Hello all Happy feast day to all born, baptized and married today Happy feast day to all Deacons, Seminarians, Priests, Bishops, Monks, Nuns, Reverend Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus. Happy feast day to all named Paul and parents of all named Paul Happy feast day to all who have been inspired by the conversion of Saint Paul Happy feast day to all who are inspired by the writings and teachings of Saint Paul Happy feast day to all who promote the Gospel of Christ and win souls for salvation through their words and actions Happy feast day to all repentant sinners Happy feast day especially to all penitents who frequently go for confession and believe in the Sacrament of Penance irrespective of the gravity of their sins. Happy feast day to all Catholic Missionaries Happy feast day to all Martyrs Today (January 25) marks the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul Before his conversion he was known as “Saul of Tarsus” He is also known as Saint Paul the Apostle He is often referred to as the Apostle Paul He is popularly called “Saint Paul Saint Paul the Apostle was born 5 AD in Tarsus in Cilicia (south-central Turkey) He was also a Roman citizen—a fact that afforded him a privileged legal status with respect to laws, property, and governance. Along with being ethnically Jewish, Paul was born a Roman citizen. His given name was Saul which means: “ask for” It can also mean “pray for” Saint Paul is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament. The influence on Christian thinking of the epistles ascribed to him has been significant, due to his association as a prominent apostle of Christianity during the spreading of the Gospel through early Christian communities across the Roman Empire. Catholic tradition reminds us that Saint Paul was known as Saul prior to his conversion, and was dedicated to the persecution of the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem. It is general scholarly opinion that Paul retained his name Saul even after his conversion; however Saul (probably somewhat reluctantly) went by the Greek name Paulos in order to effectively relate with the gentiles. Christian History informs us that while traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, the resurrected Jesus appeared to him in a great light. In the book of Acts, when Saint Paul had the vision that led to his conversion on the Road to Damascus, we are told that our Lord “Jesus Christ” called him Saul, Saul, in the Hebrew tongue. Later, in a vision to Ananias of Damascus, the Lord referred Saint Paul as Saul, of Tarsus History tells us that Saul was struck blind, but after three days his sight was restored by Ananias of Damascus, and from then onward Saint Paul began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God Tradition enlightens us further that, along with Simon Peter (the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church) and Saint James the Just (whose feast day is celebrated on the 3rd of May) Saint Paul was one of the most prominent early Christian leaders. Saint Pauls conversion dramatically changed the course of his life. In Acts 13:9, the author indicates a name change by saying ...Saul, (who also is called Paul,)... and thereafter refers to him as Paul. He is called Paul in all other Bible books where he is mentioned. Through his missionary activity and writings Paul eventually transformed religious belief and philosophy around the Mediterranean Basin. Saint Paul’s leadership, influence and legacy led to the formation of communities dominated by Gentile groups that worshiped the God of Israel, adhered to the Judaic moral code, but relaxed or abandoned the ritual and dietary teachings of the Law of Moses, that these laws and rituals had either been fulfilled in the life of Christ or were symbolic precursors of Christ, all on the basis of Pauls teachings of the life and works of Jesus Christ and his teaching of a New Covenant (or new testament) established through Jesus death and resurrection. The main source for historical information about Saint Pauls life is the material found in several of his epistles and the Book of Acts. However, these epistles contain comparatively little information about Pauls past. The Book of Acts also recounts Pauls career but leaves several parts of Pauls life out of its narrative, such as his (alleged) execution in Rome -------------------------------------------------- Pauls own account of his background is found particularly in Galatians Saint Paul claimed to be of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee. (Phil. 3:5) Paul confesses that beyond measure he persecuted the church of God prior to his conversion. (Galatians 1:13–14; Philippians 3:6; Acts 8:1–3) Paul tells us further that he was consenting to the killing of the proto-martyr, Saint Stephen. As a young man Paul stood by and guarded the clothes of the witnesseses while Saint Stephen was stoned to death. (Acts 7:58; 8:1; 22:20) ------------------------------------ Pauls conversion can be dated to year 31 – 36 According to the Acts of the Apostles, his conversion took place on the road to Damascus where he claimed to have experienced a vision of the resurrected Jesus after which he was temporarily blinded.[Acts 9:1-31] [22:1-22] [26:9-24] After his conversion, tradition tells us that Saint Paul went to Damascus, where Acts states he was healed of his blindness and baptized by Ananias of Damascus. ---------------------------------- Saint Luke, (who is the author of Acts of the Apostles), likely learned of Saint Paul’s conversion from one of these three sources: • Saint Paul himself • church in Jerusalem • church in Antioch ------------------------------- In the opening verses of Romans 1, Paul provides a litany of his own apostolic claim and his post-conversion convictions about the risen Christ: • Paul describes himself: As a servant of Christ Jesus As called to be an apostle As a servant set apart for the gospel of God ----------------------------------- • Paul describes Jesus: As having been promised by God beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures As being the Son of God As having biological lineage from David (according to the flesh) As having been declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead As being Jesus Christ our Lord As the One through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. ------------------------------------ Paul asserted that he received the Gospel not from any person, but by a personal revelation of Jesus Christ. [Gal 1:11-16] Paul tells us in the book of Galatians that: 3 years after his conversion he went to Jerusalem. There he met Saint James and stayed with Simon Peter for 15 days. [Gal. 1:13-24] Paul was not a bishop of Rome nor did he bring Christianity to Rome since there were already Christians in Rome when he arrived there (Acts 28:14-15). Also Paul wrote his letter to the church at Rome before he had visited Rome (Romans 1:1, 7, 11-13; 15:23-29). However, Paul would have played an important role in the life of the early church at Rome. Saints Peter and Paul had been the founders of the Church in Rome and had appointed Linus as succeeding bishop. Pope Saint Linus whose feast is celebrated on the 23rd of September (was the 2nd Pope of the Roman Catholic Church since the Pontificate of Saint Peter the Apostle) Neither the Bible nor other history says how or when Saint Paul died. According to Christian tradition, Saint Paul was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Nero around the mid-60s at Tre Fontane Abbey (English: Three Fountains Abbey) By comparison, Catholic tradition tells us that Saint Peter was crucified upside-down. And Saint Pauls Roman citizenship accorded him the more merciful death by beheading. Saint Paul was martyred in 67 AD, in Rome -------------------------------- In June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI (our 265th Servant of God since the Pontificate of Saint Peter the Apostle) announced excavation results concerning the tomb of Paul at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The sarcophagus was not opened but was examined by means of a probe, which revealed pieces of incense, purple and blue linen, and small bone fragments. The bone was radiocarbon dated to the 1st or 2nd century. According to the Vatican, these findings were consistent with the traditional claim that the tomb is Pauls Tradition tells us that fourteen epistles in the New Testament are attributed to Saint Paul. Saint Augustine of Hippo developed Saint Pauls idea that salvation is based on faith and not works of the law Saint Paul the Apostle, is the Patron Saint of Catholic Missions world-wide He is the patron Saint of Theologians He is the patron Saint of Gentile Christians ------------------------------------ Quote of the Day: (words of Saint Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians) “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). -------------------------------------- Let us pray that through the conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle, by his works, by his teachings, by his spiritual maturity, by his intercession and by his martyrdom, we may in this group find the spiritual motivation to win our souls for God. Amen Summary of the conversion and martyrdom of Saint Paul the Apostle can be viewed by clicking the image of the Martyr in our group’s photo section Saint of the day, would be communicated to you as promptly and consistently as humanly possible, by Gods grace. May we all in this group and beyond this group, Christians and non Christians alike, Catholics and non Catholics alike, be saved from the fires of hell and lifted up into heaven after our stay here on this exile. Amen May our Lord Jesus Christ, through the conversion and martyrdom of Saint Paul the Apostle and other Saints and martyrs before and after him and through Gods Divine Mercy strengthen our souls, open out the way for us all, and above all, intoxicate us with HIS love. Amen May Christ make us into blazing fires to enkindle the earth with the heavenly fire HE brought us. Amen Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we give you our lives and our salvation Jesus we love you, all we have is yours, yours we are and yours we want to be, please do with us whatever you will. Amen Jesus, Mary we love you, please save our souls. Amen God bless you and grant your heart’s desire. Amen Saint Paul the Apostle, pray for us. Amen. ----------------------------------- For a brief on our Feast of today, please click the link below: https://youtube/watch?v=bbxcFpHvIIc
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 17:33:34 +0000
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