Homily by Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi
Dear Sisters, dear friends in Christ,
Today, as we bring to a close this sacred time of the 16th General Chapter – this privileged moment of discernment, renewal, and sisterly communion – the Lord gives us a Gospel parable that is rich in imagery and meaning. Jesus says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, gathering fish of every kind” (Mt 13:47).
In just a few verses, Jesus offers us a profound meditation on mission, discernment, and the wise stewardship of the Gospel – all deeply relevant to you, the Daughters of the Sacred Heart, as you conclude this Chapter and prepare to cast your nets anew.
The net is the mission
From the beginning, your Congregation has been animated by the desire to make the Heart of Jesus known and loved.
Founded in Malta by Mother Maria Teresa Nuzzo, your mission was born not from abundance, but from deep faith, courage, and a burning desire to respond to the love of Christ with one’s whole life.
The net that we hear about in today’s Gospel is a symbol of the missionary dynamism of the Kingdom. Like that net, your charism has reached across oceans and borders – from Malta to Africa, Asia, and America; from Europe to other parts of the world – gathering “fish of every kind”: children in schools, the poor in need of compassion, the lonely, the spiritually searching, the youth who hunger for meaning, and all those in need of the tenderness of God’s Heart.
This net is not selective — it is inclusive. And so must we be. The Sacred Heart of Jesus knows no boundaries. It beats for the entire world. As Daughters of that Heart, you are called to mirror that same universality, that same boldness in love, especially in a world so often divided, wounded, and indifferent.
In your meetings, you have paused to reflect: where and how is the Lord calling you to cast the net today? In which seas must you now go fishing? The world has changed – and the Spirit calls you, not to abandon the mission, but to rediscover creative fidelity in carrying it forward.
The sorting is the discernment
Jesus continues: “When it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad” (Mt 13:48).
This sorting is not a moment of judgment, as much as it is a call to discernment. You have gathered, prayed, listened – to each other, to the Church, to the signs of the times. You have welcomed the voices of sisters from different continents and cultures. In doing so, you have practised what this Gospel portrays: the careful, Spirit-led discernment of what is life-giving, and what no longer serves.
This is holy work. Discernment is not about clinging to what is comfortable or simply preserving the past. Nor is it about uncritically embracing novelty. It is the quiet, courageous work of the Spirit, teaching us to see with the Heart of Christ, and to let go of anything that does not reflect his love.
As a Congregation with a legacy and a future, you have faced many questions: : What do we carry forward with joy? What must we release with peace? What needs to be born anew? These are not easy questions, but they are the kind that come from a heart fully open to God’s will, and to the needs of the world.
From the Chapter Room to the Mission Field
Jesus concludes by saying: “Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Mt 13:52).
What a beautiful image for this moment!
You are not leaving this Chapter as the same women who entered it. You are now, even more, scribes trained for the Kingdom – guardians of a treasure, bearers of a charism, and stewards of a mission that is both old and ever new.
The “old” is your rich tradition – the witness of Mother Foundress, the devotion to the Sacred Heart, the pedagogy of love, the spirit of service, the simplicity of life. These are treasures to be cherished and passed on.
But the “new” is also to be embraced: new frontiers, new expressions of your charism, new methods of education and evangelisation, new ways of forming young sisters, new voices calling from the peripheries – even new wounds in the Body of Christ that beg for healing.
This General Congregation, sacred as it is, is not the final destination. The mission field awaits. The sea of humanity is wide. And Christ’s call to cast the net once again – with hope, faith, and love – is as urgent as ever.
Echoing the heartbeat of Jesus
Dear sisters, you are Daughters of the Sacred Heart – that pierced, beating heart which holds the pain and promise of the world. This identity is not sentimental; it is prophetic. It calls you to embody tenderness, courage, and joyful fidelity in a world that desperately needs all three.
As we celebrate this Eucharist – the very heart of Christ made present – may you go forth renewed in zeal, united in spirit, and confident in God’s grace. Let your life, your community, and your mission echo the heartbeat of Christ: strong, faithful, and always reaching outward.
May Mary, our Mother and Queen of the Sacred Heart, walk with you.
May Mother Maria Teresa Nuzzo intercede for you all, especially the new Superior General and the new Council members.
And may the fire kindled here, in Mellieħa, continue to burn brightly in Malta and in every corner of the world where you are sent, so that you will be “Pilgrims of Hope empowered by the Daughters of the Sacred Heart Charism” – showing charity in simplicity and humility.
✠ Joseph Galea-Curmi
Auxiliary Bishop of Malta