nov 2014 161

1JOY TO ALL MEN AND PEACE TO MANKIND friend us on

“And this will be a sign for you...”

To set up a nativity scene at home can be a simple but effective way of presenting the faith and passing it on through the family. This helps us to contemplate

the mystery of God, who in his love for us, revealed himself in the poverty and simplicity of Bethlehem.

Saint Francis of Assisi was so overwhelmed by the mystery of the Incarnation, that he wanted to recreate it again in Greccio with the living nativity scene, thus becoming the initiator of a long popular tradition which still keeps its value for evangelization today.

The nativity scene can help us, in fact, to understand the secret of the true Christmas, because it speaks of humility and the merciful goodness of Christ, who ‘though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor’ (II Corinthians 8:9). His poverty enriches those who embrace it and Christmas brings joy and peace to those who, as the shepherds, accept in Bethlehem the words of the angel: “And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).

It continues to be a sign also for us, men and women of the 21st century. There is no ‘alternative’ Christmas.

GIBRALTAR DIOCESAN CRIB COMPETITION 2014

ENTRIES ARE INVITED FROM HOMES, CLUBS AND PLACES OF WORK.

JUDGING WILL TAKE PLACE ON FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER 2014. SCHOOLS WILL BE JUDGED ON MONDAY 15

DECEMBER 2014. FORMS CAN BE COLLECTED FROM CATHEDRAL BOOKSHOP AND HANDED IN AT ST.

THERESA’S CHURCH NOT LATER THAN THURSDAY 11 DECEMBER.

(Forms will be available for collection as fromMONDAY 24 NOVEMBER.)

ENTRANCE FEE £5 PER CRIB All monies collected will go to a Church chosen

Charity to be announced. Winners will be contacted and Prizes will be handed out on Thursday 24

December during the

Children’s Christmas Eve Mass.For more information please contact Maria Louisa Aguilera at 58008677

2 Follow us on @uponthisrockmag Magazine available free online with additional articles. Exclusive offers, Gifts and Books - ONLINE www.uponthisrock.giFollow us on @uponthisrockmag Magazine available free online with additional articles. Exclusive offers, Gifts and Books - ONLINE www.uponthisrock.gi

Upon this Rock magazine is published monthly by EuropeAxess Media, Gibraltar. Editor: Fr. S. Chipolina: [email protected]. Production Editor: A. Sargent [email protected]. Upon this Rock magazine is entirely supported by advertising and

donations. It is run in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar by EuropeAxess Media Ltd. as a not-for-profit project. For Advertisers: This magazine is hand-delivered to homes, churches, hospitals and many businesses around Gibraltar every month. To discuss your advertising requirements, or promote your church group or charity, call Tel: +350 200 79335 email: [email protected]. Editorial is selected by EuropeAxess Media in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Neither of these parties is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor do the views and opinions expressed herein necessarily

reflect the views and opinions of either party. Advertisers are not endorsed by virtue of advertising in this magazine. EuropeAxess Media Ltd. reserves the right to refuse space to any submissions or advertisements. Efforts have been made to establish copyright owners of images, but if we have used your material, and have not credited you, please contact us to discuss restoration. The magazine is online at uponthisrock.gi. You’ll find exclusive Christian gifts in the WebShop.COVER PIC: Cumulo Nimbus clouds over the Amazon rain forest.Photo: A.Sargent

Below, please find Vatican Radio’s provisional translation of Pope Francis’ address to the Synod Fathers:

After a truly extraordinary synod, the Holy Father encourages those who took part, and we too can take courage from reading his words.

With a heart full of appreciation and

gratitude I want to thank, along with you, the Lord who has accompanied and guided us in the past days, with the light of the Holy Spirit.

From the heart I thank Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod, Bishop Fabio Fabene, under-secretary, and with them I thank the Relators, Cardinal Peter Erdo, who has worked so much in these days of family mourning, and the Special Secretary Bishop Bruno Forte, the three President delegates, the transcribers, the consultors, the translators and the unknown workers, all those who have worked with true fidelity and total dedication behind the scenes and without rest. Thank you so much from the heart.

I thank all of you as well, dear Synod fathers, Fraternal Delegates, Auditors, and Assessors, for your active and fruitful participation. I will keep

you in prayer asking the Lord to reward you with the abundance of His gifts of grace! I can happily say that – with a spirit of collegiality and of synodality – we have truly lived the experience of ‘Synod’ a path of solidarity, a ‘journey together’.

And it has been a ‘journey’ and like every journey there were moments of running fast, as if wanting to conquer time and reach the goal as soon as possible; other moments of fatigue, as if wanting to say ‘enough’ other moments of enthusiasm and ardour. There were moments of profound consolation listening to the testimony of true pastors, who wisely carry in their hearts the joys and the tears of their faithful people. Moments of consolation, grace and comfort hearing the testimonies of the families who have participated in the Synod and have shared with us the beauty and the joy of their married life. A journey where the stronger feel compelled

to help the less strong, where the more experienced are led to serve others, even through confrontations. And since it is a journey of human beings, with the consolations there were also moments of desolation, of tensions and temptations, of which a few possibilities could be mentioned:

• One, a temptation to hostile inflexibility, that is, wanting to close oneself within the written word, (the letter) and not allowing oneself to be surprised by God, by the God of surprises, (the spirit); within the law, within the certitude of what we know and not of what we still need to learn and to achieve. From the time of Christ, it is the temptation of the zealous, of the scrupulous, of the solicitous and of the so-called – today – traditionalists – and also of the intellectuals.

•The temptation to a destruc-tive tendency to goodness [it. buonismo], that in the name of a deceptive mercy binds the

wounds without first curing them and treating them; that treats the symptoms and not the causes and the roots. It is the temptation of the do-gooders – of the fearful, and also of the so-called ‘pro-gressives and liberals’.

• The temptation to transform stones into bread to break the long, heavy, and painful fast (cf. Lk 4:1-4); and also to transform the bread into a stone and cast it against the sinners, the weak, and the sick (cf Jn 8:7), that is, to transform it into unbearable burdens (Lk 11:46).

• The temptation to come down off the Cross, to please the people, and not stay there, in or-der to fulfil the will of the Father; to bow down to a worldly spirit instead of purifying it and bend-ing it to the Spirit of God.

• The temptation to neglect the ‘depositum fidei’ [the deposit of faith], not thinking of themselves as guardians but as owners or masters [of it]; or, on the other hand, the temptation to neglect

Pope Francis SpeaksThe conclusion of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family

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The conclusion of the Extraordinary Synod on the Familyreality, making use of meticulous language and a language of smoothing to say so many things and to say nothing! They call them ‘byzantinisms’ I think, these things...

Dear brothers and sisters, the temptations must not frighten or disconcert us, or even discourage us, because no disciple is greater than his master; so if Jesus Himself was tempted–and even called Beelzebul (cf. Mt 12:24), His disciples should not expect better treatment.

Personally I would be very worried and saddened if it were not for these temptations and these animated discussions; this movement of the spirits, as St Ignatius called it (Spiritual Ex-ercises, 6), if all were in a state of agreement, or silent in a false and quietist peace. Instead, I have seen and I have heard–with joy and appreciation–speeches and interventions full of faith, of pastoral and doctrinal zeal, of wisdom, of frankness and of courage: and of parresia. And I have felt that what was set be-fore our eyes was the good of the Church, of families, and the ‚‘su-preme law’ the ‘good of souls’ (cf. Can. 1752). And this always

– we have said it here in the Hall – without ever putting into question the fundamental truths of the Sacrament of marriage: the indissolubility, the unity, the faithfulness, the fruitfulness, that openness to life (cf. Cann. 1055, 1056; and Gaudium et spes, 48).

And this is the Church, the vineyard of the Lord, the fertile Mother and the caring Teacher, who is not afraid to roll up her sleeves to pour oil and wine on people’s wounds; who doesn’t see humanity as a house of glass to judge or categorize people. This is the Church, One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and composed of sinners, needful of God’s mercy. This is the Church, the true bride of Christ, who seeks to be faithful to her spouse and to her doctrine. It is the Church that is not afraid to eat and drink with prostitutes and publicans. The Church that has the doors wide open to receive the needy, the penitent, and not only the just or those who believe they are perfect! The Church that is not ashamed of the fallen brother and pretends not to see him, but on the contrary feels involved and almost obliged to lift him up and to encourage

him to take up the journey again and accompany him toward a definitive encounter with her Spouse, in the heavenly Jerusalem.

And this is the Church, our Mother! And when the Church, in the variety of her charisms, expresses herself in communion, she cannot err: it is the beauty and the strength of the sensus fidei, of that supernatural sense of the faith which is bestowed by the Holy Spirit so that, together, we can all enter into the heart of the Gospel and learn to follow Jesus in our life. And this should never be seen as a source of confusion and discord.

Many commentators, or people who talk, have imagined that they see a disputatious Church where one part is against the other, doubting even the Holy Spirit, the true promoter and guarantor of the unity and harmony of the Church–the Holy Spirit who throughout history has always guided the barque, through her Ministers, even when the sea was rough and choppy, and the ministers unfaithful and sinners.

And, as I have dared to tell you, [as] I told you from the beginning of the Synod, it was necessary to live through all this with tranquillity, and with interior peace, so that the Synod would take place cum Petro and sub Petro (with Peter and under Peter), and the presence of the Pope is the guarantee of it all.

We will speak a little bit about the Pope, now, in relation to the Bishops [laughing]. So, the duty of the Pope is that of guaranteeing the unity of the Church; it is that of reminding the faithful of their duty to faithfully follow the Gospel of Christ; it is that of reminding the pastors that their

first duty is to nourish the flock ‘to nourish the flock’ that the Lord has entrusted to them, and to seek to welcome the lost sheep ‘with fatherly care and mercy, and without false fears’. I made a mistake here, I said ‘to welcome them’: go out and find them!

His duty is to remind everyone that authority in the Church is a service, as Pope Benedict XVI clearly explained, with words I cite verbatim: “The Church is called and commits herself to exercise this kind of authority which is service and exercises it not in her own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ... through the Pastors of the Church, in fact: it is he who guides, protects and corrects them, because he loves them deeply. But the Lord Jesus, the supreme Shepherd of our souls, has willed that the Apostolic College, today the Bishops, in communion with the Successor of Peter... to participate in his mission of taking care of God’s People, of educating them in the faith and of guiding, inspiring and sustaining the Christian community, or, as the Council puts it, ‘to see to it... that each member of the faithful shall be led in the Holy Spirit to the full development of his own vocation in accordance with Gospel preaching, and to sincere and active charity’ and to exercise that liberty with which Christ has set us free (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 6)... and it is through us,’ Pope Benedict continues, ‘that the Lord reaches souls, instructs, guards and

Retreat on Pilgrimage

to FatimaJoin us on ouR annual CuRsillo & st. Paul’s PaRish 4 night PilgRimage led by FR. stuaRt19-23 FebRuaRy 2015 by CoaCh

€250p/pSingle Suppliment €50p/p 4 Nights Fatima

(departing midnight Wed 18/Thu 19 FEB) Deposit by 31 Oct 2014 €50 Non-refundable Balance by 15 Jan 2015 €200p/p Twin €250 p/p Single For more information or bookings please contact St. Paul’s Church, Tel: 20077135 or Richard Mob: 54714000. If busy or unavailable please leave your name and number, or send email to: [email protected],

Pope Francis Speaks


guides them. St Augustine, in his Commentary on the Gospel of St John, says: ‘let it therefore be a commitment of love to feed the flock of the Lord’ (cf. 123, 5); this is the supreme rule of conduct for the ministers of God, an unconditional love, like that of the Good Shepherd, full of joy, given to all, attentive to those close to us and solicitous for those who are distant (cf. St Augustine, Discourse 340, 1; Discourse 46, 15), gentle towards the weakest, the little ones, the simple, the sinners, to manifest the infinite mercy of God with the reassuring words of

hope (cf. ibid., Epistle, 95, 1)”.So, the Church is Christ’s –

she is His bride – and all the bishops, in communion with the Successor of Peter, have the task and the duty of guarding her and serving her, not as masters but as servants. The Pope, in this context, is not the supreme lord but rather the supreme servant – the ‘servant of the servants of God’; the guarantor of the obedience and the conformity of the Church to the will of God, to the Gospel of Christ, and to the Tradition of the Church, putting aside every personal whim, despite being – by the

will of Christ Himself – the ‘supreme Pastor and Teacher of all the faithful’ (Can. 749) and despite enjoying ‘supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power in the Church’ (cf. Cann. 331-334).

Dear brothers and sisters, now we still have one year to mature, with true spiritual discernment, the proposed ideas and to find concrete solutions to so many difficulties and innumerable challenges that families must confront; to give answers to the many discouragements that surround and suffocate families.

One year to work on the

‘Synodal Relatio’ which is the faithful and clear summary of everything that has been said and discussed in this hall and in the small groups. It is presented to the Episcopal Conferences as ‘lineamenta’ [guidelines].

May the Lord accompany us, and guide us in this journey for the glory of His Name, with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of Saint Joseph. And please, do not forget to pray for me! Thank you!

[The hymn Te Deum was sung, and Benediction given.]

Thank you, and rest well, eh?Translation: Vatican Radio

Pope Francis Speaks

Pope Francis leading the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family last month. Other photos showed His Holiness

in deep conversation with the different Bishops. Now there follows a year to consider those many discussions. Photo: Vatican Radio.


Unity was the theme for a gathering of hearts and minds, the message was taken by a contingent of ambassadors some from the Clergy and others representing

Commerce, Politics and Press.Bishop Ralph led the celebrations at Our Lady of Dolours Church in Fulham Road. His Lordship mentioned that he was ‘particularly delighted’ to be able to be there, now as Gibraltar’s episcopal administrator, and went on to say how much he appreciated seeing so many familiar faces, and once again receiving such a warm welcome from the people of Our Lady of Dolours in Fulham. His Lordship also mentioned that he was very happy to retain his connections with the Rock, as chair of various Trusts or, as on All Saints Day, to lead the people in the traditional celebration of Mass at the Cemetery, until such time as a successor is appointed.

Looking back to 19th of October and forward to 5th of May 2015

National Day in the City

You are invited to accompany

Our Lady of Europeat the

International Mass in Lourdes 2015

Plans are in hand for Father Stuart to

lead the celebrations of the Feast of Our Lady of Europe at the International Mass

in Lourdes in May 2015. In previous years Gibraltar-ians have had the honour of significant participation in the events, last year we led the candle lit procession (front cover Upon This Rock 156). It is indeed something to be grate-ful for, that the devotion to Our Lady of Europe should be given such recognition, and our small country be awarded so much re-spect at this International venue. Bookings are currently being tak-en for travel by coach to Lourdes

CHRISTIAN FAMILY MOVEMENTANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS25th, 40th, 50th & 60thWedding

Anniversary Celebrationsat the Cathedral 30th Jan 2015

Couples celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th or 60th wedding an-niversary in 2014 are invited to join in this celebration and re-new their vows. Cut out (or photocopy if you prefer) this form and hand it in to the Catholic Bookshop next to the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned not later than the 16th January, forms will also be available at the Catholic Bookshop.

Mr. & Mrs.: ________________________________________

Forenames: Husband ________________________________

Forenames: Wife _____________________________________

Neé: _______________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________

___________________________________________________

E-mail: ____________________________________________

Tel. Home: _________________________________________

Tel. Work: _________________________________________

Mobile: ____________________________________________

Date of Marriage: ___________________________________

Church: ____________________________________________

N.B. If marriage took place outside Gibraltar please produce a copy of the marriage Certificate when handing in this form.This form should be handed in at the Cathedral bookshop or the detail or scanned form emailed to: [email protected] as soon as possible and not later than Friday 16th January.

6

Looking back to 19th of October and forward to 5th of May 2015

National Day in the City

LOuRDESTRAvEL ARRANGEMENTS3-10 MAy 2015

via Madrid. The pilgrimage will run from 3 May to 10 May 2015, for more information, to discuss travel options and to secure a place, please contact St. Paul’s Church Tel: 20077135 or call

Richard’s Mobile: 54714000, if busy or unavailable leave your name and number or email: [email protected]

Minister Gilbert Licuidi attended in the place of the Chief Minister, and Deputy Mayor of Gibraltar, Kaiane Aldorino gave a reading.Many people from the congregation visited the replica of the Statue of Our Lady of Europe, including students who were in London for a Retreat, led by Gabriel Sedda that weekend.As this issue of Upon This Rock was going to press, one of the participants said that the retreat had been particularly fruitful and insightful, and another has high resolution images for us, so that is a treat that we will have in store for December’s issue.

Marriage CareThe Gibraltar

Counselling ServiceTel: 2007171700 Main Street.

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The Convent Christmas Fair is a highlight in the calendar for those eager to get into the spirit of the Christmas season.

Forthcoming Events

This year the Fair will take place on Thursday 27

November from 12 noon until 7pm. The unique setting within the Convent gives the Fair a charm of its own and a superb range of items will be available.More than 40 festively decorated stalls will offer traditionally handcrafted jewellery, elaborate Christmas decorations, culinary delights, fashion and beauty treats and brilliant gift ideas and stocking-fillers. If shopping isn’t enough to get you in the mood for Christmas, there will also be a Santa’s Grotto from 2pm, mince pies and mulled wine provided by the Red Cross Committee, delicious refreshments served all afternoon in our cafe and later on, in the Cloisters, mince

pies and mulled wine, provided by the Red Cross. At 6pm St Bernard’s First School will be singing Christmas carols.There will also be a chance to win a Honda Vision Motorcycle courtesy of Bassadone Motors. Raffle tickets will be on sale at the Piazza on Thursday 20th November, 9.30 am – 4.30 pm.

This year money raised at the Fair will be donated to the Gibraltar Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Group (GADSG) and will go towards the setting up of a Snoezelen Room at the new Day Care Centre.

Dementia is progressive decline of mental intellect and is an umbrella term for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Vascular Dementia and others.

Dementia has become a major health issue in Gibraltar, so the GADSG work to raise awareness of the Dementia problem locally, and aspire to alleviate the plight of dementia sufferers and their families. GADSG is committed to ensuring that people suffering from Dementia and their families receive appropriate care and support. A ‘Snoezelen Room’ is a therapy room specially designed to deliver stimuli to various senses. This stimulating and soothing room allows patients to relax and gives much needed respite time to their caregivers who have to shoulder the responsibility of caring for loved ones at home.

Lady Dutton commented “this will be my first Convent Christmas Fair and I am hugely looking forward to it. I’m sure it will be a wonderful start to the Christmas season and I am delighted that we will be supporting the work of such a worthwhile cause and an organisation which does so much for the local community.”

So, come along and join us on Thursday 27th November: Entrance is just £2 for Adults and Under-12s get in free.

Look out for updates on the Convent website: www.convent.gi and follow us on Facebook (ConventChristmasFair) and Twitter: @convent_gib.

CH

RISTIAN

TRUST

MISSIO N

F U N D I N G A V A I L A B L EThe 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.


Faith and Light Gibral-tar is celebrating their 25th anniversary on

Sunday 23rd November, there will be a Mass at the Cathedral at 12 noon and from there we will be going for lunch.

We are inviting and encouraging all former members, anyone who would like to join one of the two communities, and all members of the Diocese to join us in celebrating this milestone in the history of Faith and Light in the Diocese of Gibraltar.

If anyone is interested in coming to the lunch please contact Matthew by emailing: [email protected] or by phoning 54006325. Please, not later than Friday 17th November as numbers need to be confirmed.

Faith & Light25thANNiversAry


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I t is difficult to write about death on a day such as this (8th Oct) of

bright sunny skies, warm gentle air and a lingering teasing sunset. Would it be any better on a grey gloomy rainy day? I think not. After all, in the general scheme of things, our death is not a topic that comes top of our ‘to do’ list. We are preoccupied with the concerns of living, work, raising a family, paying

the mortgage, gathering material possessions, and generally just living as best we can.

Death, our silent companion is ever with us. It is now November of the year, a dying time when the earth prepares to rest and sleep through the winter months. The air grows colder, the days get shorter. It can be a disagreeable month of “wailing winds and naked woods”, (William Bryant)with that, the poet seems to have

captured its essence.Simply put, death can be

described as the cessation of the connection between our minds and our bodies. This final moment awaits all mankind, this mystery that is death. We are powerless to prevent it.

Under this cloud of inevitable mortality we all labour, rich and poor, powerful and humble, there is no escape, we journey together towards this moment. Dickens describes us as “fellow passengers to the grave.” ‘Elegy written in a country church yard’ is an eloquent lament for the dead written by John Grey, 1750. In one verse he tells us; “The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, and all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave, awaits alike the inevitable hour, the paths of glory lead but to the grave.”

What is a ‘good’ death? It is easy to opine on this and our concept will be shaped by the at-titudes a mix of people will hold. To me it speaks of the privilege of dying on my own terms, e.g. pain free, with dignity and with some-one I love holding my hand. This luxury may not be afforded to me of course and when I said pain free I meant spiritually as well.

Spiritual peace is elusive.

Will I be found wanting

in my relationship with God?

Moving on from this life can be a scary prospect for some, for others the peace that such an end is coming may even be welcomed.

November is a month of remembrance and reflection for the dead. On All Souls Day often in cemeteries, services are held amidst banks of chrysanthemums, that stalwart flower providing a welcome splash of colour at this time. This is followed by the solemn pomp of Remembrance Sunday “on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour” commemorating the ending of the Great War. One million or more soldiers died in this conflagration which was World War I. Some died instantly, blown to pieces, thousands of others died slow lingering deaths from hideous wounds, haemorrhages, infections, etc.. Not a definition for a ‘good’ death, but thousands of ‘good’ men perished this way,

On the last day we will be called to give account of our words and deeds.

Our Silent Companion


-

helpless in the face of what was destined for them.

“We are the dead. Short days ago we lived, saw sunsets glow, loved and were loved, and now we lie in Flanders Fields” (John McCrae 1915). We wear our poppies as an act of remembrance and these red frail flowers should remind us of our own mortality.

Two other questions should concern us.

Will we end up in heaven or hell

and, are there really such places waiting

for us? Heaven and hell are associated

with salvation, the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences “for with the Lord is kindness and with Him plenteous redemption” (De Profundis). Speaking at the General Audience of Wednesday 28th July 1999, Pope John Paul II, now a Saint, described Heaven as “the ultimate end and fulfilment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme definitive happiness”. He was equally clear on Hell “the

ultimate consequence of sin itself … rather than a place … hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God … the source of all life and joy”.

After death comes judgement “and just as it is appointed for man to die once, after that comes judgement” (Hebrews 9; 27). God’s ultimate purpose for man is that he will enjoy eternal life and on this account each of us will be required to give an

account of himself to God. Quite daunting when you think about it, there will be no place to hide, our life’s deeds will have been recorded, the good and the not so good. Will we be able to defend ourselves? “I tell you, on the day of judgement people will give account of every careless word they speak” (Matthew; 12; 36). Every person whoever lived will be judged with perfect justice, but “about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels

in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew, 24;36).

Normally we do not like to think upon death, we would rather think upon life, it occupies most of our time after all. Preparing for death must be like looking into a mirror and seeing the true meaning of life reflected, like coming face to face with a truth of ourselves. Death is the dept we must pay for life; it begins the moment we are born as Pope Paul VI tells us, “Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it!”

Anne Mesilio

A GRIM REAPER FOR TODAy?

A note on the illustration. The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. It is the only United States Air Force production aircraft designed solely for close air support with limited air defenses. The A-10’s airframe was designed for durability, with measures such as 540kg of titanium armor to protect the cockpit and aircraft systems, enabling it to absorb a significant amount of damage and continue flying. The A-10’s official name comes from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt of World War II, a fighter that was particularly effective at close air support. The A-10 is more commonly known by its nicknames “Warthog” or “Hog”. With a variety of upgrades and wing replacements, the A-10’s service life may be extended to 2028, though there are proposals to retire it sooner. Sadly, for too many people around the world, either inside or outside the cockpit, from the uS or any battle torn country, the silhouette of a war plane will represent the Grim Reaper.

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All Saints

H eaven to me is no longer that place I imagined as a child,

a realm behind pearly gates, where one walks on a floor of clouds and can see and talk to God as a giant like figure. With age, and a loss of a certain amount of imagination, it has become something less clear, only thought of when needing the comfort of memories of loved ones passed.

My youngest daughter, soon to be four years old, recently asked me about heaven, after asking my partner where his Mummy is and being told she is in Heaven. It was an opportunity to think again of that place beyond the pearly gates, to paint the picture of all those we have loved and lost, up there doing the things they love, busy playing with the

angels and helping them look after you.

I remembered how I had told my eldest daughter, who was heartbroken from the loss of her 102 year old great grandmother a few months ago, that in heaven there was a bank of tv screens that all the souls could see all the time. And that when you thought of the good memories you have of your loved one, that memory would play out on the tv screen for them to see, reminding them of you and the good times you had together.

So I passed this story on to my littlest one as well. She has yet to feel the pain of loss, but I told her there were people who loved her, up in heaven, looking out for her, caring about her, putting the Lilla channel on the telly and seeing her colouring in beautiful

pictures or learning to count or being brave about going to school by herself.

In a world where it is harder and harder to have faith

in those things that brought you comfort as a child, it is nice to be able to slip back into them, without needing to think about it too much, because you are passing that comfort on to your children.

For myself, I need the world around me, the things I see and touch, to be the ingredients that make up the Heaven that I would like to go to when I pass. It is a healthy clean earth, loved and cared for by it’s inhabitants, where we use materials that are made of the earth and can be turned back in to earth. For example, does anyone else remember those glass globes that were encased in netting and used as fishing buoys? They were beautiful, green and blue balls the size of a head, made of thick sturdy glass. They have

been replaced with plastic buoys. Those glass ones, when they broke, would sink to the bottom of the ocean and turn back into sand with the pummelling action of the waves. The plastic buoys, when broken, float around on the sea, adding to the pollution, leaking dangerous chemicals as they slowly rot and if they do get pummelled they turn into tiny beads of plastic that poison the ocean wildlife further. In the perfect world those plastic containers wouldn’t exist, people would care too much to allow it.

Why would people care for the earth this way? Because they would care for each other, and they would care for the environment in which everyone else lived in, they would care for their children and their children’s children, that they breathed fresh air and drank clean water. And why would they care so much for others? Because they cared for themselves. Respect wouldn’t just be something you reserved for people you think deserve it, it would be how you felt about yourself, how you treated every person you met.

Have you heard of HONY? It is this guy in New York, a photographer, who goes out and photographs people he encounters on the street. It is called Humans Of New York He asks them questions about their lives, their feelings, their experiences. He talks to the people who stand out, but he also talks to the ones quietly

My idea of Heaven


minding their own business, all types of folk, not just photogenic, not just fashionable. Recently he went on a world tour (a trip nicknamed HOPE by his followers, Humans Of Planet Earth), bringing us pictures of people in the 3rd world, in war torn countries and places blighted by poverty. He posted these pictures on his Facebook, with a snippet of their conversation, and people from all over the world (he currently has 10,220,950 followers) got a glimpse into a strangers life. Do you know what the most common sentiment in the comments was? It was understanding. It was people from far and wide, seeing that those who seem so different to themselves, had so much in common.

In my perfect world, my Heaven, we would see this fundamental kinship in every person, on sight, without needing to peel away the walls that we all have around us to protect us in the big bad world. We would see it in the ones that cut us up on the road, the ones who push in front of us in the

queue, who ignore us on the street, the ones who bump into us in a drunken state, the ones who treat us like pawns for their own gains, the ones who scare us or live lives that we don’t understand. We are all the same, we all have the same problems. It’s like the saying that there are only 7 story plots, and that all stories in the world are just different ways of telling those 7 plots. Well there are only a limited number of problems, maybe just 4, health, wealth, mind and soul. And all the bad things in the world come from people worrying about the same 4 things, acting out of fear and searching for happiness.

Those who practice their religion successfully have found a way of making heaven on earth. Living without fear more often than not. But very few people manage that.

Fear is very much like those plastic bouys, we think it is useful, we think it helps us, but it just poisons our world. Heaven to me, is a world without Fear... or plastic!

https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork.

Kat Chandler

“...When you thought of the good memories you’d had with your loved ones, that would play out on the TV screen for them to see, reminding them of the good times you had together.”

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Join us for Art And CrAfts, singing And story telling.

4 - 5 pm every thursdAy At the CAtholiC Community Centre Bookshop

Members of the Christian youth Group

(CyC) and Gibraltar Interfaith Group (GIG) came together to orga-nise an event for Peace at Europa Point on Sep-tember 18. A programme of medita-tions and readings from the seven participating re-ligions, interspersed with songs, bagpipe music and a time of silence, was brought to it’s culmina-tion with the lighting of a ‘Peace Candle’. At this point in the pro-ceedings the spokespeo-ple from the participating groups were invited back to the stage, accompanied by some children and members of the audience, to light the new candle. In the windy conditions at Europa, this proved a little difficult, until one of the group suggested they needed to all come together with their ta-per candles at the same moment to achieve the desired result. Mark Spiteri (CYC) caught that moment on camera, it is shown in the lower half of the compos-ite image above. Video footage of the finalé was uploaded to YouTube by a friend of Johnny

Mascarenhas the Piper and can be found by searching for ‘Celtic Spirit, Europa Point Video’. The organisers would like to thank The Jewel Box, Calypso Tours, Lewis Stagnetto, Ex-press Café, The RC Diocese of Gibraltar, the Generating Station, RGP, and St. John’s Ambulance crews for their support of the event.

Peace Event at Europa Point


Children: God’s GIFT

It is strange to think about the things that happened at Planned Parenthood*

while I was there. I thought so many things were “normal.” Looking back, I see how they were anything but.We had hundreds of protocols. Some were pretty common sense, others were not. One protocol in particular has really got me thinking over the past couple of weeks… IUDs. An IUD is a birth control device that

is inserted into the cervix. They function in several different ways; however, the primary way they work is by creating a hostile uterine environment so that a fertilized egg would not be able to implant on the uterine lining.Part of our protocol talked about the insertion and removal. The other part talked about when they could be inserted. Get ready for this…uNPLANNED ABORTIONOur protocol stated that IUDs

could be inserted on pregnant women in order to cause an abortion. Yes. You read that right. If a woman came in and was in early stages of pregnancy,

we would insert an IUD to cause an abortion. She would have only been a few days pregnant. A pregnancy test would not have shown up positive. We didn’t have a confirmation of pregnancy. Out of sight, out of mind, right? How many children have been aborted because of this dangerous protocol? What is the real number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood? We will never know. Did we tell patients that this protocol would abort their child? Of course not.A woman came in one day complaining of severe abdominal pain. She had an IUD. During her exam, it was determined that her IUD was the source of her discomfort… it would have to be removed. I came in to assist. I couldn’t believe what I saw. On the end of that IUD was a tiny baby. We estimated the child to be 9 weeks. That baby had been growing on the end of a birth control device. But not to worry, Planned Parenthood says IUDs are safe.SIDE EFFECTSWhile working at Planned Parenthood, I decided an IUD would be the best method for me. After 3 years of use, I had no side effects… so I thought. After I had my IUD removed, I realized there might be a problem with my body. I had never had a problem getting pregnant, but several months had now passed, and every pregnancy test came back negative. What was going on? I had some blood work run and was told I didn’t produce several hormones. My body had tried to produce the hormones while the IUD was in…but the IUD won. My body couldn’t compete. I am only pregnant now because of NFP, supplemental hormones and an amazing doctor.ACCIDENTAL DEATHI found out several months ago that a woman had miscarried because of an IUD inserted at my

When the womb can be a bad place for tiny unplanned babies Whistle blowing by ‘Planned Parenthood’* centre director.IUD’s

the worst choice


ABBY JOHNSON editorial selected by Dr. Monique Risso

clinic. She was pregnant when it was inserted. That isn’t supposed to happen… but mistakes are made… her child paid the price. She went to the emergency room because she was having severe abdominal pain. She didn’t know she was pregnant until they did an ultrasound to find out what was wrong. There was her baby. His heart had stopped. She had to deliver her baby and have her IUD removed all in the same visit to the hospital. He was 18 weeks old. Why did this happen? Because an IUD is made to abort children.FINANCIAL INCENTIvESo, why would Planned Parenthood lie and say IUDs are

safe? Planned Parenthood pays less than $300.00 for an IUD… they are reimbursed over $750.00 from the federal government (US citizens tax dollars). Is that a good enough reason? It is for Planned Parenthood. Patients first? Prevention first? No. Money first… and always.*Planned Parenthood is the U.S.A.’s largest abortion provider. If the issues in this article have disturbed you due to past experiences, you may like to talk it over with your priest. If you are currently struggling with Family planning issues, and looking for an ethical solution, talk to Dr. Monique Risso.

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When the womb can be a bad place for tiny unplanned babies Whistle blowing by ‘Planned Parenthood’* centre director.

Guidance on the use of The Creighton Model System is available in Gibraltar from: Dr Monique Risso MB ChB MRCGP General Practitioner and NaPro Technology Physician at the Specialist Medical Clinic, Unit 7, First Floor, ICC Building, Casemates Square, Gibraltar. Tel: +350 200 49999 www.ladyofeuropefertilitycare.com

SIDE EFFECTS FROM USING IUD DEVICES• CRAMPING• PAINFUL PERIODS• OVARIAN CYSTS• DEVICE EXPULSION• IRREGULAR BLEEDING• ECTOPIC PREGNANCY• INTRAUTERINE PREGNANCY• PERFORATION OF THE UTERINE WALL• AND MORE...


ABBY JOHNSON editorial selected by Dr. Monique Risso

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