Yesterday’s edition of L-Istrina was once again an overwhelming success and confirmed that the values of generosity, charity and solidarity are still deeply rooted in our national identity - despite the fact that the ludicrous prizes from the annual extravaganza have been phased out.
President George Abela has once again proven that he can unite a country into giving for a just cause, to freely embrace charity and to grow in the spirit of the Good Samaritan, a day after most of us indulge in excesses.
The value of solidarity teaches us respect for every person, to look beyond ourselves in order to understand and support the good of others, to support structures that ensure social solidarity.
Voluntary work continues to be a very precious resource that a wide range of institutions and initiatives not only derive immense benefit from but in many cases cannot do without.
All such investment in the true spirit of solidarity is to the credit of our society. In a world where the narcissistic mentality is widespread and seemingly on the rise, the priceless treasure of voluntary work should be embraced as one of the best investments we can make in society.
The entire L-Istrina team should be commended for the way it has worked incessantly during the past months to drive the message home and encourage people to donate to help the Community Chest Fund continue with its sterling work.
Other festive fundraisers manifest a generous Maltese people who are willing to help those in need, a welcome break from the political and festa pique which well too often dent this country’s good name.
Thankfully, there were other acts of generosity which showed the Maltese do not necessarily Christmas for inspiration to dig deep into their pockets. Money flowed in when The Times broke the story of little Leah, the girl who needed urgent cancer treatment, for example.
But our generosity needs to span beyond the stories which make the headlines. All around us there are several untold stories of people who can do with any help they can get - every day.
As our Talking Point today shows, there are thousands of disabled people who need a proper support structure to help them work and get the education and decency they deserve.
The help transcends the man in the street and the authorities need to continue doing their bit to provide residential homes for the disabled and facilitate accessibility.
There are others facing dire circumstances, for instance because of loneliness, old age, broken families, and domestic violence.
Many Maltese are more than happy to help the missions, yet remain reluctant to help the Africans who fled their countries and arrived in our midst because of poverty and wars. Too many of us still treat Africans with a contempt they definitely do not deserve.
In his Christmas message, Archbishop Paul Cremona rightly underlined the need for all citizens to be safeguarded from any form of injustice that causes suffering.
“Your citizenship is not worth much if you are suffering, or being deprived from access to education and health services, or you endure some form of injustice,” he said.
In an ideal situation, every citizen will have enough of everything so that people can uphold the dignity they possess, the Archbishop noted.
We hope that the tens of thousands that tuned in to watch L-Istrina yesterday understand the importance of the word ‘dignity’ and would be encouraged to volunteer and contribute to society’s needs well beyond the festive season.