In my twenty-eight years of life, I honestly never even imagined that there could be any sort of event, calamity or emergency, whatever its nature,that would result in the archdiocese having to suspend Mass being held in public as usual. Even on the most superficial of levels, it feels eerily strange. I have been saying to my family and friends that ever since the archbishop made the announcement, it feels like normal life has been on hold. My town’s parish church is open and the parish priest kneels in prayer, leading his flock by example. People go into the church in very small numbers – nowhere close to the usual amounts – kneel in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and converse with Jesus. I imagine them staring at Jesus, perhaps shellshocked, not knowing what to say. What do you tell the Lord when the Mass – the most supreme of prayers – has been suspended? I, for one, look at Him in the tabernacle in utter confusion, not knowing what to say and not knowing what to think.

The need for courage

I grew up very close to my grandparents. Stories of World War II abounded. I have photos of Mass being celebrated in the remains of churches all over the islands. The rain of bombs during World War II did not stop Mass taking place and did not stop the people from going to Mass. Some churches carry bomb damage to this day. One of the photos I have is of Archpriest Emmanuel Brincat of Senglea standing in the ruins of the magnificent basilica, just under the pulpit, with a massive hole in the dome, over the main altar, with rubble all around him and with most of the ceiling missing. If that’s not courage, then I don’t know what is.

On a practical level, I understand that this is a medical necessity. As this virus seems to spread rather easily, cancelling gatherings of people in confined spaces is necessary in order to slow it down.

An emergency during Lent

This emergency has struck during Lent – a time of personal introspection, penance and fasting for Catholics. The aim of Lent is to experience God’s love for us, to repent and seek healing from sin and to get trained in resisting temptation. During Lent, we look to Jesus, recall our sinfulness and ask Him to heal us from the wounds of sin. After Lent comes Easter, a time of rejoicing so fervent that the celebration lasts for seven weeks.

I daresay that many equate the start of Lent with the often-futile resolutions people tend to make each January. Many people say that they will not eat chocolate during Lent or that they will deprive themselves of something they usually enjoy. This is not to say that they should not do so, but rather that they should question the reason behind abstinence and fasting; whether it is a personal tradition or a way of cleaving to most essential by depriving oneself of the less essential. This time round, we are fasting, albeit involuntarily, from the Eucharist. This merits some reflection.

The urgency of conversion

Perhaps it is the case that we have lost the sense of urgency of conversion – and I address this to myself, first and foremost. In his message for this Lent, Pope Francis emphasised the urgency of conversion. Specifically, he says:

“Even more than a duty, prayer is an expression of our need to respond to God’s love which always precedes and sustains us. Christians pray in the knowledge that, although unworthy, we are still loved. Prayer can take any number of different forms, but what truly matters in God’s eyes is that it penetrates deep within us and chips away at our hardness of heart, in order to convert us ever more fully to God and to his will.”

Pope Francis then adds: “May we not let this time of grace pass in vain, in the foolish illusion that we can control the times and means of our conversion to him.”

We cannot control

This seems quite appropriate given that no one was expecting this virus to strike and no one was expecting Mass to be cancelled.  Sometimes, we also need to be deprived of the most essential just to understand what is truly indispensable. This teaches us that we cannot control the times and means of our conversion, however tough those circumstances may be!

Catholics in Malta and Gozo have the immense privilege of having several churches and chapels all over the islands. Most churches hold at least three Masses on weekdays and up to four, five or six Masses on Sundays. Parishes carefully fine-tune the Mass schedules in order to ensure the times are convenient for most people. In any case, attending Mass could not be more convenient. Do we avail ourselves of this immense privilege?

What does Mass really mean to us?

Slowly, we are starting to know what it feels like to be deprived of Mass. Now, many are frantically looking for ways to follow Mass broadcast from the Curia in Floriana or from Casa Santa Marta in Rome. Other priests, commendably, are live-streaming Masses which they celebrate alone in various churches. In itself, this is wonderful. Our priests are full-time shepherds. They do not take time off, for love is never idle.

What about us? Have we taken time off from the Christian life? Are we recognising that the Christian life is about Jesus, not about us? Are we understanding that the purpose of life is to give glory to Him, not to ourselves? After all, what is fasting meant to teach us? Fasting and abstinence teach us that “Man does not live by bread alone.” (Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4)  Do we live by bread alone? Or do we allow our faith to permeate our lives? Fasting and abstinence are meant to redirect our attention to Jesus. These are some questions upon which it is worth reflecting. Once again – I address this first and foremost to myself.

Some undoubtedly treat Sunday Mass as some sort of family tradition or as some event one usually attends on Sundays. Now, that tradition has been disrupted. To you, who attends on Sundays without much attention to why you attend, I would like to ask how you feel now that no Mass is being held. How do you feel? What are you thinking? What has the Mass meant to you so far? Now that it’s not being held, has its meaning changed for you? It is worth going to the nearest church nonetheless, sitting down for a few minutes and asking Jesus about the Mass. Perhaps we should all ask Jesus to show us the true meaning of the Mass.

Lent 2020 can be a special experience of renewal

Jesus waits for us all the time. Now, we are waiting for Him. This is not some cruel game which Jesus wants to play. He wants us to understand who He is. There is no better time for such understanding than Lent, and this particular Lent of 2020.

How will we react when Mass starts to be celebrated again in the normal manner? Will we sink into a pattern of indifference? Or will we, renewed by this experience, jump at the opportunity and ask Jesus to make us enthusiastic about the prospect of receiving Him in the Eucharist?

Let us ask Jesus not to restore us to ordinary, normal life. Let us instead ask Jesus to restore us to life in Him! In Him, the joy of Easter lasts forever.

Read more:
– Is Lent A Negative Season?
– Unrealistic Expectations Of Others And Of Self

The post What Makes Lent 2020 so Special appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Here are two taunts from a song sung by fanatics of St Sebastian Qormi parish to the fanatics of St George Qormi parish:

Eċċezzjonali, sirna arċipretali ;
(We are exceptional, we’ve become a church with an archpriest)
and
“Bażilika, bażilika, bażilika, dan it-titlu żgur ma teħduh qatt.
(You will never become a basilica)

I very much doubt that St George and St Sebastian are impressed by these antics.

Rivalry makes us infantile

In contrast, here is what Paul writes in the First Letter to the Corinthians (1Cor. 3:1-9):

“Brothers, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ. I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it. Indeed, you are still not able, even now, for you are still of the flesh. While there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving in an ordinary human way? Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human? What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labour. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Simply put, it can be said that insofar as the bestowment of new titles leads the parish and the parishioners closer to God, it is good. However, if the new titles lead to rivalries and infighting, they are not so good.

Granting too many titles would render these titles meaningless

From a purely practical point of view, if we continue to grant new titles to churches at around the present rate, we will soon end up with a country full of collegiate churches and basilicas. This would render those distinctions meaningless.

Lest I be misinterpreted, I would like to put on record that I am a history enthusiast and stand in awe of the fact that most of our churches are artistic and architectural masterpieces. Various towns and villages boast churches with impressive artwork and architectural features which make them not only magnificent houses of God, but also invaluable cultural and architectural heritage worthy of protection by the state.

Some people seems to care more about titles than works of mercy

However, I cannot help thinking that when we die, God will not ask us how many churches we helped elevate to the rank of minor basilica. He is more likely to ask us how many of the works of mercy we carried out, whether we availed ourselves frequently of the sacrament of Reconciliation and whether we received the Eucharist worthily.

I cannot but express bewilderment at the sheer amount of people who seem to care nothing for the teachings of the Catholic Church but seem to care very deeply about their parish becoming a collegiate church or a basilica or about having an archpriest instead of a parish priest.

Some days ago, the Gospel reading of the day (Luke 10:38-42) instructed us in choosing our priorities properly:

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

For the Christian, titles should not be a priority

I am, of course, aware that the Church in Malta is more present in public than ever before. Through the archbishop and through its many arms, the Church is putting the Gospel into practice. However, although the structure of the Church is wonderfully active in recognising each and every human being as being created in the image of God, many of its component members, myself included, routinely fail to live up to our baptismal promises and the promises made during the sacrament of Confirmation.

One such failure is when ordinary, baptised Catholics seem to prioritise having a basilica or a collegiate church for a parish church. Although such titles are not bad things in themselves, they are not the Christian’s priority. The Christian’s priority is to love God and to love others, each through his own calling.

Let’s treat ourselves and each other as temples of the Holy Spirit

Let us all first get the basics of Christian life right. Let us become familiar with the Bible. Let us know the teachings of the Church. Let us attend Mass daily, especially as we have the immense luxury of four, five or six daily Masses in each parish church and in several chapels. Let us pester our priests to be more available for Confession. Let us get involved in parish ministries. Let us put ourselves at the parish priest’s disposition in lending a helping hand. Let us truly imitate the saintliness of the town’s patron saint. Above all, let us do all this under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and hand-in-hand with Our Lady.

When we do all this, we start to respect ourselves in our truest calling , that of being a temple of the Holy Spirit. When we treat ourselves and each other as temples of the Holy Spirit, then we can perhaps proceed to have more basilicas and collegiate churches.

Read more:
– Pope Benedict The 16th On the Future Of The Church
– Top Pope Francis’ Quotes About the Church

The post What Makes a Catholic Church a True Basilica appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Lest I be misinterpreted, I am pleased that the order has been rescinded. As a practising Catholic, I am happy to see crucifixes in departmental offices and in local health centres.

However, I am also a bit worried.

“We really should be asking what the crucifix means in our life”

The calls appealing for the order to be withdrawn were based on the fact that Christianity, crucifixes and statues were part of Maltese culture, which should not be removed under the pretext of avoiding non-Christian workers or patients feeling offended.

In itself, the intention to not offend non-Christian people is a good intention. However, denuding one’s office of Christian religious objects in order to avoid giving offence is perhaps going a bit too far.

Everyone should answer the following question in the depths of their heart. What does the crucifix truly mean to me? Is it just part of our culture, or do I seek to let the crucifix transform my life?

I have absolutely nothing against Catholicism being seen as part of our culture. Our Catholic faith has greatly enriched Malta and the Maltese and has done so ever since by God’s providence, Paul set foot on this island. I hope that Catholicism continues to be part and parcel of Maltese society and culture. Let us thank God that we realise that the foundation of Maltese society and culture is Christian in nature.

“Jesus Christ is not culture. It is a matter of faith.”

However, the point I wish to make is simply that Catholicism is not a matter of culture. It is a matter of faith. When we celebrate Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and the Octave of Easter, we will most certainly not be celebrating something merely cultural or some ritual of cultural significance. Jesus Christ is not a culture. He is God incarnate who died and was resurrected for love of us and as a result of that, we can believe in Him as our saviour.

If we do not really care about our faith but greatly care about whether crucifixes and statues are allowed in government offices as a matter of culture, then I invite us to delve deeper into that desire that makes us seek to keep the crucifix in the sight of our eyes. If its merely a matter of culture and the compassion and tender love that have poured out of that crucifix have not yet touched us, we should not be discouraged but dare ask God to show it to us.

“Our faith does not depend on whether crucifixes are allowed or not”

While our faith does not depend on whether or not a crucifix is allowed in public places, for were they removed, faith should still be alive and kicking in us. In reality, in our humanity, we have in us the need to see, the need to have visuals to make us remember. Just as we keep photos or pictures of the ones we love to help us remember the beautiful moments we had together, this is part of our own nature. The crucifix is foolishness for those who do not believe and a stumbling block for those who believe yet are carried by the currents of culture. But if we let the crucifix touch our hearts, can we truly see in it the sign of perfect love , the love for which we were created. Because we desire it so deeply, then one would want to keep the crucifix always in sight.

“We need to ask what symbols mean to us, not to hurt each other”

We can end up using the symbols to hurt God and hurt each other even more. This is seen when one kisses the crucifix in order to take an oath when in reality, one would have lied. Another example of this is using images of saints on każin t-shirts and the doing exactly the opposite of what that saint did, blaspheming all throughout that saint’s feast. To mature in our faith, we cannot merely stop at symbols with indifference. Rather, we need to sincerely ask ourselves what they mean to us and discern what we need to change to be consistent with what we believe.

I sincerely hope that the politicians who seemed outraged at the planned removal of crucifixes in public places were outraged as a direct result of their unshakeable faith and strong relationship with God.

“I want the crucifix in public to remind me to love those whom society deems unlovable”

With a culture that sways with prevailing winds, it is no longer possible to say that crucifixes should not be removed because they are part of our culture. However, crucifixes should not be removed because the moment immortalised in the crucifix is the moment in history that permeates eternity , not a matter of a past tradition, but the mark of the ones who have been touched by God’s grace. It is our hope against hope, our love above all loves, our faith above all cultures.

I want the crucifix affixed to the wall because it reminds me that He died for me. I want the crucifix affixed to the wall in order to be reminded to pray for humility when I am about to let my pride take over. I want the crucifix within sight in order to pray for patience when it starts to run out. I want the crucifix in public places in order to remind me to love those whom society deems unlovable or unworthy of attention. After all, I am not worthy of God’s love or attention, but am loved by Him and his fatherly gaze is over me without ever stopping nonetheless.

Read more:
– Pope Benedict The 16th On the Future Of The Church
– Top Pope Francis’ Quotes About the Church

The post Crucifixes in Public Places appeared first on Universe of Faith.

At this time, when much has been spoken and written about the crimes that prominent priests have either committed or helped to cover up, two things come to mind. The first is the Lord’s command to St. Francis of Assisi to rebuild the Church and the second is the motto attributed to Pope St. Pius X , restoring all things in Christ. There can be no denying that a great deal of restoration and rebuilding needs to be undertaken. The perspective I wish to take up is that of a sinful, ordinary Catholic, but one who tries his best to keep his eyes and ears open , out of love for my home, the Church.

Putting everyone under suspicion

Perhaps the point of departure should be to observe that although the recent revelations are not pleasant reading, it remains absolutely true that the vast majority of priests and bishops are not guilty of any abuse or of any cover-ups. In fact, the innocent priests and bishops are angry, disgusted and disappointed that some of their brother priests and bishops not only broke their vows and inflicted terrible harm upon others, but also tarnished the reputation of other priests, bishops and of the Catholic Church in general. It is tempting and to a certain extent, almost instinctual for laypeople to start suspecting each and every priest of committing misdeeds. However, that is one particular temptation which the devil may use to lure us away from our Mother, the Church. Like all temptations, this is something we must resist.

Some crimes resemble power situations outside the Church like manager-secretary

The crimes that have been committed justify the sense of shock that has been expressed. Although the sexual element is a key aspect of these crimes, one should not overlook the abuse of power that has taken place. Hierarchically, bishops outrank priests and certainly outrank seminarians. The cases that have come to light showed not only priests violating men and women outside the formal structures of the Church, but also people within those structures, such as seminarians and other priests. There are cases which bear striking similarity to situations outside the Church, such as in ordinary employment, where there have been cases of powerful managers and CEOs forcing themselves on subordinates. Most subordinates, fearing for their careers, either remain silent, or leave, or many a time, remain within the same organisation for fear of reprisal or character assassination. The same happened to seminarians, who following episodes of sexual abuse, remained silent knowing that if they spoke up, they could incur the wrath of their bishop , without whose blessing they could never be ordained priests. There were even cases of priests who suffered such abuse and ended up inflicting similar abuse on other people. Most of the cases which formed the subject of recent revelations took place in the United States. However, such cases were not unique to that country.

Both Catholics and non-believers still have high expectations of the Church

The recent revelations may well seem overwhelming and a threat to the very existence of the Church. Although it is certainly not pleasant to deal with the fallout, we need to see the positive in this. The positive in all of this is that all those who are outraged, whether Catholic or otherwise, whether practising or otherwise, still have high expectations of the Church. People who have for years and for decades criticised and derided the Church are as angry and outraged as faithful Catholics. This means that the Church is certainly not irrelevant, even to non-believers. Whilst these people may not know the theological reasons behind the wearing of cassocks, mitres and crosiers (which to them may look like silly dresses and silly hats), they are holding the Church’s feet to the fire. In my view, this is a positive. Through the example and preaching of faithful priests, bishops and laypeople, non-believers are evangelised. The critics of the Church have rightly come to expect standards of behaviour which match the standards expressed in the preaching and in the precepts of the Church. Through their calling our attention to shortcomings in the Church, these people show us that in society, the Church is still relevant, still influential and still looked to for moral leadership and authority. It is therefore up to all of us who profess the Catholic faith , whether as laity or consecrated people , to render witness to the world.

Truth must emerge, it will “set us free”

Another painful problem that has gripped the Church is the barrage of accusations levelled by priests against other priests and by bishops against other bishops. Without in any way wanting to judge who has or has not been truthful, it is quite obvious that the high-level sniping that is taking place is very damaging to the Church. In commenting so, I am not trying to “protect the Church by encouraging the perpetuation of a culture of silence. All the accusations and claims that have been made must be investigated by independent and impartial individuals. The truth must emerge and not be buried. As Jesus himself told us , the truth will set us free. If need be, heads must roll.

Non-religious observers may portray all that has been happening as some phenomenon of purely human origin. As Catholics, we know that the human propensity to sin is encouraged by the devil, who as Pope Francis constantly reminds us, is very real and very active. When in his day, people used to ask St John Bosco why he never went on vacation, the saintly priest answered that he would only go on holiday if and when the devil decided to take a break from tempting souls. The crimes that have taken place have the devil’s fingerprints all over them.

So what is to be done?

Much can and must be learned from the past. However, the past cannot be allowed to define the Church. The Church is only defined by Jesus. In a sense, the Church cannot be held hostage by the past, no matter how hideous the errors that have been committed.

The need for an administrative reform

By profession, I am a lawyer. Therefore, my mind instinctually recommends administrative reform and the creation of new structures in the interests of better administration. Although administrative reform is necessary, the creation of a couple of committees will not magically restore and rebuild the Church. At the heart of all this, we must remember that the Church is Christocentric and is not some ordinary NGO or charitable organisation.

The need for prayer

In apparitions in Akita in 1973, the Blessed Mother foretold that there would come a time when the devil would provoke open warfare in the sense that bishops would be pitted against other bishops and cardinals against cardinals. She also foretold that many priests and religious would be pressed to leave the service of the Lord. The remedy recommended by Our Lady, was, as always, the devout recitation of the Holy Rosary. As Catholics, we believe that the Holy Spirit is ever active in the Church and thus, remedies are born primarily of faithful prayer and only secondarily out of human effort. Our Lady’s exhortations guard against the heresy of Pelagianism , which is when one thinks that everything is possible solely through personal effort and willpower.

The need for new saints

Very recently, Pope Francis renewed the universal call to holiness through his encyclical Rejoice and Be Glad. He reminded us that holiness is for everyone, not just for priests and nuns. In several public appearances, Pope Francis emphasised time and time again that the Church needs young people who actively embrace the call to holiness , in other words, new saints. Holiness is not attained by snapping one’s fingers. It is a very gradual process which may involve the excision of parts of our lives which are not pleasing to Jesus. Like many medicines which have the ultimate effect of curing illness, the road to holiness may therefore be painful. The Church, as a whole as well as through its components, needs to take up the process of purification which has been painful and will continue to be painful. Genuine conversion is hardly ever painless.

Christ is active even in confusion

As Catholics, we need to recommit ourselves to Christ , and I address this comment first and foremost to myself. The journey towards the liberating truth does not need as much analysis as it needs prayer. The Holy Spirit, who is the life of the Church, must be invoked and invited into all structures at all levels. It may well seem that at the moment, the boat is being rocked by massive storms which threaten to engulf it and Jesus is asleep. We are tempted to turn to Jesus and tell Him that were He awake and paying attention, this would not have happened. However, as always, Christ is very much active, even amidst this confusion. God is purifying His Church and separating the chaff from the wheat.

Sometime before all of this broke out, the Church celebrated the Queenship of Mary. This is not some sentimental feast. Mary the Queen and Christ the King go hand in hand as warrior figures in spiritual warfare. It is therefore up to faithful Catholics to enlist in Christ’s army and fight , through prayer, abstinence and fasting. It is our job to co-operate with Christ in the exercise of restoration and rebuilding.

Healing the wounds of the victims and of the Church

We believe that Christ is the Truth (with a capital “T ). He is not some ordinary human opinion or point of view. Since He is the truth, He certainly does not want us to bury the reality of the crimes which have taken place. Through careful, prudent and prayerful investigation led by laypeople experienced in forensics, all the claims made must be investigated and the entirety of the truth must be revealed. The purpose of investigation is not to enable the righteous or the innocent to mount some sort of vendetta, but to heal the victims and the Church. As any doctor will tell us, it is necessary to measure the depth of a wound and clean it properly before applying the necessary ointments and bandages. If a wound is not cleaned to its full depth, the patient cannot be restored to health.

The Church will never be abandoned

Jesus promised that he would never abandon His Church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. The Church has thrived in persecution and has outlasted many governments and empires that tried hard to extinguish it. Those governments and empires are long gone whilst the Church is still alive. Jesus is asking all of us, myself included, whether we trust Him. With His help, I do.

Read more:
– Pope Benedict The 16th On the Future Of The Church
– Top Pope Francis’ Quotes About the Church

The post Restoring and Rebuilding the Church appeared first on Universe of Faith.