“As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens his fellow man.” (Proverbs 27:17).
The Joe Catholic blog is intended to provide Catholics and non-Catholics with resources to assist them in answering God's call to holiness. Our goal is to help people learn their faith, so they can live their faith and share their faith.
I have a personal fondness for these two saints because their lives demonstrate how God can work wonders even with the most unworthy of instruments. This gives me hope.
St. Paul - The Zealot I have had a devotion to St. Paul since I watched the ABC made-for-TV mini-series Peter and Paul, starring Anthony Hopkins as St. Paul. I have since enjoyed having the opportunity to proclaim St. Paul's writings when I read at Mass. I still imagine Hopkin's portrayal as I prepare to read.
Two things that stand out about St. Paul as an example for us. First, he was a Jewish zealot intent on destroying the early Christians. He was even complicit in the death of St. Stephen. Nevertheless, the LORD forgave Paul and used him as the great Apostle to the Gentiles.
St. Peter - The Fisherman I also love the portrayal of Peter in The Passion of the Christ. In the opening scene in the garden, Peter, as in the gospels, attacks the soldiers and cuts the ear off of one of them. Peter is portrayed as a strong (he would have to be to be a fisherman) manly man. Later we see him in his humility fall to knees and beg Our Lady for forgiveness because he had denied our Lord. I believe that scene also depicts Peter's manliness.
One other observation I would like to share about St. Peter is about him being a fishermen. It strikes me that wasn't easy work. The men were manly men who probably swore on occasion and dirt under their nails. If you've ever watched the Deadliest Catch, you probably have an idea of what I am talking about. The point I want to make about this is that, God didn't call special people to be His followers. Instead, he called ordinary people to do extraordinary things through Him and with Him.
Video from Apostleship of Prayer
To learn more, I recommend reading EWTN's entries on St. Peter and St. Paul.
Today the Church celebrates the Conversion of St. Paul. St. Paul's conversion is such a big deal that the Church sets aside a special day to reflect upon it. I can't think of another feast day on the Church calendar that celebrates any other person in such a manner.
Saul, as he was named before his conversion, was a Jewish zealot intent on persecuting Christians. Saul journeyed to Damascus "so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem" (Acts 9:1). God had a different plan for Saul. While he was traveling to Damascus, Jesus appeared to Saul in a flash of light. Saul "fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?' And he said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting' (Acts 9:4-5). Some biblical scholars dispute the accuracy of Caravaggio's famous painting which depicts Saul falling from a horse. The commentators of the Navarre Bible posit "Saul and his associates, who would probably have been mounted, would have had no difficulty in doing the journey in under a week." Personally, I like the image of Saul falling off his high horse. Isn't that what often happens to us right before we turn to God?
Saul was literally blinded by the light of the Truth. Soon after Saul encounters Ananias, who baptizes him and lays hands on Saul (a symbol of commissioning and ordination). Paul became the Lord's vessel, His instrument for good. Paul spread the Word to gentiles throughout the world and is known as the Apostle to the Gentiles.
Paul's response to God's call is an example for all of us. Pope Paul VI explains:
"The apostolate is [...] an inner voice, which makes one both restless
and serene, a voice that is both gentle and imperious, troublesome and affectio-
nate, a voice which comes unexpectedly and with great events and then, at a
particular point, exercises a strong attraction, as it were revealing to us our life
and our destiny. It speaks prophetically and almost in a tone of victory, which
eventually dispels all uncertainty, all timidity and all fear, and which facilitates--
making it easy, desirable and pleasant--the response of our whole personality,
when we pronounce that word which reveals the supreme secret of love: Yes;
Yes, Lord, tell what I must do and I will try to do it, I will do it. Like St. Paul,
thrown to the ground at the gates of Damascus: What would You have me do?
"The roots of the apostolate run deep: the apostolate is vocation, election, interior encounter with Christ, abandonment of one's personal autonomy to His will,
to His invisible presence; it is a kind of substitution of our poor, restless heart,
inconstant and at times unfaithful yet hungry for love, for His heart, the heart of
Christ which is beginning to pulsate in the one who has been chosen. And then
comes the second act in the psychological drama of the apostolate: the need to
spread, to do, to give, to speak, to pass on to others one's own treasure, one's
own fire. [...]
"The apostolate becomes a continuous expansion of one's soul, the exuberance
of a personality taken over by Christ and animated by His Spirit; it becomes a
need to hasten, to work, to do everything one can to spread the Kingdom of God,
to save other souls, to save all souls" ("Homily", 14 October 1968).
When I was about sixteen years old, ABC ran a mini-series called Peter and Paul, starring Anthony Hopkins as St. Paul. While the movie was not completely accurate in its portrayal of biblical events, it did strike a chord with me. To this day, when I proclaim a reading from St. Paul's epistles at Mass, I think of Anthony Hopkins' portrayal. Here is a clip from the movie depicting St. Paul's conversion.
I shared a few stories of saints who have helped me in my journey to answer God's call. Here I will only mention three: St. Paul, St. Josemaria, and Blessed John XXIII.
St. Paul
My earliest recollection of admiring a saint involves St. Paul. When I was a freshman in high school ABC aired a two-part mini-series entitled Peter and Paul, starring Anthony Hopkins as St. Paul. Hopkins portrayed St. Paul as a remarkable preacher. This inspired me to read the epistles of St. Paul.
Later I would volunteer to be a lector at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Dallas. I would always try and get the second reading so I could read a letter from St. Paul. Now as an adult, I still find myself thinking of Anthony Hopkins' St. Paul when I read one of St. Paul's letters at mass.
St. Josemaria Escriva
About seven years ago I experienced a reconversion that led me through a significant formation process. I truly experienced the awareness, renewal and dialogue found in the teaching of Ecclesiam suam,Pope Paul VI's encyclical written during Vatican II. I had become conflicted about living my "Sunday life" separate from my every-other-day-life. I mistakenly thought I needed to leave my profession as a teacher to serve God in a greater capacity. I was also looking for a saint to help me find congruence in my work and spiritual life.
The entire time I was searching for this saint, I kept stumbling upon the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. Ironically this coincided with the popularity of the Brown's DaVinci Code, which painted the Catholic Church and Opus Dei in a false negative light. Eventually I read The Way, St. Josemaria's most famous written work. In it, I found the precise message I was looking for: we are all God's children and we are ALL called to holiness, even in our ordinary work. I had found the saint I was looking for. Since then, I have become a Cooperator of Opus Dei and I begin each day of prayer reading a passage from St. Josemaria's writings.
Blessed John XXIII
For the last fifteen years, I have struggled with my weight. I went from being a fit cyclist to an obese couch potato (you are indeed what you eat). Recently, I had a series of events which inspired me to take a more spiritual approach to my weight loss. Like my search for a saint of the ordinary, I was looking for a patron saint for obese people or weight loss. I could not find one recognized by Church tradition. Other suitable candidates like St. Maximillian Kolbe (because the Nazi's tried to starve him to death) and St. Thomas Aquinas (because he may have been a large man) came to mind.
Instead, I decided Blessed John XXIII would be the patron I ask for intercessory help. I even took a picture of a statue of him we have in our sanctuary and use it as my iPhone wallpaper. I have lost over 50 pounds since I incorporated prayer into my weight loss plan (Weight Watchers has helped too). I must admit I have not read much about him, but what I do know, I have enjoyed. He was funny, friendly and, most importantly, he convoked the Council of Vatican II.
These are just a few of the saints who have helped me along the way. Some have inspired me by their writings. Others have been role models and still others I have asked for intercessory prayer.
Part 3 of this series will include a discussion of Fun Facts about the saints.
