Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle (Goffine's Devout Instructions)

January 25

The history of this conversion is fully given in the epistle taken from the Acts.

The Introit of the Mass is as follows:

“I know Whom I have believed, and I am certain that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day, being a just judge. Lord, Thou hast proved me and known me, Thou hast known my sitting down, and my rising up.”

Glory be to the Father, etc.

Prayer

O God, "Who didst teach the whole world by the preachingof blessed Paul the apostle, grant us, we beseech Thee, that we, who this day celebrate his conversion, may advance towards Thee by his example.” Through Christ our Lord, etc.

EPISTLE Acts 9:1-22

In those days : Saul as yet breathing out -threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues : that if he found any men and women of this way, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And as he went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus : and suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him. And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him : Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? Who said: Who art Thou, Lord? And He said : I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad. And he trembling and astonished, said : Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? And the Lord said to him : Arise, and go into the city, and there it shall be told thee what thou must do. Now the men who went in company with him stood amazed, hearing indeed a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. But they leading him by the hands, brought him to Damascus. And he was there three days without sight, and he did neither eat nor drink. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias : and the Lord said to him in a vision: Ananias. And he said: Behold I am here, Lord. And the Lord said to him : Arise, and go into the street that is called Strait, and seek in the house of Judas, one named Saul of Tarsus. For behold he prayeth. (And he saw a man named Ananias, coming in and putting his hands upon him, that he might receive his sight.) But Ananias answered : Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to Thy saints in Jerusalem. And here he hath authority from the chief priests, to bind all that invoke Thy name. And the Lord said to him : Go thy way, for this man is to Me a vessel of election, to carry My name before the gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name s sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house : and laying his hands upon him, he said : Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus hath sent me, He that appeared to thee in the way as thou earnest: that thou mayst receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and rising up he was baptized. And when he had taken meat he was strengthened. And he was with the disciples that were at Damascus for some days. And immediately he preached Jesus in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. And all that heard him were astonished, and said : Is not this he who persecuted in Jerusalem those that called upon this name ; and came hither for that intent, that he might carry them bound to the chief priests? But Saul increased much more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt at Damascus, affirming that this is the Christ.

What do we learn from this history?

Not to despise any sinner, nor to despair of his salvation : for, like Paul on the road to Damascus, the greatest sinner may, by the grace of God, be suddenly converted, and become a saint. At the command of God he accepted Ananias as his leader in the way of salvation, and became as zealous for the honor of Christ as he had previously been intent on persecuting Him. In like manner, a convert must shut his eyes to all by which he has heretofore been led astray, and must give heed to that only which God commands.

GOSPEL Matthew 19:27-29

At that time Peter said to Jesus : Behold, we have left all things, and have followed Thee : what, therefore, shall we have? And Jesus said to them : Amen I say to you, that you, who have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of His majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting.

This gospel teaches that he who renounces the world, its pleasures and its riches, shall receive the grace of God, virtues, interior consolation, and eternal happiness, which are a hundred fold, that is, infinitely, more precious than worldly goods.

Prayer

O St. Paul, great apostle, who, from being an enemy, be came the most zealous friend and preacher of Christ, procure for me from Him, I beseech thee, grace at last truly to know Him, Whom I have heretofore so often denied, offended, and, by my sins, crucified anew ; to follow Him, and, after thy example, to be henceforth as diligent in doing justice as I have formerly been in practicing evil ; that I may one day attain to that happiness which thou hast gained. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc. Amen.

– Goffine’s Devout Instructions

When We Feel Isolated

A New Look At 2 Timothy

At one time or another we have all felt as though we are isolated, that our faith, and the strength or weakness of our faith, keeps us separated from those in our lives.

There was a time when I took some time away from being online, and I did a good bit of reading. Marie (formerly of this blog) sent me a wonderful book that she had rescued from incineration there in Australia (when many dioceses, monasteries, convents, or parishes receive new copies of books they already have, they often burn the old copies to prevent profanation), called "The Early Church In The Acts of the Apostles And In Their Writings". This book, takes the book of Acts, and places the Letters of Paul, the Letters of John, Peter, Jude, and Revelations in the order in which they appeared according to Luke’s presentation of events as he related in Acts, and also gives the historical aspects of those leaders among the Romans and Jews as mentioned in Acts and the books that follow Acts.

This wonderful little book, is a treasure. Being someone who loves history and reading scripture, I found it opened many things in those books that I had somehow missed, and for me, placed into context what was happening as regards the early Church. Yet, perhaps the most amazing things for me was, the way the book of Romans, and 2nd Timothy were both opened to me. I had read both, Romans more so than 2nd Timothy, and what I found, made it seem as though I had just read them both for the very first time.

Especially 2nd Timothy. This has to be the most touching, most faith filled of all of Paul's letters. When we read the other letters of Paul, we see mostly instructions and corrections to the early churches in Corinth, Rome, Ephesus, Philippi, and so on. In 2nd Timothy, we find Paul who is a man who is keenly aware that his earthly ministry and life as apostle, teacher, and father to his children of faith, was soon coming to an end. Yet, Paul guided Timothy with love, urging him to keep the teachings he had been taught, and warning him to be on guard against those who taught falsely, or who would never accept the gospel, and would attack it and those who taught it.

In this letter, in the last chapter especially, is where I felt the sorrow and loneliness of Paul. With the exception of Luke, all of Paul's "friends" and disciples, had found reason to desert him, and Paul found him self very much isolated and alone. He asks Timothy to join him as soon as possible, and to try to join him before winter, and to bring Mark with him (yes, Mark, the writer of the 2nd gospel) as Mark had been of great service to him before. He asked for his cloak, and most significantly, his books and parchments. In the Neronian persecutions which were occurring then, Paul had been arrested in Troas, and as a Roman citizen had been brought to Rome (for the second time) to stand trial. His arrest had evidently been unforeseen, had occurred quickly, and he found himself unable to gather any of his meager possessions, especially his beloved scriptures. Paul was hurt that during his second trial, not one of those whom he had brought to Christ, came to his aid. All deserted him, and perhaps, were ashamed and fearful of being associated with a "criminal" such as Paul. Yet, once again, as astonishing as it seems, Paul saw in this trial, the opportunity he received of spreading the gospel to those Gentiles who had not yet heard it.

If you want a new found appreciation for Paul and his ministry, his sufferings, disappointments, and persecutions, the strength, unwavering faith and love for God by one man, apparently left alone at the end of his life, read 2nd Timothy. I hope you find in it what I found, and that is an appreciation for a man who held strongly to his faith and his mission for God, and who was always teaching, and always ensuring, that as the Apostle to the Gentiles, that we would have Jesus Christ, and the hope that is Jesus Christ.