After the priests' convention

Thank God, the VI International Convention for Priests in Malta has been a great success. It is surely God's providence to see over 1,000 priests, besides ours, young and old, coming from over 80 countries, to follow in the spiritual and apostolic steps of St Paul 2,000 years after his providential shipwreck on our island.

Perhaps the last time we had a similar opportunity, of course on a much smaller scale, was in the Sixties, when a considerable number of bishops came from Rome to seek vocations because they were told Malta was rich in priestly vocations.

Unfortunately, since then not only has the number of priestly vocations diminished drastically, but also some priests around us are really in crisis, hidden or otherwise, although these are still the pearls of God's heart and sought for by God.

Their crises range from psychological and social to religious and even spiritual. They are not always understood by their fellow priests but they do still need to continue to pray, especially to Jesus in the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary, and to consult someone who can help them overcome their crisis and get them nearer to God and His Church. St Paul needed Ananias and St Augustine needed St Ambrose. Thank God, once they are still alive, they can still acquire a high degree of holiness. But they must be careful not to fall into the devil's snare.

It is our duty to pray for priests, to have holy priests, to have more priests and to see priests persevere in holiness up to the end. It is not easy to lead a priestly life; it has never been easy. After all, it is not easy either for us married people to lead a holy life up to the end. It is very easy that somewhere, somehow, we fail.

The convention has been an answer to the spiritual and apostolic renewal and revival of priests. I have followed it on Telepace and my conclusion was a clear and decisive one: what has been said to priests gathered in the convention could easily have been said to us laymen as well.

This was confirmed, for instance, by Padre Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the Papal Household, who expounded the same meditation he preached last May in Rimini when he spoke to over 30,000 laymen of Rinnovamento nello Spirito. In Rimini he had more time at his disposal to speak on pneumatic holiness and so, on that occasion, among other things he mentioned as well, for example, that when they go to confession, of course if they have no mortal sin, priests usually confess "distractions in prayer and lack of patience". I never tire of following the lively meditations given by Padre Raniero.

All people of good will desire that the good fruits of the convention last, but this depends on both priests and laymen. All of us should strive after holiness and thus priests and laymen could be of a great help to each other. In this adventure those priests and laymen who are very close to God have a greater responsibility to spread around them the love and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Holiness is for all, but not all succeed to achieve it, priests not excluded. God can make us holy if we let Him, i.e., if we seek only Him and detach ourselves completely from everything that is not God. Reading the lives of saints is one of the effective means of becoming holier and holier every day.

I can never fail to mention the power of grace in us which enables us to always overcome all temptations and difficulties on our way to holiness. If I fail to mention this power, I am sure God will tell me off. But what can I do without God's grace? How can I lead, second after second, day after day, an ardent life full of love of God and neighbour?

Thank God the convention is successfully over, but our lives are not yet over. Would that all of us, priests included, experience the power of the Holy Spirit in us, not to perform miracles, but to do God's will continually and to give Him more glory to such an extent that God can say of us: "This is one of my sons/daughters in whom I am well pleased"! Such a state of spiritual life can only be achieved through the power of God's loving grace.