truthful information is the Truth itself. If anyone doesn't know about it, please ask a question and you will receive an answer.... Hence tending to our body must  not  be done just to  look and feel physically good but to be really good, to be a place where God lives and acts through,  so we can love ourselves for allowing the Truth and Light to live and dwell in us.In that manner the act of Charity truly becomes active and then one might truly be charitable towards others and not the other way around...And that is just my opinion :-) if you like it , share it....

9 August 2012

Letter of Jesuit priest Fr.Peter Meshkalla sent to the Albanian PM of the time(1967)

Letter of Father Peter Mëshkalla S.J.

To: Chairman of the Council of Ministers

Mehmet Shehu

Tirana, (Albania)

Excellency,

Yesterday, on  April 3rd, 1967, at 7 pm, the majority of the Catholic clergy of Shkodra(diocese), was called in the Red Hall Corner of the Executive Committee. It was communicated to us, that we should give up/turn in everything we have /own except the essential personal clothing and sleeping clothes, because it all belong to the people(of Albania) and ought to be returned to the people, and that we shall not exercise any religious service, even privately: This, we were told, was decided by the people(of Albania).
I thought to write to you, your Excellency as a man to another man(human to human)
As for my books, and religious objects, let them come and take them whenever they like. It is not the first time I stand out there in the streets.
But I want to share some thoughts in general: Manuscripts are sacred property of the author, unless he surrenders them himself or they are against the State (national) Security. As for other property or generosity of the people, it is basic and the natural law does not recognize that the donor or others can take a donation away, unless one who receives gives it up.
If it happens, these are speculation and abuses, which need to be addressed..
And, the truth is that people in each country have followed its own priest (good o weak) , as the representative of their own religion.
A black shadow fell on the people when the churches(in Albania) were shut down , when the church bells were crushed and brought down and religious objects, clergy and laity were mocked and insulted, thus hurting deeply their Sacred Faith.
The same effect has had the frantic and antireligious campaigns conducted with all means of propaganda. In response, people have filled the churches until the time of closing. What little value then does have a small percentage of some scared and non-conscientious people under so much pressure…?
Especially the scared people who are threatened and pressurized, promised and threatened of layoffs, undergoing the greatest torture because of the economic dependency needing the daily bread, and then verbally deny what they believe, and hence this campaign aims to set up a generation (of Albanians)without civil courage, without bravery, an opportunist generation, spineless people, destroying thus the character of Albanian people at the whole country’s expense. People are afraid to meet, to welcome friends that are labeled as “"touched"(gulags, anticommunist, reactionaries etc)! -There is much talk today about the Inquisition of 500 years ago, and not very objectively. But how about of this one, this one in the this 20 th century?
Now we come to me. I cannot and will not change the line of my life but will continue so until my last breath. Outer barriers of force majeure will do to me exactly what effect the stone and dirt have on the flow of rushing water: People know me well and how I have dedicated my life to them.
I am saying that with these wars against religion and us, you are (the government is)  discrediting ourselves (country) in the eyes of the world, to which we ( our country) have given solemn promises for the human rights and freedom. When you and I met in Tirana on March 8, 1945, I mentioned to you that the Communists were shouting out words like "this Church shall turn into a cinema" . Then you answered me: "This is hostile and enemy’s propaganda."
Indeed, no worse enemy of the state(country) would had done any greater damage then this you have done to yourselves (state/country)
I wrote to you Excellency, nor pushed by hatred, nor ambitions, nor interest, but only by my conscience, truth and goodness.

Respectfully
Peter Meshkalla
Catholic priest –Society of Jesus.

5 April 1967
(translated from Albanian by Merita B.McCormack- words in paranthesis are notes of the translator)
Merita B.McCormack