Homily by Archbishop Charles Jude Scicluna
The First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah gives us the general theme of the readings today, the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is a lovely message for the occasion we are celebrating today. The Lord insists that our relationship with Him is a love relationship. “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Is 62:5). God refers to and presents Himself as the bridegroom who loves, the builder who is betrothed to His building which is us.
Jesus performs His first miracle in the context of love, at a wedding feast. His mother was invited to a wedding and, therefore, her son was also invited, and he took his friends along too. His first disciples get invited with the carpenter from Nazareth, with Jesus, to this wedding in Cana of Galilee, not far from Nazareth. Jesus, in the miracle he performed, that of turning six jarfuls of very humble water, used for purification rites, into wine, shows us that His love is capable of transforming the most complicated and difficult moments of our lives.
Hospice Malta accepted this building, heritage of the Church in Malta, and transformed it into an extraordinarily beautiful and useful place
In this miracle, I also see a beautiful message, one of gratitude for all that the Hospice does. We are here today because, by the grace of God, Hospice Malta accepted this building, heritage of the Church in Malta, and transformed it into an extraordinarily beautiful and useful place.
With everyone’s support, including that of the government, today, we are giving a message of hope to the whole country. This is a moment of synergy, of so many contributions from everyone that have led us to be a sign of hope, and we give hope to those who are perhaps feeling discouraged, who perhaps need a little more hope.
Last May, Pope Francis sent a message to all participants in the symposium called “Towards a narrative of hope” that was being held in Toronto, Canada. Permit me to read an excerpt from this lovely speech by Pope Francis, which is very relevant, also because we are currently celebrating the year of the Jubilee of Hope, and I believe that our work together, the gift of the Church, the enthusiasm of the Hospice, and the help from the Government of Malta, are a concrete sign of hope. Today, thank God, many dreams, promises and plans have become reality.
The Pope says: “The theme you have chosen, “Towards a Narrative of Hope”, is both timely and necessary. Nowadays, in witnessing the tragic effects of war, violence and injustice of various kinds, it is all too easy to give in to grief and even to despair. Yet as members of the human family and especially as believers, we are called to accompany, with love and compassion, those who struggle and have difficulty finding reasons for hope (cf. 1 Peter 3:15). Indeed, hope is what gives us strength in the face of the questions raised by life’s challenges, difficulties and anxieties.
“This is even more true when facing a serious illness or the end of life. All who experience the uncertainties so often brought about by sickness and death need the witness of hope provided by those who care for them and who remain at their side. In this regard, palliative care, while seeking to alleviate the burden of pain as much as possible, is above all a concrete sign of closeness and solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering. At the same time, this kind of care can help patients and their loved ones to accept the vulnerability, frailty and finitude that mark human life in this world.
Palliative care is a sincere form of compassion, as it responds to suffering, be it physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual, by affirming the fundamental and inviolable dignity of every person.
“Here, I would point out,” Pope Francis says, “that authentic palliative care is radically different from euthanasia, which is never a source of hope or genuine concern for the sick and dying. Instead, it is a failure of love, a reflection of a “throwaway culture” in which “persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected” (Fratelli Tutti, 18).
Indeed, euthanasia is often presented falsely as a form of compassion. Yet “compassion”, a word that means “suffering with”, does not involve the intentional ending of a life, but rather the willingness to share the burdens of those facing the end stages of our earthly pilgrimage. Palliative care, then, is a genuine form of compassion, for it responds to suffering, whether physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual, by affirming the fundamental and inviolable dignity of every person, especially the dying, and helping them to accept the inevitable moment of passage from this life to eternal life.”
Pope Francis also points out that there is a limit to our capabilities. He says, “Two considerations stand for us Christians. The first: we cannot avoid death, and precisely for this reason, after having done everything that is humanly possible to cure the sick, it is immoral to engage in overzealous treatment (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2278). That phrase of the faithful people of God, of the simple people: “Let him die in peace”, “help him to die in peace”: such wisdom!”
Today we are celebrating a sign of sincere hope and compassion; we are celebrating life even in its most delicate moments, and we are not celebrating killing.
“The second consideration instead concerns the quality of death itself, the quality of pain, of suffering. Indeed, we must be grateful for all the help that medicine is striving to give, so that through so-called “palliative care”, every person who is preparing to live the last stretch of their life can do so in the most humane way possible. However, we must be careful not to confuse this help with unacceptable drifts towards killing. We must accompany people towards death, but not provoke death.” The Pope says that we need to accompany the persons who are dying and not kill them. At the same time, the Pope tells us to be careful not to prolong life artificially and extraordinarily as, even in this case, we would be stripping persons of their dignity.
This is an essential balance which society must reflect on.
I extend my thanks to Hospice for accepting this gift from the Church in Malta, a symbol of the Year of Mercy of 2016. Years have passed but we have reached our goal, by the grace of God. I would also like to thank the State for its commitment to support this endeavour. Here, today, we are celebrating a sign of sincere hope and compassion;we are celebrating life even in its most delicate moments, and we are not celebrating killing.
Readings
Reading I: Is 62:1-5
Psalm: 95, 1-2a. 2b-3. 7-8a. 9-10aċ
Reading II: 1 Cor 12:4-11
Gospel: Jn 2:1-11