I refer to Saturday’s Talking Point by the Prime Minister in which he looks forward to “a new form of trust”.

We cannot be like the harvester filling his barns with good fruit without giving credit to the farmer who sowed the seed. This country can indeed be united in spirit despite political differences. It can really be “one of the best places to live in on the planet” but we need to ask why. It might be good to acknowledge what, in fact, our foundation is.

Can we deny that it is our Christian identity that has formed us? For the last 40 years we have been building on this sturdy foundation.

I speak as one who has lived our recent history and not just read about it. I remember very well how we held all our institutions in great esteem and respect. We knew we could trust the law courts, the police, educators, professionals and allin authority because our laws were no flimsy, vote-catching fads but were chiselled in our Christian belief.

I would hope that in his next message to the nation, the Prime Minister will refer to Jesus Christ who occupied first place in homes and families for hundreds of years until only recently, when He was being asked to make way for other preferred objects of worship.

He is the foundation on which our unity was built and we are the envy of so many. Remove Him and we will become like all other faithless countries whose identities are all merging into one.

For most of us, Christmas still has meaning. We are waiting, this Advent, for the birth or, shall I say, the rebirth of the child Jesus in our Maltese homes.