Twenty years ago, Pope John Paul II, who, on April 27, will be canonised by Pope Francis, took the opportunity of the International Year of the Family to knock on the door of our hearts with a letter to families, wherein he describes Mary as “the mother of fairest love”.
“As mother and virgin, Mary becomes the mother of fairest love,” wrote John Paul II. “This truth is already revealed in the words of the Archangel Gabriel but its full significance will gradually become clearer and more evident as Mary follows her Son in the pilgrimage of faith.”
On the occasion of the annual Devotion of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is so ingrained in the life of Christians in these islands, especially in the light of the latest discussion about the institution of the family, it is bound to be a good moral investment if one revisits the advice offered by John Paul II in this particular document. For instance, the Holy Father says that our society, which certainly contains many positive aspects on the material and cultural level, should realise that, from various points of view, is one that is sick and is creating profound distortions in man.
Oratorio promotes the example of Mary and celebrates the special status she enjoys in Malta
He explains that the reason is that our society has broken away from the full truth about man, from the truth about what man and woman really are as persons. Thus, it cannot adequately comprehend the real meaning of the gift of persons in marriage, responsible love at the service of fatherhood and motherhood and the true grandeur of procreation and education.
The popular feast of Id-Duluri is also a good opportunity to recall what Pope Francis had to say in a tweet on May 18, 2013. He urged the faithful to imitate Mary in her discipleship of Christ. “We must learn from Mary and we must imitate her unconditional readiness to receive Christ in her life.”
In this context, it is truly heartening to learn that this particular exhortation of Pope Francis inspired the parish community of Tarxien, hand in hand with the local council and the Għaqda Mużikali Marija Annunzjata, to embark on an oratorio project aimed at promoting the example of Mary and celebrating the special status she enjoys in our nation.
The oratorio, penned by Alfred Massa, offers an insight into the feelings of generations of Maltese people towards Mary, primarily through the eyes of the deep love the community of Tarxien has for the Annunciation.
One dominant point of the oratorio lies in the 5,000-year-old history of Tarxien and its national dimension, as evidenced by the Neolithic Temples discovered by Sir Temi Zammit in Tarxien almost 100 years ago. The presence of the renowned Fat Woman (Mara l-Ħoxna) found in these temples, respected as a symbol of fertility, prompted a striking question in the author’s mind.
At the beginning of the oratorio, the author asks whether it is fit and proper to consider some form of resemblance between the importance this figurative statue had in the life of the ancient inhabitants of Tarxien and Malta with the centuries-old exceptional place our people have reserved for Mary in their hearts. The author then seeks to explore what Mary herself might have considered in this regard.
The text of the oratorio travels through various biblical episodes starting from the transgression of Adam and Eve, which prompted the divine history of the “fairest love” that began at the Annunciation. The starting point was in the wondrous words the angel spoke to Mary, called to become the Mother of the Son of God. With Mary’s “yes”, the One who is “God from God and Light from Light” became a son of man.
The oratorio is called Marija fil-Qalb Maltija – Mary in the Heart of the Maltese. It pays tribute to Mary as the Mother of God and also the Mother of Maltese Christians.
The musical score was composed by Hermann Farrugia Frantz.
The presentation of the oratorio, which will be performed by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, has been linked to the beginning of May, a month the Catholic Church dedicates to Mary.
Its premiere will take place on April 30 at 7.30pm at the Tarxien parish church. A second presentation will be held on May 2, again at 7.30pm, at St Paul’s Cathedral, Mdina.