L-omelija tal-Arċisqof Charles J. Scicluna

Is-solennità tal-Milied tibda billi nisimgħu lista twila ta’ missirijiet. Fl-Evanġelju ta’ San Mattew din il-lista tibda minn Abraham. Dan l-istess evanġelista jintroduċi din il-lista tan-nisel ta’ Ġesù billi jgħid: “Ktieb in-nisel ta’ Ġesù Kristu, bin David, bin Abraham” (Mt 1:1).

Aħna qegħdin nifirħu għal dan il-miraklu kbir tat-tnissil. Il-ġenerazzjonijiet li jgħaddu minn Abraham jikkonfermaw il-wegħda tal-Mulej lil Abraham stess li minn nislu, għad jitbierku l-ġnus. L-evanġelista San Mattew jinsisti li fil-kalkolu ta’ dan in-nisel, kien ċar li l-istennija waslet fil-milja tagħha. “Minn Abraham sa David 14-il nisel, minn David sal-eżilju ta’ Babilonja 14-il nisel, mill-eżilju ta’ Babilonja sal-Messija 14-il-nisel” (Mt 1:17). In-numru sebgħa, numru perfett, huwa mtenni għal tliet darbiet. Waslet il-milja taż-żminijiet. U nistgħu ngħidu li din il-ħaġa mhijiex biss avveniment ta’ 2,000 sena ilu, imma l-Milied huwa attwali f’kull żmien; ta’ kull sena jkun wasal iż-żmien li nilqgħu lill-Mulej.

B’xi mod il-milja taż-żminijiet, hija u tixxennaq għall-Mulej, turi li għandha bżonnu. Ir-risposta tal-Mulej huwa li jibgħat lil Ibnu: “U jsemmih”, permezz ta’ Ġużeppi, “Ġesù għax hu jsalva l-poplu tiegħu minn dnubiethom”! (Lq 1:21). Isem ieħor li jfakkar Iżaija huwa Għimmanu-El “li bi lsienna jfisser Alla magħna” (Mt 1:23). Din hija r-risposta tal-Mulej għall-għatx li hemm fil-bniedem għalkemm dgħajjef: jiena se niġi nsalvak, jiena miegħek dejjem.

Illum niċċelebraw din ir-risposta straordinarja tal-ħniena tal-Mulej li ma jistmerrx jinżel f’ġuf ta’ verġni, li ma jiddejjaqx jinżel u jsir parti minn dan in-nisel, li mhux magħmul biss mill-qaddisin imma magħmul ukoll mill-midinbin u anke minn xi kriminal ’l hawn u ’l hemm. Għax meta tara n-nisel u l-lista ta’ dawn il-persunaġġi, inti tirrealizza li fihom hemm il-ġabra tal-glorja u tal-miżerja tal-umanità. U l-Mulej jidħol f’din l-istorja bħala Salvatur, Alla magħna. 

We are celebrating the birth of the son of God who does not come to judge or to condemn; he comes to save. He does not do it from outside, from a distance, he is with us.

I asked Deacon Osmar to leave the long list of people in the English version because the names sound the same. The Gospel of Matthew says that we have three sets of 14 generations. Now we know that there are two numbers in the Bible mentality that indicate perfection: the number 7 and the number 3. And so when you have 7 times 2 for 3 times, that means that the time now is very ripe, with the time is mature for something very special. These generations lead to an important moment in history. According to the Gospel of Matthew they start from Abraham up to Joseph, the husband of Mary.

The world, all humanity, is expecting the birth of this child. And they are anxious because they need this great gift that was promised. What is the answer for all this expectation? We find it in the names chosen for this baby. Joseph is to call the baby Jesus and Mathew tells us what the name means. The name means God saves. And he says: “You will name him Jesus because he will save the people from their sins” (Mt 1:21).

And Matthew reminds us of another name; he reminds us of the prophecy of Isaiah: “A virgin will give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel which means God is with us” (Is 7:14; Mt 1:23). In these two names of the baby: God saves, God is with us, we have the Christmas message in a few words.

We are celebrating the birth of the son of God who does not come to judge or to condemn; he comes to save. He does not do it from outside, from a distance, he is with us. That is why we call him Emmanuel and that is why we exchange gifts at Christmas because we want to remind ourselves that he is a present to us (present in English, présent in French, presente in Italian). The name for gift is also a way in which we are present in each other’s lives with love, fidelity and care. And that is why we celebrate Jesus. The great gift of God is also the expression of the Lord’s presence of his love and of his care.

✠ Charles J. Scicluna
     Arċisqof ta’ Malta  

Il-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
Evanġelju: Mt 1, 1-25

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