In his homily on Sunday, for the Feast of St. Gregory at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Gregory, Kercem, Mgr Mario Grech, Apostolic Administrator for Gozo, spoke about the coronavirus outbreak.

He said, “this year we are celebrating the Feast of Pope St. Gregory, at a time when society has absolutely no spirit for the feast because of concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.”

Mgr Grech said, “while we should avoid any form of alarm and panic, we can not remain indifferent to the fear that is paralysing life.”

“It is important to rely on the directives given to us by the country’s Health Authorities,” said Mgr Grech, He added that “without reducing anything from the gravity of the situation, fear produces others behaviours and suspicions, that push us to act as individuals.”

“It is providential that the liturgy invites us today to put our sights firmly at St. Gregory. Not just because Pope St. Gregory was in Rome when it was overcome by the plague, that he encouraged and led the church in prayer and penance to God to stand be those people being affected; not only because our ancestors turned to him and asked his patronage when our islands were affected by an outbreak of other diseases; but also because there is much to learn from St. Gregory, about the faith man should have in situations like these – learnings that are found in St Gregory’s Commentary – Moralia -on the Book of Job.

Photograph: Raymond Grech

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