Indeed God with us!

Yesterday my computer decided to go on strike. It turned itself off - and on again - 6 times before it decided that it wanted to work properly, at which point i had gone down to use Chris' computer, which she kindly let me borrow for a while.

At church on Christmas morning - when it was still empty - i took some photos, hoping to put them on the blog but my sister's computer refused to accept them/their format and decided to give me a further fright by indicating that my sd card was corrupted ...noooo i had my last photos from Egypt in there!!! :-(

My external drive, attached to Chris' computer for that short while, stopped working too and at this point i was CONVINCED that "technology" was trying to drive me crazy - that thing has a whole lot of photos videos, ppts, documents and what not in there!

I decided to try my computer again and THANK GOD - after another few times of turning itself off and on again - it stayed ON. I tried the drive and the sd card and both were working HAMDU LILL-E!

I emptied the sd card onto the drive and decided i would not blog until today.

...but today there was no time so only now i'm blogging a bit ...or a lot...

Without Christ, there is no Christmas ...no REAL Christmas anyway. Yeah there's commerce and feasts and gifts and lights and christmas trees, wine perhaps and lots of laughing (i don't drink - the wine's not for me) but it would be empty, literally X-mas.

In our family, as with many families in Malta and round the world, thank God, we celebrate the birth of Christ - the child God who left heaven to dwell among us.

The photo at the top of the page is that of the baby Jesus in our home - very much like what many Maltese families would have - and below are some more photos of the real Christmas - that at the centre of which is Christ :-)

The heart of the "Presepju" (crib)
which dad makes in our home each year

In church:

The church during midnight Mass

The altar

The Presepju (crib)

The Baby Jesus in the crib

- it appears all white in the other photos!

"The Nativity"

Children's drawings in church for everyone to see

The Christmas Tree decorated with angels,

below it are the cribs which the children made this year

 

And as each year, we had the "Priedka tat-Tifel" (The Boy's Sermon). This year, the "sermon" was given by 7-year old Luca - with a little introduction by his "guardian angel" played by his sister. They were both extremely well prepared, speaking clearly and making it one great homily which all of us enjoyed :-) Below are two pictures of both children during the "Priedka". 

And if you'd like to listen to it, CLICK HERE.  

Although this has been a LOOOONG post, i am posting one last thing for today. Whilst grateful to God for His blessings, I ask that He continues to bless all those i know, love or care about and to bless especially those who feel alone, are in hospitals and in prisons, and those persecuted because of the Gospel. I pray especially for a friend that God may strengthen and give peace, hope and joy - especially in times of trials.

This is what i wanted to post - it is what God desires of us:

This below is a translation of the words:

Look at him waiting in the terrible cold of night

Looking for a place far from cold and darkness
Everywhere he knocks he finds full houses (and no place for him)
It is as though the heart of man no longer knows how to show mercy!

Look at him passing through streets all lit up
Each house has a crib and statues
From the inside comes hymns and cheerful songs
But this music and these hymns have no meaning:

He does not want to hear the nice music of the angels
Nor see a bright shining star
He wants to live among people who live in harmony
He wants to find your heart capable of loving!
He wants to find your heart capable of loving!

The cold he feels is not the cold of winter
The darkness around him is not that of night
The cold comes from hearts as cold as marble
The darkness is the lack of light caused by sin.

He does not want to hear the nice music of the angels
Nor see a bright shining star
He wants to live among people who live in harmony
He wants to find your heart capable of loving!
He wants to find your heart capable of loving!

Do not fear! Let him find shelter in your heart!
Make a fire in your heart that he may be warm
Let him shine as the stars shine
Sing with your brothers: PEACE ON EARTH!

He does not want to hear the nice music of the angels
Nor see a bright shining star
He wants to live among people who live in harmony
He wants to find your heart capable of loving!
He wants to find your heart capable of loving! (x2)

Words and Music Fr.Karm Debattista MSSP, Malta.

A blessed New Year

to you and your loved ones :-)

Jesus Christ Our Hope - Last Day of Christmas Novena

Today's reflection is really nice - click the picture to listen to it.

God bless you!

Getting closer to Christmas - 8th Day of Novena.

Click the picture for today's reflection :-)

God bless you.

God with us - Now and Always - 6th Day of Christmas Novena

Click the picture for today's reflection :-)

I do not really like the introductory singing in today's reflection - it sounds a bit sad to me (sad literally - nothing to do with quality at all) - but the reflection is really nice and worth listening to ...so i think anyway :-)

Click the picture to listen :-)

God bless you.

Accepting God and Doing His Will - Weekend Reflection

Click picture to go to the reflection :-)

3rd day of Christmas Novena

Click picture to go to today's reflection :-)

2nd day of Christmas Novena

Click picture to listen to a reflection :-)

9 days to Christmas

...and hence the Christmas Novena begins :-)

A novena is 9 days of prayer or greater preparation

for something that is coming.

The picture above links to a reflection which i have enjoyed listening to and which might help us prepare our minds and hearts better for Christmas.

Advertising - the MALTESE way...

They're nice to look at but it's NOT the angel that caught my eye - more the way it's "price-tagged"?!

(no wonder he's got that look on his face!)

click to enlarge the picture if you can't see it properly ;-)

I've missed blogging

I've missed blogging and i'm not sure i'll be able to keep blogging - would need to get myself back into the "habit" of blogging in order for me to continue that BUT for the time being i'm just going to give it a try again.

Back from Egypt, it's been kind of ok i guess. My family was DEFINALTELY waiting for me







(they had a landing countdown lol)

and had prepared some decorations and a little party. 

I too am glad to see them again of course - but until i get completely used to it again well...

Malta, IS beautiful but as beautiful as it is, still it's different from what i was used to in the past few months and though i love my family and country, well, i ALSO loved the people in Egypt and had gotten pretty used to it there...

So, after all that - which sounds like i am complaining - but really i'm not, i'll just put a few pictures and comments about the past few days here in Malta.

Back here, the first night was a bit odd - as my family and friends have already heard.

I am not particularly keen on hearing loud cracking horse whips and tedious car horns, "Allah hu akbar" calls, the grumbling and laughter of some birds and the crowing of a rooster BUT i must admit that i had gotten used to them and it DID feel a bit odd to wake up to a growling dog instead.

This is panda.

She's quite quiet and we've had her for several years now BUT before, she and Jolly (a dalmation) would sleep in a room upstairs. NOW, after Jolly's death, my brother thought she'd be lonely and hence, since she's a "girl" she's been assigned OUR room. (my sisters' and my room)

Bottom line is that Panda didn't recognise me and hence she was growling at me the first morning i woke up here after those months away.

Panda aside - who is finally getting used to me - i have discovered that my sister Faith - besides being a whole lot taller - God bless her, has become something close to a sweet maker over here.

She can cook lots of really good stuff and does that REALLY fast too!

...now doesn't that look nice? (It tasted better than it looks too :-)

Christabel is still drawing and painting

- and just getting better at it - God bless her too :-)

Mum is fine but she must have made a promise to herself that she's going to make me gain all, any and MORE weight/fat that i MIGHT have lost in the past few months. All day she is asking me if i want something to eat and making stuff even when i say "no thank you" and "ma, if i were hungry i can make something for myself don't worry."

Talitha is singing as usual - it's nice to hear her again - and Matthew is still picking on her and teasing her because some things never change ;-)

Talitha singing - click here to listen to a little bit of it

(sorry Tal, couldn't resist putting JUST a little piece on here)

Dad is pretty much the same, still coming to wake everyone up, telling us to go to Mass and ending his day with his popular litany: "people, i have an important announcement to make, i'm going up to sleep. Goodnight shut up i love you go to sleep" (said with no pauses)

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Yesterday, we went out (Bugibba) and on the way we saw the "window of the Divine Mercy" - as i call it - BUT because it's Christmas time, the person who takes care of that decorated it for the season. Having my camera i took a photo of it and it can be seen below. I love the way that "crib" is made :-)  ...i should try to refresh my memory on knitting - things like that are really nice if you ask me.

(double click picture for a larger version)

I hope to blog again before Christmas - and i think i will - but just in case not: a very blessed Christmas to anyone who is reading these words :-)