Archbishop Charles Scicluna used his homily during the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve to ask whether Malta truly lives up to being a “sweet land.”
Addressing the mass in St Paul’s Cathedral in Mdina, the Archbishop described Christ’s birth as “like honey poured upon the earth.”
Scicluna invited those present to consider whether Malta truly lives up to being a “sweet land,” reminding that the island’s name derives from the ancient Greek word for honey.
“The sweetness of Malta depends on the sweetness of our hearts,” he said, asking whether people still cherish, speak to and treat one another with kindness.
He said Maltese society remains one in which mutual kindness is valued but urged that this should be lived not only in Malta’s international role as a promoter of peace in the Mediterranean, but also within communities and families.
Malta’s vocation, he said, must be to be “a sweet land” first and foremost among its own people.
Towards the end of his homily, the Archbishop prayed for those “wounded by the harshness of life,” including young people who may have grown up without affection and couples whose relationships have broken down, leaving emptiness or anger where love once existed.
The Midnight Mass was attended by President of Malta Myriam Spiteri Debono.
During Christmas Day Mass, also held at St Paul’s Cathedral, Scicluna continued the theme, emphasising that God approaches humanity through gentleness rather than violence.