Bishop's message on the Christian life

On the occasion of the feast of the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Bishop Mario Grech led a concelebrated Mass at Ta' Pinu Sanctuary last Tuesday.

In his homily, which dealt with the episode when Jesus was lost in the Temple and His parents were looking for him but could not enter the Temple because of the crowds, Bishop Grech said that nowadays a good number of Christians are keeping their distance from Jesus.

The Bishop said that shyness and their reluctance to make their faith in Christ and their love for Him public is one of the causes for their detachment from Christ. Another reason is indifference to religion.

During Bishop Grech's recent visit to Albania, where he attended the episcopal ordination of Fr George Frendo, OP, as auxiliary Bishop of the Tirana-Durres diocese, he realised the effects that Communism left on the social and religious life of the Albanian people.

In the light of this experience Bishop Grech emphasised the importance of Christian parents' educating their children and transmitting to them the values of the Gospel.

Catechism should not only be the responsibility of the Church but also of Christian parents, he said.