Dear brothers and sisters in Christ in Malta,
It is now 25 years since I had the spiritual joy of being the first Pope to visit your beloved islands from May 25-27, 1990. My gratitude to all who had helped to make that historic pastoral visit possible and for the very warm reception accorded me at every stage of my stay, remains intact.
I am writing to you from the Father’s house, where I have been staying for the past 10 years. Here I met Paul of Tarsus and told him about Malta. I told him: “Paul, do you remember Malta? Do you remember that you founded a Church in Malta? I found, after so many centuries, that it is wonderful Church. It is a very strong people. Malta has good Catholic people.”
Paul was a bit curious to know whether I visited his grotto in Rabat. I told him that it was a privilege for me to spend a few moments in silent prayer at that ancient grotto, venerated as his dwelling during his stay in Malta. Indeed, in that holy place I gave thanks to God for the rich harvest of faith and good works which the Lord had brought forth among the Maltese people since Paul first proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to your forebears.
Paul then asked me for my general impressions about the kind of Christian witness I found among you, the people of Malta. I replied that throughout my time in Malta, I was impressed by the deep attachment of the Maltese people to their cultural and religious heritage. I added that in the people’s desire to be faithful to this precious legacy I saw a sign of great hope for Malta’s future.
Moreover, I appreciated the Maltese traditions as a wonderful expression of the people’s national character and identity, and prayed that they may continue to guide their steps and strengthen their resolve.
A community of faith and prayer must show forth in its conduct what it professes and proclaims
I went on to tell him how during my 1990 visit I appealed to all who had the good of your nation at heart – political and social leaders, workers, intellectuals, the young people, as well as the members of other Churches and ecclesial communities – to apply to the challenges of their era the Christian vision they had inherited from their past.
In making this appeal I was confident that the Maltese people would be working together generously and effectively to create a society inspired by the highest ideals of justice and peace, also marked by special attention to the needs of the less fortunate members of the community.
A quarter of a century later, I wish I could physically visit your Islands once more to see how you are weathering the modern day challenges, such as indifference to God and His will, individualism, secularism, relativism, materialism and hedonism.
Since such a visit is not possible, allow me to invite you, through this letter, to renew yourself spiritually: to open your hearts to God, to turn your minds to his Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and to implore the purifying action of the Holy Spirit in your lives.
Naturally, such a call to renewal is likewise a call to consistency – consistency between faith and Christian living. A community of faith and prayer must show forth in its conduct what it professes and proclaims. The belief of the Church must be expressed in the private and public life of its members. Consistency must be manifested through an ever more visible and vital Christian witness in all the roles and functions in which the faithful find themselves.
The Christian challenge – the call to consistency – involves decisive choices and sacrifices for everyone; it makes claims on those in humble conditions, as well as those with lofty responsibilities. For every category of people, Christianity has the same requirements: to embrace Christ in faith and to apply his teachings to the concrete situations of life.
May love and harmony always dwell in your hearts, in your families and in your homes.
God bless Malta. God bless you all.
cphbuttigieg@gmail.com