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IN THIS ISSUE
From the Desk of
Fr. John Madigan, O.M.I.
Oblates Begin Mission with Secularity
The Lives of Saints
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As the Catholic Church observes the Year of St. Paul, which began last
June 28 and continues through June 29, 2009 we do well to reflect on the
life and significance of this man, known as the “Apostle to the Gentiles.”
Saint Paul is certainly one of the most important figures from the early
Church, and his influence continues to this day in the lives of believers.
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Paul (born Saul) was from a wealthy Jewish family of the city of Tarsus. At the age of 14 he was sent to Jerusalem to be trained by the renowned rabbi Gamaliel. He became a zealous young Pharisee, and almost fanatically anti-Christian. Saul believed that the troublemaking new sect should be stamped out. In the Acts of the Apostles (7:58) we read that he actually witnessed the stoning of St. Stephen, the first martyr.
Then Saul experienced a revelation that transformed his life. On the road to Damascus he encountered the Risen Lord, and the direction of his life was forever changed. He was baptized a Christian, and became known as Paul.
At first Paul felt unworthy to preach the Gospel. He withdrew to Arabia to spend time in meditation and prayer before beginning his apostolate.
Once he returned, Paul devoted all his prodigious energy to the preaching of the Gospel. He began his missionary work in Damascus, where some of the Jews were so angered by his teachings that he had to flee for his life. He then journeyed to Jerusalem, where many Christians were highly suspicious of this man who had once been their persecutor.
Paul made three missionary journeys through the Mediterranean
region, spreading the message of Jesus Christ. Along the way he suffered
much - he was stoned, scourged, shipwrecked, endured hunger and
many sleepless nights. Whenever he arrived in a new town he first
visited the synagogues to preach to the Jews. If they rejected him,
which was usually the case, he would preach to the Gentiles. Gradually
he founded Christian churches in numerous cities and villages.
Paul kept in contact with these churches by means of letters, which he wrote to praise, scold or teach his newly-baptized converts.
Several of these letters survive, and form an important part
of the New Testament.
Paul’s theology, reflected in his letters, focuses on the universal redemptive significance of the Death and Resurrection of Christ, and on the importance of accepting justification by Christ in faith. He also writes about the many gifts Christians share within the Body of Christ, the Church.
Paul was eventually arrested in Jerusalem as he made plans for a fourth missionary journey. He was taken to Rome, where he was imprisoned for two years. All the while he fearlessly continued to preach the Gospel to anyone who would listen.
Although the final years of his life are unclear, it is commonly believed that Paul suffered martyrdom by beheading in Rome around the year 67 AD. So it came to pass that this marvelous man, who once had persecuted and witnessed the killing of Christians, willingly sacrificed his own life for Christ.
Today the Missionary Oblates continue to follow in the footsteps of St. Paul, bringing the Good News of Christ to the most isolated parts of the world.
Father Andrzej Madej, O.M.I. is a missionary in the central Asian country of Turkmenistan. When he arrived there in 1997 he was the first Catholic priest to minister in that region of the former Soviet Union in 80 years. Almost no one in Turkmenistan had even heard of Jesus Christ. Father Andrzej now oversees a small Catholic community of about 80, including a group of 20 catechumens preparing for baptism. Mass is celebrated every day with 15 or so people in attendance. It is the only Mass in the entire country. The nearest Catholic church is 1,500 miles away in the country of Uzbekistan.
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