Queen of all Humanity
We give you glory!

Unlike those antediluvian creation myths of early pagan cults, wherein violence among wrathful deities required placation or bribery often by blood sacrifice, Sacred Scripture is profoundly different.  Genesis repeats in joyful chorus the inchoate origin of divine beauty in creation: "...And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." The Genesis narrative also records that humans were made to enjoy the company of their Creator and to delight in creation, along with their God. Indeed, even today, peering into the electron microscope, scientists wonder at the tiniest of nanoparticles. The largest of living creatures have their part, too, in sacred creation. Huge sperm whales can dive more than a mile into the black depths of the ocean, then return to the surface for breath and socializing with others of their kind. Positioning their giant heads near the surface and their huge bodies straight upright, whales sleep together perfectly still in pods, like a grove of trees suspended in water and carried along by the tide. Through out the ages, along with the astrologers and natural scientists, countless artists -- authors, poets, hymnists, and painters -- continue to co-create with God, who makes all things beautiful in his own time! Even the inanimate rocks praise God in their fossilized remains from 300 million years ago in the Carboniferous Era of creation; nothing is lost in God's stockpile of eternal love. In perpetual return, the earth-bound bulbs of daffodils push their beauty upwards; through winter's snow their yellow trumpets rise each year and forever, all proclaiming: "Spring bursts today, / For Christ is risen, and all the earth is at play" [Christina Rosetti]. Yet, beyond the beauty of God in the natural realm, it is in the supernatural dimension where deepest beauty originates. The Gospels, like the great whales, dive into the depths of God's mercy, and record in all the Biblical narratives the wonder of salvation history. There, in the darkness of the unknown, God's masterpiece of mercy for humanity is conceived in the Immaculate Conception of Mary, who is a harbinger of the Incarnation, like the Spring daffodil. The Verbum Dei of Jesus Christ echoes Genesis. In that meeting of divine and human, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and by her Fiat, the world was recreated, and the fullness of divine beauty in the human vocation was revealed in its earliest form, the Causa Nostrae Laetitiae. Mary in her Immaculate Conception is truly the cause of our joy, carrying the gestation of both divinity and humanity of the preborn Jesus within her own body. Jesus, who is Life itself, carries both human and divine natures in himself. The Church, created by Christ's divine wounds and prepared by Mary's divine motherhood, invites all people into supernatural life. First, in Baptism, the Church invites people to receive that which cannot be attained on our own, even by our most powerful efforts: an innocence of soul and purified nature, cleansed of toxic residue in our spiritual and genome heritage. St George Preca wrote a most lovely hymn to our Lady in the "Vestis Honoris". God chose Mary. If we accept Jesus's love and honor his holy mother, then the sadness of sin and tyranny of violence can gradually be overcome by his indwelling. "God created mankind in his own image ... and it was very good." Our Lady, intercede for us. Ruth D. Lasseter SDC Associate Indiana, USA

Christ’s Resurrection invites us into a moment of profound wonder, where death is not the end but the doorway to eternal life. On Easter, the silence of the tomb is broken by the triumph of love, as Christ rises in glory. He stands among his beloved Apostles, not as a distant figure, but as one who bears the marks of his sacrifice. Showing them his wounded hands and feet, he transforms fear into faith and sorrow into joy. His gentle words “Peace be with you” echo across time, reaching every restless heart today. In this sacred mystery, we are called to meditate on the Heart of Jesus, wounded, yet victorious; pierced, yet full of divine mercy. His heart beats with a love that has conquered every darkness and every enemy of God’s name. As we pause in stillness, we begin to see that his victory is not only his own, but a promise for each of us. Through him, brokenness can be restored, and despair can be lifted into hope. Let our prayer rise from within: that our hearts may become like his, compassionate, courageous, and alive with grace. In humility, we repeat: Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Lord Jesus Christ, make my heart like unto yours. Offering ourselves to the Father, we unite our lives with the Divine Heart of Christ, believing that we too are called to rise into new life. And so, with grateful hearts, we proclaim: praise be to God, for his love has conquered all.

St George Preca, following the guidance of other great spiritual masters, recommends the practice of the Memory Exercise in order to instil and preserve within us the spirit of Jesus Christ. The Memory Exercise consists in applying all that we know about Christ to every situation we encounter and to every action we perform, reflecting on how Jesus himself spoke and behaved. During these days, when we are more focused on the Passion of Jesus, it is suggested that, in order to remain in his presence, we allow the ordinary things around us to remind us of the events, things and places associated with the Passion, the people involved, and what Jesus himself endured. When you are thirsty, remember Christ crucified, who said that he was thirsty. When you are undressing to change your clothes or to wash yourself, remember Christ, who was stripped before being crucified. When your friends forsake you, remember Christ, who was abandoned by the apostles when he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. When you are counting money, remember Christ, who was betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver. When you are praised, remember Christ, who withdrew when the people wished to crown him king. When you hear shouting, remember Christ, who was cried against by the crowd before Pilate: “Crucify him!” When you sweat, remember Christ, who sweated blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. When you are praying, remember Christ, who prayed with his face to the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane. …and so on. The person who wishes to remain in the presence of God should let everything lift his mind to the Lord God and adore him in all that he does. Lord God, seek me to adore you!

A terrible evil had been done to me as a young adolescent, and my family community was shattered. My Protestant friends advised me: "Just forgive and forget... You don't want to be bitter, do you?"  Indeed, bitterness was attached to me like the bark on a tree, and it continued for years, despite my trying unsuccessfully to find some cure and peace. After some years, I sought psychological help into myself and the fearful world of dreams and symbolism, where (to borrow from the poetry of Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins): "... O the mind, mind has mountains; cliffs of fall  Frightful, sheer, no-man-fathomed. Hold them cheap  May who ne'er hung there..." My elderly therapist was a blessed companion into the inner life. Having attended Oxford University, raised a family, and studied under Carl Jung, she was educated and sensitive. However, even with the best of guides, psychology is limited. While psychology might help in understanding and improving relationships, it cannot forgive. I could go through the motions of reconciliation but still have no forgiveness within me to give. If forgiveness was not possible, then I needed absolution, not more self-analysis. If I were Catholic, then maybe I could go to Confession and feel real forgiveness, not just the motions of reconciliation in a show of "kiss and make up". Done! My first Confession was made to a Ugandan priest, who listened attentively. He then asked: "Are you trying to take revenge?" No, I was not taking revenge. But I wondered aloud why, no matter how I tried, there were no feelings of forgiveness. He replied: "Your feelings do not matter. You have done your part and made your confession. Remember that only Jesus can forgive. He forgives for you, and he will enact forgiveness in his own time." Some days later, after having received absolution, I noticed that bitterness was gone! There was no longer that sad memory knife against my throat! The toxin had just vanished, and I was free. Since I came into the Catholic Church as an adult, my faith has been a life-long learning experience. I have learned that the little word "yet" is necessary for spiritual growth, and especially in approaching the Sacrament of Confession. There, at the deepest core of reconciliation, the intimate conversation involves just two living beings: me and my maker. The Lord Jesus inquires gently: "Do you not yet have the courage to accept my love?" I have too often had to admit with sorrow: "Not yet... please help me find that courage!" In the Sacrament, even with an imperfect contrition, there is still help for the helpless. The voice of God's Love advocates for courage to a disciple who longs, even yet, to find the strength to proclaim: "Yes! I want to serve and can accept Your Love. Thank You, Lord Jesus; forgive me, Lord Jesus." The forgiving embrace that follows forgiveness is an enduring mystery. The reality of true reconciliation with God spills over into all creation and every created being, into all human communities, from family relationships to the farthest shores. Reconciliation is peace, the very foundation of our human life's construct. When a quivering "not yet" becomes an exuberant "Yes! Fiat!" then the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Ruth D. Lasseter SDC Associate Indiana, USA  

“We adore you, O Jesus, and we bless you and thank you, because by your Cross and Resurrection you have redeemed us.” Saint George Preca   It is a part of life that sometimes we do not conduct ourselves as God wishes us to do, and we should not wait for Lent to reconcile ourselves to God, as we do in Confession. Every person is unique, and his actions are not tied to any particular time of the year, like when we move from one amusement to another, but then during Lent we take a short break.   ‘The Great Book’ Saint George Preca, therefore, proposed a few helps to do penance as part of life all the year round, at any time of life. For him, Christ, redeeming us from sin, was 'The Great Book'. In 50 reflections he tells us to 'stay on Calvary before Christ Jesus Crucified, beside the Blessed Virgin Mary His Mother, and take from Him teachings of eternal life.' Included among the meditations of ‘The Great Book’ there are those on the horror of sin, on the necessity of penance, on hope from the blood of Christ, on the mercy of God, on God being the refuge of sinners, , and on other subjects related to penance.   ‘The Sanctuary of the Spirit of Christ’ A beautiful book full of inspiration from the last weeks in the life of Christ is 'The Sanctuary of the Spirit of Christ'. It includes 50 episodes of one or two verses each about what Jesus did throughout his life.  For each episode he asks: “What spirit do you observe in this circumstance?' The book also includes 50 questions about what Jesus taught, asking: 'What comes to your mind with these words?' One statement he gives is: ‘Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also’ (Mt 6,21). And the answer he gives is: ‘“A man’s mind is directed to what he loves; one who loves God seeks God in all things.’” ‘The Sanctuary of the Spirit of Christ’ also includes 50 questions: 'What did Jesus suffer for?' for each of which he asks: 'What do you notice here?' That is, for whom and for what reason did Jesus suffer so much? This is one example: “Christ suffered when blindfolded during the Passion.” For which the answer given is: “Here Jesus suffered for sins committed with our eyes to see what is not appropriate. “The book also contains 50 sentences about what the Spirit of Christ is not, such as when we are envious of the good others have done. Another interesting exercise in this book is named 'What does this remind you of?', where Saint George Preca mentions an object or an action we encounter in life to reflect on what it reminds us of in the life of Jesus, like: “Do you remember when someone corrected you?” The answer is: “When Jesus looked at Peter to correct him.” In ‘The Sanctuary of the Spirit of Christ’, Saint George Preca also opens dialogues with Jesus reminding him of 55 episodes in his life, such as: 'Lord Jesus, do you remember when you wept over Jerusalem because Jews did not accept you?' and expresses himself thus: 'With how much love do you wish us to pursue good!'   Prayers of a Contrite Heart Saint George Preca left us also 12 prayers of a contrite heart, short paragraphs with excerpts from the Bible mentioning the repentance of Biblical persons. Included in the ‘Prayers of a Contrite Heart’ are repentant sinners, such as King David, the apostle Peter, Mary Magdalene, the 'good' thief on the cross, and others, following wrongs they had committed. While showing the horror of sin, Saint George Preca still puts his trust in the great mercy of God towards the sinner. These are like some refrains we repeat in the Ash Wednesday Mass, where we pray: “O God, have mercy on, us for we have sinned.” Saint George Preca gives a particular way to these Psalms, like the first one which is this: “How sorry am I, O lord, that I have tread against you! Peace has forsaken me, your benefits rebuke me, and fear overcomes me. Do not despise me, humiliated and confused as I am before you. I am ashamed to lift my eyes to you. Keep me as one of the least of your servants.”   “Look here and be calm.” Among Saint George Preca's writings about the Crucifix, and the way to look at it, there is this very beautiful one taken from the book Talks to Children. "Tell me, who may look at the Crucifix and not rest in perfect peace?” Do your sins frighten you? Imagine Christ crucified telling you: Look here and keep calm for I have paid for you. "Has someone treated you badly? Imagine Christ crucified telling you: Look here and keep calm for I have done good and have been paid with evil." "Are you hurt or saddened? Imagine Christ crucified telling you: Look here and keep calm for though innocent, I am in a sea of pain, of sorrow. " "Are you missing something? Imagine Christ crucified telling you: Look here and be still as I am nailed naked to the cross. " "Are you being ridiculed? Listen to Christ crucified telling you: Look here and be still for I who am God, am an object of ridicule, mockery and laughter.” In a word, in whatever spiritual state you find yourself in. You always could find comfort to draw from Christ crucified, telling anyone who looks at him that all ends in death: both pleasures and tears. Never think of yourself as spiritual if you should turn your gaze anywhere else but on the Crucifix. Christ alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one reaches the eternal kingdom of peace except through him alone. Do you seek temporary pleasures? Know that you would not be a true disciple of Christ who suffered for us and left us an example to follow him, who committed no sin. See therefore that in the face   of suffering you may sincerely say: “O Holy Cross, I salute you!” Joe Galea SDC Member

Dear brothers and sisters, Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life. Every path towards conversion begins by allowing the word of God to touch our hearts and welcoming it with a docile spirit. There is a relationship between the word, our acceptance of it and the transformation it brings about. For this reason, the Lenten journey is a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ, accompanying him on the road to Jerusalem, where the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection will be fulfilled. Listening This year, I would first like to consider the importance of making room for the word through listening. The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone. In revealing himself to Moses in the burning bush, God himself teaches us that listening is one of his defining characteristics: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry” (Ex 3:7). Hearing the cry of the oppressed is the beginning of a story of liberation in which the Lord calls Moses, sending him to open a path of salvation for his children who have been reduced to slavery. Our God is one who seeks to involve us. Even today he shares with us what is in his heart. Because of this, listening to the word in the liturgy teaches us to listen to the truth of reality. In the midst of the many voices present in our personal lives and in society, Sacred Scripture helps us to recognize and respond to the cry of those who are anguished and suffering. In order to foster this inner openness to listening, we must allow God to teach us how to listen as he does. We must recognize that “the condition of the poor is a cry that, throughout human history, constantly challenges our lives, societies, political and economic systems, and, not least, the Church.” Fasting If Lent is a time for listening, fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the word of God. Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion. Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we “hunger” for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance. Moreover, it helps us to identify and order our “appetites,” keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency. Thus, it teaches us to pray and act responsibly towards our neighbor. With spiritual insight, Saint Augustine helps us to understand the tension between the present moment and the future fulfilment that characterizes this custody of the heart. He observes that: “In the course of earthly life, it is incumbent upon men and women to hunger and thirst for justice, but to be satisfied belongs to the next life. Angels are satisfied with this bread, this food. The human race, on the other hand, hungers for it; we are all drawn to it in our desire. This reaching out in desire expands the soul and increases its capacity.” Understood in this way, fasting not only permits us to govern our desire, purifying it and making it freer, but also to expand it, so that it is directed towards God and doing good. However, in order to practice fasting in accordance with its evangelical character and avoid the temptation that leads to pride, it must be lived in faith and humility. It must be grounded in communion with the Lord, because “those who are unable to nourish themselves with the word of God do not fast properly.” As a visible sign of our inner commitment to turn away from sin and evil with the help of grace, fasting must also include other forms of self-denial aimed at helping us to acquire a more sober lifestyle, since “austerity alone makes the Christian life strong and authentic.” In this regard, I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace. Together Finally, Lent emphasizes the communal aspect of listening to the word and fasting. The Bible itself underlines this dimension in multiple ways. For example, the Book of Nehemiah recounts how the people gathered to listen to the public reading of the Law, preparing to profess their faith and worship through fasting, so as to renew the covenant with God (cf. 9:1-3). Likewise, our parishes, families, ecclesial groups and religious communities are called to undertake a shared journey during Lent, in which listening to the word of God, as well as to the cry of the poor and of the earth, becomes part of our community life, and fasting a foundation for sincere repentance. In this context, conversion refers not only to one’s conscience, but also to the quality of our relationships and dialogue. It means allowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognizing what truly guides our desires — both within our ecclesial communities and as regards humanity’s thirst for justice and reconciliation. Dear friends, let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others. Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love. I impart my heartfelt blessing upon all of you and your Lenten journey. From the Vatican, 5 February 2026, Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr LEO PP. XIV Source: www.vatican.va

This is a very practical book, published by Preca Publications and written in Maltese by Emanuel Curmi, a member of the Society of Christian Doctrine, M.U.S.E.U.M.. This is not a book to rush through, but one to read gradually and reflectively, taking time to relish the insights offered on every page. Its graceful words invite you into a kind of training, much like athletes exercising in a gym; through this spiritual discipline, you permit the Lord to mould and transform you, step by step. It is an inward journey that unfolds over many years, indeed across a lifetime. So do not become discouraged but persevere with resolve. Yearn for the Lord. Keep your eyes fixed on him. Let him fashion you, strengthen you, and fill you with his presence. Echo the Psalmist’s prayer: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” (Psalm 42,2–3). Biex insiru bħal Alla (To Become Like God) is available for purchase from Librerija Preca.