Father Nolan's Homily - January 25, 2009

“Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?”

                                           Acts 22:10

This year we are celebrating the year of St. Paul – the 2,000 anniversary of his life and today we celebrate the conversion of St. Paul – the most famous conversion to Christianity of all times.   

The first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles tell the story of St. Paul’s Conversion on the road to Damascus.  It is interesting to read that when Saul later to become Paul says “Who are you.” Jesus answers “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you persecute.”  Here Jesus identifies Himself with the persecuted and indeed all the suffering the poor, the marginalized, the downtrodden, the helpless, the hurting and all suffering any form of injury or abuse.  That is why Jesus would say to us “as long as you did it to one of the least of my brothers you did it to Me.” 

In the second reading taken from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians Paul calls all of us away from putting our trust in things of the world.  Ultimately he says our hope does not lie in our possessions or even our families. Our hope is in God whose kingdom has endured and will endure when all else passes away.   

In the Gospel of St. Mark we find Jesus appearing to the Apostles and sending them on their mission to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world.  Saul who became Paul and was named an apostle embraces that mission and brings it out of Israel to the Gentiles – all the people of the world. 

St. Paul was born in Tarsus a city of culture, learning and philosophy and education.  Some of it’s scholars surpassed those in Athens and Alexandria.  The population of Tarsus was accorded the honor of Roman citizenship – an honor unique in those times – all because of it’s being considered a seat of learning in those times.  – That honor would save the life of Paul more than once.   

A cosmopolitan citizen of the empire Paul was at the same time a learned Pharisee who had studied under the teacher Gamilial – one of the most respected teachers and leaders in Paul’s time so that Paul could say “I am a citizen of no mean town.” Paul’s sophisticated upbringing produced a remarkable man – a writer of exquisite style and a preacher of unbridled enthusiasm.  He was an amazing combination of Greek culture, Jewish law and Christian faith.  We have never seen his like since. 

Paul was a devout Jew in early life.  He considered Jesus and His followers traitors to the Jewish teaching and tradition.  He tells us in the first reading that He was a persecutor of the Way which was the name given in earliest times to the Christian way of life.  He was a Pharisee – a strict interpreter of the Jewish life.   

The earliest blot on his record came prior to his conversion to Christianity.  The Book of the Acts openly tells the story and Paul confesses it in some of his own writings.  He was a persecutor of the Church.  He bound people in chains and put them in prison for no other reason than being followers of Christ.  Perhaps Paul never had actually committed murder himself but he was an accomplice.  He was the young man who held the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen to death – that was accomplice enough. 

Every saint has a past.  That was certainly true of St. Paul.  But he emerged from his doubtful beginning to become a giant in the Christian faith.

Saul from the moment he left down the sword became Paul a zealous defender and preacher of the Christian faith.  It lead him all over the then known world.  He got beaten and robbed, thrown in prison and shipwrecked.  If Billy Graham suddenly began preaching that the U.S. should adopt Communism and not rely on the constitution the angry reaction would help us understand Paul’s life when he started preaching that Christ alone can save us.  He had been the most Pharisaic of Pharisees, the most legalistic of mosaic lawyers.  Now he appears to his brother Jews as a traitor and apostate.   

Paul was the Church’s most eminent theologian and writer.  Thirteen of the twenty seven books of the New Testament are attributed to St. Paul.  His thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians is doubtless the most practical and beautiful poem about love ever to be written. 

Paul led the Christian outreach to the Gentiles.  After a life of suffering for Christ it is ironic that he should be martyred at the hands of the Gentiles.  He was imprisoned in Rome and executed at the hands of the Emperor Nero.  There at the great Basilica of St Paul outside the walls in Rome stands, the great St. Paul died in the year 67 A.D. – a martyr for Christ whom he loved and served so well.  This great Basilica was built over his grave.  Today that grave is being exhumed and people will now be able to view his tomb.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.