Homilies by the Auxiliary Bishop

The light of all who believe in you – Bishop Galea‑Curmi

  The Parish Church of the Annunciation, Balzan

L-omelija tal-Isqof Joseph Galea-Curmi

Għandna llum wieħed mill-aktar mirakli profondi ta’ Ġesù, li nsibuh biss fl-Evanġelju skont San Ġwann. Mhuwiex biss miraklu fiżiku – fil-fatt, il-miraklu fiżiku jieħu biss ftit versi minn dan ir-rakkont twil – iżda wkoll storja ta’ mixja ta’ fidi, storja li tibda fid-dlam u tispiċċa fid-dawl. 

Ħajja fid-dlam

L-Evanġelju jibda b’kelma sabiħa ħafna: “Ġesù lemaħ raġel agħma minn twelidu” (Ġw 9:1)… Read more »

Both combined together – Bishop Galea‑Curmi

  The Chapel of Our Lady of Manresa, Archbishop's Curia, Floriana

L-omelija tal-Isqof Joseph Galea-Curmi

“M’intix ’il bogħod mis-Saltna ta’ Alla” (Mk 12:34). Dan hu li jgħid Ġesù lil dak il-kittieb li għamillu l-mistoqsija, u l-Evanġelju jgħid li “Ġesù ra kemm kien wieġeb bil-għaqal” (Mk 12:34). Mhuwiex komuni li ma’ xi ħadd mill-kittieba Ġesù jitkellem b’dal-mod, għax ħafna drabi wħud mill-kittieba u l-Fariżej kienu, meta jitkellmu miegħu, jew jeħduha kontrieh jew jistaqsuh biex jonsbuh. Mentri dan staqsieh b’sinċerità, għax ried ikun jaf liema, fost il-kmandamenti kollha, huwa l-ewwel… Read more »

Truth with love – Bishop Galea‑Curmi

  The Chapel of Our Lady of Manresa, Archbishop's Curia, Floriana

L-omelija tal-Isqof Joseph Galea-Curmi

“Riedu jixħtuh minn hemm fuq għal isfel” (Lq 4:29). Hawnhekk, f’dan l-Evanġelju, naraw din ir-reazzjoni vjolenti ta’ dawn in-nies li kienu qegħdin jisimgħu lil Ġesù fis-sinagoga. Li ġara kien li kif semmielhom xi ħaġa li fil-fatt hi mill-Iskrittura stess u li kienu jafuha, dawn ħaduha bi kbira u, l-Evanġelju jgħid, “kulħadd imtela bil-korla” (Lq 4:28). U mhux biss irrabjaw, imma qamu, ħarġuh barra mill-belt, ħaduh fuq xifer ta’ rdum tal-għolja li fuqha kienet mibnija l-belt tagħhom, u ried jixħtuh minn hemm fuq għal isfel… Read more »

I Thirst – Bishop Galea‑Curmi

Homily for the First Scrutiny on the Third Sunday of Lent

  St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta

Homily by Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi

Today the Church places before us one of the most powerful encounters in all of Scripture: the meeting between Jesus Christ and the Samaritan woman at the well, recounted in the Gospel of John.

Dear elect, who will be receiving the Sacraments of Initiation during the Easter Vigil, this gospel is not simply a story about something that happened long ago… Read more »

So that our hearts may always be open to him – Bishop Galea‑Curmi

  The Chapel of Our Lady of Manresa, Archbishop's Curia, Floriana

L-omelija tal-Isqof Joseph Galea-Curmi

“Riedu kieku jaqbduh taħt idejhom imma beżgħu min-nies” (Mt 21:46). Din hi r-reazzjoni ta’ dawn il-qassisin il-kbar u l-Fariżej li meta semgħu lil Ġesù jgħid il-parabbola, “fehmu li hu kien qiegħed jgħid għalihom” (Mt 21:45). U fehmu malajr għax, fil-fatt, fl-Iskrittura, li huma kienu jafu tajjeb, fil-Profeta Isaija, hemm l-istess tixbiha, jiġifieri mal-għalqa tad-dwieli. Isaija jgħid: “Il-maħbub tiegħi kellu għalqa tad-dwieli… Għażaqha u naddafha miż-żrar, u ħawwel fiha dwieli mill-aħjar; bena torri f’nofsha, u wkoll ħaffer magħsar fiha” (Isaija 5:2)… Read more »

Let us be merciful as He has been merciful to us – Bishop Galea‑Curmi

  The Chapel of Our Lady of Manresa, Archbishop's Curia, Floriana

L-omelija tal-Isqof Joseph Galea-Curmi

“Mingħand Alla Sidna l-ħniena u l-maħfra” (Dan 9:9). Dan hu li smajna fl-Ewwel Qari, mill-ktieb tal-Profeta Danjel – dik it-talba ta’ maħfra lil Alla – u nafu kemm tassew il-ħniena u l-maħfra jiġu minnu. Imma fl-Evanġelju Ġesù jgħidilna xi ħaġa b’rabta mal-ħniena u l-maħfra ta’ Alla. Jgħidilna: “Ħennu bħalma hu ħanin Missierkom” (Lq 6:36). Irid li aħna wkoll inkunu ta’ qalb ħanina, mimlija mħabba, kompassjoni, maħfra u mogħdrija għall-oħrajn… Read more »

What he tells us – Bishop Galea‑Curmi

  The Chapel of Our Lady of Manresa, Archbishop's Curia, Floriana

L-omelija tal-Isqof Joseph Galea-Curmi

“Smajtu xi ntqal…imma jien ngħidilkom” (Mt 5:21-22). Dan hu d-diskors li għamel Ġesù, li smajna fl-Evanġelju llum, meta jqabbel dak li kienu jafu d-dixxipli tiegħu mill-passat – il-liġijiet u l-kmandamenti – imbagħad jgħidilhom hu x’għandhom jagħmlu. Ma nsibuhx biss hawn f’din is-silta, għax hawn Ġesù qiegħed, fl-Evanġelju skont San Mattew, fuq il-muntanja jkellem lid-dixxipli, u diversi drabi jgħid hekk: “Smajtu xi ntqal…imma jien ngħidilkom”… Read more »

The Sign that truly matters – Bishop Galea-Curmi

Graduation thanksgiving mass for post-graduate graduands

  St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta

Homily by Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi

“It asks for a sign” (Lk 11:29). In today’s Gospel, Jesus addresses a crowd that is searching for a sign. The crowd wants something spectacular, something that creates excitement, something extraordinary.  However, Jesus tells them that no sign will be given to them except “the sign of Jonah.”

Jesus says that the people of Nineveh “repented at the preaching of Jonah” (Lk 11:32)… Read more »

Concrete love for Jesus – Bishop Galea‑Curmi

  The Chapel of Our Lady of Manresa, Archbishop's Curia, Floriana

L-omelija tal-Isqof Joseph Galea-Curmi

Dan is-salib li nilbes jesprimi b’mod sabiħ ħafna l-Evanġelju li għadna kif smajna. Hawnhekk  hawn Kristu msallab, u madwaru hawn il-kliem – li qiegħed bil-Franċiż għax dan oriġina Franza – “Kulma għamiltu ma’ wieħed mill-iżgħar fost dawn ħuti, għamiltuh miegħi” (Mt 25:40). U meta ddawwar is-salib, hawn is-sitt opri tal-ħniena li jsemmi Ġesù – kont bil-ġuħ, kont bil-għatx, kont barrani, kont għeri, kont marid, kont fil-ħabs… Isemmi s-sitta li huma – qegħdin hawnhekk… Read more »

Pastoral Letter: A call to selfless love

Pastoral letter on organ donation

Download the pastoral letter by the Bishops on organ donation Download

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Lent is a journey of conversion, a time when the Church gently but firmly turns our gaze away from ourselves and invites us to allow God to enlighten our hearts and become aware of the needs of others. Through fasting, prayer and almsgiving, we learn again that love always comes at a cost, and that real discipleship involves the loving gift of self and solidarity with others… Read more »