Raffaele Caruana 'Ascension' at Lapsi church, St Julian's |
Today
we celebrate the feast of the Ascension, a celebration that has been
transferred in many Dioceses to the 7th Sunday of Easter. This is the day that
the Lord gave his final “Goodbye” to his followers, although it was more like a
“So Long.” This feast has special memories for me as a child, because of a
painting that was in my childhood parish, dedicated to the Ascension of Jesus.
It was painted by the Maltese artist Raffaele Caruana (1820-1886.) As a child
and especially as an altar-boy I frequently reflected on this painting, even
connecting the faces of the apostles to men in the parish, whom they resembled.
The actual church was dedicated to Saint Julian, the old parish church until
1969, but was always known as the Lapsi Church (Ascension Church.) The feast of
the Ascension opens officially the swimming/summer season, and the weather
usually warms up steadily from now on.
And
as Jesus leaves us today, He is also empowering us to continue His work, as He
did with the apostles 2 millennia ago. They have not let Him down, and neither
did the many saints and holy people that have followed. Let us not let Him
down, but continue this enticing relay race of Christianity, passing the
proverbial baton to our children and children’s children, as our forefathers
have done over the centuries.
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