Since his election as Pope, Benedict XVI has frequently mentioned the figure of St Paul, the Apostle of the nations. And in the very beginning on 25 April 2005, the Holy Father visited the tomb of St Paul where he said in his homily "I am here to revive in the faith this 'apostolic grace', since God, as the Apostle to the Gentiles has likewise said, has entrusted me with 'anxiety for all the Churches'".
The Apostle is known primarily as the one who worked to announce the
Gospel to all nations. If the Church's duty is mission, the successor of Peter
comes "on a pilgrimage, so to speak, to the roots of mission". The
Pope has contemplated on the person of Paul underlining the radical nature of
his encounter with Christ and the revelation received on the way to Damascus as
the source of Paul's theology. "He understood in an instant what he would
later express in his writings: that the Church forms a single body of which
Christ is the Head. And so, from a persecutor of Christians he became the
Apostle to the Gentiles."
Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes Paul's awareness that he is chosen and sent
by God. This divine calling, the manifestation of God's mercy, is for Paul, the
reason for his personal involvement in mission. His self-giving is the
principal cause of the fruitfulness of his apostolate. The life of Paul,
described by the Pope, is marked by centrality of the person of Christ and the
universal aspect of Paul's apostolate. What made him undertake difficult
journeys was Christ's love for him and his love for Christ. (An excerpt: St Paul the
Apostle, in the teaching of Pope Benedict XVI )
As we celebrate the feast of the Conversion of Saint
Paul during this Year of Faith, may we all imitate our
Father Saint Paul in his faith and love for Christ and in his fidelity to the mission
entrusted to him by God! Happy feast day to all!
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