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| St. Paul as a Missionary |
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| Scritto da Fr. Marino Gemma, imc | |
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The life of St. Paul as a Missionary started when he was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians when Christ appeared to him. That was when Christ appeared to him and asked him why he persecutes him. In order to be true Missionaries of God, we must be in Love with Jesus! Saint Paul said he was. “Christ Jesus made me his own. “(Mihi vivere Christus est)” “For me living is Christ.” And he added, “But whatever gain I had counted as loss for the sake of Christ, indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For this sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 2:7-8).” In the letters of St. Paul, the exegetics counted 164 times the expression “in Christ,” that is the life in Christ. “Who is a Missionary?” they once asked Mother Teresa who answered, “It is that Christian so in love with Jesus Christ, that desires nothing more than to make him known and loved.” Before his conversion, Paul had been a sincere and zealous Jew; by God’s grace his eyes were opened to see who Jesus really was. That was when he immediately began to carry out his apostolic role .i.e. proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ and Lord to the Jews in their synagogues. He created a lot of controversy and met with resistance even to the extent of threats against his life; yet he was always delivered or vindicated. Neither Christian nor Jewish person believed or trusted him. He met with lots of opposition and suspicion just like some missionaries do when they go to certain areas for the first time. He returned to his home town, Tarsus. He left Jerusalem and returned to Tarsus during Christ's ministry and he did not return to Jerusalem till Jesus' death. St. Paul as a Missionary generally met with hostility from the Jews when he was in Thessalonica and then decided to proceed to Greece, but his attempt to establish a community at Athens was not successful. His missionary work involved lots of travels and during his journey to Jerusalem which involved a circuitous route, he comforted his converts along the way. In Jerusalem Paul reported to the Church leaders about the missionary work he has just accomplished. He was then informed that some people were accusing him of having encouraged the Jews of the Diaspora not to observe the Law of Moses. After Saint Barnabas found him in Tarsus and persuaded him to come to Antioch with him, Saint Paul made three great successive journeys which covered big part of Anatolia and Greece. Finally, after his third missionary trip, he was arrested in Jerusalem. Since he wanted to appeal to Caesar, he was taken to Rome. After two years imprisonment in Rome, he was found innocent and was freed. After Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas moved to Lystra where people thought that Paul and Barnabas were Gods. When they learned about the truth, they tried to persecute Paul and Barnabas. Paul was stoned and beaten to such an extent that people thought he had died. Next city they would arrive to was Derbe where the apostles made a lot of disciples and one of them was Gaius who accompanied Paul during his last missionary journey. Paul after staying for a while in Derbe started his return journey by retracing their initial road. They returned to Attalia from where they set sail to Antioch to report the results of his missionary journey. The first journey which lasted 18 months ended in the fall of 47 AD. Second journey of Paul started from Syrian Antioch. This time, he was accompanied by Silas. Wishing to revisit some of the cities he visited during the first missionary journey, he went to Tarsus, Derbe, Lystra and some other cities of Galatia. Then Paul wanted to go to the Asian province of the Roman Empire but he was prevented by the Holy Spirit from going there. Then he wanted to go north to Bytinia Region but this time, he was prevented by the spirit of Christ. Paul and companions were guided towards Troas, a city in the south of Dardaneles, a popular crossing point from Asia to Europa. When Paul arrived there, he had his famous vision. In his dream, he had a man from Macedonia beseeching to come over to Macedonia to help them. From the Acts of Apostles, we understand that Luke, the author of the Fourth Gospel and the writer of the Acts of Apostles joined to Paul's Party. Paul and companions first went to island of Samothrace, then arrived to Neapolis and Philippi where Paul met Lydia, a rich woman from the city of Thyatira. In Philippi, Paul was disturbed by a mentally irritated slave girl who had peculiar powers. She was healed by Paul and she and her family were baptized by Paul who was arrested and put into a prison upon complains of the owners of the girl. Paul's party continued their journey and they passed Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica and arrived Athens where he has bitter argument with the philosophers of the city. Going to further south Paul arrived at the city of Corint, one of the important cities of southern Greece. After staying for nearly one year, he traveled to Ephesus, the capital city of Asia. He was accompanied by Aqilia and Priscilla, close friends of Paul from Corint. Paul first went to Synagogues of Ephesus and spoke with the elders of the synagogues and argued with them Christian doctrines. He didn't stay long time in Ephesus to keep the feast (Passover) in Jerusalem. After promising he would return to Ephesus, he left for the Holy lands. After his journey from Ephesus, Paul landed in Caeserea on the coastline of Palestine. Then he went up before to Jerusalem and finally to Antioch. When Paul started his third missionary trip, the city in his mind was Ephesus and that was the main aim of his third trip. On the way to Ephesus, he revisited some of the cities of Galacia and traveled to Ephesus where he worked two and half years. His missionary work in Ephesus ended with the Silversmith Riot which forced Paul to leave. Planning to go to Macedonia, Paul stopped at Troas where he possibly spent few months of winter till he got the suitable weather for safe journey for northern Greece. Paul and his companions continued their journey to Macedonia where they spent nearly eighteen months in Greece. Because of several attempts of murder, Paul didn't have a ship from Corint but returned to Troas where he had his miracle related to young boy who fell from the window of s Roman House. Instead of taking the boat with his friends, he preferred walking twenty miles over the mountains to Assos. After Assos, Paul's boat stops the some Aegean islands such as Mitytline, Chios and Samos. Paul's boat stopped in Miletos where he met the elders of the Ephesians Church. It was a touching ceremony in the Lion Harbor of Ephesus. Everyone cried. They all knew they wouldn't see each other after this meeting. Paul, after staying for three days left for the Holy Lands. In Jerusalem, Paul was accused by preaching against Mosaic Law and the temple. He was further condemned by bringing a Gentile into temple grounds and defiling the temple. Paul was finally arrested and appeared in the court. Willing to appeal to Roman Emperor, he was taken to Rome. On the way to Rome, his ship called at Lycian town of Myra and then shipwrecked in the south west of Crete and drawn towards island of Malta where Paul healed the father Malta's governor. When he was in Rome waiting for the trial, Paul was treated nicely and had even opportunity to preach in Rome. He stayed nearly two years as prisoner and continued the evangelistic work. After being freed, Paul continued his missionary journeys, he possibly returned to Ephesus, Miletus and Troas where he was possibly arrested. Paul and Peter were arrested once more after the great fire of Rome during the time of Nero. Paul was possibly in Troas during his arrest and sent to Rome for his second trial. The life of this great man ended in Rome after the great fire which ravaged the city. Paul was condemned and executed in 67 AD. Since he was a Roman citizen, he was beheaded just outside the City wall. Indeed St. Paul was a true Missionary of God. Who is Jesus Christ for you? Here is a great question to ask all those who proclaim themselves Christians. Faith is not just an intellectual fact apart from daily existence, but it’s a love and passion for Christ that transforms life. The late Pope John Paul II says it clearly: “the mission is a communication of experience, so that the true missionary is the Saint (Redemptoris Missio, n.90). After all, also our Founder, Blessed Joseph Allamano called upon all of us the Consolata Missionaries, to “first be Saints and then Missionaries.” He who truly lives the Gospel is worth more for the mission and the new evangelization, than all the Pastoral plans, and the documents and committees, because “the Saint is the Gospel lived out everyday,” as Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini said. I invite you all to visit our website www.consolatashrine.org in order to know about the activities and events that are taking place within our Parish. Rev. Fr. Marino Gemma, IMC Parish Priest, Consolata Shrine |
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