“True wisdom teaches you to cherish real love,” this was said by Archbishop Scicluna on his first official visit in the Gozo Diocese.

On Wednesday evening Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna, was invited to conduct Mass at the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ta ‘Pinu, together with Mgr. Mario Grech, Bishop of Gozo, and the parish priests and clergy of the Diocese.

Before the Mass, at 5.15pm, Archbishop Scicluna conducted the rite of the blessing of the three Sacred Mosaics by internationally renowned mosaic artist Father Marko Rupnik, which were recently put in place on the facade of the Sanctuary.In his welcome, the Bishop of Gozo thanked Archbishop Scicluna for his presence and promised the prayers of the Church in Gozo at the beginning of his episcopal ministry.

“The Maltese Episcopal Conference has confirmed that the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ta ‘Pinu in Gozo and that of Our Lady of Mellieha in Malta are the two National Sanctuaries for this country.”

This was announced on Wednesday evening by the Bishop of Gozo Mgr. Mario Grech, President of the Maltese Episcopal Conference. Although these two Marian sites had been considered as National Sanctuaries, until now there has been no official decree by the Conference to confirm this, the Bishop said.

Before the blessing, Fr Gerard Buhagiar, Rector of the Sanctuary, explained the theological symbolism of these new works of sacred art.

One above the main door of the Basilica, shows the Virgin Mary presenting the Baby Jesus, while the other two over each side door, show St John the Baptist and St Paul.

In the homily during the Mass, the Archbishop of Malta paid tribute to “Gozitan brothers” and thanked Bishop Mario Grech for his words of welcome in the National Marian Sanctuary. This house of God, said the Archbishop, must also be door of heaven where one feel close to the Mother of God and drawn by the call of Mary.At the end of Mass, Bishop Grech, on behalf of the Church in Gozo, presented Archbishop Scicluna with a memento in silver of Our Lady of Ta ‘Pinu.

The solemn liturgy was animated by Stella Maris Choir under the direction of Carmel P. Grech, and was aired live on Radju Marija.

On the same occasion the Diocese of Gozo commemorated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the visit of Saint John Paul II in Gozo, as part of his apostolic trip to the Maltese Islands in May 1990.

The Homily of Archbishop Scicluna, in Maltese, is shown in full below:

“Insellem lilkom, gheziez huti Ghawdxin, u lil kull min qieghed isegwi din l-Ewkaristija permezz ta’ Radju Marija. Nixtieq nirringrazzja hafna lill-Isqof Mario, tal-kliem ta’ merhba quddiem dan is-Santwarju ghaziz, dan is-Santwarju nazzjonali Marjan.

Ahna qeghdin hawn, f’dar li trid tkun ghalina bieb tas-sema. Minn hawnhekk ahna nhossuna hafna qrib is-sejha ta’ Marija, “ejja”, li b’xi mod trid tfisser ukoll l-istedina li nersqu lejha hi u thaddan lil Gesù, bhalma hemm fil-muzajk sabih fuq il-bieb ta’ dan it-tempju li ahna l-Isqfijiet berikna qabel din ic-celebrazzjoni.

Kif spjegalna r-Rettur, Fr Gerald, Marija qed tipprezentalna lil Binha. Jiena nixtieq naghmel riflessjoni qasira fuq l-istola li qed jilbes il-Mulej Gesù, tfajjel ckejken fi hdan ommu. Hija l-istola ta’ sacerdot, l-istola tal-Iben li se joffri hajtu ghall-merhla. Huwa sacerdot u vittmà. F’dik l-istola hemm ahna, ghax Hu qieghed igorrna fuq spallejh, u hemm ukoll l-imhabba tieghu li biha qed joffri lilu nnifsu ghalina. L-Iben ta’ Marija, kif qal hu stess, gie mhux biex ikun moqdi imma biex jaqdi u biex jaghti hajtu ghall-kotra. Mela ahna u nidhlu mill-bieb tas-Santwarju u qabel nilmhu l-muzajk ta’ Sidtna Marija tipprezentalna lil Binha Gesù liebes l-istola tad-deheb, niftakru wkoll li dan huwa bieb tal-hniena, ghaliex l-istola tad-deheb li qed jilbes il-Mulej Gesù hija wkoll l-ghotja tieghu li kisbitilna l-farag, il-hniena u l-mahfra.

Nitolbu grazzja minghand il-Madonna ta’ Pinu, li taqlalna d-don tal-ghaqal

Fil-Vangelu li ghadu kemm qara l-Vigarju Generali l-gdid, li niehu l-opportunità nsellimlu, ahna smajna dwar hames xebbiet boloh u hames xebbiet ghaqlin (Mt 25,1-13). Illum irridu nitolbu grazzja minghand il-Madonna ta’ Pinu, li taqlalna d-don tal-ghaqal, li ahna nkunu ma’ dawk li, meta jigi l-gharus, isibna nilqghuh bl-imsiebah mixghula f’idejna. Din hija tixbiha sabiha tal-ghaqal li qed jirrikmanda l-Mulej fil-parabbola tieghu. L-ghaqal hu li inti tistennieh anke jekk jittardja ma jigi, u li l-musbieh li jkollok f’idejk, taghmel mezz li jkollu zejt bizzejjed, allura trid tahsiblu halli jibqa’ jixghel, biex meta jigi u jhabbat, nifthulu u nidhlu mieghu fis-saltna tas-sema.

L-ghaqal huwa li b’umiltà kbira tisma’ l-Kelma ta’ Alla, imma mbaghad twettaqha

Imma l-ghaqal x’inhu? L-ghaqal, li hu wiehed mid-doni tal Ispirtu s-Santu, huwa dak li inti tevita; mhux biss il-bluha, imma thares lejn l-gherf li gej mill-Kelma ta’ Alla. Mela l-ewwel pass fil-process tal-ghaqal huwa li b’umiltà kbira tisma’ l-Kelma ta’ Alla, imma mbaghad taghmilha, twettaqha. Hafna drabi ahna nisimghuha l-Kelma, hafna darbi l-Mulej imiss il-qalb taghna, imma minhabba raguni jew ohra ma taghmilx gheruq fil-qalb taghna, jew inkella ma taghmilx frott ghax ix-xewk u l-ghollieq tal-hajja jkunu nehhewlha l-energija kollha, johonquha.

L-ghaqal igieghlek tevita l-bluha

Ejjew nitolbu lill-Madonna, li hija wkoll ezempju tas-smigh u ta’ ghemil, hija l-ewwel dixxiplu tal-Mulej, li taghtina l-ghaqal li nisimghu l-kelma ta’ Gesù u naghmluha minghajr biza’, b’kuragg kbir u b’umiltà. L-ghaqal igieghlek tevita l-bluha, il-bluha li tafda fil-qawwa ta’ din id-dinja, fil-flus ta’ din id-dinja; l-ghaqal igieghlek tifhem li dak kollu li jghaddi, m’ghandekx ghalfejn therri qalbek ghalih, tuzah kemm hemm bzonn, imma ma torbotx qalbek mieghu.

L-ghaqal veru jghallmek tghozz l-imhabba vera

L-ghaqal veru jghallmek torbot qalbek ma’ dak li jibqa’ ghal dejjem. L-ghaqal veru jghallmek tghozz l-imhabba vera, l-imhabba li mhiex passjoni tal-gisem imma hija l-ghotja generuza tal-qalb. “Dan hu l-kmandament tieghi” jghid il-Mulej, “li thobbu lil xulxin kif habbejtkom jien” (Gw 15,12). Dak hu l-ghaqal: li inti thobb kif ghallimna nhobbu l-Mulej meta tela’ fuq l-ghuda tas-salib, offra lilu nnifsu ghalina, hafer minn fuq l-ghuda tas-salib, ha hsieb lil ommu u lilna afdana lil ommu wkoll. U lill-halliel it-tajjeb weghdu l-genna: “Illum tkun il-genna mieghi” (Lq 23, 45).

L-ghaqal veru jipperswadik li inti midjun mal-hniena ta’ Alla

L-ghaqal huwa li ahna ma naqtghu qalbna qatt, f’kull cirkostanza, mill-hniena ta’ Alla, ghax l-ghaqal mhuwiex dak li jgghalek tahseb li inti qaddis; l-ghaqal veru jipperswadik li inti midjun mal-hniena ta’ Alla, imma jqawwik ukoll fit-tama li Alla, hi x’inhi l-istorja ta’ hajtek, hi x’inhi d-dghufija taghna, Hu se jahfrilna. Gesù ghandu ghatx kbir ghalina u ghall-qalb taghna, herqa kbira li jhaddanna ma’ qalbu. Dan hu l-ghaqal ta’ min il-musbieh tieghu ihallih dejjem mimli biz-zejt tal-ferh Nisrani u ghaliex le, bil-fwieha ta’ hajja safja.

Ejjew nitolbu lill-Madonna ta’ Pinu biex hi tkompli twasslilna l-istedina taghha: “ejja, ejja!” Ahna u nisimghuha, ahna u nfittxuha, il-harsa taghna tiltaqa’ mal-harsa hanina taghha u naraw lil Gesù, ghax fejn hemm ommu hemm ukoll Binha, il-Mulej, ir-Raghaj it-Tajjeb, u l-Haruf bla tebgha li jnehhi d-dnubiet tad-dinja.”

+ Charles J. Scicluna

Arcisqof ta’ Malta

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