Paul Bearers
I don't think Pope Benedict XVI could possibly have put together a program that better fulfills the St. Paul Center's mission than the program he's already set for the coming year.
First he announced a special Synod of Bishops on the Word of God in the Church, to be convened in October 2008. In the preliminary documents, the Vatican spoke of mankind being made for the Word of God ... of the need for a biblical apostolate ... of the Word as the heart of the Church.
It began to sound like something you or I would say — or dream about.
But now the Holy Father has done still better for us. He's declared a Jubilee year — a special "Year of St. Paul" for the universal Church — to run from June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009.
He announced the event on the eve of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul at a special service at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. The event was attended by representatives from Christian communities that are separated from full communion, and Pope Benedict emphasized that the Jubilee should have an ecumenical dimension, marked by "common commitment" to bring all Christians to true unity.
The heart of the celebration, though, is personal conversion. The Holy Father is calling us to imitate St. Paul, as St. Paul imitated Jesus Christ. "As in the beginning, today too Christ needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves ... like St. Paul."
You and I need to do change inwardly, so that we want what St. Paul so earnestly wanted. He wanted nothing so much as
to proclaim the Word of God to all nations, so that the gentiles would know the story of God's covenant with Israel, and then all of us could be part of God's family.
St. Paul took special care with that first generation of Christian clergy, instructing Timothy and Titus on their conduct in office. "You have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17).
It all begins to sound like the mission of the Center we have named for St. Paul, where we never tire of laboring for "scriptural literacy for all Catholics, scriptural fluency for clergy and teachers." St. Paul reached out to all the world; that's why he's known as the Apostle to the Gentiles. That's why our Church today is Catholic, which means "universal." But St. Paul was specially concerned for the bishops and priests who would care for the Church.
Thanks be to God for Pope Benedict who calls you and me to a greater share in the Apostle's mission in the coming year. He made a special summons to "institutions of study and assistance that carry the name of St. Paul or that have been inspired by him and his teaching."
We hear him loud and clear. St. Paul himself showed us the way to proceed: "you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life" (2 Tim 3:10). So let's prepare to celebrate then, starting now. Let's give as St. Paul gave, holding nothing back, and wait in joyful hope for great things to happen in the coming Jubilee of grace.
August 2007
