ABOUT ONE-FOURTH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT IS MADE UP OF THE 13 LETTERS OF ST.PAUL. THEY OFFER A VERY POWERFUL AND UNIQUE VISION OF THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST. READING THEM, ONE SENSES A PERSONALITY AND APPROACH QUITE DIFFERENT BOTH FROM THE WRITERS OF THE FIRST THREE GOSPELS AND FROM ANOTHER UNIQUE WRITER BY THE NAME OF St. JOHN. PAUL'S LETTERS USUALLY USUALLY DEAL WITH CONCRETE SITUATIONS IN THE EARLY CHURCH, HENCE ARE INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER. AND NOT SYSTEMATIC. BUT PAUL ALWAYS MANAGES TO RISE ABOVE THE PERSONAL AND THE PARTICULAR TO THRILL HIS READERS. WITH THE OUTLINES OF THE FAITH AND TO BRING THEM TO THE PRACTICE OF A MORE INTENSE CHRISTIAN LIFE. IN TENSE IS A GOOD WORD TO DESCRIBE PAUL. HE WAS A HUMAN DYNAMO, ALWAYS A 1OO PERCENT- WHETHER AS A ZEALOUS PHARISEE OR LOVER OF CHRIST. HIS CONSTANT EMPHASIS WAS ON THE INTIMATE CONNECTION BETWEEN OUR SALVATION AND THE PASSION, DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS. THROUGH THESE EVENTS JESUS HAS BECOME A POWER PRODUCING A NEW LIFE IN US, BEGINNING WITH DYING AND RISING IN BAPTISM AND ENDING WITH OUR BODILY RESURRECTION TO ETERNAL GLORY IN CHRIST. ONE IS TEMPTED TO SAY THAT NO OTHER CHRISTIAN WRITER HAS INFLUENCED THE CHURCH AS MUCH AS THIS "APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES." SOME OF WHAT HE WROTE IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND-EVEN PETER HAS DIFFICULTY. BUT THE MAJORITY OF PAUL'S WORDS ARE FULL OF PASSIONATE DEVOTION TO CHRIST THAT CAN ILLUMINATE OUR READING OF THE GOSPELS AND THE POWER OF A DEEPER FAITH IN US. THIS IS THE REAL ST. PAUL: THE MAN ON FIRE WITH THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THE TOTAL CONVERT, THE FEARLESS HERALD OF THE GOOD NEWS. MAY WE CATCH SOME OF HIS SPIRIT. PAUL TELLS US, GOD HAD A FAMILY IN MIND, WITH JESUS AT THE CENTER. EVEN BEFORE THE WORLD WAS MADE, GOD HAD ALREADY CHOSE US TO BE HIS THROUGH OUR UNION WITH CHRIST. SO THAT WE WOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT FAULT BEFORE HIM. THOSE WHOM GOD HAD CHOSEN, HE ALSO SET APART TO BECOME LIKE HIS SON, SO THAT THE SON WOULD BE THE FIRST AMONG MANY BROTHERS. PAUL TELLS US JESUS IS GOD AND MAN. PAUL SIMPLY LETS THESE TWO FACTS STAND SIDE BY SIDE: HE IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD. THE FIRSTBORN OF ALL CREATURES. IN HIM EVERYTHING IN HEAVEN AND EARTH WAS CREATED." THE SON ON OF GOD BECAME MAN SO THAT WE MIGHT SHARE THE LIFE OF GOD... WHEN THE DESIGNATED TIME HAD COME GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON BORN OF A WOMAN... SO THAT WE MIGHT RECEIVE OUR STATUS AS ADOPTED SONS. IN ONE OF THE 'MAGNIFICENT PASSAGES" IN ST.PAUL SUMS UP THE STORY OF JESUS: YOUR ATTITUDE MUST BE THAT OF CHRIST: THOUGH HE WAS IN THE FORM OF GOD. HE DID NOT DEEM EQUALITY WITH GOD, SOMETHING TO BE GRASP AT. RATHER HE EMPTIED HIMSELF AND TOOK THE FORM OF A SLAVE, BEING BORN IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN. HE WAS KNOWN TO BE OF HUMAN ESTATE, AND IT WAS THUS THAT HE HUMBLED HIMSELF, OBEDIENTLY ACCEPTING EVEN DEATH, DEATH ON THE CROSS! BECAUSE OF THIS, GOD HIGHLY EXALTED HIM AND BESTOWED ON HIM THE NAME ABOVE EVERY OTHER NAME SO THAT AT JESUS NAME EVERY KNEE MUST BEND IN THE HEAVENS, ON EARTH, AND UNDER THE EARTH AND EVERY TONGUE PROCLAIM TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. JESUS JOINS HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO HIMSELF IN ONE BODY, THE CHURCH. EACH ONE OF YOU IS A SON OF GOD BECAUSE OF YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS. ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE CLOTHED YOURSELF WITH HIM. TELL ME, IF CHRIST IS PREACHED AS RAISED FROM THE DEAD, HOW IS IT THAT SOME OF YOU SAY THERE IS NO RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD? ... IF THE DEAD ARE NOT RAISED, THEN CHRIST WAS NOT RAISED; YOUR FAITH IS WORTHLESS AND THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP IN CHRIST ARE THE DEADEST OF THE DEAD. IF OUR HOPES IN CHRIST ARE LIMITED TO THIS LIFE ONLY, WE ARE THE MOST PITIABLE OF MEN. BUT AS IT IS, CHRIST HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD, THE FIRST FRUITS OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP. THE GREAT SIN IN THE BODY OF CHRIST IS TO DESTROY ITS UNITY OF FAITH BY FACTIONS, FALSE TEACHINGS, FALSE STANDARDS;
THE SOUL KILLER IN HUMANITY IS "UNBELIEF." THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH. THIS ENLIVENING "SOUL" JOINS ALL TOGETHER IN ONENESS OF LOVE AND FAITH. THE SPIRIT IS POWER AND GUIDANCE. BECAUSE THE SPIRIT LIVES IN US, WE HAVE UNSHAKABLE HOPE.ALL WHO ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD ARE SONS OF GOD. YOU DID NOT RECEIVE A SPIRIT OF SLAVERY LEADING YOU BACK INTO FEAR, BUT A SPIRIT OF ADOPTION THROUGH WHICH WE CRY OUT "ABBA!" (THAT IS "FATHER"). THE SPIRIT HIMSELF GIVES WITNESS WITH OUR SPIRIT THAT WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD. BUT IF WE ARE CHILDREN WE ARE HEIRS AS WELL: HEIRS OF GOD, HEIRS WITH CHRIST, IF ONLY WE SUFFER WITH HIM SO AS TO BE GLORIFIED WITH HIM AND THIS WILL NOT LEAVE US DISAPPOINTED, BECAUSE THE LOVE OF GOD HAS BEEN POURED INTO OUR HEARTS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US. IT IS [CHRIST] WHO ANOINTED US WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, THEREBY DEPOSITING THE FIRST PAYMENT, THE SPIRIT, IN OUR HEARTS. THE SPIRIT KNOWS WHAT AND HOW WE WANT TO PRAY. TO THE FATHER.
AND PRESENTS OUR PRAYER. WE ARE A NEW CREATION, BEING THE HANDIWORK CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS. THE WORLD STARTS OVER IN JESUS.THOUGH WE LIVE IN THE MIDST OF A SINFUL WORLD AND EVIL SEEMS TO DOMINATE LIFE, WE ARE SAFE IN ETERNAL LIFE. WE MUST STILL EXPERIENCE THE DYING AND RISING OF JESUS. BUT THE VICTORY HAS BEEN ONE. SUFFERING, DEATH, SIN HAVE NO POWER TO HARM US AGAINST OUR WILL.
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