Letters to the editor – May 16, 2026

Remove VAT on sunscreens 

Lawrence Scerri, president, Maltese Association of Dermatology & Venereology

Parties are currently bombarding the electorate with proposals and promises. 

Sunscreen prices are prohibitive otherwise and do not encourage compliance.

How about doing something for the escalating problem of skin cancer? Remove VAT on sunscreen as this should be considered a medicinal product, given its important role in the fight against skin cancer. 

Food that changes us

Peter Pace O’Shea of Sliema writes:

The Eucharist is Jesus – body, blood, soul and divinity. It is him present. When we attend Holy Mass and the priest puts his hands over the bread and the wine reciting the prayer of consecration, the miracle happens and they are transformed into the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is not a repetition of what happened during the Last Supper. What happens is that we enter into the moment when Jesus said, “this is my body and this is my blood”. We are present at the Last Supper. It is not a repetition of it. We are in the presence of the Lord and we walk up to receive the Eucharist and Jesus comes to us and stays with us. This is food that changes us and not food we eat that our body changes.

My personal experience of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, especially during early morning Mass, is that he accompanies me through the day. I feel protected and I know that, as long as I listen to him in my heart, my actions are a reflection of his.

Original sin has weakened us, and that is why we need to receive Jesus, ideally every day, early in the morning, so he accompanies us during that particular day. Jesus present in us every day changes us and we become more like him. 

Very often, we do not realise this but people around us can see Jesus working in us through our words, our thoughts, our actions, our empathy, our unconditional forgiveness and a presence of peace around us.

Jesus said: “Whatever you do to the least one of you, you are doing it to me.” This to me is the underpinning quote by Jesus that summarises all he said during his life on earth.

If we follow this teaching we will truly act like Jesus would act. Going to Holy Mass and receiving the Eucharist must never be taken as some form of obligation. 

Going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist is a need; a need that protects and strengthens our soul, which, in turn, does good to our body.

To live in peace, even as we are surrounded by worries and pains, we need to allow Jesus, through the Eucharist, to enter our lives. We can then let the past go, live happily now, and tomorrow will be in his hands.