Last Sunday five young men were ordained deacons.
I personally know one of them, Mark Zammit. He was helping out in our parish for the last few months. A fine young man full of enthusiasm, idealism, love for the Lord and His people and full of the urge to serve. I am certain that all of the five ordained deacons share this zeal.
In normal circumstances one would have said that their zeal should be heightened by the fact they were ordained on the ‘eve’ of Christmas. The decorations are already adorning some shops and in a few days the whole country will be agog with lights, Christmas trees, promises and expectations of gifts, cards and all the other paraphernalia tied to the celebration of Christmas.
The Church like the rest of the country, much more than the rest of the country in fact, should be en fête. But this year Christmas could be different from many other Christmases. The current allegations of sexual abuse have marred the atmosphere.
Every day the saga of alleged sexual abuse takes on new twists and turns. Who knows what will be reported tomorrow? Will there be new cases? Will we discover that other allegations have been left to fester on for years? One thing is certain that bang in the middle of the Christmas novena there will be a Court hearing that will open wide open the wound hurting the church.
Some people have already put in their fridges bottles of the best champagne. Whenever the Church is under fire they are overjoyed. Others feel lost and will feel more so if more unsavoury stories come to light.
The current mood of the Church in Malta is more apt for Ash Wednesday and for the penitential season of Lent than for Christmas carolling.
These brave young men who were ordained last Sunday have been initiated in Holy Orders in this murky atmosphere. They will experience the harsh reality that it is not easy to be a priest in this day and age.
But little by little they will also realise that it is very beautiful to be a priest in this day and age as it will become more obvious that although, like earthenware vases, we priests are weak as we are sinners, the treasure we carry in these same vases is ever-green, ever beautiful and ever useful.
This treasure is the Way and the Light and the Truth.