Hajja Salesjana September October 2017

4 Snow capped mountains, lush green fields spreading miles away into the horizon, fresh clean air and birds flying freely. No, this is not a description of where I live alas and neither is it an idyllic utopia. This is a beautiful memory I have from my last visit to Ireland, the Emerald Isle, well renowned for its natural beauty. We are all aware how sparse our green areas are becoming as the urban sprawl relentlessly wages a war against these wonderful and ever so necessary spaces which we all require to rest and recharge ourselves. However sometimes, right in the midst of our throbbing cities, we can find little reminders that bring back magnificent memories of lush green spaces. Just up the road from where I live, in a relatively small front garden, there is a truly fabulous tree, known as a Flame Tree. Its green foliage is such a pleasant sight amid the cacophony of tall grey looming buildings I am surrounded with. And to top it all, this sturdy tree is crowned with bright reddish, orange, bell-shaped flowers that gently remind me that even in the midst of the concrete jungle I live in, beauty is there if sought out, noticed and appreciated. Whenever I see this tree, I always thank God for its beauty as it truly stands out. It lifts my thoughts to Him and it reminds me that my role and duty as a follower of Jesus in our value-parched and secular country is to make a difference like this tree, wherever I am, by allowing my life to bloom and blossom with the Gospel values our island has held so dear for centuries. It is these Gospel values which can make us stand out from the crowd for all the good reasons, it is these values lived fully and authentically, even at the cost of being ostracised, ridiculed or mocked at by society at large, that can make us real men and women of God. It is a challenge sure enough, fit for those who like David can stand tall before Goliath, but it sure is well worth it. Our anonymous and politically correct world needs a splash of dazzling colour and ravishing beauty! Just like the awesome tree up the road from my home, let us all strive to resiliently stand tall and be the ones that colour beautifully our surroundings by our Christian way of being. Let us start by loving our family, our community, our parishioners, our students, our colleagues etc. Let us take it one day at a time. And slowly we will realise that what we thought was impossible has become feasible, because with God all things are possible. We just have to believe and trust Him. He will do the rest! Fr. Sandro Camilleri sdb “IT IS A CHALLENGE SURE ENOUGH, FIT FOR THOSE WHO LIKE DAVID, CAN STAND TALL BEFORE GOLIATH...” E D I T O R I A L Make a di fference wi th your l i fe!