Last summer Pope Benedict XVI announced that the Church would observe a celebration in honor of St. Paul the Apostle, from June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009.
Why a Year of St. Paul? Periodically, the Church sets aside an entire year to encourage all of us to focus on some particular and important aspect of our Faith. This year, we are given an opportunity to honor one of the great saints and founders of the early Church - the Apostle Paul.
Most information about St. Paul comes from the Acts of the Apostles. He was born in Tarsus. In the Acts of the Apostles he is know as Saul. He is also seen as a persecutor of the early Church. He witnessed the stoning death of St. Stephen and was on his way to Damascus to kill more Christians when God knocked him off his horse. Paul's resulting blindness led to his conversion.
Why is this particular conversion so important to the Church?
The Book of Acts tells how Jesus apprehended Paul on the road to Damascus and shows just how critical that event was to the Church's beginnings. This convert, once a Church opponent, became what some call "the second founder of Christianity," after Christ himself.
It was Paul who challenged the apostles to reach out to people of all nations. He was tireless in preaching the fact that Jesus came for ALL people. Without Paul Christianity could very well have never grown to flourish throughout the world. Because of his preaching and insistence that the Gospel is for all men and women St. Paul is known as the apostle to the Gentiles (Gentiles is the term to describe those who are not Jews)
This Year of St. Paul will be marked by countless commemorative, cultural, liturgical, and scholarly events in Rome and throughout the world. Vatican officials are urging Catholics to study St. Paul in Scripture so we can revitalize our faith in the light of his teachings and life.
What can a Catholic do to participate in this special year?
First....read the story of St. Paul. Do this by reading the Acts of the Apostles. Read one to two chapters a day.
Second....read the letters ( in the past called Epistles) of St. Paul. The letters are found in the New Testament after the Gospels. Letters include letters tot he Romans, Corinthians.
Third....join Bible study groups and discuss the challenges of Paul to our modern world.
Four.....be a missionary! Bring someone to Church who has no Church home or who is searching for answers in their life.
The Year of St. Paul can be an exciting time of growth for the Church and each individual Catholic. Celebrate St. Paul, a man who said "yes" to Jesus and brought the Gospel to all the world.
Reprinted with the permission for Fr. Jim Pawlicki, SVD, In A Word Publication, October 2008
