St. Paul, the Apostle of the Nations
08 Saint Paul, Apostle of the Nations
June 29
Paul was not one of the twelve Apostles. He be -
longed to the Hews of Dispersion, born in Tarsus of
Cilicia in Asia Minor. His father was of Jewish
decent but had become a Roman citizen. Paul, too
inherited this right, and for this reason he had two
names: Saul, a Jewish name, and Paul, a Roman
one.
After he was educated in the Greek philosophical
school of Tarsus, Paul went to Jerusalem to study in
the higher Hebrew schools on that city. There, he
excelled not only in his studies, but also in his zeal
and fanatic attachment to the Jewish traditions.
Being such a fanatical Jew, he was disturbed by
the conversion of many Jews to the Christian faith
by the Apostles, and he became a violent persecutor
of the church of Christ.
The will of God, however, was to turn this dynamic
person into an Apostle of the Gospel, the Apostle of
the Nations. This occurred through the miraculous
vision of the Lord Himself when Paul went to Sa -
mascus to capture more Christians.
From that time on, Paul undertook long missionary
journeys through which the Christian religion became
known to all the then-civilized world.
Besides his great missionary work, St. Paul wrote
fourteen Epistles to several Churches, which are in -
cluded into the Canon of the New Testament.
At. Paul was beheaded as a martyr in Rome during
Nero's persecutions. The Christian Church has pro -
claimed him one of the chief Apostles, honoring his
memory together with the memory of St. Peter.
**The time we spend together means everything to me**
One quality of our relationship
That I deeply cherish
Is our natural ability
To enjoy and appreciate
The time we have
To spend with one another.
When you are present,
The fun and happy moments
Come so freely,
Because we are never trying
To force an emotion.
When you are absent,
I cannot help but miss you,
Yet the quality
Of our time spent together
Leaves me feeling
Warm , happy, and content.
For all the times we have,
Please continue to be yourself,
Because that is the person
I admire, respect, and love,
For yesterday, today, and tomorrow.