Caravaggio has long been my favorite artist. His style and technical skill are a wonder to behold, and over the years I have enjoyed traveling to see his paintings and savor their intense richness. While in Rome some time ago, I went out of my way to the church of Santa Maria del Popolo to see, in person, Caravaggio's ‘Conversion on the Way to Damascus'.
The painting depicts the moment where Saul is struck with a flash of light and is thrown from his horse. In his stunning interpretation, Caravaggio pictures this event, which marks the beginning of a journey which leads to Saul becoming a follower of jesus, changing his name to Paul, and going on to become pivotal in the growth and theological development of Christianity. From Paul's letters and from other accounts of his life, we know that Paul was quite the traveler, (estimates being that he travelled at least 10,000 miles on foot during his ministry!) and that during those travels he frequently relied on the hospitality of others. One such instance of that hospitality has always fascinated me; his shipwreck on the island of Malta.
The author of the Book of Acts describes that shipwreck like this: “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 because it was raining and cold.”
The words ‘unusual kindness' have always stood out to me, and serve to highlight the depth of hospitality and generosity which Paul experienced. But those words are also a challenge to us. When were we last unusually kind to someone?
Today there are still shipwrecks on Malta, occurring often as refugees risk a crossing of the Mediterranean in vessels woefully inadequate for that task. They too, like Paul, are in need of hospitality, but the need for unusual kindness isn't restricted to that island. Who around us is in need of unusual kindness today? Every day each of us is given an opportunity to extend our hands to someone else in unusual kindness. Are we looking for those opportunities? The answer to that question is important, because it is only when our hearts constantly yearn to love that our kindness will cease to be unusual.
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