AUDIENCE OF 9/10/08
Here is a translation of the Holy Father's catechesis on St. Paul, #4 in the current cycle, at the General Audience today:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Last Wednesday, I spoke of the great turnaround that took place in the life of St. Paul following his encounter with the Risen Christ.
Jesus entered his life and transformed him from persecutor to apostle. That encounter marked the start of his mission: Paul could not continue to live as before - he now felt invested by the Lord with the task of announcing his Gospel as an apostle.
It is precisely about this new life condition of his - of being an apostle of Christ - that I wish to speak today.
Normally, when we read the Gospels, we identify The Twelve with the title of Apostles, intending thereby to indicate those who were Jesus's companions in life who had personally listened to his teaching.
But even Paul felt himself to be a true apostle, and it seems clear that the Pauline concept of the Apostolate was not limited to the group of Twelve.
Obviously, Paul distinguishes his own case from those "who were Apostles before" him (Gal 1,17) - he acknowledges in them a very special place in the life of the Church.
And yet, as everyone knows, even St. Paul considered himself an Apostle in the strict sense. Certainly, at the time of the beginnings of Christianity, no one travelled as many miles as he did, by land and sea, for the sole purpose of announcing the Gospel.
Therefore, his concept of Apostolate went beyond what was solely linked to the group of Twelve, and handed down, above all, by St. Luke in the Acts (cfr Acts 1,2-26; 6,2).
In fact, in the first Letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes a clear distinction between "the Twelve" and "all the apostles", cited as two different groups of beneficiaries of the apparitions of the Risen Lord (cfr 14,5-7).
In that same text, he goes on to name himself humbly as "the least of the apostles", even likening himself to an abortus and saying textually: "For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God (that is) with me" (1 Cor 15,9-10).
The metaphor of abortion expresses extreme humility: it is also found in the Letter to the Romans of St. Ignatius of Antioch: "I am the last among all, I am an abortus; but it will be granted to me to be something, if I reach God" (9,2).
What the Bishop of Antioch would say about his imminent martyrdom, foreseeing that it would reverse his condition of dignity, St. Paul says in relation to his own apostolic commitment: it is there that the fecundity of God's grace is manifested, for God can transform a failed man into a splendid apostle.
From persecutor to founder of (local) Churches: God has done this for someone who, from the evangelical point of view, would have been considered a reject.
What then, according to St. Paul, makes him and the others Apostles? In his Letters, there appear three principal characteristics that make up an apostle.
The first is having 'seen the Lord' (cfr 1 Cor 9,1), that is, having had an encounter that was decisive for one's life. Similarly, in the Letter to the Galatians (cfr 1,15-16) he would say that he was called, almost selected, by the grace of God, with the revelation of his Son to announce the 'happy news' to the pagans.
When all is said and done, it is the Lord who makes an apostle, not one's own presumption. The apostle is not self-made, but is made into one by the Lord, therefore, the apostle must relate to the Lord constantly.
That is why Paul says he is an 'apostle by vocation' (Rom 1,1), an apostle "not from human beings nor through a human being but through Jesus Christ and God the Father" (Gal 1,1). This then is the first characteristic: to have seen the Lord, to have been called by him.
The second characteristic is that of 'being sent'. The Greek term apostolos means precisely "someone who is sent or ordered', that is, an ambassador and message bearer - he should therefore act as the delegate and representative of the one who sent him.
In this sense, too, Paul defines himself as 'an apostle of Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 1,1; 2 Cor 1,1) - that is, his delegate, totally in his service - as much as to call himself also "the servant of Jesus Christ" (Rom 1,1).
Once again there comes to the foreground the idea of an initiative from someone else, God in Jesus Christ, to whom one is fully obliged. But above all, this underscores the fact that one has received a mission from him, to be carried out in his name, putting aside every personal interest.
The third requisite is the exercise of 'announcing the Gospel', with the consequent founding of churches. Indeed, the title of 'Apostle' is not and cannot be an honorific. It demands concretely - and even tragically - the entire existence of the person concerned.
In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul exclaims: "Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?" (9,1).
Likewise, in the second Letter to the Corinthians, he states: "You are our letter, written on our hearts... a letter of Christ written not in ink but by the Spirit of the living God" (3,2-3).
We should not be surprised, then, that the Chrysostom (St. John Chrysostom) speaks of Paul as 'a soul of diamond' (Panegyrics, 1,8) and goes on to say: "In the same way that fire, kindled out of different materials, blazes even more... so Paul's words gained to his cause all those with whom he came into contact, and those who made war against him, captivated by his discourses, became fuel for this spiritual fire" (ibid, 71,11).
This explains why Paul defines apostles as 'collaborators of God" (1 Cor 3,9; 2 Cor 6,1). whose grace acts in them.
A typical element of the true Apostle that Paul brings to light very well is a sort of identification between the Gospel and the evangelizer, both destined for the same fate.
Indeed, no one more than Paul has shown how the announcement of the Cross of Christ appears to be 'scandal and foolishness' (1 Cor 1,23), to which many react with incomprehension and rejection. This happened then, and we should not be surprised that it happens now.
An apostle is destined to such a fate - to seem 'scandalous and foolish' - and Paul knew it: it was the experience of his life.
To the Corinthians he wrote, not without a trace of irony:
"For as I see it, God has exhibited us apostles as the last of all, like people sentenced to death, since we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and human beings alike.
"We are fools on Christ's account, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands.
"When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently. We have become like the world's rubbish, the scum of all, to this very moment" (1 Cor 1,9-13)
It is a self-portrait of Paul's apostolic life: over all these sufferings prevails the joy of being a bearer of God's blessing and the grace of the Gospel.
Moreover, Paul shared with the Stoic philosophy of his time the idea of a tenacious constancy through all the difficulties that present themselves. But he goes beyond the merely humanistic perspective, calling on the component of the love of God and Christ:
"What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
"As it is written: 'For your sake we are being slain all the day; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, 10 nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8,35-39).
This is the certainty, the profound joy that guided the apostle Paul through all these events: Nothing can separate us from the love of God. And this love is the true richness of human life.
As we see, St. Paul gave himself to the Gospel with all his being, we can say 24 hours of the day. And he carried out his ministry with faithfulness and joy, "to save everyone at any cost" (1 Cor 9,22).
And with respect to the churches, knowing that what he had with them was not a relationship of fatherhood (cfr 1 Cor 4,15), but rather of outright motherhood (cfr Gal 4,19), he placed himself in an attitude of complete service, declaring admirably: "Not that we lord it over your faith; rather, we work together for your joy, for you stand firm in the faith" (2 Cor 1,24).
This remains the mission of all apostles of Christ in all the ages: to be collaborators in true joy.
In English, he said:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In today’s catechesis we turn to Saint Paul’s view of what it means to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.
Though he did not belong to the group of the Twelve, called by Jesus during his ministry, Paul nevertheless claims the title for himself because he was chosen and transformed by the grace of God, and shared the three principal characteristics of the true apostle.
The first is to have seen the Lord (1 Cor 9:1) and to have been called by him. One becomes an apostle by divine vocation, not by personal choice.
The second characteristic also underlines the divine initiative: an apostle is someone who is sent and therefore acts and speaks as a delegate of Christ, placed totally at his service.
The third characteristic is dedication to the work of proclaiming the Gospel and founding Christian communities. Saint Paul can point to his many trials and sufferings that speak clearly of his courageous dedication to the mission (cf. 2 Cor 11:23-28).
In this context he sees an identification between the life of the apostle and the Gospel that he preaches; the apostle himself is despised when the Gospel is rejected.
Saint Paul was steadfast in his many difficulties and persecutions, sustained above all by the unfailing love of Christ (cf. Rom 8:35-39). May the example of his apostolic zeal inspire and encourage us today!
I am happy to greet all the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims present at today’s audience, including the All Party Parliamentary Group from the United Kingdom, and the participants in the seminar on Social Communications at the Santa Croce Pontifical University.
I also greet the groups from England, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, South Africa, Zambia, India and the United States of America. May your pilgrimage renew your love for the Lord and his Church, and may God bless you all!
After his greetings to various language groups, the Holy Fathered delivered this message for the French people on the eve of his visit to their country:
Dear brothers and sisters,
On Friday I will undertake my first pastoral visit to France as the Successor of Peter. On the eve of my departure, I wish to extend my heartfelt greetings to the French people and all the inhabitants of this well-beloved nation.
I come to you as a messenger of peace and brotherhood. Your country is not unknown to me. I have had the joy of being there several times and to appreciate its generous tradition of welcome and tolerance, as well as the solidity of its Christian faith and its exalted human and spiritual culture.
This time, the occasion for my visit is the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes. After visiting Paris, your capital, it will be a great joy for me to join the crowds of pilgrims who have come to follow the Jubilee Way, in the footsteps of St. Bernadette, to the Grotto of Massabielle.
I will offer intense prayers at the foot of Our Lady for the intentions of the entire Church, particularly for the sick and those who are most needy, but also for the peace of the world.
May Mary be, for all of you, particularly for the young people, the Mother who is always there for the needs of her children, a light of hope who illumines and guides your way.
Dear friends in France, I invite you to join me in prayer that this trip may bring abundant fruits. In the happy anticipation of being among you soon, I invoke on everyone, on your families and your communities, the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes.
God bless you!
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 03/10/2008 02:36]