L-omelija tal-Arċisqof Charles Jude Scicluna
Dan l-evanġelju sabiħ isemmi ħafna ismijiet. In-nisel ta’ Ġesù li jibda minn Abraham, jgħaddi lil David, imbagħad lill-ġenerazzjonijiet wara l-eżilju minn Babilonja. X’inhi t-tifsira ta’ dan in-nisel? Ġesù jitwieled f’komunità ta’ fidi. Abram hu missierna. Ġesù stess hu r-risposta ta’ Alla għall-fidi tagħna. Għandna nirrealizzaw li Alla hu mħabba u nħobbuh lura. Id-don tal-fidi jagħtina dan l-għarfien u l-qawwa tar-risposta.
It-tieni ħsieb hu li hemm proposta li tingħata lil Ġużeppi. “Ġużeppi, bin David, xejn la tibża’ tieħu għandek lil martek Marija” (Mt 1:20). L-istedina ta’ din l-ewwel quddiesa tal-Milied hi biex aħna ma nibżgħux nilqgħu lill-omm u lil binha. Għaliex dan li qed jitwieled ġej mill-Ispirtu s-Santu, jimliena bl-Ispirtu s-Santu, iwassalna għall-Ispirtu s-Santu u jingħata isem.
It-tielet ħsieb ispirat mill-Evanġelju hu proprju l-ismijiet li ngħataw lil Ġesù. Nisimgħu ż-żewġ ismijiet ta’ Ġesù: ‘Alla jsalva’ “għax hu jsalva l-poplu tiegħu minn dnubiethom” (Mt 1:21) u “Għimmanu-El, li bi lsienna jfisser ‘Alla magħna’” (Mt 1:23). Ġużeppi meta qam għamel kif ordnalu l-anġlu tal-Mulej. Laqa’ lill-omm u t-tifel għandu. U din l-istedina li l-Mulej għamel lilna wkoll.
Point to reflect on, inspired by the gospel we heard today. We had the first few lines from the gospel of Matthew. Actually, the first 25 lines of the gospel of Matthew. This long genealogy that starts from Abraham goes to David and then to the Kings of Israel, after the exile in Babylon. The first point I would like to share is that Jesus is born in a community of faith. He is the response of God to our faith. Our faith is nurtured and nourished by the love of God and it is our response to an awareness of how much God loves us. And Jesus is born to this community of faith.
L-istedina ta’ din l-ewwel quddiesa tal-Milied hi biex aħna ma nibżgħux nilqgħu lill-omm u lil binha.
The second point is an invitation to accept the mother and the baby. This is something that not you put in the person of Joseph. The angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him, your betrothed wife is with child, a child that is from the Holy Spirit. Do not be afraid, accept the mother and her child. And this is also an invitation to each and every one of us. Let us stop being afraid to accept Jesus in our hearts. Let us accept the mother and her baby!
The third point is the annunciation of the names of this baby. Joseph is told by the angel to name the baby ‘Jesus’. The root of the word Jesus means ‘God saves’, ‘Yehoshua’. In fact, the angel himself explains this to Joseph. “You will call him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt 1: 21)
Let us stop being afraid to accept Jesus in our hearts. Let us accept the mother and her baby!
The second name is given to us through the prophecy of Isaiah. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (that means ‘God is with us’)” (Mt 1:23). This is the second name of Jesus given to us on this blessed night. The God who saves is a God with us, not far away, not distant, one of us, with us. And so, whenever we feel alone or abandoned, let us remember that we who are radically in need of a God who saves, have a God that is ‘Immanuel’ – ‘God with us’.
At the Creed today, we will stop for a while to adore, the birth and the incarnation of Jesus. The word ‘incarnation’ means simply ‘made flesh’ – ‘incarnatio’. And so, when we say, ‘born of the virgin incarnate’, born of the virgin Mary, we will stop, kneel down to adore the mystery that we celebrate today.
✠ Charles Jude Scicluna
Arċisqof ta’ Malta
Qari tal-quddiesa
Qari I: Iż 62:1-5
Salm: 88 (89), 4-5,16-17,27,29
Qari II: Atti 13:16-17,22-25
L-Evanġelju: Mt 1:1-25