The parable of the talents

On the eve of Good Friday, Dominican sociologist Fr Charles Tabone appeals for a leap of quality within the Church and for believers to be authentic Christians.

One wall of Fr Charles's living quarters is lined with shelves heaving under the weight of books, which he has thumbed through and read, passing on the wealth of information to his sociology students at the University.

His desire to share knowledge is witnessed in his mission to adapt the Word of God in a way that makes sense to young people and their reality.

Every Sunday, his 7 p.m. Mass at Jesus of Nazareth parish church, Sliema, is bursting at its seams with young worshippers who yearn to immerse themselves in a world of spirituality that understands them. His Lenten talks were also very well attended.

"I never chose to work or celebrate Mass for young people - they came and made it theirs. In all humility, if the Word of God is broadcast in a way that makes sense to them and answers the questions in their life, they will come in search of it," he says.

Each year, Fr Charles's reputation reaches the ears of young people who have not set foot in a church for more than a decade but are keen to find out why their friends have discovered an inner peace.

The most satisfying thing for Fr Charles is that, once they come, they keep returning and sustaining their faith. However, he waves off any suggestion that he's doing this single-handedly.

"The Archbishop (Paul Cremona) is the one leading the Church to make this leap of quality. And I challenge young people to make the Word of God their own," he says.

Fr Charles extrapolates the words from the Gospel in a way few people can. On the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows he had everybody's attention when he showed a short clip of a young man excited to start his new job.

The man worked hard and when his manager decided to lump him with more work, he took it gracefully. Realising that the employee was suddenly being considered for a promotion, his manager became green with envy and began to circulate untruths about him and scheme ways of destroying his morale and enthusiasm. After patiently taking it for so long, the employee was broken and he eventually tendered his resignation.

"That young man and his wife epitomise Our Lady of Sorrows. Few had his tenacity to put up with so much because in today's cut-throat working environment if somebody trips you up, you'll pay him back twofold to succeed," he told the engrossed audience.

Looking out of the window onto the calm sea as he contemplates his message, Fr Charles reflects that, nowadays, children are being pushed to excel by both parents and society.

"It's good to develop one's potential to the full and the Church endorses this idea, a clear example is the parable of the talents. If God gave you the talent, you're obliged to develop it to the full," he says.

"Competition is healthy in every sector of life because it pushes you to excel but without any moral principles competition becomes a rat race.

"In every sphere of life we need to retain our values of Christianity and constantly remind ourselves of what is wrong. If, for example, we don't denounce corruption we get used to it and it becomes a way of life.

"When you see a lot of people get involved in corrupt ways to succeed, it can easily become contagious, so we need to be reminded that these things are wrong. We need to be authentic Christians," he says.

Fr Charles has great faith in the young generation and he believes that, if you make them aware of the fundamental values, they will live by them and fight for what they believe in.

"Easter celebrates the moment Christ gave his life to restore humanity. It doesn't mean we don't make mistakes but it's important we recognise what is wrong because, otherwise, it will take root and we will get accustomed to it."

Tomorrow at 3 p.m., Fr Charles will be leading a Good Friday ceremony at St Joseph School, Blata l-Bajda.