“Once safely on shore we found out that the island was called Malta.”
This is a very short extract from the Acts of the Apostles describing St Paul’s shipwreck in 60AD while on his was to Rome to stand trial for his beliefs. The shipwreck on Malta of St Paul is one of the most detailed narratives one can find in all the holy scriptures. During his 3 month stay on the Island, St Paul managed to convert the pagan population to Christendom. Since then apart from a 2 century break (between the 9th and the 11th centuries) when the population was forced to convert to Islam by its Arab conquerors, the Maltese people have remained strong in their Christian faith. Modern society has changed the way the Maltese practice their religion and has lessened religious influence on the people but the faith has still remained very strong.
Today, the parish of St Paul Shipwreck in Valletta celebrates this national feast and it is a public holiday. I wanted to go to Valletta to take shots of the festive atmosphere but was not in the mood. Besides it was a very cold and windy day with rain showers throughout. In fact, all outdoor festivities have been cancelled. So, knowing about this stone statue at Naxxar I popped over to take a few shots of it.
Joke: After a terrible shipwreck, the only survivor went about the island in search of food and shelter. After a long walk, he froze in terror as he saw a tribe of cannibals in the middle of a celebration. The man thought to himself, "I am so screwed!" To his surprise, a bright light came from the heavens and a deep voice said to him "Not yet my son, what you have to do is run up to the chief of the tribe, grab his spear and kill his only son with it." Without thinking twice, the man does as he was told. Instantly the bright light appeared again and the deep voice said to him "NOW you are screwed. Run"
Thank you very much for looking and for the lovely comments and the fav's on yesterday's picture.
Interesting story. How wonderful the Christian faith has remained strong in your country over the years. That certainly is a beautiful statue and a great capture at that angle. FAV!!
