“I ask you to walk with humility, meekness, and a lot of patience, bearing one another in love”

Report by Elia Nasrallah

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“For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.” (Galatians 1:13). With these words said publicly, the Apostle Paul confessed to his sin and announced his commitment to Judaism in his letter to Galatians. From this confession, we witness the proof of Divine work in him and the presence of God as a liberating and re-creating force. “For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way. I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this.” (Corinthians 5:3), Paul’s words here prove that God is behind the missionary work, for He strengthens our faith through the Holy spirit.

After being a fanatical Jew, and after persecuting the Church of God more than once, Paul admitted that God created him to be a missionary apostle in the name of Jesus Christ. Therefore, after his baptism in Damascus, he sought refuge from Arabs to spend two years studying Jesus Christ and his gospel, instead of going directly to Jerusalem.

According to the explanations of his letters, you can see that Paul was a loving, genius thinker distinguished by his human and spiritual richness. He experienced the true meaning of friendship. Paul was also brave, he never lied. He cared about people’s concerns and devoted himself to Jesus Christ, wanting to share his faith with everyone. He is also the only apostle whose conversion is commemorated through a liturgical feast celebrated on January 25 of each year. A date that also happens to be the last day of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity."

Paul The Apostle and His conversion from Judaism to Christianity

Saint Paul, Roman, was born in the city of Tartus -Turkey today- it is said to be between five and ten A.D. Shaul was his name in Hebrew, like the first king of Israel, and he was Paul in Roman. From the age of ten, his interests focused on studying Jewish law. At the age of fourteen he set out to Jerusalem to continue his studies. He was a student of Gamliel the Pharisee, one of the most famous Jew teachers of his era.

Paul considered the nascent church as a threat to the official Jewish religion, he fought it and worked against it showing strong commitment to his religion and defending its traditions. Paul appeared for the first time when he was watching the first martyr of the Church, Stephenos, being stoned to death, while he was watching over the stoners' clothes. Day after day, he saw the presence of Christians even more dangerous and thought that as a religious Jew, he had to fight the name of Jesus Christ in every way, “When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.” (Acts 9:26). He tried getting the approval of Jew priests to send Christians to Damascus, and then move them to Jerusalem.

However, the course of events wasn’t in favor of the Jews for Christ turned Paul from his enemy into his chosen messenger. His journey to Damascus was the changing point in his life. Paul had a life changing vision that led to the loss of his sight. A great light shone from the sky and Jesus Christ appeared and spoke to him, explaining that he was the promised Son of God risen from the dead. Damascus was the Syrian city where Paul was promised his sight restored by Ananias who baptized him, and from that day on, he was known as Paul.

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Hence, the expression "in the footsteps of Paul" came to be used in several cases. It denotes the transition from sin and darkness to salvation and light. We must work on saving ourselves and on our redemption first before inviting our brothers and sisters to seek the path of redemption. One of the most prominent sayings of St. Paul is: “I ask you to walk with humility, meekness, and a lot of patience, bearing one another in love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the bond of peace.” Christians today desperately need to unite with one heart to overcome the difficult circumstances their countries are facing and the bitter days they are living, especially in the Middle East.

St. Paul’s Monastery – Damascus

One of the most famous monasteries located in the Middle East is “The Vision of St. Paul the Apostle Patriarchal Monastery” in Tal Kokab built in 1962 on the ruins of a monastery dating back to the first Christian centuries. It is located 18 km from Damascus, on the road leading to Qunaitra. In this monastery, Paul left Saul the persecutor behind to become the most important figure to preach his new religion amongst Jews and pagans despite the violence he faced to preserve his life with Christ. The monastery witnesses a festive mass on June 29 of every year, celebrating the Antiochian Seat, patron saint of the monastery, as it was considered in an earlier era a small spiritual shrine.

Paul’s conversion is an example of the path to complete unity. Pope Benedict XVI indicated in the Reflection on January 25, 2009 that: “unity requires a conversion: from division to communion, and from wounded unity to a healthy and complete unity. This conversion is a gift from the risen Christ, as happened with St. Paul ... God Himself invited him to take the road to Damascus, and God now turns to every member of his church asking: Why did you divide me? Why did you wound the unity of my body?”

References to deepen your knowledge about the theology of Saint Paul the Apostle

Many books and publications have been issued about St. Paul the Apostle, his life, his sayings and teachings ... many specialists and believers have been interested in delving into his biography and teachings.

The book "Saint Paul” by Pope Benedict XVI, a spiritual book written by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. (To download the book: https://bit.ly/36b2Dbn)

The book “Letters of Paul to Timothy” by Saint John Chrysostom, translated into Arabic by lawyer Souad Sourial. (To download the book: https://bit.ly/39dhcgn)

The book “The Call of Paul the Apostle” by Saint John Chrysostom translated into Arabic by Dr. Saiid Hakim Yaakoub. (To download the book: https://bit.ly/2Ya4I2P)

The book “Interpreting the Pauline Epistles” by Thomas R. Schreiner, translated by the Alexandria School of Christian Studies and by Pastor Youhanna Atta Mahrous. (to download the book: https://bit.ly/39ika3j)

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