THE APOSTOLATE ACCORDING TO SAINT PAUL

In the Acts of the Apostles and from his letters, St. Paul appears as a model of the apostolate begun by the disciples and
apostles of Our Lord following the Ascension and Pentecost, yet St. Paul's case is exceptional in that he was not trained
by Our Lord in the same way as the others; Paul's preparation for the apostolate was received miraculously. His calling,
his baptism, his retreat in the desert--all are in contrast with the calling of the Twelve. And yet St. Paul was to become
the model of an apostle, and especially of missionaries.
At a time when the very purpose of the apostolate is being called into question, and when it seems that its methods, too,
have to change radically, it is helpful to go back to what is essential in this activity of which Our Lord Himself is the
source. And the essential will be what was undertaken and achieved by the men who learned it directly from Him. It is
therefore supremely useful to sit at the feet of St. Paul.
Before examining St. Paul's ministry, it will be valuable to take note of its starting point which was, of course, that
extraordinary moment when he was struck down on the road to Damascus. Paul, himself, tells of this event in an
account which complements that given by the author of the Acts of the Apostles in chapter nine. A synthesis of these
two narratives cannot but cause us to marvel at the almighty power of Our Lord, Who thus transformed a persecutor
into the model of apostles. `Vas electionis est mihi iste ut portet nomen meum coram gentibus et regibus et fillis Israel'
[`This man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel' Acts
9:15]. Already in these words addressed to Ananias, the purpose of an apostle is made clear; to carry the Name of Jesus
Christ before the pagans and kings and the children of Israel. And Our Lord immediately adds, `for I will show him
how great things he must suffer "pro nomine meo".' That is always the goal; to make known the Name of Jesus, and
this apostolate will entail suffering, persecution and contradictions.
Now let us add to these words some from St. Paul himself, which are much more explicit. Paul is speaking with
moving eloquence before Agrippa. He gives a frank account of his hounding of Christians and his violence against
them: `frequenter puniens eos...compellebam blasphemare...'[`...oftentimes punishing them...I compelled them to
blaspheme...'Acts 26:11]. He tells of the shattering apparition in broad daylight on the Damascus road, and how Jesus
Himself spoke to him `in the Hebrew tongue': `Ego sum Iesus quem tu persequeris.'[`I am Jesus whom thou persecutest'
Acts 26:15]. Thus when Christians are persecuted, it is Jesus Himself Who suffers.
But let us get to the point; what exactly did Jesus want of Paul? `Ad hoc enim apparui tibi,'--clearly Our Lord is about
to tell him precisely why He has appeared to him--`ut constituam te ministrum, et testem eorum, quae vidisti, et eorum,
quibus apparebo tibi.'[`...for to this end have I appeared to thee, that I may make thee a minister and a witness of those
things which thou hast seen, and of those things wherein I will appear to thee...'Acts 26:16]. So it was Our Lord
Himself Who appointed him an apostle, that is, His representative and a witness to the things he had seen, and those
concerning which He would appear to him again.
It is clear, then, that Paul's was to be an infused knowledge, like that received by the other apostles at Pentecost, but
without the long preparation that they were given, and Our Lord would appear to him again to complete his instruction.
Paul would later tell of extraordinary visions which carried him to heaven, impossible for man to describe. Souls who
approach God by way of experience learn more in a few moments than in a lifetime of study. Above all, they acquire an
unshakeable faith, for in an instant their faith is transformed into direct vision, in the manner of the beatific vision.
`Eorum quae vidisti'--[`a witness of those things which thou hast seen'].
And why did St. Paul receive these extraordinary graces from Our Lord? `...Eripiens te de populo, et gentibus, in quas
nunc mitto te...'--[`...Delivering thee from the people and the nations unto which now I send thee...'Acts 26:17].--a
curious sentence, which appears almost contradictory, but which defines the apostle in every age. Our Lord took Paul
from the midst of the Jews and other nations in order to send him back among them. One cannot help thinking of the
light set on a candlestick to illuminate everything around it. Henceforth Paul would appear before the nations marked
out by this calling, by this divine role.
This mission, like that of the other apostles--Ego mitto vos, Ego mitto te--would have for its aim `aperire oculos
eorum, ut convertantur a tenebris ad lucem, et de potestate satanae ad Deum ut accipiant remissionem peccatorum, et
sortem inter sanctos per fidem, quae est in me.' [`To open their eyes, that they may be converted from darkness to light
and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a lot among the saints, by the faith
that is in me 'Acts 26:18]. This was the splendid goal that Paul had to strive for. It was all about conversion, about the
transition from death to life. Darkness was set against light, the power of the devil against that of God, the works of sin
against the works of faith in Our Lord.
This was the goal set by Jesus Himself for St. Paul's apostolate; who would dar deny this description and definition of
his task?
If St. Paul still had other things to learn from future apparitions of Our Lord, such knowledge would only complement
this essential program; it could not invalidate or lessen it. As proof, we need only look at Paul's subsequent career to see
how fully he accomplished the task entrusted to him.
However, before setting out on his apostolic mission St. Paul, like all the faithful, had to be baptized with water and the
Spirit. Jesus Himself chose Ananias to baptize him and to bring down the Holy Spirit upon him, after which his eyes
were opened to the light of day, as was his soul to the light of God's Word, to which he was to bear such outstanding
witness.
It is essential, too, to remember at this point what St. Paul himself wrote to the Galatians; `...when it pleased [God] to
reveal His Son to me...immediately...I went into Arabia, and again I returned to Damascus. Then, after three years, I
went to Jerusalem to see Peter, and I tarried with him fifteen days.' Thus speaks the great apostle to make it clear that
he did not learn the Gospel from any human being, but by a direct revelation from Our Lord Himself.
This exactly confirms what Our Lord had told him. It seems likely that it was in the Arabian desert that Paul, like
Moses before him, had that extraordinary vision of God which was to mark him for ever.
So, filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul went back to Damascus and `preached Jesus...that He is the Son of God,'--
`praedicabat Iesum, quoniam hic est Filius Dei.' The immediate result was that the Jews conspired to kill him. He went
on to Jerusalem, where he preached to the Gentiles and debated with the Greeks, acting confidently in the Name of the
Lord, but here again the same thing happened; `they sought to kill him'--`quaerebant occidere eum'. At this point he
set out for Caesarea, and then to Tarsus. He would return to Jerusalem, but henceforth his ministry would be carried out
according to the designs of the Holy Spirit to Whom one always senses Paul's total submission. In all his preaching,
however, he would always remain united with Peter and the apostles, and he would not forget the impoverished
community in Jerusalem. Besides, it was the same Holy Spirit guiding him Who was visibly guiding all the apostles in
those years of the Church's founding.
It was, then, a prerequisite and of supreme importance to be united with Peter and the apostles, just as we, today, must
be united with Peter and the Church of Rome. There could be no hesitation on that point. When Paul was assailed by
the accusations of the Jewish converts concerning the necessity of circumcision for salvation (Acts 15) he went to
submit the dispute to the Church at Jerusalem, and accepted its decision. Once assured of this unity with the leadership
of the Church, Paul would follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in his day-to-day life and ministry. It was the same
Spirit of the Lord Who kept the Church in her faith and Who was present in Paul's soul by the grace of baptism and the
imposition of Ananias's hands.
In Paul's life, this unity was profound and total. This was why he reproached Peter when, by avoiding the
uncircumcised at Antioch, he appeared to Paul to be going against what he had himself decided as leader of the Church
at Jerusalem (Gal.2:11).
Thus, converted and transformed by the Holy Spirit, Paul set out on his travels. Everywhere he went he preached first
to the Jews whom special preparatory graces should have predisposed towards conversion, and then to the Gentiles,
despite fierce opposition from Jews who often stirred up the populace against him.
`And when they were come to Salamina, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews (Acts 13:5)'.
Already at Antioch in Pisidia the results were visible: `The next Sabbath day the whole city came together, to hear the
word of God. And the Jews, seeing the multitudes, were filled with envy and contradicted those things which were said
by Paul, blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas said boldly: "To you it behooved us first to speak the word of God; but
because you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles."'
It is important, nevertheless, to note that a good number of Jews were, in fact, converted, but each time there was a
significant group which stirred up the populace against Paul and his companions.
`As many as were ordained to life everlasting believed (Acts 13:48)'--a conclusion which shows the action of God's all-
powerful grace, while not denying the merit of the believers.
The neophytes were thoroughly instructed, for Paul prolonged his stays for weeks, sometimes months. In Corinth he
spent a year and a half: `And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching among them the word of God (Acts
18:11)' Baptism was administered: `And many of the Corinthians, hearning, believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8).'
Sometimes Paul would return to the same pleaces to confirm the faith of the believers: `...they returned again to Lystra
and to Iconium and to Antioch; confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the Faith; and
that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:20-21).'
But a Christian community cannot be truly established without priests: `And when they had ordained to them priests in
every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they believed (Acts 14:22).'
The magnificent example of St. Paul's apostolate would be followed by missionaries all down the ages.
However, we must return to some of the details given in Acts concerning the first disciples. There are some informative
passages. Paul preached not only to both Jews and Gentiles, but to rich and poor without distinction. The fact is often
noted that converts came from all classes, such as the proconsul Sergius Paulus in Cyprus, and, in Macedonia, Lydia,
wife of a magistrate from Thyatira. In Thessalonice, a great multitude believed `and of noble women not a few', while
at Berea, Acts tells us, the Jews of the city were more cultivated than those of Thessalonice, searching the scriptures
avidly, and here, too, many Gentiles of noble rank, both men and women, believed (Acts 16,17). And how could we
forget Aquila and Priscilla, who followed Paul everywhere? Thus, evangelization is not for the poor only; the whole of
society must be converted to God. Conversion is the surest means of setting society on solid and durable foundations.
The Church is not bound to any class or party or group.
Another interesting point which should be noted is that Acts often tells us explicitly that a convert brought his or her
whole household to the Faith--something which is also mentioned several times in the Gospel, e.g. `Crispus, the ruler
of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, with all his house--cum omni domo sua (Acts 18:8). `And when [Lydia] was
baptized, and her household...(Acts 16:15).'Hency the desiribility of converting heads of families who can pass on the
benefits of the grace they have received to all their dependents.
Acts supplies a wealth of revealing and interesting details. Appolo, an Alexandrian Jew, was an enthusiastic convert
and well-versed in the Scriptures, but his knowledge of the truths of the Christian Faith was insufficient. Aquila and
Priscilla stepped in and Acts tells us, `they took him to them and expounded to him the way of the Lord more diligently
(Acts 18:26).' Is this not the beginning of Catholic Action? Are these not the first catechists? As a couple they took
Apollo into their home and instructed him--what a wonderful example!
But Paul wanted to give special training to those whom he intended to share in his mission, and to succeed him in the
preaching of the Gospel, notably Timothy and Titus. After taking them with him on his travels, he established each of
them in a particular church, Timothy at Ephesus, and Titus in Crete.
As he was bringing his travelling apostolate to an end and making his farewells, Paul addressed these words to the
majores natu ecclesiae at Ephesus: `Take heed to yourselves and to the whole flock wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed
you bishops, to rule the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood (Acts 20:28).'
Yes, Paul could not set out for Jerusalem and all that awaited him there--sufferings, captivity, the journey to Rome. He
had devoted all the fervor of his soul to the founding of the Church, had been prosecuted, stoned, imprisoned, beaten.
No matter, the Lord was always there to strengthen him. He Who spoke to him in the night at Corinth and said, `Do
not fear, but speak; and hold not they peace, because I am with thee....`Noli timere, sed loquere et ne taceas, propter
quod ego sum tecum...(Acts 18:9-10).'
Let those words be engraved in our hearts so that, like St. Paul, we may preach the word of God with indomitable
courage and so give to God the souls He has predestined for Himself through our apostolate.
To complete this survey, we need to read Paul's impassioned letters to his young Christian communities, and to Titus
and Timothy, and then we shall have a clear idea of his thinking concerning the preaching of the Gospel.
Monthly bulletin, January-February, 1967.