The Diocesan Celebration of Christ the King in Gozo took place on Sunday during which Bishop Anton Teuma gave his first message, which was in the form of Vespers at the Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary, which was broadcast on the Gozo Diocese social media and local television.

Present within the Basilica were the Gozitan parish priests who, in a gesture approached to collect a white stole from the altar, under the image of the Crucifix, renewed their commitment to the communities they serve, on the the example of Christ, the serving King.

The stole, worn for the celebration of the Holy Liturgy, is a symbol of service of the people, where the Shepherds take on the same sweet yoke of Jesus and learn from him, pray for the people, proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom and administer the Sacraments.

In his homily, inspired by the same theme chosen for this celebration – Christ the King of Covid – Bishop Teuma mentioned how this year’s Christ the King is very special because of the pandemic, and began to ask whether it made sense to “celebrate Christ the King at such a time.”

It is he himself that replied, “it depends on what we expect from Christ the King. If we are waiting for Jesus to stop Covid and cure everyone who is sick so that we can continue our life of before, this feast doesn’t make sense. Because despite believing and praying, Covid did not stop; and many of us were sick, and some died.”

The Bishop continued by stressing that “God loves us because we are His children and that the pandemic also has something to teach us,” saying that perhaps we could take advantage of this unique moment to “discover Christ the King of Covid.”

The Bishop warned against the danger of exaggerated individualism, where, for example, “in the case of abortion, we have individuality of the woman who is willing to sacrifice the individuality of the child.”

A value that can save us from this selfishness is “the need of the family,” said Bishop Anton. “And the attention and care that family members are showing each other at this time of the pandemic are evidence of this.”

“The pandemic, unknowingly, has given us greater interest and love for our family. We rediscovered our family as a gift, a gift from God. We realised more that the family protects us, saves us from danger. The family has reduced our risk of getting sick,” said Bishop Teuma.

Photos: Betty Bugeja

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