15 July Acts 28:1-10

15 July. Paul heals the Roman administrator's father in Malta

"When we were safe on land, we learned that the island [where we'd been shipwrecked] was called Malta. The people who lived there were very good to us. Because it was raining and very cold, they made a fire and welcomed all of us."

"Paul gathered a pile of sticks and was putting them on the fire when a poisonous snake came out because of the heat and bit him on the hand. The people living on the island said... 'This man must be a murderer! He did not die in the sea, but Justice does not want him to live.' But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and was not hurt..."

"There were some fields around there owned by Publius, an important man on the island. He welcomed us into his home and was very good to us for three days. Publius' father was sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, prayed and put his hands on the man and healed him."

"After this, all the other sick people on the island came to Paul, and he healed them, too. The people on the island gave us many honours. When we were ready to leave, three months later, they gave us the things we needed."

(Acts 28:1-10)

Coming ashore after the shipwreck, Paul and his companions discovered they had reached the island of Malta. The local people lit a fire so the survivors could dry out and warm up. As he picked up a pile of firewood, Paul shook a poisonous snake off his hand and the local people thought he must be a god because he hadn't been killed by the snake.

Publius, the local Roman administrator, provided for their needs. Paul prayed for Publius’s sick father, and he was healed; so all the other sick people on the island were brought to Paul, who prayed for their healing.

The party spent the three winter months of 59/60AD on the island before getting ready to set sail once again for Rome.

Modern-day visitors to Malta can take a boat trip to St Paul’s Islands at the entrance to St Paul’s Bay where Paul and his companions were shipwrecked in 59AD. St Paul’s Shipwreck Church at St Paul’s and the huge statue of St Paul overlooking St Paul’s Bay remind tourists of Malta’s most famous visitor, while St Paul’s Church is reputed to be on the spot where Paul shook the snake off his hand and made his first converts.

Visitors to Mdina – the Roman capital in Paul’s day – can visit St Paul’s Cathedral, or can descend into the catacombs below St Paul’s Church in neighbouring Rabat where it's believed that Paul was detained while spending three months on the island.

The photo shows Paul's reputed prison cave below St Paul's Church in Rabat, Malta.