ON THE END OF THE PAULINE YEAR

Fr. Edmund Power, OSB, Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, comments on the Pauline Year as it nears its close this month

		"Paul is a person who fell 'hopelessly' in love with the crucified and risen Christ. The experience marked everything he did from then on. This is the deepest vocation of the Christian, for people young and old." (FR. EDMUND POWER, OSB)

1. Why do you think that the Holy Father decided to expressly dedicate this year to the Apostle of the Gentiles?

		Abbot Edmund Power, OSB

The initial idea, in fact, came from the Archpriest of the Basilica of St Paul. It was discussed with us (the monks) and then proposed to the Holy Father who welcomed it with enthusiasm. Nobody knows precisely when Paul was born, but he must have been born in one year or another! Our proposal was a symbolic date, more or less coinciding with the 2000th anniversary of his birth. The Holy Father underlined two main aspects of this celebration: firstly, the opportunity to know better the Apostle and New Testament writer who has had more influence on the Christian tradition than any other, and knowing Paul and his writings means knowing Jesus Christ; secondly, to see the celebration in an ecumenical context, especially in view of the fact that the monastic community of St Paul outside the Walls has a particular responsibility in this regard.

2. Now that we are nearing the end of the Pauline Year, what sort of account do you make of its repercussions on both Catholics and non-Catholics?

It is difficult to answer this question from the point of view of the whole world, but there has certainly been a dramatic response in terms of pilgrims in our Basilica. We know that the idea has been welcomed by Christians of other denominations: for example the Ecumenical Patriarch proclaimed a Year of St Paul at roughly the same time (in fact, I think it coincided with the calendar year 2008). What I have noticed is the great desire to know Paul better, on the part of so many people, and the sense that maybe they have missed something very important (because Paul’s writings are sometimes difficult).

3. During this past Pauline Year, what events have had the most relevance with respect to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls?

Depends on whom you ask! There have been large cultural events: concerts with thousands present, or the five Pauline meetings organised by the Administration of the Basilica, with personalities from the public world giving witness. These are certainly important and give a high profile to the celebration. Maybe more fundamental, however, have been the constant celebrations by pilgrim groups: liturgies and preaching on the Apostle. The Basilica has seen a fairly constant round of celebration.

4. What can we expect this last month of the Pauline Year? What sort of activities will be carried out?

The normal spiritual & liturgical activities continue but, in these last months, with even greater intensity. There is hardly room for anything else! But there are various other things: for example from 18 April – 29 June in the Abbey, the spiritual exhibition of the Abbey’s famous 9th century Carolingian Bible, timed to coincide with the last part of the Year; there is an exhibition in the quadriportico of Bible-inspired modern art of a well-known Brazilian artist. There will be various musical events in the Basilica. The Year will conclude with the Triduum in honour of Sts Peter & Paul (26-29 June), which will open with Ecumenical Vespers on 26 June at 18.00, will include celebrations at which Cardinals Dias and Rodé will preside, and, of course, the Holy Father himself will be at St Paul’s on 28 June to preside at the First Vespers of the Solemnity of Rome’s patron saints. The final activity will be the annual procession of the Chains of St Paul around the sector of the City surrounding the Basilica, starting at 20.00 on 29 June.

5. What sort of advice can you tell us, young people, on how to take advantage of what the Pope has done and said with respect to the figure of Saint Paul this past year?

		Saint Paul (El Greco)

Paul is a person who fell “hopelessly” in love with the crucified and risen Christ. The experience marked everything he did from then on. This is the deepest vocation of the Christian, for people young and old. Paul’s writings are an elaboration of the implications of this experience. I would say that one fundamental way to take advantage of this new prominence given to Paul, that is the Year dedicated to him, is to do lectio divina on his writings. We monks prepared a division of the 13 letters of Paul into 365 short consecutive texts, one for each day of the year. You could start on any day, and continue for a whole year. Lectio divina includes the four traditional “activities” of reading, meditating, praying and contemplating, and can be done alone or with other people. To the four a fifth can be added, “acting”, with the question, “what does this word of God urge me to do in practice?” This leads to “mission”, that was so important for Paul. But mission follows falling in love with Christ: it doesn’t precede it. In addition, there are many books and articles written on Paul (and also plays and musicals; someone has even included dance as a way of expressing Paul!), especially in the last year, that can highlight various aspects of his life and thought. I’ve written a couple of short books myself!

6. finally, What do you think are the most important and inspiring features of the life and person of the Apostle of the Gentiles?

I would single out two, although there are certainly others: firstly, his ambiguity, or, better, the tension of his life, is particularly interesting, because it is an experience so common, especially in the world of today. Today, we no longer deal with certainties (did we ever?). Faith is always a journey partly in the dark and partly in the light. Also, Paul, far more than the other Apostles, is the fruit of a diversity of cultures, Jewish, Greek and Roman; this might partially explain the “edginess” of his personality, his insecurities, his exaggerations, his need for reassurance. I like to dwell on Paul’s weaknesses, rather than to see him as a powerfully secure and uncompromising person. He himself proclaims his weakness, almost as a part of his Gospel, so that the power of Christ may manifest itself. The second aspect is what I have already said: his falling in love with Christ, with an intensity that drove everything he did.

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