Yesterday I published a blog about the powerful speech that Gozo’s bishop Anton Teuma delivered with energy and passion to the congregation at the Basilica of Saint George in Victoria City, on the liturgical feast of the same saint.
I also pointed out how shameful it was for Newsbook, the church media, to not give enough credit to such a powerful speech, and this includes the misleading heading that they gave to this article of theirs, which misled the mass brain-think more astray than it already is. It should have been named “It is better if we have less beautiful churches that are crumbling, without a cafeteria, but full of people.” Instead, it named it “Gozo is full of buildings, and a young person has to sweat blood to pay the debt.”
In this blog, I am going to give the speech of Bishop Teuma again but in English.
In this speech, Bishop Teuma tapped upon the evil that is plaguing our times: the disgusting banking system that is enslaving the youth, the destruction of the family as an important unit in society, the love of money as the root of all evil, the engulfing property industry, the artificial and destructive ways in which local feasts are celebrated, how society has been turned into an individualistic one, and fake Christianity. He also calls for true Christians to return to Christian values. He also pinpointed the fact that it’s better to have crumbling churches instead of empty churches, indirectly hinting at the fact that the church has been turned into a profit-making organization.
“As much as I would like to pray to St. George to return to his Christian community, to go back to the values that we once had, for those characteristics that really make us Christians. Christians! Fruitful people. People who love. We are living in a society in a world that is totally materialistic; in a world that is alienating us. And we Christians are becoming too capable of making compromises with this world. We are becoming too capable without realizing it. We are too stunned, and we do what the world asks of us. And we continue to be called Christians and pretend to be Christians. But at the same time, we tell the truth. At the same time, there is a sense of unease. There is a sense of something bad happening, that is happening, in our country, in Europe, and in the world. Where is humanity going right now? Yes or no? Aren’t we all breathless from morning to night, from morning to evening? Maybe now is one of the few moments that you are sitting quietly. The rest of the day, from morning to evening, is one whole run. And maybe today we rushed more so that we could have this possibility of some little time of quiet to listen, to celebrate, and to participate in this feast of Saint George.
And do we not notice that there is something that is not going well in our lives?
And don’t we realize that we Christians sometimes really have lost some of the good taste of the gospel? Or from the bright light of the gospel that Jesus mentions? You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Didn’t we mix too much with the rest of the crowd? You might wonder what I am trying to say.
How I would like to see churches less beautiful than the ones we have. Churches that are crumbling but filled with people, just like this church is filled tonight.
How I would like to see less beautiful homes but stronger families. Better relationships. More love between a father and a mother. Between parents and children.
How I would like to see less beautiful houses, people with less property, but fewer fights between heirs and siblings.
How I would like to see a country with fewer houses. With fewer houses going up but more houses available for our young people. What a paradox! Gozo is full of buildings, and a young man has to sweat blood to find a place to live. He has to keep paying the debt for thirty, forty years. At least! At least!
How I would like to see less majestic, less big feasts, but at the same time happier people. Young people who are not alienated by drinking or drugs during feasts but more by the peace of their hearts in everyday life.
These are the characteristics of a Christian. The characteristics of Christians.
How I would like to see people who are less rich but who think of each other. Not everyone cares too much about themselves.
How much I would like to see less rich people, but more help is found in people when needed, in people who are suffering.
These are the characteristics of Saint George, and rest assured that Saint George is great, not because he killed the dragon. Saint George is great because in that country, with his testimony, with his capacity, he helped the weak with his capacity to take care of the poor. That country converted and became Christian.”
A heartfelt thank you to Bishop Teuma for tapping on such important points and realities while asking humanity to regain its humaneness – what makes it human.
A heartfelt thank you to Bishop Teuma for reminding Christians what being Christians is about.
This country needs members of the clergy who give such powerful speeches like that of Bishop Teuma’s to their congregation, without beating round the bush, so to guide them during these unprecedented times in which the culmination of a lifetime of evil is upon us by giving them the blatant Truth, before it is game over for humanity. And while they do, may they elevate Christ continuously, so that the congregation returns to Him.
God bless you Bishop Teuma.