News from the Church in Malta
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
Today the Gospel speaks to us about fraternal correction (cf. Mt 18:15-20), which is one of the highest expressions of love, and also one of the most demanding, because it is not easy to correct others. When a brother in faith wrongs you, then you, without rancour, help him, correct him: help by correcting… Read more »
Mongolia, an “immense” country, “rich in history and culture”, is yet “marked by the aridity of the steppes and the desert” – an apt metaphor for the thirst for happiness and love that is found in the heart of every human being.
In his homily during Mass on Sunday in Ulaanbaatar’s Steppe Arena, Pope Francis dwelt on this “thirst within us” and “the love that quenches it,” taking his inspiration from the day’s responsorial Psalm: “O God… my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Only Christ can quench our thirst
This verse invites us first “to acknowledge the thirst within us.” The Psalmist’s words “have a particular resonance in a land like Mongolia, with its traditional nomadic culture,” the Pope explained, adding, “All of us are ‘God’s nomads,’ pilgrims in search of happiness, wayfarers searching for love.”
“Dear brothers and sisters,” Pope Francis said, “the Christian faith is the answer to this thirst… For in this thirst lies the great mystery of our humanity: it opens our hearts to the living God, the God of love, who comes to meet us and to make us his children, brothers, and sisters to one another.”
The Holy Father said, “This is the heart of the Christian faith: God, who is love, has drawn near to you in His Son Jesus, and wants to share in your life, your work, your dreams, and your thirst for happiness.”
If at times in our lives we “experience the desert of loneliness, fatigue, and emptiness,” the Pope said, citing St Augustine, God refreshes us with “the dew of His Word… He has opened for us a highway in the desert, Our Lord Jesus Christ.” God offers us consolation in the preachers of the word, and water in the desert “by filling those preachers with the Holy Spirit.”
The heart of our faith
This Word, Pope Francis said, “always brings us back to the very heart of our faith: allowing ourselves to be loved by God and in turn to make our lives an offering of love… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
Today in the Gospel (cf. Mt 16, 13-20), Jesus asks the disciples a good question: “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” (v.13).
It is a question we too can ask: what do the people say about Jesus? In general, good things: many see him as a great teacher, as a special person: good, righteous, consistent, courageous… But is this enough to understand who He is, and above all, is it enough for Jesus? … Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
Today’s Gospel recounts the encounter of Jesus with a Canaanite woman outside the territory of Israel (cf. Mt 15:21-28). She asks him to liberate her daughter, who is tormented by a demon. But the Lord pays no attention to her. She insists, and the disciples advise Jesus to acknowledge her so she would stop… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
Today, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, we contemplate her ascending in body and soul to the glory of Heaven. Today’s Gospel also presents her to us as she ascends, this time “into the hill country” (Lk 1:39). And why does she go up there? To help her cousin Elizabeth, and there she proclaims the joyful canticle of the Magnificat… Read more »
Għeżież ħuti, il-jum it-tajjeb!
Illum l-Evanġelju jirrakkuntalna miraklu partikolari ta’ Ġesù. Billejl, Hu jimxi fuq l-ilma tal-għadira tal-Galilija biex jiltaqa’ mad-dixxipli li qed jaqsmu min-naħa għall-oħra bid-dagħjsa (cfr (Mt 14, 22-33). Insaqsu: għaliex għamel hekk Ġesù? Biex jagħmel spettaklu? Le! Allura għaliex? Forsi minħabba xi ħtieġa urġenti u imprevedibbli, biex jgħin lil tiegħu li jinsabu mwaħħlin minħabba r-riħ kontra? Le, iżda għaliex kien Hu li fassal kollox, li qalilhom biex jitilqu billejl u saħansitra – jgħidilna t-test – “ġagħalhom” (cfr v… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters,
There is an expression that we have heard frequently during these days: “thank you”, or rather, “obrigado”. The Patriarch of Lisbon just told us something very important: that obrigado not only conveys a sense of gratitude for what we have received but also the desire to give in return. In this grace-filled event, we have all received much… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
Today the Gospel tells the parable of a merchant in search of precious gemstones, who, Jesus says, “on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Mt 13:46). Let us pause a little on the actions of this merchant, who first seeks, then finds and finally buys… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
Today’s Gospel offers us the parable of the wheat and the weeds (cf. Mt 13:24-43). A farmer, who has sown good seed in his field, discovers that an enemy by night has sown darnel in it, a plant that looks very similar to wheat, but is a weed.
In this way, Jesus talks about our world, which in effect is like a large field, where God sows wheat and the evil one sows darnel, and therefore good and bad grow together… Read more »
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
Today the Gospel presents us the parable of the sower (cf. Mt 13:1-23). “Sowing” is a very beautiful image, and Jesus uses it to describe the gift of his Word. Let us imagine a seed: it is tiny, barely visible, but it makes plants grow that bear fruit. The Word of God is thus: think of the Gospel, a small book, simple and within reach of all, that produces new life in those who receive it… Read more »
