This is in reply to a recent cynical letter which John Guillaumier had the pleasure and the temerity to publish in a recent issue of The Malta Independent on Sunday, in an article entitled “The new cult”.

First of all, a vibrant and living Church is always being renewed with new saints and blessed, and their teachings and life stories. This is vital and necessary if it is not to remain in a fossilised form, for none to believe in it anymore. Old teachings have to be renewed according to the signs of the times.

Every Catholic country has its national saints. We have St Paul, who as Saul was a Jew from Tarsus in Roman Cilicia. We revere him as our spiritual and healing father of our small country. That he was indeed shipwrecked on our island is reported by St Luke, a keen observer, in Acts chapters 27 and 28. Forget Dr Heinz Warnecke and Abate Giorgi, for their theories have been amply refuted.

What does Guillaumier know about St Paul? This apostle of the Gentiles may not have converted many Maltese at all in his time, possibly just the Roman administrators, military officers and soldiers, and some Punic Maltese leaders and those who were healed by him. Conversion under Imperial Rome came at a price, which does not appear to have been the case in Malta: no persecution of Christians occurred, since there were so few of them to bother with in the first place. 

And Publius, as the first bishop of Malta, may be a popular Christian legend to boost our national pride as early Christians. Early documents about him are unclear, whether he was the same Publius who was martyred in Athens. Publius was a common Roman name, just as our Joseph or John is today.

Pagan, Jewish and Christian catacombs featuring an originally pagan agape table, date at the earliest only from the late 3rd or rather early 4th century AD, when Christianity had spread around the Roman Empire. "Cuius regio, huius religio", meaning that people followed the creed of their rulers, freely or under duress. Then Christian rulers started persecuting the 'pagani’, villagers, or small town dwellers, when it was their turn to wield power. This brought about the rise of Christian power and influence, reaping conversions around Asia and Europe.

However, Christian 'legends', like the miracle of the Madonna of Guadalupe in Mexico, have their own power to influence unbelievers to adopt a new faith, which weakens or strengthens their nation and makes it pliable to Christian Spanish conquest.

So legend and fact have to be sifted carefully, and with due charity. Let us not antagonise and scandalise innocent people, especially the poor, who need to cling to a strong inspiring belief, and the popular practice of a supporting routine and popular hopes. What do satire and cynicism achieve instead?

Helena Kowalska, later known as St Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, OLM was born in Glogowiec near the city of Lodz, later of Warsaw, of Vilnius in Lithuania, and of Lagiewniki, a small town on the outskirts of Krakow, is similar. Her inner visions, writings and creed give hope to millions of ordinary people. In addition, we must not undermine her constructive and inspiring inner or external 'visions' of Jesus as being a harbinger of Divine Mercy, and good friend. Yes, "Jesus, I trust in you", a poor carpenter, a preacher, prophet, merciful healer, crucified for opposing hypocrites and unbelievers, cynics and satirists like Voltaire and John Guillaumier.

Who are the real builders of our society? Is not our present Pope Francis a builder of peace between different religions, races, and countries, of the family which is continually under attack, of the unborn foetus, of life, and of our precious and disappearing or destroyed natural environments?

What does John Guillaumier really know about Sister Faustina, a poor and faithful kitchen maid, and a porter, of humble people like her, who performed menial jobs, and rose to sainthood? Not just for patriotic and devout Poland, but also for our sick and sinful world.

The world needs builders, not destroyers of our true beliefs, hopes, and movements of charity. So may Mr Guillaumier, beware of what he writes in future. We understand his doubts, many justified, but not his rampant cynicism, like Voltaire's, who brought about the so-called Enlightenment of unbelief, sowing fun and doubts, and bringing down all that Christianity and all positive religions stand for.

Christ once said that the Holy Spirit reveals these things to the pure and untainted souls of children, and confounds those of the wise and proud of our sinful world.

 

Bernard Vassallo

Swieqi