Human life must never be regarded as disposable, regardless of a person's age, health or ability, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi said on Saturday as he celebrated the pontifical Mass for the feast of the Assumption at the parish church of Santa Maria in Attard.
In his homily, Galea-Curmi said the feast of the Assumption offered an opportunity to reflect on the dignity of every human person, using the titular statue of the parish as the basis for his message.
He focused on three elements of the statue - Mary's eyes, her open hands and her feet - saying each conveyed a message for contemporary society.
The bishop said Mary's eyes, which are raised towards Heaven, reminded people to look beyond what is immediate and material and to recognise the true value of the human person.
"If the human being is no longer seen as a creature made in the image of God," he said, people risk having their value measured by their strength, wealth, productivity, independence or usefulness.
Human dignity, he stressed, begins with the fact that every person is created and loved by God.
He said this dignity applied "from the moment life begins in the mother's womb until its final breath", including to unborn children, the sick, the elderly, people suffering and those who are unable to care for themselves.
Galea-Curmi then referred to Mary's open hands, describing them as a symbol of welcome, trust and giving.
He said society should create conditions in which every mother, particularly one facing difficult circumstances, could see the child she was carrying not as a burden but as "a life deserving of love, help and protection".
The bishop said the dignity of the mother and the life of the child should not be presented as competing interests.
"We must be a community with open hands for both," he said, urging society to welcome the child as a new human life while also supporting mothers who find themselves in difficulty.
He extended the message to other vulnerable people, referring to the elderly, sick people who cannot care for themselves, those who are alone, people experiencing mental health difficulties and those approaching the end of their lives.
"The message of the Assumption, with Mary's open hands, is clear: every life is precious. No life is disposable. No human being is superfluous," Galea-Curmi said.
He added that people who had lost hope should encounter "hands that lift them up" rather than people persuading them that it would be better for them to leave life.
"The strength of a society is measured by the progress of those who are weakest," he said.
The bishop also reflected on Mary's feet, which he said appeared to be in motion and symbolised the journey of faith. He recalled how Mary travelled through different stages of her life, experiencing both joy and suffering, before ultimately reaching glory.
He said this also represented human life as a sacred journey, during which people had a duty to walk alongside one another rather than pushing aside those who were weak or regarding them as burdens.
Galea-Curmi also linked the Assumption to the dignity of the human body, saying Mary's glorified body reminded Christians that the body was not an object to be despised or used as people pleased.
He said human dignity did not depend on strength, beauty, intelligence, success or popular approval, but was a gift from God that could never be lost.
Concluding his homily, Galea-Curmi said the Assumption offered a message of hope because death was not the final word over human life.
"Our destiny is not the grave," he said. "Suffering, illness and weakness are not the end. For those who believe in Christ, our destiny is glory."
He urged the faithful to take inspiration from the parish statue, raising their eyes towards God, opening their hearts to every human life and walking the journey of life without forgetting anyone along the way.