United Kingdom

10th September

 

16th September

20th September

Following the invitation of Benedict XVI to “listen and learn faith and truth from Paul, our teacher,” the Daughters of St. Paul in Great Britain organized a series of conferences, meetings and prayer encounters for the Pauline Year. The first of these took place in Liverpool and stirred up much interest among the laity, both Catholics and non Catholics. September 10, 2008, more than 70 persons came to the book center for the talk given by Archbishop Patrick Kelly on the theme Paul’s Struggle on the Way to Damascus. The Archbishop underscored how all that Paul had studied and believed was overturned by his experience of light on the way to Damascus. The God who revealed himself to Israel and who promised his presence became flesh in Jesus, the Lord. Paul understood that Jesus did not merely “become similar to us in all things but sin.” He is living in us: “I am that Jesus whom you are persecuting.” The encounter with Christ on the Damascus road made Paul realize that everything he had studied, believed and for which he had labored was like refuse in the face of the sublime knowledge of Christ.

 

Those who participated in the conference really appreciated the interesting and spontaneous way that the Bishop presented St. Paul, drawing not just from the text but also from the context in which he wrote his letters.

 

Thus just as God became flesh 2000 years ago, so the celebration of the Pauline Year is an invitation to become more aware of how Jesus, the Christ, is near to us and becomes flesh in our daily life.

Great Britain: St. Paul for the Contemporary Christian

Although St. Paul is read at Mass on most Sundays and some of his writings are popu-lar, the Apostle of the Gentiles is virtually unknown to the contemporary Christian compared to other saints. And yet Christianity was spread largely thanks to his indefatigable zeal to proclaim the Good News.

 

To help make St. Paul known to more people, the Daughters of St. Paul in Great Brit-ain invited Bishop John Arnold, auxiliary bishop of Westminster, to share his reflections on the person of Paul and his writings for today’s contemporary Christian. In collaboration with the parish priests, a day of recollection was scheduled in three different venues: Holy Family Church in Langley, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Newcastle and Our Lady of Victories Parish in London. Crowds of people eager to know more about St. Paul participated in each encounter and they were not disappointed.

 

Bishop Arnold said that the best way to know Paul is to read his letters, which reveal his inner person, how his understanding of the Christian faith was shaped and how this in turn shaped him. It is by exploring Paul’s message and applying his teachings to daily life that one can really get know the Apostle of the Gentiles.

 

Paul’s Christian life was based on three certainties, all of which are set forth in his Letters: God’s love (“Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus”: Rm. 8:39); human weakness (“It is when I am weak that I am strong”: 2 Co. 12:10); the role of the Spirit (“The Spirit helps us in our weakness”: Rm. 8).

All of Paul’s teachings are an exposition of these three certainties that are repeated in many different ways in his letters. Paul wanted to challenge his communities. He said to the Ephesians: “Try to discover what the Lord wants of you.”

 

Bishop Arnold invited the participants to read a chapter of the Letters of St. Paul each day. He encouraged them not to be put off should they find the text difficult, saying that those 13 letters contain precious nuggets that can change a person’s life.

 

At the end of the day of recollection, the Letters of Paul and other materials were made available to the participants, who were all very grateful for the opportunity to meet Paul on a more personal level, for the time of reflection and prayer, and for the practical tips on how to approach St Paul and how to spend this Pauline Year fruitfully.