Celebrating his life, his mission, his letters
"Dear brothers and
sisters, as in early times, today too Christ needs
apostles ready to sacrifice themselves. He needs witnesses and martyrs
like St. Paul. Paul, a former violent persectuor of Christians, when he
fell to the ground dazzled by the divine light on the road to Damascus,
did not hesitate to change sides to the Crucified One and followed him
without second thoughts. He lived and worked for Christ, for him he
suffered and died. How timely his example is today!
"And for this
very reason I am pleased to announce
officially that we shall be dedicating a special Jubilee Year to the
Apostle Paul from 28 June 2008 to 29 June 2009, on the occasion of the
bi-millennium of his birth, which historians have placed between the
years 7 and 10 A.D."
--
Pope Benedict XVI, June 28, 2007
First Vespers of
the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
A New Reflection
The Office of Stewardship is pleased to release a reflection for the
Year of St. Paul, suitable for use on parish websites, in
bulletins and newsletters, or as a focus for prayer and
discussion at ministry or committee meetings :
The Life of Discipleship: St. Paul Through
the Lens of Stewardship
Few people in the 2000-year history of Christianity
have had as much impact on our faith life as St. Paul. The Church
Father St. John Chrysostom’s admiration for this Apostle was such that
he claimed no one had imitated Christ as closely as Paul. Paul
himself made claims no less daring, “be imitators of me as I am of
Christ,” or at other times, simply “be imitators of me” (1 Cor 11:1; 1
Cor 4:16).
In what ways are we to imitate this disciple par
excellence of Christ? Or, better yet, what type of discipleship
does Paul expect in the Church of God? If we think of
stewardship as discipleship beginning with gratitude and culminating
with responsibility, then we are well on the way to understanding
Paul’s vision of what it means to follow Christ as he does.
We begin, as Paul does in his letters, with
thanksgiving. The Apostle adorns the opening lines of his
epistles with words of gratitude. His first impulse is to
acknowledge the great gift God has given: his Son. God has sent
his Son “who was descended from David” (Rom 1:3). That is, he has
sent the long expected Messiah (Messiah means the “Anointed One” and is
rendered in Greek as Christ) who has established the New Covenant.
Click here for full text
Learn More
Watch the Slideshow
Prepared by Gerard McLarney, this is the first of a series that will be
posted here this year:
Download the PowerPoints
These PowerPoint presentations, prepared by Gerard McLarney of St.
Joseph's College, can be viewed by individuals or shared with a group
-- a good starting point for studying St. Paul and his works.
Presenters note that many of the slides are accompanied by speaker's
notes.
Introduction to the Year of St.
Paul
A Glance at the Life of St.
Paul
Introduction to Reading St. Paul
The Letters of St. Paul
On the Web
Father Victor Hoagland, a Passionist priest and historian, has made a
short video documentary about the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the
Walls in Rome. Pope Benedict chose this Basilica for his first visit
outside Vatican City, to pay homage to St. Paul’s legacy. Visit http://www.yearofstpaul.com
to
see Father Hoagland's video and lots of other information about the
Jubilee Year.
Pope Benedict XVI will devote his Wednesday auidience talks to the
person and writings of St. Paul. Read them online at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2008/index_en.htm
Several of the Pope's general audiences in 2006 and 2007 also
touched on themes from St. Paul, including:
Paul the Apostle
Paul and the Holy Spirit
St. Paul's New Outlook
St. Paul and the Church
Timothy and Titus
Barnabas, Silas and Apollos
Priscilla and Aquila
Women at the Service of the Gospel
CBC Radio's Ideas program featured a two part series on St. Paul: The
Man of the Roads. Listen to it online at http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/features/man-of-the-roads/index.html
In the WCR
The Western Catholic Reporter plans a series of articles during the
Year of St. Paul. Here is one from the July 21 issue:
Idolatry
has moral consequences
Turning away from the one God leads to death
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By GLEN ARGAN
WCR Editor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Paul was often in trouble with local authorities when he preached
the Gospel. One of the worst incidents came in Ephesus.
The Acts of the Apostles does not say exactly what Paul was preaching
in Ephesus. But from what he said in his writings and in his preaching,
it's pretty clear that Paul was preaching against idolatry.
The silversmiths in Ephesus rioted when one of their leaders,
Demetrius, told them "this man Paul has persuaded and converted a great
number of people with his argument that gods made by hand are not gods
at all" (Acts 19:26).
The silversmiths were no doubt pious pagans. They also were dependent
on the sale of their silver gods for their own livelihood. Indeed,
Ephesus was such a central place in pagan religiosity that the sale of
idols was crucial to its prosperity.
Once the riot was over, Paul prudently left town.
"His whole soul was revolted at the sight of a city given over to
idolatry."
- Acts 17:16
Earlier, Paul had visited Athens, where "his whole soul was revolted at
the sight of a city given over to idolatry" (Acts 17:16). Indeed, one
of the most common themes in his writing is his revulsion at idolatry
and the degenerate effects it has on those who worship idols.
James Dunn, perhaps the leading scholar of Paul in our day, notes that
Paul does not outline any theology of God in his writings. The word
"God" appears 548 times in Paul's writings, but he does not bother to
say much in a direct way about what he believes God to be. One can only
assume that this is because Paul and the people to whom he is writing
shared a common belief in God.
Paul's God is the one God of Jewish monotheism, the lord and creator of
all that is, the God who loves us passionately. From the incidents at
Ephesus and Athens noted above, he clearly felt compelled to talk about
this God in his preaching to the pagans. Read more
Recommended Books
Adults:
Anne, David, (ed.), Rereading Paul
Together: Protestant and Catholic Perspectives on Justification.
Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic. 2006.
Bassler, Jouette M., Navigating
Paul: An Introduction to Key Theological Concepts. Louisville,
KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 2007.
Cantalamessa, Raniero, Life in
Christ: The Spiritual Message of the Letter to the Romans.
Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press. 2002.
Decaux, Alain, Paul, Least of the
Apostles: The Story of the Most Unlikely Witness to Christ.
Boston: Pauline Books and Media. 2006.
Dunn, James, Theology of Paul the
Apostle. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. 1998.
Dunn, James. The New Perspective on
Paul. Tubinger Germany: Mohn Siebeck. 2005.
Gorman, Michael, Apostle of the
Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and His Letters.
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. 2004.
Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome, Paul, His
Story. Oxford/New York: University Press. 2004.
Pilarczyk, Archbishop Daniel E., Live
Letters: Reflections on the Second Readings of the Sunday Lectionary.
Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger Press.
Robinson, Alan, The Treasures of
Paul: Selected Themes from Paul's Theology and Ethics. New York:
Alba House. 1995.
Witherup, Ronald D., Saint Paul,
Called to Conversion. A Seven-Day Retreat. Cincinnati, OH: St.
Anthony Messenger Press. 2007.
Wright, Tom, Paul for Everyone Series.
London: SPCK/Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 2004.
Children:
Hill, Mary Lea fsp., St. Paul, the
Thirteenth Apostle. Boston: Pauline Books and Media. 2007.
Selucky, Oldrich, Adventures of St.
Paul. Pauline Books and Media. 2008.
Upcoming Events in the Archdiocese
Scripture Fest Edmonton
Friday-Saturday, September 27-28
St. Theresa's Parish, 7508 - 29 Ave., Edmonton
Come celebrate the life and mission of the Apostle Paul in this, his
jubilee year. Discover anew the life-changing Gospel that transformed a
committed opponent of Christianity into one of the greatest
missionaries the Church has ever known. Featured presenter will be Dr.
Margaret MacDonald, a scripture specialist from Saint Francis Xavier
University in Nova Scotia. Tickets to ScriptureFest 2008 are only $20
and are now available for purchase. Click here to
pre-register online. For more information contact religioused@edmontoncatholic-church.com.
Theology on Tap
Wednesdays, August 27-September 17, 7:00 to 9:00
PM
Fargo's, 5804 Terrace Road, Edmonton
An evening speaker series for young adults (18-35) that serves great
conversation, good theology, and a chance to meet new people --
all in a familiar and casual environment. The first session on August
27 features Deacon Leo Farley speaking on St. Paul's conversion:
"Was the horse saved too?" Click here for the full
schedule of topics and speakers. For more information contact
Andrew at yam@edmontoncatholic-church.com
or 780-469-1010.
Scripture Fest Follow Up,
October/November/December and
February/March/April
Details TBA.
Closing Liturgy: Solemnity of Saints Peter and
Paul, June 28, 2009
Details TBA.
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