The Archbishop’s homily on the feast of the birth of St John the Baptist

Konkatidral ta’ San Ġwann, il-Belt Valletta

21 ta’ Ġunju 2015

Greetings to our English speaking guests and also a special greeting to Your Excellency, thank you for your presence, and to those members of the Equestrian Orders of the Knights of Malta and the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. I would like to share a few reflections, first in English and then in Maltese, about this Solemn Eucharist on the feast day of the birth of the Baptist, John.  

As we prepare for the Year of Mercy, which should start on the 8th of December next, we should meditate with special attention on the name chosen for the Precursor, the prophet chosen by God to go before the Lord. It is both parents who insist that his name should be ‘Johannine’, which means ‘God is merciful’. It is such a wonderful thought to think that the Lord chose this name for the prophet who had to be the herald of his Son, and that his name should be also a programme of action. He was not called: ‘God condemns’, he was not called ‘God will smite you’ or ‘God will burn you’,  his name was ‘God is mercy’ and that is such wonderful good news which we badly need. And that is why we should really rejoice on this great feast of the birth of the herald of John, because he came to invite us to a change of heart, a change of culture we would say today, but all in the name of mercy.  

Aħna u niċċelebraw il-Festa tat-twelid ta’ Ġwanni l-Battista, ejjew din is-sena, aħna u nippreparaw biex nibdew is-Sena tal-Ħniena, nifhmu u niftakru fis-sinifikat profond tal-isem li ingħatalu fit-twelid. Hija deċiżjoni li jieħdu ż-żewġ ġenituri, xi ħaġa kemmxejn stramba għaliex l-isem kien jagħtih il-missier, imma l-ewwel li titkellem hija l-omm: “Le, ma jkunx Żakkarija għal missieru”, kienet taf li ma kienx se jieħu għalih, “imma ismu jkun Ġwanni”. U l-missier jikkonferma bil-kitba: “ismu jkun Ġwanni” (Lq 1, 60.62). Ġwanni, Johannine, Alla ta’ ħniena kbira, Alla ħanin. Ma kienx jismu: ‘il-Mulej isawwat’, ma kienx jismu ‘l-Mulej jiġġudika’, ma kienx jismu ‘l-Mulej se jitfgħek fl-infern’, ismu kien il-Mulej huwa l-Mulej tal-ħniena. Dan kien l-ambaxxatur li ppreċeda ‘l Mulej Ġesù, u din għalina hija aħbar tajba li għandna bżonn niċċelebraw iżjed. Hija stedina biex inbiddlu l-mentalità, illum, fil-lingwaġġ tal-Papa Franġisku ngħidu, inbiddlu l-kultura ta’ kif naħsbu.

Jiena nixtieq nagħlaq b’dik in-nota qasira ħafna dwar l-ambjent li fih trabba Ġwanni l-Battista, fid-deżert. Id-deżert huwa l-ambjent l-iżjed qrib il-ħolqien kif ħallih Alla. Id-deżert huwa l-għajta tan-nostalġija għal Israel, id-deżert huwa l-ambjent li jlaqqgħak mad-dgħufija tiegħek, mal-esigenza ta’ sopravivenza kontinwa, imma wkoll li jagħmlek ħaġa waħda mal-ħolqien. Bl-interċessjoni  ta’ San Ġwann Battista, din is-sena ejjew nitolbu biex il-kliem meqjus imma profetiku tal-Papa Franġisku, fl-Enċiklika Laudato Si’, isib fil-qlub tagħna qlub li lesti li jisimgħu,  mhux jisimgħu biss, imma jagħmlu wkoll.

Ejjew nitolbu biex il-gżira sabiħa tagħna  ma ssirx għalqa tal-konkos imma almenu nħallu  erba’ għelieqi fejn jikber fihom il-ħarrub kif tahulna Alla.

✝ Charles J. Scicluna

    Arċisqof ta’ Malta