Today, 50 days after the Resurrection of Our Lord, we Catholics are celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the disciples united in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in the upper room.
This experience is described as a strong wind and as tongues of fire that appeared on each and every one of those present. We read also about other tongues: when the apostle Peter and those who were with him went out to preach the Good News, all those who heard them realised that, although they came from different countries, they could still understand the Good News, each one in his own tongue.
This teaches us that on the feast of Pentecost we are commemorating the fact that the gift of the Holy Spirit brings together people speaking different languages, who come in contact with those who witness to Jesus. As a result, they can see the power of Jesus. Through this we are shown how the shameful divisions between people can be eliminated. As we learn from the experience of the Tower of Babel, division is the fruit of man’s pride, which makes him want to build his civilisation without God. In this way man ends up sowing division and violence.
The Holy Spirit is not a spirit who imposes a rigid uniformity that chokes diversity. In the light of this year’s celebration of Pentecost, our appeal to all people of good will is that together we build an inclusive society that welcomes diversity as a great gift of the Creator’s Spirit.
As a community of faith, hope and love, it is necessary that we too, as Catholics, examine those aspects of our religious practice that are tainted by rivalry, envy, a superiority complex, pride, arrogance, prejudice, hatred and fear. This sour fruit does not come from God. As St Paul teaches us, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These human qualities, which are God’s gifts, create in us a sense of respect towards the dignity and integrity of every person we meet.
If prejudices and hatred lead to exclusion, destruction and murder, love leads to the building anew of the family of man
We are living in a society that, while appreciating its ancient roots, embraces a diversity of cultures, languages, races and religions. This is a golden opportunity for us all to witness to love, which is the universal language that everybody can understand.
If prejudices and hatred lead to exclusion, destruction and murder, love leads to the building anew of the family of man. Man was created to enter into a relationship of love with God and men, whoever they are, of whatever race or colour. This love, a gift from God, is the foundation of an inclusive society where the fundamental rights of every human being are respected and protected. Instead of pointing fingers at others, we should ourselves take the initiative and continue building bridges which go forth from our hearts and extend beyond and above the abyss of racism, of all kinds of prejudice and fear of all that is foreign, that is, all forms of xenophobia.
In our history as a nation, we have been through bad times when frequent attacks from outside meant slavery and destruction. Today, after so many centuries, we cannot adopt the same defensive attitudes. People coming to live among us, in search for a better life, are not our enemies but become partners in our prosperity and enrich our cultural heritage.
Foreigners living in our country are human beings like us who have the same human dignity and the same fundamental rights we enjoy. If these people have not yet met Jesus Christ, what will they say when they meet us, the family of Jesus Christ? What will they say when they see how we live our faith in Jesus? And above all, what will foreigners who live here say about our faith when they see how we treat them, what wages we pay them, what accommodation we offer them?
Almost 2,000 years ago, our forefathers welcomed the Lord’s Apostle, Paul of Tarsus. The governor or protos of the island, Publius, not only hosted 276 people for three days but also saw to it that, three months afterwards, Paul and those who were with him had on board all they needed as they set sail for Syracuse on their way to Rome. Paul, the prisoner and foreigner whom we welcomed among us, proclaimed Jesus to us, and healed all the sick people on the island, and God used him to bless Malta with that most gracious light (l-oħla dawl), the Light of Jesus Christ.
In the last 50 years, the Church in Malta has pioneered work to help immigrants, refugees and foreigners. Today, let us pray to the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and hearts with His light and His love for everyone, including all the foreigners living among us.
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece