Could it be that most Catholic faithful sought Jesus Christ for their own personal reasons rather than a genuine love of God?

Archbishop Paul Cremona asked the question of the 2,000-strong crowd gathered yesterday afternoon to celebrate the feast of Christ the King in Balzan, at the tail-end of a 90-minute ceremony involving song, mime and prayer.

He drew parallels between Jesus’ hurt at seeing only one of 10 healed lepers return and the paths modern-day believers faced.

“We must all choose which faith we want – the path of the nine, who were physically healed, or of the Samaritan who returned, received absolution and was spiritually healed,” Archbishop Cremona said.

As he spoke, his predecessor Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca and Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna, in his first public function following his ordination on Saturday. So too did President George Abela, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami and European Commissioner-elect Tonio Borg, among others.

There were plenty of religious habits and more than the odd grey hair among the Balzan crowd, which, possibly emboldened by the clear weather, vied for seats and lined the street throughout the ceremony.

Some took to their balconies and watched the evening unfold from what were probably the best seats in the house. A group of young men not quite as lucky sat at the very back, typing furiously on their smart phones.

Pope Benedict XVI has declared the liturgical year stretching to November 2013 to be a “Year of Faith” and urged believers to be enthusiastic in exploring and sharing their own experiences of faith.

Archbishop Cremona lit a small torch symbolising Catholics’ flame of faith, and choirs and singers from Church groups in various localities took to the stage to present their own interpretations of the Pope’s words.

Two of the 400 students who had taken part in last May’s “Run 4 Unity” shared their memories of that day, when students ran from the Presidential Palace in Attard to Ta Qali’s amphitheatre.

“I thought of peace, of respect for all races, love for the environment and unity among mankind,” one said.

The audience clapped. But the greatest applause was reserved for an Italian woman who told of her experience raising money for earthquake victims in L’Aquila – in perfect Maltese.