Do you know St. Paul the Apostle?

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Today, we're going to explore the life and mission of the apostle Paul.

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Highlights

By Deacon Frederick Bartels
8/2/2023 (9 months ago)

Published in Living Faith

Keywords: Apostles, 12 Apostles, Apostle Paul, St. Paul, Paul the Apostle, 12 Apostles Journey

Paul's life is indeed fascinating. One reason for that is because of the immense transformation that took place in him as a result of his encounter with Jesus Christ. Let's take a look at how that happened.

We begin with the Pharisee Saul of Tarsus. As a young man, somewhere in his mid-20s or perhaps late 30s, he sought to punish Christians and eradicate the Church. He saw them as a threat to the Jewish faith in the one God. In Saul's mind, this strange new sect had to be eliminated (cf. Acts 9:1-2).

For example, the Book of Acts tells us that Saul "laid waste the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison" (Acts 8:3).

But a short time later, Saul went from a fiercely dedicated Jew attacking Christians, to Paul, the man who said, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God" (Gal 2:20).

What happened? The answer lies in his encounter with Jesus Christ. As Saul journeyed toward Damascus, a light from heaven flashed around him and he fell to the ground. He then heard the voice of Christ say, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And [Christ] said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:4-5).

That moment changed everything. Saul came to be known as the apostle Paul whose inspired letters compose a significant chunk of the New Testament. His missionary efforts across the Roman world converting everyone he met to faith in Christ are unparalleled.

Shortly before Paul was martyred for his faith in Christ, he wrote to Timothy, saying, "[T]he time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:6-7).

The "good fight" Paul is speaking of is preaching the gospel, which is the "power of God" for the salvation of men (Rom 1:16). The faith he kept to the very end is faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.

Like Saint Paul, we are called to become Apostles in Christ.

Your mission is to help us teach others the richness, beauty, and tradition of our Catholic faith. You see, there are tens of thousands of families who need to know Jesus. They need to know about their faith.

We are asking you to honor the 12 Apostles by joining in their ongoing apostolic mission of the whole Church. How? By praying, learning from St. Paul, saying yes to the call of Jesus in your own life, engaging in the mission to evangelize and teach the faith, and by giving $12 a month.

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