Homily for the Conversion of St Paul
(Fr Luke’s Golden Jubilee of his Ordination to the Priesthood)
To begin with some facts and figures! St Paul
Next, Rabbie Burns was born two hundred and fifty years ago today.
And, more immediate to us at Nunraw, fifty years ago today Fr Luke was ordained priest.
Fr Luke was actually ordained on a Sunday and the Mass, like this year was of the Conversion of St Paul and not as we would expect the Ordination Mass. Perhaps he had reason to identify with St Paul
When talking about his ordination day, Fr Luke, true Scot that he is, reminded me that it was Rabbie Burns’ birthday too. He hoped that Burns might have said of him, “A man’s a man and a monk for a’ that”.
But now to that other man, St Paul. Last year, on the feast Sts Peter and Paul when the Pope proclaimed a special Jubilee Year in honour of St Paul
An initial examination of Paul’s personality and letters show that he was both a source of unity and of division among believers. He was a bold theologian with a deep understanding of the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. In the Second Letter of Peter we are told that Paul had written according to the wisdom given him but warned that there were some things hard to understand in them
Reflection on Paul became the soul of Christian theology both in the East and the West. In the sixteenth century a new understanding of Paul, influenced by various historical factors, abuses in the church, and so on, helped to give rise to the Reformation, the effects of which are still with us. Over the past hundred years, however, matters have improved in the understanding of Paul and of the bible generally through the better study and understanding of the Word of God. The ecumenical movement came to birth during that time and has helped us understand past divisions. There have been agreed statements between Catholics, Anglicans and the Reformed churches as to what Paul meant in his own day. They have looked at how Paul’s teaching can give us an appreciation of the Christian message and also how to work towards the unity which Paul himself strove for within the early church. It cannot be accidental that the feast of the Conversion of St Paul occurs within the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Paul was fearless in preaching the death and resurrection of Christ for the salvation of the human race. He stood firm in his defence of what he understood as God’s will. He fought his battle at times single-handed. And he could break with friends and colleagues on the matter, as with Barnabas and Mark. He was warm-hearted, but could be blunt and frank, as he was with the Galatians. But Paul was nothing if not an honest-to-goodness human being who wanted the best for his fellow Christians and his hearers.
At the end of Paul’s life he was imprisoned. He was made to suffer for the gospel he preached. Yet his message still remains good for us today that the word of God is not chained. It is our lifeblood. It is a spur to greater freedom and fulfilment, whatever the suffering we may have to endure. For Paul, we see the love of God for each and every one of us ‘in Christ’ and ‘through Christ’. That is Paul’s message, one that remains true for us in our own world today.
Homily by Abbot Mark.
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Labels: 25/01/09
Maureen said...
Donald
Thank you for the Blog on Fr. Luke. I was with him yesterday and he let me see it. He was very chuffed!
Maureen CP.
Thank you for the Blog on Fr. Luke. I was with him yesterday and he let me see it. He was very chuffed!
Maureen CP.
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