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He traveled the civilized world. He broke cultural barriers.
He wrote some of the most influential literature in history. He established a worldwide network that radically altered the face of Europe and the Middle East. And he did it all without the benefit of airplanes, cars, telephones, the Internet, or television. He was St. Paul, a passionate apostle whose work as a missionary and pastor was instrumental in spreading the gospel throughout the world. Let’s take a closer look at the man and his passion.
From Pharisee to Preacher. Paul was born around a.d. 10 to a Jewish family that enjoyed Roman citizenship. As a young man, he traveled to Jerusalem to study the Torah at the feet of the revered rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3; 5:34-39). Paul was probably living in Tarsus during the years of Jesus’ public ministry, so he was most likely unaware of this traveling preacher…
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Passion, Compassion, how similar. “A Spirituality Named Compassion” by Mathew Fox. A tasty read.
The question seeks to name the “source” of Paul’s dedication. Paul himself tells us. Many times he recalls having seen the Lord by some phrase or another. This was a totalizing experience for him, converting, transforming, literally and figuratively eye -opening and soul- opening for him. Everything was henceforth qualitatively different for Paul. This is the source. In the light of that expereince, Paul was then able to draw together in his mind a coherent narrative of the history of salvation God had wrought in Christ from Adam, through Abraham, the Jewish old covenet, and finally in the New Adam. Paul’s total being was transformed by Christ no doubt by an encouner with divinity-in-time. Lesson for us here: we need to pray for and seek that same vertical dimension fof encounter or ourselves too, that is, to remember and worship the incredible fact of all facts - that Christ is divine. Encounters with Him, our reception of mercy and grace bring us into such contact, albeit for most of us, not as intense as with Paul. We mustn’t reduce the faith to morality or ritual. Rather we must always and firstly be looking upwards, seeking the unitive and mystical consciousness that the protean divine-human encounters graciously afford us poor humans.
Paul’s encounter of the Risen Christ gave him through faith a “heart to Heart” knowledge of Christ’s saving love. In Christ Paul encountered and experienced the “face” of God.That heart knowledge grew in Him and set Him on fire with the passionate love of Christ for him and every other human being. “The love of Christ” impelled Him. We too have some heart to heart knowledge of Christ through Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist but we need to grow in it by contemplating that love in prayer and a daily faith encounter with Christ’s love. We need to seek to know more deeply the love of God in Christ by seeking His face. “Thou hast said, ‘Seek ye my face.’ My heart says to thee, ‘Thy face, Lord, do I seek.’ Hide not thy face from me.” (Ps. 27:8--9, RSV)
Paul was persecuting christians ignorant n thought he was working 4 God. We also need 2 realise 2day who we serve in our christian race.
Paul story and letters continue to remind me the importance of our truly encounter with a “Live Jesus Christ.” The people can recall the day,time, and exact details of that moment when they encounter a “Live Jesus Christ”. The scriptures begins with a person name Saulo, and a complete different person after his encounter with Jesus. He was no longer Saulo, but Paul. We can see many other different transformations examples in the bible. But Jesus Christ continues to be alive in this world and He continues to transform many. And I know that many of us remember the time and date of that moment and it is one of our more precious moments. Thank you Lord for sending us your Holy Spirit.