On the road to Damascus, in the beginning of the thirties, Saul, according to his own words, was “taken hold by Christ” (Phi 3:12). While Saint Luke tells the story with abundant details – the way the light of the Resurrected Christ reached him leading to his conversion - he emphasizes on how Saul did not only have a vision (Cf. 1 Cor 9:1), but also an illumination (Cf. 2 Cor 4:6), and most especially, a revelation and vocation in his unexpected encounter with the Resurrected Christ (Cf. Gal 1:15-16).
In fact, he will be explicitly called “Apostle by vocation” (Cf. Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 1:1) or “Apostle by the Will of God” (2 Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; Col 1:1), in a way emphasizing that his conversion was not the result of his own thoughts and reflections, but rather the fruit of divine intervention and of unexpected divine grace.
Ever since, everything that he considered of value was converted paradoxically, in his own words, into loss and garbage (Cf. Philippians 3:7-10). And from that moment on, he put all his energies into the sole service of Jesus Christ and of His Gospel. His existence became that of an Apostle who “became all things to all people” (1 Cor 9:22) unconditionally.
apostolate
The apostolate of Paul was never without difficulties, all of which he faced with bravery for love of Christ. He himself recalls, “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” (2 Cor 11:23-28)
For the thirteenth apostle, Christ became the reason of his existence and the profound motivation behind all his apostolic work. In his letters, after the name of God, which appears more than 500 times, the next most mentioned name is that of Christ (380 times).
Paul did not live anymore for himself alone, but lived the life of Christ and with Christ: in total self-giving. This can be understood better through some of his most celebrated words: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal 6:14). We have to exclaim with Saint Paul: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:28)
St. Paul by José de Rivera
holy spirit
Saul of Tarsus not only shows us that the Holy Spirit is the one who compels us to give testimony to the Gospel in all walks of life, as expressed in the Acts of the Apostles, but also emphasizes His presence in the lives of Christians.
Paul reflects on the Holy Spirit and His influence not only on the actions of the Christian but also in his very being. He adds that the Holy Spirit penetrates us to the most personal and most intimate depths of our being. “Because of Him – the Christian can cry out “Abba, Father!” (Rom 8:2-15)
the church
The apostle discovered the Church from a direct intervention of Christ, who, upon revealing Himself on the road to Damascus, identified Himself with the Church and explained to him that to persecute the Church is to persecute Him, the Lord: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Cf. Acts 9:4). Since then, Paul converted both into Christ and into the Church.
Paul then goes to preach about the Church as the Bride of Christ, a doctrine based on an old prophetic metaphor attributed to Israel as the Spouse of God of the Alliance.
