“Jesus wants us around him in the Nativity scene,” this was the message of the Bishop of Gozo Anton Teuma for Christmas 2023.

He spoke about why the Crib attracts us so much. This is because, the Bishop said, at the centre of it is a family – Mary, Joseph and Jesus… and in the end what matters are the relationships between us.

Bishop Teuma highlighted that the figurines of the Crib show us a certain sweetness coming out of their person: they show us that our relationships should be mixed with a lot of sweetness, forgiveness, love and compassion.

The Crib is made of people who, although they are working, at one time or another are called to approach the Cave of Bethlehem… Without Jesus in the centre, our life is like a dry Crib, made only of factories and working people.

The Bishops stressed “Jesus wants us around him – to give us his peace!”