Alleluia!

From Pope Benedict XVI's Urbi et Orbi Message for today:

Dear brothers and sisters! The risen Christ is journeying ahead of us towards the new heavens and the new earth (cf. Rev 21:1), in which we shall all finally live as one family, as sons of the same Father. He is with us until the end of time. Let us walk behind him, in this wounded world, singing Alleluia. In our hearts there is joy and sorrow, on our faces there are smiles and tears. Such is our earthly reality. But Christ is risen, he is alive and he walks with us. For this reason we sing and we walk, faithfully carrying out our task in this world with our gaze fixed on heaven.

Wishing all a joyful Easter day and a grace-filled season. 

All Rise

The little prince has deemed standing to be the position most befitting his dignity:

He spends as much time as possible standing. When not on his feet, he’s clamouring to be helped up. It’s very cute – especially when he first gets up and starts doing the victory dance, stepping back and forth, his fat little legs moving somewhat spastically in every direction. He tells me how proud he is with squeals and giggles: “See this, Mom?! I’m UP!”

The need to stand started sometime in the past two weeks, I think, though I don’t remember exactly when. Although our whole time here has sped by, now that we’re approaching the end of our stay, the days seem to be careening into one another. Last week began with saying goodbye to Bill & Susan. On Wednesday, we invited Fr. Kenneth and Catriona to dinner at our place. We had a lovely time – once our guests had left B and I commented on how blessed the parishioners at St. Mary’s are (ourselves included) to have such good and generous people serving their community. The following Saturday we had a Spanish cookery night at the presbytery – the sequel to last month’s Italian Night. Christy was the head chef this time, and with the help of sous-chef Brendan and a team of able hands, served a fantastic Spanish meal! It was great fun, in true CathSoc style! 

Liam helping to prepare the Spanish dinner!

On Sunday, B and I participated in the second Growing Married session. Two more couples joined us for the discussion this time, bringing their insights and experience to the table. I really enjoyed the session and look forward to the next one in May.

Much of our activity this week has been focused on the celebration of Holy Week. On Tuesday, I went to Edinburgh with the Catholic Society to attend the archdiocesan Chrism Mass (during which holy oils for priestly ordinations, confirmations, and anointing of the sick are blessed for use in the archdiocese that year). After the Mass we enjoyed a meal together at an Italian restaurant. Brendan stayed home with Liam that night and invited a few friends over for the first BBQ of the season. They were still going strong when I got home, so I extended my bedtime well past what it should have been. Fortunately, the boy slept reasonably well that night!

On Wednesday we gathered again with the Catholic Society, this time for a Passover meal. I had never been to a Seder meal, so I enjoyed learning the ritual. Brendan’s family adopted this tradition while he was growing up, and since he was always the youngest at the table, he was the one to ask the questions – “Why is this night different from all others night?”, etc. This time Liam was the youngest, but since he can’t speak and was sleeping at the time, his role went to the next closest in age (older by about 18 years!). Being the only mother present, I got to play that role, lighting the candles and saying the blessing before the meal. 

The evening was very enjoyable, until the end when an unfortunate accident occurred with the minibus. Brendan, Liam and I had left by that time, but we heard of it the next day. One of the students was injured in the accident. After a night in hospital and several stitches, she went back to Catriona’s to recover. Liam and I went to visit her on Thursday and Friday – he made her smile, which I was glad to see.

Thursday I went to Mass alone. Liam had finally gone to sleep, and given the tone of the day (extremely fussy!), we decided to keep it that way. I enjoyed some time of adoration afterwards, at the altar of repose. I always feel a strong pull to be with Jesus on Holy Thursday – it was nice to be able to take the time this year. Yesterday we attended the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion as a family and Liam behaved very well (we brought snacks!).

Some years, my experience of Holy Week has been very intense. This year it has been more subtle, but not without its moments of grace. The most beautiful thing I have witnessed this year is the conversion of a friend – to see the Lord touch someone’s heart brings the drama of the cross to life in such a meaningful way. I have also been blessed with rejuvenating moments of prayer, and two particular reminders of the importance of my vocation.

One came yesterday as I was trying to write an email about Jesus and Liam was wailing in the background. I really wanted to get the email done and was trying desperately to block out the annoying racket behind me. Then I realized that my duty of the moment was not to write about Jesus, but to care for my son. I kept thinking, “I just need to send this email. This is important.” And the Lord nudged me gently, saying, “Right now, your little boy is more important.” It was a simple reminder that the way I can best serve him is by caring for my family – that this is my opportunity to unite myself to both Christ’s cross and resurrection. Postponing the email to tend to Liam was a simple thing, but so is most of daily life. I was grateful for the reminder.

The next one came today. Liam had been fussy all day and by late afternoon I was approaching my wits' end. After several vain attempts to make the whining stop, I tried food. We sat on the kitchen floor, both of us exhausted, and I fed him a banana. As I cut pieces of fruit and fed them to him with a plastic spoon, the thought occurred to me again: “This is my vocation.” Not specifically to sit on the floor with a banana, but to meet my son’s needs -even when I don’t feel like it, even when I’m exhausted, even when his whining is really getting on my nerves. This is my vocation, this is how I can lay down my life. Another simple reminder of what it means to follow Christ.

Although I wish I would have prepared more for Holy Week, prayed more during Lent, focused more on Christ’s Passion in the past few days, I don’t feel I’ve wasted the grace of this week. I suppose different things stand out to us at different times – this year, God used Liam to teach me about his love. When I extend my hands towards my little boy, he grabs them without hesitation and immediately pulls himself up. He trusts that I will support him and allow him to rise to his full stature (all 2 feet of it!). God the Father also extends his hands to us, bidding us to take hold of him so that we might assume our true dignity – that of men and women redeemed.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Nana & Papa

One of my favourite parts of our time in Malta (and Bill & Susan’s subsequent visit to Stirling) was seeing Liam with his Nana & Papa. The last time they saw him he was just starting to smile – now his little personality declares itself ever more each day. Nana & Papa showered him with affection and he reciprocated. Seeing them together made me appreciate all the more the beauty of family life. It didn’t take long for me to feel at home with the Marshall’s – they welcomed me warmly from the beginning – but just as my marriage to Brendan sealed the bond, so has bringing Liam into the family deepened it. Now I am not only united to them through marriage but I have produced, as Brendan so proudly puts it, an heir to the throne of Marshall!!! Of course getting married and having babies and continuing the family line happens all the time, and has for thousands of years – but for me these things have taken on new meaning through Brendan and Liam, and the Marshall family to which I now belong. These thoughts were brought home to me during our time with Nana & Papa.

Last week was a quiet one – both B and I were spent from our holiday (funny how that happens, isn’t it? You go away to relax and come home more tired! I suppose teething had something to do with it… But I’m certainly not complaining. I have no problem paying for a trip to Malta with a few days of post-vacation fatigue!) Bill & Susan stayed in Malta for a few more days after we left and then flew to London. After a short stay in London, they took the train to Edinburgh, where we met them on Friday. Brendan rented a car for the weekend so we would be able to do some sightseeing at our leisure. We showed our guests around Edinburgh on Friday and took them to St. Andrews on Saturday. St. Andrews, apart from being an important site in Scotland’s Christian history and a beautiful seaside town, is also the home of golf. Bill is a great golf enthusiast and seemed to enjoy himself immensely as we walked through St. Andrews Links.

Edinburgh

St. Andrews Links (Bill was telling us all about the course)

At the British Golf Museum 

Ruin of St. Andrews Cathedral

The next day we went to Mass and introduced Brendan’s folks to some of our friends at church. Brendan and Bill worked on Brendan’s thesis for a few hours that afternoon while Susan and I visited and played with Liam. That evening we watched the Masters – and I surprised myself by getting quite caught up in it! I had never watched (or played) golf before so Bill explained the game to me. I don’t know that I’d be interested enough to actually buy a ticket to a tournament (and certainly not rich enough!), but watching it on tv is more fun than I thought! Brendan had to urge us several times to keep our voices down so as not to wake Liam!

We said our goodbyes early Monday morning, and B drove his parents to the airport in Glasgow. Now it’s back to business as usual – until next week, that is. Holy Week is coming up, and then we have another trip planned, this time to visit the home of my great-grandmother in northern Scotland. And then it will be May, the month of our return to Canada! Where has the time gone?!  

Malta

I wish we could have spent a month in Malta. Our time there flew by, as all really wonderful vacations do. You spend your days basking in the sun, reading, swimming, eating good food – time gets lazy and inches along at a deliciously slow pace, until all of a sudden it’s time to leave and you feel as though you just arrived. We did do some sightseeing on the island, but we also spent lots of time relaxing – I can still feel the sun on my face as I think about it… oh to be there again!

Mellieha Bay - our hotel is on the bottom left

We flew into Malta on Saturday evening, before sunset. B and I were absolutely buzzing with excitement as our plane broke through the clouds and began its descent towards the islands. Malta is a single island, but there are two others beside it also known as the Maltese Islands: Gozo, about half the size of Malta, and Comino, even smaller (with a population of 3!). I spotted Gozo first from the sky – vibrant green dotted with white limestone buildings, surrounded by sparkling water – a little paradise!

We waited for a long time at the airport for our shuttle to the hotel. Finally, our driver got himself organized and invited as many passengers as possible to cram into his van so he could drop us all off at our respective destinations. I sat next to two Irish ladies who just couldn’t get enough of Liam. He charmed them to pieces and then fell asleep, which elicited further motherly cooing and praise of his perfect behavior (they weren’t there when he woke up a hundred times that night!).

After settling into our hotel room and putting Liam to bed, Brendan and I sat out on the patio to enjoy our first dinner together in Malta. It was a wonderful way to end the day.

Hotel Riu Seabank, where we stayed

The view from our room

The next day being Sunday, we walked to the nearby village of Mellieha for Mass. We planned to go to the English Mass but forgot about the spring time change so ended up attending our first Mass in Maltese. It’s still the same Mass, of course, but somehow seems much longer when you don’t understand the language! After Mass we walked around Mellieha a bit and then went back to the hotel to get ready for an afternoon on the beach. The weather was perfect – just right for sunning and swimming. I took my first dip in the Mediterranean that day – the water was chilly but so inviting, I just couldn’t resist! It was too cold for Liam, so we took him to the indoor pool later in the afternoon, which he loved. We had dinner on our patio again that evening and talked well into the night.

All set for our first beach day!

How could you not want to swim in that water?!

Monday morning we took another walk, this time towards the northern tip of the island. After a bit of exploring we repeated our Sunday afternoon and evening: beach, pool, happy hour on the bar patio and dinner in our room – another fantastic vacation day!

View of Gozo from Malta

These prickly pear plants are all over the place

Soaking in the sun!

On Tuesday we took the bus from our hotel to visit the nearby cities of Mosta and Mdina (Im-dee-na). Mosta’s biggest attraction is a church with an enormous dome. While Malta was being attacked during the Second World War (it was bombed almost non-stop for 7 months), a bomb fell through the roof of the church but did not explode. The event occurred during Mass and is referred to as the Mosta Miracle - a replica of the bomb can be seen in the sacristy. (We cannot go anywhere without finding some link to WWII – as well as visiting the Mosta Dome, we found time to take in a war museum later in the week, and Brendan bought a book about Malta in from 1940-43. He also discovered that his paternal grandfather, who served in the navy, had been on a ship that landed in Malta during that time.)

Mosta Dome

Brendan really likes cannons...

From Mosta we made our way to Mdina, the former capital of Malta. Mdina is a walled city, home to the Maltese aristocracy. It is known as the Silent City – most residents spend their time in their private courtyards rather than in the streets. Going there felt like stepping into another world.

The streets of Mdina

Bill and Susan arrived from Canada that afternoon. We had not seen them since Liam’s baptism in October – it was a happy reunion. They were tired from their travels, so the rest of the day was spent at a gentle pace: resting, walking on the beach, and visiting over dinner.

Wednesday was another quiet day. The weather was a bit cooler so we didn’t make it to the beach, instead opting to lounge by the outdoor pool, which was sheltered from the breeze. My goal for the day was to get Liam to nap as much as possible. He had been sleeping poorly for the past few nights and we were all exhausted. The day before we had discovered what we assumed were the culprits: two little white caps poking out of his lower gums. He did nap well on Wednesday but our nights continued to be disrupted. Such is life with a little one!

Hanging out with Dad

Liam's new trick

On Thursday we decided to do a bit more exploring. We took a ‘hop on hop off’ bus tour of the southern part of the island, where most of the cities are. The tour ended up being quite exhausting, but fortunately we got home in time to enjoy a more relaxed evening.   

Fort St. Elmo, Valletta

Vittoriosa

 The highlight of the day for me was seeing the Blue Grotto. Brendan, Liam and I got off the bus at this stop and took a short boat ride to some caves on the southern coast. The water there is an absolutely stunning electric blue. The photos hardly do it justice.  

The last stop of the bus tour was at the ruins of prehistoric temples - B was pumped about these!

That evening the hotel served a buffet of traditional Maltese food. Two men played on little guitars to set the ambiance, performing a couple numbers especially for Liam, who thanked them with broad smiles.

The next day Brendan, Liam and I went to Valletta, Malta’s capital. We visited St. John’s Co-Cathedral and the Grand Master’s Palace, both built by the Knights of St. John (also known as the Knights of Malta). The Order of St. John evolved from the Knights Hospitaller, a religious order whose original mandate was to run a hospital in Jerusalem. At the time of the crusades, the Hospitallers became a military order charged with defending the Holy Land. Following the crusades, the Knights operated from Rhodes, until the island was conquered by Ottoman forces. In 1530, Emperor Charles V gave the island of Malta to the Knights – for rent, he requested one Maltese falcon a year. The Knights governed the island until it was taken over by Napoleon. French rule ended in the early 19^th century, at which time Malta became part of the British Empire. It finally gained independence in 1914. Though the Knights no longer govern Malta, their influence on its history can still be seen. St. John’s Co-Cathedral and the Grand Master’s Palace, along with the various forts and “auberges” (residences of the Knights) are evidence of this lasting impact, as is the country’s profoundly Catholic identity.

St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta

Liam making friends with a knight at the Grand Master's Palace

Typical Maltese balconies

Saturday was our last day to enjoy this little corner of paradise. We packed up in the morning and spent as much of the afternoon as possible on the beach. Our flight left around 8pm, and after a night in Belfast, we were home in Stirling the following afternoon. 

Practicing the new trick on the beach!

Ireland

On the first day of our mid-semester break we flew to Belfast from Glasgow and took a train down to Dublin. Thinking back on that day of travel, I’m amazed that we still had so much energy by the time we reached Dublin! Still loaded down with all our bags, we immediately began exploring the city, delighted by what we found. My favourite part of that day was our picnic dinner in St. Stephen’s Green – sitting in the sun with Brendan and Liam, enjoying good food, lovely surroundings, and the thrill of being in a new place (B and I will both readily admit that we’re hooked on that thrill!).

Our getup on our first day in Dublin (I was wearing a backpack too) -
we didn't want to waste time going to the hotel first when there was so much to see and do!

Liam enjoying the picnic in St. Stephen's Green (I wanted to get a shot of his little hungry mouth!)

Garden in St. Stephen's Green (I did not edit this shot - the flowers really looked like that!)

Our hotel was just outside the city, so after dinner and a walk down Grafton Street (a pedestrian street lined with shops and bustling with life), we caught the bus towards bed.

The next day’s adventures began at the Guinness Storehouse. We had a great time walking through the museum and ended our visit with a free pint in Gravity Bar, which offers a fantastic view of the city. This was a day of firsts for me: first morning in Dublin, first pint of Guinness, first beer before lunch! From the Storehouse we headed across town to St. Patrick’s Cathedral where we had another picnic meal on the green. I don’t recall what we talked about as we ate, but I remember being happy that we were there, that we were together, and that we still had an entire afternoon ahead of us to explore.

Gravity Bar, Guinness Storehouse (B took this)

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Garden beside the cathedral (where we had lunch)

After lunch we made our way to Trinity College, where we took a guided tour of the grounds and visited the Book of Kells exhibit and the Old Library. The Book of Kells is a beautiful manuscript of the Gospels, dating from around 800 AD. It is one of the few surviving codices written by Irish monks – an invaluable treasure. Before our trip, I read Thomas Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization, which describes the role of Irish monks in preserving western culture during and after the fall of Rome. The Book of Kells is an example of the painstaking labour and artistry which went into keeping the light of literacy alive during a dark and turbulent time in history.

Later in the afternoon we walked through Temple Bar, which is the lively restaurant and pub district of Dublin. We didn’t eat there, but enjoyed the energetic atmosphere of people and music as we passed through. For dinner we opted for a place in Viking Dublin called The Brazen Head, which claims to be the oldest pub in the city – a great little spot full of traditional character.

After dinner at The Brazen Head

Our Irish Leprechaun shot in Temple Bar

The next day we got up early in order to catch our train back to Belfast, as we were to fly from Belfast to Malta that afternoon. We arrived in Belfast with a bit of spare time, which we spent at a market we had seen advertised when we were there a few days earlier. I’m glad we were able to stop there. I love markets and this one was great – brimming with fresh food and creativity.

Our time in Ireland was short but well worthwhile. We hope to go back someday. 

Outside Belfast International Airport before boarding our flight to Malta!