The proof of identity

Abstract

In this 2022 opinion piece, Fr Carlo Calleja reflects on the challenges of group identity in a globalising Malta, where cultural differences are eroding and encounters with "the other" – whether migrants, new family members, or colleagues – often provoke defensive or exaggerated reactions. Drawing on Rodney Stark's sociological analysis in The Rise of Christianity, Calleja argues that the early Church's rapid spread stemmed from its radical ethic of mutual love and mercy, which Jesus presents in John 13:34–35 as the sole authentic proof of Christian identity. External symbols have value, but true Christian (and Maltese) identity must be countercultural, expressed through loving service rather than exclusion, as Pope Francis also emphasised during his visit to Malta.