Aeroplane to Aeroplano

Christ in the Wilderness. The Eagles      That is why artists, the more conscious they are of their “gift”, are led all the more to see themselves and the whole of creation with eyes able to contemplate and give thanks, and to raise to God a hymn of praise. (From the 1999 Letter of his Holiness Pope John Paul II to artists. )       Sir Stanley Spencer was a British artist who wanted to paint a picture dedicated to every single day Jesus spent in the desert, with the intent to show one on each day of Lent. We would like to honor this controversial and contradictory artist because we think he was animated by a great faith in God.   Sir Stanley Spencer. A controversial painter who loved Jesus. by Liana Marabini (Translated by L. Pavese)        Jesus’ public life is interesting, not only for events of the time, recounted in the Gospels, but also because it concerns His physical presence on Earth. From the Pentecost on, we will instead talk about the spiritual presence of Christ.

      Fig trees , aromatic plants, donkeys and horses  and foxes and pigs  can all be found in the Garden of God, that is the English version of a book, written in Italian by Fr. Claudio Doglio , in which he writes about all the plants and animals that are mentioned in the Scriptures. If you click on the links, you will find several chapters excerpted from the book and translated into English. The following one though, deals with small somewhat creepy and bothersome creatures that also appear in the Bible. They represent the minor problems in our lives that can eat away at our spirit or prod us to move in the right direction. Your comments, as usual, will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, L. Pavese   Small pesky critters by Fr. Claudio Doglio Small irritating animals often figure in the Bible as punishments. That happens in several cases of the so-called “plagues of Egypt,” where frogs (Exodus 7,26-8,11), mosquitos (Exodus 8,12-15), flies (Exodus 8,16-28), and locusts (Exodus 10,1