Liturgy

St Martin’s Bag

06/11/2024

On 11 November the Church celebrates the feast of St Martin of Tours. This saint was born of pagan parents, but he was inclined towards the Roman Catholic faith from a young age. He followed and practised the monastic and eremitic ideal for many years before he was chosen as bishop of Tours, France, in the year 371. During his episcopate, he built various monasteries and he died during a visit to one of the dioceses with the hope of bringing unity to this diocese. The cult of St Martin is very popular in the Roman Catholic world, and was one of the first people to be revered as saints even though he didn’t suffer any martyrdom.

Undoubtedly, one of the famous traditions associated with this Saint is the bag of St Martin (il-borża ta’ San Martin). Traditionally, it used to be a bag filled with different types fruit and a small sweet bun—nowadays sweets are included in it as well, to make it more inviting for children.

The origin of this tradition, which is still very strong amongst us even today, are quite interesting. Although popularly associated with acts of charity that St Martin is known for—like the legend of the mantel that St Martin teared to share with a poor man, who later is revealed to be Jesus himself—the origins of this the borża ta’ San Martin are rooted in liturgy.

Besides the celebration of baptism during the Easter Vigil, some were baptised on 6 January when the Church commemorated the Baptism of the Lord before establishing that day specifically as the feast of the visit of the Magi. Even today, the liturgy of the Epiphany includes also the Baptism of the Lord together with the miracle during the marriage in Cana, as part of the celebration of the mystery of God who showed himself in the person of Jesus Christ.

Consequently, just as forty days of fasting were observed in preparation for Baptism—which eventually developed in the liturgical season of Lent—likewise, even before the celebration of the feast of the Epiphany a forty days period of fasting was observed. Eventually, particularly in the Gallican Church (of France), this fast was associated with Christmas, thus starting the day following the feast of St Martin. The borża ta’ San Martin functioned in the same way as sweets during Carnival, just before lent starts. This observance gradually led paved the way for the Church to establish the period of Advent—a time which didn’t maintain its penitential character, yet its aim of opening our hearts in preparation for the coming of the Lord remains.

The Development of Devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary in Malta

02/10/2024

We can safely say that, during the month of October, most of our parishes celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. In a number of parishes, in particular those who have been long established, we find altars or side chapels dedicated to Our Lady under this title, most with confraternities linked to them.

This devotion became widely spread in Malta after the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Engaged in this battle were also the Knights of St John together with Maltese seamen and soldiers. Pope St Pius V attributed this victory to Our Lady since the Christian forces won the battle on 7 October, which coincided with the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary in Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome. Initially, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was celebrated on the first Sunday in October. However, when the Liturgical Calendar was reformed by Pope St Pius X to emphasise the importance of the Sunday Liturgy, 7 October was chosen for the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and we still celebrate it on this day.

Only few years after 1571, Confraternities of the Rosary were being established in Malta by the Dominican Friars who worked tirelessly to spread this devotion. In contrast with other confraternities at that time in Malta—that were groups for men that practiced a specific trade—the Rosary Confraternity was of a devotional nature. The Rosary Confraternity in Valletta assisted those who were condemned to death by hanging. As a result, they were also called “tal-Miżerikordja”—literally, “of Mercy.”

It may be that the conflicts we face today are more subtle and therefore more threatening. But our weapon must remain the same: prayer, in particular the Holy Rosary especially during the month of October through which we contemplate from Our Mother’s perspective the life of the Son of God made man for us.

Drop down dew from above, you heavens

02/10/2024

Currently our land is flooded with water, and it seems it cannot take anymore rain. But at the same time, our souls are thirsty and our hearts faint as in a dry and weary land where there is no water (see Psalm 63:1). Because we believe, we know that the human heart thirsts for the Lord—and, although we are still thirsty like a dry weary land, we are blessed because we know for what we are longing, while those who do not believe experience emptiness beyond comprehension, that becomes a terrifying desert. This blessing is like soft rain, like dew, which is hardly felt—it is not heavy—but enough to permeate the land and for trees to produce their fruit.

During the Advent Season, the Liturgical tradition of the Church frequently uses a verse taken from the second part of the book of the Prophet Isaiah—which focuses on the liberation of God’s people from the Babylonian Exile that was seen as close at hand due to the political changes that were happening in the Middle East at that time. In particular, in the entrance antiphon of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the Church prays with the words of the Prophet Isaiah:

Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may sprout forth, and let it cause righteousness to spring up also.

Isaiah 45:8

Therefore, in preparation for the celebration of the beginning of our liberation from sin and death through the birth of God made man, and while we await the realisation of this freedom in a complete way when we meet the Lord face to face, it is not without cause that the Church reiterates many times these words: this is a cry for the heavens to open, that grace may pour down so that salvation may spring forth from the earth, for us also in our day.

This salvation springs forth from the earth because, although grace comes from heaven, this same grace does not come down in its fullness but gives life to the earth, and life to the heart of man, in order that the presence of the God that saves sprouts from within it. It is salvation that sprouts from the earth because he chose to dwell in this world and become one of us. This salvation still sprouts from the earth because he still comes to us today through the fruit of the earth and work of human hands that become his body and blood, that journeyed on this earth, in order that he may strengthen us in our journey in this world.

As we draw closer to Christmas, may we ask the Lord for the grace that the earth will once more be receptive and soften, so that it may receive within it his mercy, in order that righteousness may sprout through our actions, words, thoughts, and desires, which are simply human but are also imbued with his justice and righteousness.

The Assumption of Our Lady: A Maternal Perspective on the Paschal Mysteries

02/10/2024

Last Saturday I was at Mass and the priest celebrate a votive Mass of Our Lady. In the preface—the prayer recited by the priest before the consecration—there was a sentence that struck me and which is significant for both the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady and the Feast of the Queenship of Mary which is celebrated a week later. The prayer reads as follows:

Raised to the glory of heaven, she accompanies your pilgrim Church with a mother’s love, and watches in kindness over the Church’s homeward steps, until the Lord’s Day shall come in glorious splendour.

Roman Missal, Preface from the Votive Mass of Our Lady Mother of the Church

This sentence struck me because it gives a particular perspective on the mystery of Our Lady and on the mystery of man. Christ’s ascension did not mean that he abandoned us. Rather, it means that he took our humanity to the right hand of the Father so he would intercede for our salvation, in order that he may lead not only those in his company but everyone, from all places and all times, to their true home. Similarly, these liturgical celebrations give a maternal touch to the mystery of salvation because, following Our Lady’s assumption into Heaven, her mission as Mother of Jesus’ disciples did not end with her death, but with a glorified body like Christ’s—and like the glorified bodies of those who have died united to Christ will have—Our Lady cares for us all wherever we are and accompanies us towards our heavenly home.

Our Lady is a mother that cares for us, accompanies us in our life’s journey, and spreads her mantle of protection over us. Because she is truly our mother, this mantle does not stifle our liberty but rather increases it because she is a mother that allows her children space while at the same time remaining present. She does not stop being a mother when her children become adults and leave home. Parents who have or are experiencing this situation can understand this stage in life. On the other hand, we can also understand this when in this free space we were able to take our state in life while other close family members remained as guides and support. And, if this was not our experience due to obstacles we have had to face, we do feel that something was not quite right. This is why we continue to turn to Our Lady and place our hand in hers: so that she may continue to protect and guide us. She accompanies us wherever we go—even if we go astray, she will never abandon us—with full confidence that, step by step, she will walk with us and lead us to her Son’s glory, who became man like us so, as Our Lady has already experienced, we too can become like him, and see him as he is (see 1 Jn 3:2).

How long does the priest have to wear white?!

02/10/2024

It has already been one month since we celebrated Easter, but liturgically the Church continues to use the same liturgical colour, white, except on certain feasts such as those of martyrs, apostles, or on Pentecost, when red is used. White is associated with light, purity, glory and joy. But why should the priest continue wearing white for almost fifty days?

The choice of the time span for the liturgical seasons is not arbitrary. It is chronologically linked to the Gospels, particularly that of Luke. Both in the Gospel and in the Acts of the Apostles—which was also written by St Luke—we find that Jesus spent forty days appearing to his disciples so that they could rejoice because the bridegroom was still with them (see Luke 5:33-39). And, when Jesus “parted from them and was carried up into heaven” (Lk 24:51), although the bridegroom was taken from them, we still find them waiting in anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit fifty days after Easter with joy and enthusiasm: they remained united daily in prayer and they chose Matthias to replace Judas.

During these fifty days we also journey with the early Church as she takes her first steps in the mission Jesus entrusted to her to go to the ends of the earth. Not every step was successful, but many of the obstacles changed into opportunities, and with every door that closed others opened.

This is why, liturgically, we continue to use white: because we know that, although we cannot see him physically, the Bridegroom is still with us. We can hear him speaking to us through His Word and experience His presence powerfully in the sacraments, through which we also receive the Holy Spirit who continues to journey with us in our ordinary lives—when the liturgical colour changes to green during Ordinary Time—where it is necessary to continue to receive and give life.

Quasimodo and the Second Sunday of Easter

02/10/2024

One of the most well-known characters of the French author Victor Hugo is undoubtedly the Hunchback of Notre Dame—a person born disfigured who in the novel experiences a tragic end, unlike the Disney version in which he ends up living happily ever after.

You might say: “But what does this have to do with the Easter Season that we have just begun?”  Indeed, it does!  The Archdeacon Monsignor Claude Frollo finds this infant on the Second Sunday of Easter, named after the introductory antiphon of the Mass (in the same way that Gaudete Sunday in Advent and Laetare Sunday in Lent take their name):

Like newborn infants, you must long for the pure, spiritual milk, that in him you may grow to salvation, alleluia.

Here, the Liturgy uses an old translation of this verse from St Peter’s Second Epistle (2:2), taken from St Jerome’s Vulgate.  The antiphon in Latin reads as follows:

Quasi modo géniti infántes, rationábile, sine dolo lac concupíscite, ut in eo crescátis in salútem, allelúia.

It was precisely the first two words of the antiphon that Frollo used to name the infant when he baptised him on the last day of the Easter Octave: Quasimodo.  In the novel, it seems that the author is trying to enter into the mind of the archdeacon to discover what his intention was when he gave this infant a most peculiar name:  maybe because he wanted to mark the day in which the infant was found, or to stress how imperfect and defective this infant was.  Through the act of Baptism—perhaps without realising—the Archdeacon declares the human dignity of this deformed individual.

Maybe we all have a little of Quasimodo in us—imperfect and defective—but deep within us lies our humanity and the image of God that gives us dignity.  Therefore, the Good News of Easter, which is renewed for us again on the Second Sunday of Easter, speaks precisely about how our imperfections can reach their fulfilment and perfection if we long and search for the pure milk of grace that the Church gives us in the Sacraments and in the Word.  Only in this way can we arrive at declaring unequivocally with Thomas: “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28).

Why rejoice on the Third Sunday of Advent?

16/09/2024

Many find it strange when they see the priest coming out to celebrate mass wearing a rose-coloured chasuble, since the colour is used only twice a year: once during Advent and once during Lent. Liturgically, the colour rose is a colour that communicates a sense of joy and hope. In Advent this colour is used on the Third Sunday which we call ‘Gaudete’. This word means ‘joy’. At the beginning of Advent, the prayers during Mass refer to the Lord who is coming, but from the Third Sunday onwards, the liturgical prayers focus on the fact that the Lord’s coming is near.

The theme of joy and the name ‘Gaudete’ given to the Third Sunday of Advent come from the words of the entrance antiphon: “Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, Gaudete. Dominus enim prope est.” In English this translates to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” The words of this antiphon are taken from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians (4:4). In fact, in the Second Reading of the Third Sunday of Advent St Paul tells us: “Rejoice always,pray constantly,give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess 5:16-18).  May we truly seek that joy which comes from choosing God’s will and that of Jesus Christ in everything!

Why is purple used during Lent?

16/09/2024

Throughout the Lenten Season, the colour purple is predominant.  And, although we associate this colour with both Lent and Advent—except for Gaudete Sunday on the Third Sunday in Advent and Laetare Sunday on the Fourth Sunday in Lent—the significance of the colour purple does not come automatically. It is also the colour used at funerals, and while celebrating the Sacraments of healing, by which we mean the Sacrament of Penance and the Anointing of the Sick.

In the history of the Church, different rites, places and traditions had different colours that were not always used for the same purpose.  It appears that, while the main colour used was white, in time three other colours emerged: red, green and black. Purple is mentioned as a colour that is used occasionally. With the passage of time, the Church replaced the use of black with purple during the Advent and Lenten seasons.

At face value, there doesn’t seem to be a specific meaning for these colours, apart from the connection between white and purity, red as a symbol of blood and the fire of the Spirit, and black for mourning. Yet, mystically, we can associate the colour purple with the colour of bruising and death, and thus instilling in us feelings of sorrow and melancholy.

Since it is not a vibrant colour, it fits well with the penitential character of Lent that gradually turns our gaze to the bruised body of Our Saviour during the passion, which the Church urges us to focus on in the fifth week of Lent and during Holy week in preparation for the Easter Triduum.

Don’t sing the Alleluia during Lent!

16/09/2024

Have you ever noticed that during Lent we don’t sing the Alleluia at Mass, but instead we say, “Glory and Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ” or some other similar formula? Lent is a very important season in the Liturgical calendar because it serves as a preparation for the celebration of the Paschal Mysteries, and it is also a penitential season that helps us acknowledge our sins and give God the first place in our lives. The three words that characterise this period are: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. But what does the word Alleluia have to do with this?

During this time, Christians fast, so to speak, from saying Alleluia, which comes from the Greek words hallalu, that means ‘praise’, and yah, which is a short form of the name ‘Yahweh’, God’s Name. In short, the word Alleluia means ‘praise God’. This is a joyous acclamation through which we are reminded that during Mass we are united with the choirs of angels to celebrate the Kingdom of God even while we are still in this world.

But during Lent we focus on the need to prepare ourselves to receive salvation and the Kingdom of God. The forty days of Lent remind us of the forty years that the Israelites spent in the desert. It is a time of reflection and purification, that urges us to long for the salvation that God offers us through the Paschal Mystery, meaning the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ.

The ‘fast’ from singing the Alleluia is one of a number of small changes in the Liturgy that emphasis the penitential character of this season, amongst which is the Gloria, in which there is found the joyous news of the angels who proclaimed the birth of Jesus; the Responsorial Psalm is taken from the penitential psalms or from other psalms that ask God to intervene in moments of trial; flowers are not placed on the altar; and the liturgical colour is purple, which, as explained earlier, symbolises penance and repentance. These changes help us focus our attention on repentance and uniting ourselves to God’s will through penance and prayer.

Thus, this ‘fast’ from singing the Alleluia serves to prepare us, and creates an internal longing to celebrate Easter with the hope of one day adoring and praising God face to face in Heaven where we will join in the never ending Alleluia.

Stop and Think:

Praising God is an almost forgotten form of prayer. Maybe it is because we are used to praying to God in times of need. How long has it been since you have praised God for all the graces he has given you in life?

In what ways can you better prepare yourself to sing the Alleluia on Easter Sunday with a pure heart?

The Epiphany at the Wedding Feast at Cana

16/09/2024

Although after the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, the Church commences with the first week in ordinary time, the previously mentioned feast and the Liturgy of the Word of the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time prolong the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord, which this year was celebrated just after New Year’s Day.

In the Christian tradition, the Epiphany is not only a feast commemorating the Magi’s visit to Jesus presenting him with gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. The word Epiphany comes from Greek and means manifestation, revelation. And so, the mystery of God that revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ continues to extend itself beyond this visit in the small city of Bethlehem through which our Saviour revealed himself also to all the nations on earth. The Liturgical Tradition also includes the Baptism and the wedding feast at Cana in this manifestation. In fact, the Antiphon for Morning Prayer on the Feast of the Epiphany is as follows:

Today the Bridegroom claims his bride, the Church, since Christ has washed her sins away in Jordan’s waters; the Magi hasten with their gifts to the royal wedding; and the wedding guests rejoice, for Christ has changed water into wine, alleluia.

And also, in the Evening Prayer of the same day, the Church raises her voice and sings:

Three mysteries mark this holy day: today the star leads the Magi to the infant Christ; today water is changed into wine for the wedding feast; today Christ wills to be baptised by John in the river Jordan to bring us salvation, alleluia.

As we find explained in the General Introduction of the Lectionary * (Par. 105), for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Gospel continues to focus on the Lord’s manifestation, in Year C through the Gospel account of the Wedding Feast of Cana, and in Year A and B through two passages from the first chapter of the Gospel according to John.

Despite having already put away our Christmas decorations, the Liturgy still continues to give us a taste of the beauty of this mystery which has been revealed to us to fortify us in our journey as we begin this civil New Year.

* The Lectionary is a book in which we find the readings that are read during Mass.