We have a treasury of wisdom in the Letters of St. Paul. I have always been partial to his Letter to the Ephesians, although lately it is his Letter to the Galatians which is feeding me richly. While it is easy to get a bit distracted by the obvious pique in which Paul wrote it, we must remember that he had been upset by things he had heard about the Galatian community because he loved them. Paul was concerned about how quickly the people had been led astray by false teaching and so it is to this that he responded. At the beginning of the Letter, Paul expressed his authority as from God, and recounted how he visited Peter and James the Greater in Jerusalem and how some of the churches (in Judea) had responded with joy to his conversion and subsequent preaching. But after this beginning, Paul was sent back to Tarsus to study, pray, and wait to be called into service, a period which lasted 14 years. While his mention of that period was a passing comment, the contrast with how quickly the Galatians were tempted away from Christian teaching to his 14 years of waiting to be called by the Church poses some questions. First, how patient are we with the Lord when things seem to be moving slowly? And second, can we see long waits as times of preparation? I think we can learn something about these issues from St. Paul.

St. Paul admonished the Galatians over how they strayed: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel,” essentially a “perverted gospel.” (Gal 1:6,7) As he continued it is clear that the gospel was either watered down or that falsehoods were being sown, thus perverting the original message. He went on to say, “Am I trying to please men? If I were pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.” Within this is an important insight. We are called to be servants of Christ, living signs of the gospel, but it is easy to get caught up in being accepted by others or to get swept away into cultural ‘values.’ The question of which gospel we are following, therefore, is a pertinent one.* If we are Christian, we follow the gospel of Christ and not that of the world. The world perverts the values of Christ and leads us to believe the attitude of ‘you be you,’ and ‘everything is okay because sin is relative, (if it even exists at all!)' It is critical that we continually ask the question as to whether we are living the teaching of Jesus or are falling into the values of the world. Let us be clear: to live the gospel means we will be challenged in many and varied ways. 

Secondly, Paul had to wait 14 years before he was called by the Church into service (through Barnabas). At times he struggled with having been seemingly cast aside, but his struggle teaches an essential lesson: God’s wisdom is not ours, and so His timing is also not ours. Remember, Paul was on fire after his conversion, so waiting to engage in ministry had to be incredibly difficult. He clearly was a man of passion, which included a propensity for anger, a character flaw of which he was well aware. While sometimes his passion got the better of him, Paul always recognized it, asked forgiveness, and continued on. I am sure that eventually Paul was able to see God’s wisdom in the long wait since those years were essential to enabling development of a greater ability to listen and discern, to grow in relationship with Jesus, and subsequently to grow in a host of spiritual gifts. That is, the period of preparation to begin what would be a challenging and dangerous ministry was essential to everything he was called to do, including giving up his life. Like Paul, we all have areas of struggle, so it is important to acknowledge what they are, learn to ask forgiveness along the way, and persevere in the mission to which we have been called, no matter how long the continual process of learning takes. This often calls for great patience: patience with ourselves and patience with the mystery of God. 

There is so much more in the Letter, but the most consequential teaching is found in chapter 5 in which Paul described the way to remain adhered to the Truth: discernment. He outlined how to avoid the work of the flesh (the world and its values) and to choose the fruit of the Spirit (God’s values) which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, (Gal. 5:22-23).** The way to grow in these fruits is to approach the Lord in habitual daily prayer. It is through prayer that we will grow in our relationship with God and better recognize the ways in which He gifts us. Prayer teaches us to listen and it provides the time to ask for greater wisdom in how we might make a response to Him despite the stumbling blocks the world will put in our way. It helps us to overcome the tendency we all have to want God to move at the pace we desire rather than the one He chooses. Thus, we must continually ask for patience, perseverance, and the wisdom to trust in Him. With these we can become more like St. Paul in the ability to be patient with God’s timing. God is with us in everything He asks us to do, so let us put our trust in Him.  

May we learn from the patience of St. Paul! May we learn how to discern properly so as to make wise choices! And may we imitate St. Paul in persevering in our call until the time when we enter the Kingdom of God! Let us meet in the Heart of Jesus! Peace!

                               © Michele L. Catanese

* St. Augustine wrote one of his masterpieces about this issue, The City of God. In it, he contrasted the ‘city of the world’ and its misplaced values, with the City of God, which is the ‘city’ we should be aspiring to enter. Other great spiritual writers also dealt with the contrast between the world and the Kingdom of God. One that stands out is St. Ignatius of Loyola who included a powerful meditation in his Spiritual Exercises in which the retreatant makes a choice between the Kingdom of Christ or the kingdom of Satan. While the choice seems obvious, by the time the retreatant has gotten to this meditation, the realization comes that while we might desire to choose God, we often fall into temptation. By this point, St. Ignatius has already helped the retreatant see that it is not as easy as they may have thought. It is quite an enlightening experience to do this series of Exercises. (This is always to be done in the context of a retreat with a spiritual director, I might add!)

** The italics were mine. Here is what he says to avoid: “The works of the flesh are plain: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)

Images:
1. Icon; St. Paul the Apostle by Fr. William Hart McNichols. If you are interested in purchasing a copy in one of many mediums, go to fineartamerica.com/featured/st-paul-the-apostle-196-william-hart-mcnichols.html
2. My photo; North Dakota near the Badlands.
3. Painting; St. Paul Preaching in Athens, by Raphael (1515-16); Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
4. My photo; autumn in Lost Maples Natural Area, Vanderpool, TX. I chose this to represent the passage of time, but also as a reminder to pray for the people of this area of the Texas hill country who just experienced devastating and catastrophic floods.
5. Painting; Le Soliel, by Vincent van Gogh.

Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time.

I watched a video about a free-solo rock climber as part of a trip to Yosemite National Park. This man was the first person to climb El Capitan’s sheer granite face by only using his hands and feet. There were no ropes, clips, net, or safety equipment of any kind; one errant move and he would fall to his death. As if the climb was not amazing enough, he accomplished the ascent of the 3,000-foot face in 3 hours and 56 minutes.​* To conquer a challenge such as this, one must have talent, know-how, and experience, but also an unwavering focus paired with confidence in one’s decisions and ability. He clearly had all of these things; it seems there is no rock wall that this man cannot summit. The same kind of focus was what the first disciples of Jesus had as they went forth on mission after His Resurrection, but with one major difference: rather than trusting in their own talent and experience, the apostles put their trust in God completely. They were empowered by their love for Jesus and by the Holy Spirit received at Pentecost.

There are some similarities between the apostles and the climber. First, each had to overcome every obstacle thrown in their way, even at the risk of death, and second, none of them had a visible (or tangible) safety net. But what the apostles did have was the ‘invisible’ aid of graces from the Holy Spirit. They had the power of faith, hope, and love and of the gifts and fruits of the Spirit which became visible in the way they carried out their ministry in communities and with groups that were often hostile. They were well aware of Jesus’ warning that giving up their lives was to be expected. Rather than being fearful, the apostles understood that death was no longer an obstacle, since in witnessing the Resurrected Jesus, they knew death had been conquered. Their love for Jesus was so great that they were willing to fulfill the calling they had from God to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth no matter what, while simultaneously having humility enough to realize and accept that without God they could accomplish nothing. Thus, they spoke with authority, but not with haughtiness. They healed, preached, and taught in the light of faith and strong belief, always with their eyes on Christ, having learned from the first experience of missioning when Jesus had sent them with nothing but the power of God which bore fruit through their faith. (Matt. 5:5-15; Luke 10:1-12)

At the Last Supper Jesus made it clear that their path would be difficult, but that they would also be empowered for the ministry to which they had been called. He said, “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is great than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:18-20) Although they did not understand what Jesus said at that time, they did understand it later as they lived as He did, sharing the gospel and working miracles with mercy and love. Indeed, they were hated and opposed as much as Jesus was because they lived not ‘of the world;’ they had “put on Christ.” (Romans 13:14)**

Therefore, we must realize that living the Gospel means taking to heart with prayer everything that we have been taught, asking the assistance of the Holy Spirit at all times, and putting it into practice in everything we do. It means confidently trusting that we can do the kind of works that the first disciples did. Sometimes we forget just how powerful we are: we can do everything Jesus taught. That is, we have access to the very same spiritual gifts and fruits as those given to the disciples when they went forth to spread the Good News. We can do great deeds even in the smallest ways through simple daily kindnesses. We can also bring healing to the wounded, welcome to the forgotten and outcast, care to the poor and homeless, and mercy to those who do not know mercy.*** We can and should speak the Gospel message, too. Many will shy away from this because of feelings of inadequacy concerning knowledge of the Scriptures, a sense of timidity, or the fear that someone might take offense. Indeed, many took offense at the first disciples and yet they carried on. But if we study the Bible, especially the Gospels, and pray with what we read, it will be imprinted on our heart; the Holy Spirit will help us speak as we ought. (Matthew 10:19-20) If we truly believe, then we should be willing to proclaim the Gospel in deed and in word!

We are called to be bold and we should claim that power. Trusting in God and His gifts, if we are reviled or hated, (a distinct possibility in this day and age), we can accept it with joy in the knowledge that we are walking in the company of the apostles. Spiritually we are never to be like a free-solo climber who chooses to work without any assistance. Rather, we have all the power of the love of God to give us courage and perseverance despite what the world tells us or puts in our way as stumbling blocks. Remember, we do not belong to the world; we are God’s.

May we ask the Holy Spirit to enliven the gifts we have been given! May we utilize the grace of courage in living our faith! And may we live in the faith that "we can do all things in Christ" just as the first disciples did! Let us meet in the Heart of Jesus! Peace!

                             ©Michele L. Catanese

* The climber is a man named Alex Honnald. The video can be found at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/most-dangerous-free-solo-climb-yosemite-national-park-el-capitan
​** The ‘world,’ (or as St. Paul puts it, ‘the flesh’), refers to the realm of secularism, hubris, narcissism, selfishness, materialism, and evil. In short, it is where the evil one does his work. To be ‘of God’ is to be one who lives the gospel values Jesus taught: having a disposition of humility, selflessness, care, love of enemies, living simply, seeking justice, living with mercy and treating all with love. St. Paul further describes living according to the gospels as putting on Christ: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” (Romans 13:14) And again: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)
​*** That is not to say that we shouldn't pray for healing and expect it, or any of the other works of the disciples in the first century. Indeed, we can! Jesus said that with faith we can move mountains, and St. Paul echoed this by saying, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13) 

Images:
1. My photo; El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California.
2. Painting; Jesus Sent Them Out Two By Two, by James Tissot.
3. Icon; Christ All Merciful, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, this icon can be found at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/christ-all-merciful-022-william-hart-mcnichols.html 
4. My photo; Mount Owen, The Grand Tetons, Wyoming.
5. My photo; an open-air market in Catania, Sicily.
6. My photo; stained glass image of St. Paul on the road to Damascus. 

​Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time.