Volume 2

Issue 20

April 2002

PEACE

A THOUGHT

PRAYER

THIS MONTHS' SONG

FEATURED SITE LOCAL EVENTS

TALK TO US!

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--- PEACE

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During this month the tension in the Middle East has reached unacceptable levels. Despite all the international efforts the situation is still not good enough. We all have to keep on praying hard for the people of this region who have been suffering a lot.

Early in the morning of 6 April, the one hundred or so Israeli soldiers who had occupied Bethlehem University since 2 April evacuated the campus. The Brothers of the university community are doing well. On the afternoon of the preceding day, an armed vehicle with representatives of the United States and British Consulates had come to the Brothers' residence and met with each US and British citizen individually, offering them the opportunity to be evacuated from the campus to Jerusalem. Each Brother, however, chose to remain at the university.

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--- Bro. Felix Agius FSC.

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Bro. Felix Agius FSC.

His mission is now Complete.

After fifty four years serving as a De La Salle Borther, Bro. Felix Agius has gone to greener pastures enjoying the toils of his service to so many youngsters.

Bro. Felix passed away peacefully peacefully to meet the Risen Lord on Sunday 28 April, 2002. His funeral took place on Monday 29 April. Our deepest condolences to the Brothers, and his family. Please remember Bro. Felix in your prayers.

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--- A THOUGHT

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The Bridge Keeper There was once a bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river paralleled with the banks, allowing ships to pass thru freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing a train to cross it.

A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance thru the dimming twilight and caught sight of the trainlights. He stepped to the control and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but, to his horror, he found the locking control did not work. If the bridge was not securely in position it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train came onto it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard. He left the bridge turned across the river, and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever switch he could hold to operate the lock manually.

He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train crossed. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this man's strength.

Then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. "Daddy, where are you?" His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, "Run! Run!" But the train was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left his lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety. But he realized that he could not get back to the lever. Either the people on the train or his little son must die. He took a moment to make his decision.

The train sped safely and swiftly on its way, and no one aboard was even aware of the tiny broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the onrushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of the sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed. They did not see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked: to tell his wife how their son had brutally died.

Now if you comprehend the emotions which went this man's heart, you can begin to understand the feelings of our Father in Heaven when He sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died? How does He feel when we speed along thru life without giving a thought to what was done for us thru Jesus Christ?

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--- A PRAYER

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Teacher's Prayer

I want to teach my students how

To live this life on Earth.

To face it's struggles and it's strife

And to improve their worth.

Not just the lesson in a book

Or how the rivers flow, But how to choose the proper path

Wherever they may go.

To understand eternal truth

And know the right from wrong,

And gather all the beauty of

A flower and a song.

For if I help the world to grow

In wisdom and in grace,

Then I shall feel that I have won

And I have filled my place.

And so I ask your guidance, God,

That I may do my part.

For character and confidence

And happiness of heart.

-James J. Metcalf

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--- A SONG OF PRAISE

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This is the Day

This is the day (x2)

That the Lord has made(x2)

Let us rejoice (x2)

And be glad in it. (x2)

This is the day that the Lord has made

We will rejoice and be glad in it

This is the day, this is the day

That the Lord has made

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--- FEATURED SITE

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http://www.umael-lasalle.org/

World union of Lasallian Former Students

Recently this website has been launched to bring even more together past students of Lasallian schools worldwide. Apart from features like chat, mailing list, forum and a guestbook the website has some very useful information on St. John Baptist De La Salle. A section is also dedicated to the next UMAEL meeting which is due to take place in Mexico in May 2003. A worldwide register is also available

The website is in English, French and Spanish.

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--- LOCAL EVENTS

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The year 2003 marks one hundred years since the De La Salle Brothers arrived in Malta. For this special event a committee has been set up to co-ordinate certain activities. We will keep you updated accordingly.

A live in was organised between the 19th and 21st April by the Old Stelmarians Association (OSA) together with the help of some teachers from Stella Maris College, for a number of students. Amongst other themes the issues of communication and team building were tackled.

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---FINAL WORD

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Hope all of you enjoyed this edition of the Worth Link. We are looking forward to meet a number of you in Quebec and Toronto this summer.

If you have any suggestions, comments or articles you would like to send please feel free to do so at the above address.

Regards

Ivan , Mark and David.