Bishop Charles J. Scicluna, Apostolic Administrator – gave a Homily during the end of year Thanksgiving Mass which was held yesterday evening at St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta – “A Blessing On Our People!”
Bishop Scicluna said, “As we conclude a memorable year in the history of Malta, our beloved country and nation, I would like to offer a short reflection on today’s first reading from the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.
The reading is taken from the Book of Numbers (Chapter 6, verses 22-27): “The Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron and his sons, thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you: The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace”.
The Lord orders Moses to teach his brother Aaron, chosen to be High Priest, how to bless the people of Israel.
This blessing is a threefold invocation on the whole people of Israel. I would like to offer it today as a blessing on the beloved people of Malta, at the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015.
The Lord bless you and keep you:
May the people of Malta continue to recognise that the Lord is their shield and their comfort. It is not outdated to turn to God for our protection and for our guidance. Let us recognise God as our Creator and our Saviour. The Lord who created us, loves us dearly. He will not betray us, neither will he fail us. Fifty years ago, the Maltese people hailed their new-found independent statehood by declaring that their National Anthem was to be the prayer to God penned by Dun Karm. Long may this happy decision continue to express the intimate ethos of our identity as a nation-state in an admirable synthesis where faith does not hinder, but rather guarantees the religious freedom and freedom of conscience of all and sundry.”