On Friday, 23rd November, the community of the Seminary joined in prayer the parochial community of Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at Għasri. Prayers of thanksgiving to God were said for the blessings that He bestowed on both communities during this week. As has been said in previous newsfeeds, during Monday 19th and Thursday 22nd November, the seminarians paid a visit to the households of Għasri and shared their experience of faith with the families. On every visit, two seminarians were accompanied by a student from the group of vocations within the parish. At the same time, there were moments of adoration of the Holy Eucharist at the parish church and also the possibility of the faithful receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. On Thursday morning the seminarians paid a visit to Laura Vicuña School, at Għasri. They toured the classrooms and delivered a message of faith to all pupils. At noon of the same day, the formators of the Seminary joined the priests of the parish at prayer and later on, at lunch.
On Friday evening, the Reverend Rector Fr Daniel Xerri led a Mass of Thanksgiving. He was accompanied by the formators and some priests from Għasri. The Rector based his homily on the text from the Gospel: “the entire populance was listening to Him and hanging on his words” (Lk 19,48). He said that the experience of faith that we shared during these days shows clearly that modern man, too, wants to listen to the Word of Jesus. This same Word demands of us a radical decision, as can be seen from the first reading: “Here, take it, and eat it, and it will be sour in your stomach, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey” (Rv 10,9). When we choose to live according to the Word of God, this Word of God will help us in our formation, but at the same time, it will hurt us. However, it is only when we choose to accept the Word of God that we can really bear fruit.
At the end of the Mass, the parish priest of Għasri, Fr Edward Xuereb, thanked God for the many blessings that He bestowed on the parish during this week. He said that nobody can actually count these blessings, but he was sure that Christ used and will use this experience to bring many people closer to Him. He thanked the community of the Seminary for having chosen the parish of Għasri for this experience. Following Mass, the congregation was invited for refreshments at the Parish Centre. The nuns and helpers of the Seminary took care of the preparations for this activity.
