Every time the feast of St Paul Shipwrecked approaches, I ponder on the precious gift of faith that God has endowed us Maltese with, through St Paul’s intercession.
Why do we not include this positive trait whenever we speak about our identity as Maltese? Why are we shy to proclaim loud that our Cath-olic beliefs are part and parcel of our identity? Why should we separate our religious and spiritual traits from those other characteristics that make us Maltese?
Some might think that by giving importance to our religious roots we are excluding those who either no longer practise our religion or who profess another religion. When one reasons in this way one is not realising the universality and inclusiveness of our Catholic religion.
Being a Catholic means being open to all human beings without distinction. It is my religion that prompts me to reach out to others whatever their colour, caste or creed. It is my Catholic religion that makes me forgive those who cause me harm, as clearly stated in Our Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”.
The fundamental principle on which our religion is based is forgiveness and selfless love, as preached and practised by Our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us on the cross.
There is a tendency nowadays to ignore any trait that links us to our religious origins. We often come across letters by readers in various media who claim that we should delete any reference to our religion as being the Roman, Catholic, Apostolic religion from our constitution. What a pity it would be.
Our religious roots enrich our identity not only as Maltese but also as human beings. It is through the Good News that Paul came to our island to preach that we are able to see things differently and beyond the here and now.
Let us, therefore, take heed of what Pope Benedict urged us to preserve when he visited our island almost two years ago: “Let me encourage you once more to cultivate a deep awareness of your identity and to embrace the responsibilities that flow from it, especially by promoting the Gospel values that will grant you a clear vision of human dignity and the common origin and destiny of mankind.”
Let us therefore, treasure this great gift of faith and let us consider the feast of St Paul Shipwrecked as one of those great feasts that make us reflect on our true identity as Maltese. Let us cherish our Christian roots and our Christian heritage.