Entente cordiale

My thanks to Charles Xuereb for his helpful letter (September 6), in which he appears to concede my point that the British Empire, despite its undoubted faults, might also have brought some benefits to its colonial territories.

As Aleks Farrugia argues in his passionately-felt article on the facing page, whatever Malta’s future is to be can no longer be blamed on British colonialists. It must be determined by the Maltese themselves. But where are the politicians with the courage and the vision to help them bring it about?

Alan Cooke – Sliema

A unique, unequalled Christian message

Mother Teresa defied public opinion. Photo: Shutterstock.com

Christ’s departing words to His disciples upon the completion of His earthly mission were to go out and teach all nations what He had taught them. This they did and it was a wondrous achievement.

Here were men and women who took on the mightiest empire of the time and, in a hostile and uncomprehending society, fearlessly preached the Gospel.

Upon reflection, it is evident that there are similarities between the times the early believers lived in and today’s world. Both are wounded societies where disrespect for the dignity of the human person and licentiousness abound.

In Rome, slaves and imperfect babies were abused and discarded. Today, the unborn and the terminally ill are often gotten rid of in a society where the fittest and most productive are acclaimed above all. Where sexual morality is concerned, the mores of today are not very dissimilar to those of ancient Rome.

However, there is one aspect that distances today’s believers from yesterday’s. The latter never allowed the prevailing, pagan environment to deter them from loudly proclaiming the Good News. Now, it is sometimes hard to believe that Christians, so timid and hesitant to announce the Gospel in its entirety, are the heirs of those who gave their lives for the faith.

It seems that many Christians have allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by the current dominant culture and, although fully conscious of the truth of their belief, find it hard to publicly go against present thought. Thus, for example, at a time when Christian marriage is under constant attack, God’s grand project for the family, that is, an indissoluble union between a man and a woman, is definitely not emphasised enough.

A personage who defied public opinion was Mother Teresa who, during international conferences, when facing an audience overwhelmingly pro-abortion, was never afraid to defend the unborn and the vulnerable. The Christian message is unique and unequalled because He who promoted it was God made man. May Christians pray to have the courage to emulate the first Christians who boldly announced the kingdom to the pagan world of their time.

Jacqueline Calleja – Naxxar  

Light pollution

With reference to Stephen Zerafa’s letter ‘Light pollution’ (August 25), I cannot but agree with his comments regarding the professional street lighting across Gozo.

As for the lights in Mġarr harbour, while I am sure that the lights in the mole were well-intentioned and perhaps a requisite for increased public safety, surely there was no need to ‘pollute’ the sky.

The lighting is truly an eyesore, especially when seen from above, since most of the light escapes upwards to create the most awful light pollution. This beautiful area too deserves to be enhanced by tasteful and strategically placed lighting.

I hope the ministry responsible will look into this matter.

Philip Alamango – Naxxar  

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