10th February—The Shipwreck of Our Father Apostle Saint Paul, Patron of Malta
Malta's National Poet, Dun Karm Psaila, used to write a poem every year on the 10th of February. In one of them, he begins and ends his poem with these words:
"Le ma qamx minn jeddu l-baħar
ma venvinx minn jeddu r-riħ
it-taqliba kienet twaħħax
iżda l-ħsieb ħanin sabiħ."
which translates in English as:
"No, the sea did not rise of its own accord,
nor did the wind rage by itself.
The upheaval was terrifying,
but the merciful thought was beautiful."
How much wisdom from heaven is contained in these carefully crafted words, and how much they reflect what the Word of God tells us today! In the Book of Acts of the Apostles, chapter 27, which recounts Paul's journey to Malta through a violent storm, and chapter 28, which describes his arrival in Malta and some details about his time here, if one examines them carefully, one can find certain details that should serve as deep reflection for us.
In this account, we find that when the ship Paul was on was being battered in the midst of the storm, Paul stood up and said, among other things: "...last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me..." To which god do you belong, and whom do you serve? In life, you must have a god; if it is not the true God, it will be one of the false gods of our times, such as worldly riches, bodily pleasures, power… and perhaps the most common false god of our times is the ‘self’—the person who makes himself a god. Let us remember that there is only one God who gives His life for us because He loves us and wants to save us. All false gods demand a high price from us, and in the end, they ruin our lives.
Paul ends his speech by saying: "Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island." For whom was this necessary? No one in this world wanted that ship to arrive in Malta—the journey was supposed to lead to Rome, and it was not planned to pass through Malta. It was only God's will, who used a violent storm to bring Paul among us and to proclaim the Gospel to us. What a mystery!
God, in the infinity of His love for us, chose us not because we did anything, but because He wanted to bring us His salvation from the very beginning of its proclamation and through one of His apostles. How can we ever find the words to thank and praise Him as He deserves? It is good, then, to ask ourselves: how convinced am I that God loves me?
Later in the account, when they were closer to Malta, we find these words: "Paul urged them all to take food... ‘So take some food for your own survival...’" We too are on the journey of life, and sometimes life also brings us storms. How ready are we to help and encourage each other? How attentive are we to the needs of our brothers and sisters? This is what makes life beautiful, not the great wealth of the world that we may possess. Let us not fall into the temptation of Cain, who, when God asked him, "Where is your brother Abel?"—whom he had killed—answered, "I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?" This is a great temptation in our times: yes, a murderer is not only the one who directly kills someone, but also the one who does not care about his brother and his needs.
I believe that for many of us, the beginning of chapter 28 of Acts gives us chills, as we say: "Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all..." If Paul were to come today, do you think we would welcome him, or would we start looking for a ‘just’ reason to expel him from our country? I do not think I am exaggerating if I ask: what happened to the generous heart of our ancestors who welcomed Paul and all those with him with such love? Let us remember that everything of this world we must leave behind one day, and we will take nothing with us—except for what we have given in love to those who suffer and are poor.
Let us also note that when Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out and fastened itself onto his hand. "When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, ‘This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live’... But after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god."
Another lesson this passage offers us is that we should never be too quick to judge others, because both judgments passed on Paul by our ancestors were wrong. When a person enjoys gossiping about others, he harms himself greatly because he starts to believe that others gossip about him as well.
We pray to You, O Lord, today, as we celebrate this event so dear to us, to help us always cherish the gift of Faith that You willed to bring to us through our Father Apostle Paul. Help us also to always resemble our ancestors in the love and generosity they showed to him and to those who were with him when he arrived among us. Amen.