Tomorrow, Friday, February10th, by the Grace of God, is a ‘red-letter day’ for us Maltese. We celebrate with great joy, the arrival of St.Paul to our tiny Island of Malta, placed in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, in the year 60 A.D.
It is considered a great honour to be chosen as a Lector, to proclaim the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, recounting the Shipwreck of Paul on the Island of Malta. This year, I am honoured to be one of those Lectors, thanks be to God.
I enjoy, mostly, proclaiming aloud, and with great expression the part which says: ”…we found that the island was called MALTA”.
What pride, as Maltese, that our Church is an Apostolic Church, that it was established by an Apostle of Christ, with an unbroken record, of continuity, notwithstanding the fact that Malta was occupied so many foreign powers.
Looking back, it must have been ‘The Hidden Hand’ that caused the storm, it must have been ‘The Hidden Hand’ that caused the shipwreck, it must have been ‘The Hidden Hand’ that made Paul stay for three months on our soil…and it must have been ‘The Hidden Hand’ that caused the establishment, the founding, the planting of the CHRISTian Religion on our Island.
It MUST have been ‘The Hidden Hand’ that caused all these events, when we consider that Jesus had just been Crucified thirty years before. So the Christian Religion was still in its infancy. Yes, it was Providence, it was the Hidden Hand of God that made Paul light the flame of Faith on our Island, whilst symbolically he cast into the fire and killed that snake which wound itself round his arm.
He did abolish, destroy, the infidel Religion and planted a new Faith, a new tree, which, thanks be to God, it is still growing after 1,050 years. What an honour to have the name of your beloved country mentioned in the Holy Scripture, and the fact that it is an ‘honourable mention’.
Thus runs the account: “Yes, the inhabitants were so gracious with us and we were received with love.” ….and THIS is still the main characteristic of the Maltese people. We greet, accept, every foreigner with grace and love…and we are proud to act like that.
Do have a look at Acts, chapter 27: 16 – 28, and see for yourselves the prophecy made by Paul, ‘that no one will be lost, only the ship’. St.Paul was never one of the twelve Apostles, but as he himself said, he is the foremost of Christ’s Apostles, as he received his conversion and learning directly from God.
A very Blessed and Happy Feast to all Maltese living abroad, those in Malta and Gozo, and all those who are called Paul, after the great Apostle of the gentiles.
“Thank you Lord, for sending us St.Paul, so early in the founding of Your Church. Be with us, stay with us, so that the Flame of Faith will never extinguish, and help us to spread that Flame of Faith to all other countries round the world, with the help of the hundreds of Maltese Missionaries spread all over the world…. “till the end of time”. Amen.
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