| Hard Rock Alleluia |
| Date: 02-04-2007 |
|
Hard Rock Alleluia
Manwel Mangani
The outreach trip to the Rock of Gibraltar undertaken last summer by more than 70 of us with the aim of evangelising local young people was a gift from God in many ways. If one were simply to evaluate the event in terms of the number of people we actually appeared to “reach”, there would be little to write home about. We should not worry unduly about that - our duty was to contribute to the planting of the seed while leaving its growth in the most capable hands of the Lord (1 Cor 3:6), who can achieve wonders we cannot even hope to imagine. But there were many other evidently positive features of the venture one cannot but praise the Lord for, for in His goodness he indeed did shower bountiful graces upon us all.
The hospitality shown to us by our Gibraltarian friends has been repeatedly commented upon – and with good reason. We were all taken aback by the extraordinary efforts Fr. Charlie Azzopardi, Henry Earle and the others made not only to house and feed us, but to ferry us all over the place to the various events and for sightseeing and excursions, and to see to our every need. In Acts, Saint Luke commented about the hospitality shown by the Maltese to the shipwrecked party. The Gibraltarians’ kindness, perhaps inspired by that event – the motley crew which descended upon Gibraltar may have at times resembled a bunch of rather ragged shipwrecked sailors - bears comparison to our forefathers’. It would be difficult to believe that anybody could be so kind to others were they not being guided to behave that way by He who is kindness itself.
For me personally, the experience will leave indelible memories. As one whose youth is a rather distant memory, the opportunity to live for 10 days among so many vibrant and vivacious young people, consumed with desire to serve the Lord and living their lives in accordance with His law in the most difficult spheres – and we all know how problematic that can be even for mature adults – was nothing short of inspiring. The strengths they evidently draw from prayer, from the Eucharist and from Community life strengthen and sustain the desire to live according to God’s plan, loving and living the Lord through the pursuit of holiness and through constant efforts to bear witness to his power and goodness.
In Gib, as all over post-Christian Europe, multiple messages, all bearing promises of happiness, satisfaction and success, are flooding young people’s consciousness and shutting out the Christian message about the need for reliance on God and His love for ultimate salvation. The point was symbolically but powerfully driven home during one of the highlights of our stay in Gib - a visit to St. Michael’s Cave. In this cave, millions of years old, Fr. Charlie said Mass. He tried to say preach a homily, but his voice was drowned out by other messages, artificially transmitted by the wonders of modern technology, extolling the attraction of the Cave and exhorting visitors not to miss them. Despite his valiant efforts, Fr. Charlie eventually had to give up the unequal struggle. That incident provided the perfect metaphor for the present plight of the Christian message, more often that not being drowned out by the competition, alluringly promising instant satisfaction and pleasures unlimited.
We could all see how our young people’s example helped to strengthen the Christian message in the consciousness of the young Gibraltarians they fraternised with. By all accounts their influence on our young hosts was positive in many respects, particularly in passing on the truth that the only life worth living is one centred around Christ, ever seeking to live his Word, and in full respect of orthodox Catholic teaching. It had never been our intention to evangelise our hosts, but the Lord decreed otherwise – and wonderfully brought it about. Praised be His name. |
|
