News from the Church in Malta
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
The parable in today’s Gospel tells us about the patience of God, who urges us to make our life a time of conversion. Jesus uses the image of a barren fig tree, which has not borne the anticipated fruit and which, nevertheless, the farmer does not want to cut down: he wants to fertilize it again since “it may bear fruit in the future” (Lk 13:9)… Read more »
Pope Francis in the private chapel on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital (@salastampaVaticana)
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
Today, the second Sunday of Lent, the Gospel tells us about the Transfiguration of Jesus (Lk 9:28-36). Having climbed to the top of a mountain with Peter, James and John, Jesus immerses Himself in prayer and becomes radiant with light… Read more »
Thousands of volunteers gathered in St. Peter’s Square for Mass on Sunday as the Pope recovers in hospital (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)
Dear brothers and sisters,
Last Wednesday, with the rite of the Ashes, we began Lent, the forty-day-long penitential itinerary that calls us to the conversion of the heart and leads us to the joy of Easter… Read more »
Archbishop Fisichella celebrates Holy Mass for the Jubilee of Deacons (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)
Brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
This morning, in Saint Peter’s Basilica, the celebration of the Eucharist with the Ordination of some candidates to the diaconate was celebrated. I greet them and the participants in the Jubilee of Deacons, which has taken place in the Vatican in these days; and I thank the Dicasteries for the Clergy and for Evangelization for the preparation of this event… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
Today the Gospel of the liturgy (Lk 2:22-40) tells us about Mary and Joseph who take the infant Jesus to the Temple of Jerusalem. In accordance with the Law, they present Him in God’s dwelling, to recall that life comes from the Lord. And while the Holy Family carries out what was always done among the people of Israel, from generation to generation, something happens that had never occurred before… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
This Sunday, the Evangelist Luke presents Jesus to us in the synagogue in Nazareth, the town where He grew up. He reads the passage from the prophet Isaiah announcing the Messiah’s evangelizing and liberating mission. He then says, in the general silence: ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled’ (cf. Lk 4:21).
Let us Imagine the surprise and dismay of Jesus’ fellow citizens, who knew Him as the carpenter Joseph’s son and would never have imagined that He could present himself as the Messiah… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
The Gospel of today’s liturgy (Jn 2:1-11) tells us about Jesus’ first sign, when He turns water into wine during a wedding feast in Cana, in Galilee. It is an account that foreshadows and encapsulates the whole of Jesus’ mission: on the day of the coming of the Messiah – so said the prophets – the Lord will prepare “a feast of … choice wines” (Is 25:6) and “the mountains shall drip with the juice of grapes” (Am 9:13); Jesus is the Bridegroom who brings the “good wine”… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
The feast of the Baptism of Jesus, which we celebrate today, makes us think of many things, including our own Baptism. Jesus joins His people, who are going to receive baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I like to recall the words of a hymn of today’s liturgy: Jesus goes to be baptized by John, “with a bare soul and bare feet”… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Feast of the Epiphany!
Today the Church celebrates the manifestation of Jesus, and the Gospel concentrates on the Magi, who at the end of a long journey reach Jerusalem to adore Jesus.
If we look closely, we will discover something a bit stranger: while these wise men from far away come to find Jesus, those who were close by do not take one step towards the grotto in Bethlehem… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
And well done, you are brave, with the rain! Happy Sunday!
Today the Gospel (cf. Jn 1:1-18), talking to us about Jesus, Word incarnate, tells us that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn 1:5). It reminds us, then, how powerful is God’s love, which is not overcome by anything and which, despite obstacles and rejections, continues to shine and illuminate our path… Read more »
