Newsletter No. 74 February 2010

Prayer Prayer is the breath of our spiritual life. The more we breathe the better our spiritual style of life. Blessed is he or she who can stop for a while and "breathe" some fresh air. We certainly need it.

Why do I pray? I need God's love and mercy. Well known is the expression of St George Preca "Sinjur Alla, jiena ghandi bzonnok" (Lord, I need you). I pray because Jesus says repeatedly that we should pray. He taught us how to pray. May be, the main reason why I should pray is because Jesus himself prayed. He often went by himself to pray (Lk 6,12). He spent whole nights in prayer (Lk 6,12). On the eve of his passion and death He prayed intensely (Mt 26,44).

It often happens that we find difficulty in prayer. "Father, I don't really know how to pray", so many people say. And so said the Apostles. Jesus described also a technique of prayer (Mt 6,6). We can pray anywhere and everywhere. We can also send our "SMSes". But there is also a special time for prayer. Luckily so many people do devote solid time which some call "quiet time" to praise, adore and implore the Lord.

Lent is a privileged time for prayer. We can resort to useful props in order to spend some time in prayer. The Lenten Retreat provides a good occasion. It is indeed a spiritual exercise or exercise in prayer, a school of prayer.

In order to pray we need something to lean on. We can take up a book of prayer. I suggest very specially the Bible and out of the Bible the Book of Psalms. Some of the psalms are hymns. There are wisdom psalms, historical (refer to the history of the People of God) and regal or royal psalms. Basically they are prayers of praise or of lament. The psalms of praise express life: to praise God is to live. The psalms of lament express the lack of life or infirmity: they ask for healing so that one can praise the Lord and live.

Prayer is very much the breath of our spiritual life. Lord, teach us how to pray.

Mgr Lawrence Gatt, Principal Chaplain

Association News: ADDRESS OF THE GRAND MASTER TO THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS 12 January 2010

The Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra' , received at the Magistral Villa on the Aventine the Ambassadors of the 104 countries accredited to the Order for the audience of the beginning of the new Year.

HAITI: MALTESER INTERNATIONAL RESPONDS TO DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE Port-au-Prince, 13 January 2010 - Medical team leave for emergency relief in the disaster region

Malteser International is preparing the deployment of an expert medical team from and France to support local Malteser teams on the ground. “Our colleagues in Haiti are fully aware that basic medical care and the provision of clean drinking water are matters of top priority now,” Ingo Radtke, Secretary General of Malteser International, explains. The emergency relief of Malteser International is coordinated within the worldwide international network of the Order of Malta. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti in the late evening yesterday, with reports giving many hundreds dead, thousands injured and leaving countless people homeless. Grey dust covers the area where as yet an unknown number of buildings and homes have been destroyed. There is significant damage to the infrastructure, roads and the communication system.

“Due to the soil erosion, our capital lacks a solid base. With mudslides following the earthquake, the slums built on the hills have completely slipped off,” reports Eduard Aimé - 2 - from Haiti. “Even the more solid buildings like the presidential , the ministries and the cathedral have been severely damaged.” For 15 years the Order of Malta, through its Associations in the , has been supporting a hospital (Hôpital Sacré Coeur, Milot) in the north of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. The 73-bed hospital is the only one in the region. In 2008, Hôpital Sacré Coeur treated 56,000 outpatients, with over 4,100 hospital admissions and 1,262 newborn deliveries. There is no other pharmacy or laboratory in the area, so last year the hospital filled 136,000 prescriptions and completed over 77,000 lab tests.

16 January 2010 Investiture Ceremony An Investiture ceremony was held during Holy Mass celebrated by Mgr Lawrence Gatt, Conventual Chaplain Grand Cross ad Honorem, at the Oratory, St John's Co-Cathedral, in at 16.30hrs. Details and photos can be found in a special edition of this newsletter, No.75, also dated February 2010.

17/01/2010 FUN DAY EVENT DOLMEN HOTEL BUGIBBA – SUNDAY – 17th JANUARY 2010 A Fund Day Event was organized by MASMOM. Coaches picked up the special guests from two locations in Malta and they were taken to the Dolmen Hotel in Bugibba, the venue for this event.

At 10.30, Holy Mass was celebrated by our Magistral Chaplain, Mgr Paul Carmel Vella.

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This was followed by a Tea and Coffee break, with singing by Philippa Farrugia Randon and music by Dr Kevin Dingli and Mr Paul Sultana. A three course Buffet Lunch was served at the Menhier Restaurant in the Hotel. Fra Richard Divall and Fra Richard Cheffins, both currently in Malta, also participated in this event.

After lunch the performance by Magician Brian Rolé entertained all those present – with both young and old participants trying to catch him out or copy his tricks. Needless to say, none of them succeeded. The animation team then took over and this is when the fun reached its best moment: face painting, balloon twisting, games, and most of all, the dancing. Young, old, children, volunteers and helpers crammed the dance floor, giving it all they’ve got. The twisting, singing, jumping and the latest fancy dance moves were enjoyed by all.

Coffee and sweets were later served. Dr. Philip Farrugia Randon, thanked the sponsors and organizers - especially Comm Tonio Casapinta and Mrs Nadya Chetcuti, without whose enthusiasm, this event would not have been possible. Presents were also given to the children and families before they went back to their coaches to be taken back home.

It was gratifying to see the smiles on the faces, the laughter, the participation, everybody enjoying himself. MASMOM’s aim was reached - the activity was a huge success, all their various problems being put aside for the day. MM 5/2/2010 More news is available at the websites: www.orderofmalta.org & www.orderofmalta-malta.org - 4 -