Saint of the Day
St. Paul the Apostle
Saul of Tarsus (c. 5–67 AD), known after his conversion as Paul, was a Pharisee, Roman citizen, and initially a fierce persecutor of the early church. His encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus transformed him into the apostle who would carry the gospel across the Roman Empire, founding churches from Antioch to Rome. His thirteen letters in the New Testament constitute the most extensive theological corpus in Scripture. He was martyred in Rome under Nero, traditionally by beheading, because of his Roman citizenship. He is patron of missionaries, theologians, and publishers.
Scripture Reading
Galatians 1:15-17
But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
Reflection
Paul traces his conversion to the most fundamental source: God's sovereign choice, operating before he was born. His first move after the Damascus encounter was not to seek human validation but to go into the desert — to be alone with the God who had broken through. The most dramatic conversion in history began with silence and solitude. What God initiates, he also nurtures in the quiet before the mission begins.
Prayer for Today
O Holy Trinity,
we thank you for having given to the Church
Pope John Paul II,
and for having made him shine with your fatherly tenderness,
the glory of the Cross of Christ and the splendour of the Spirit of love
He, trusting completely in your infinite mercy
and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself
in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd
and has pointed out to us holiness
as the path to reach eternal communion with You.
Grant us, through his intercession,
according to your will, the grace that we implore,
in the hope that he will soon be numbered among your saints.
Amen.
we thank you for having given to the Church
Pope John Paul II,
and for having made him shine with your fatherly tenderness,
the glory of the Cross of Christ and the splendour of the Spirit of love
He, trusting completely in your infinite mercy
and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself
in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd
and has pointed out to us holiness
as the path to reach eternal communion with You.
Grant us, through his intercession,
according to your will, the grace that we implore,
in the hope that he will soon be numbered among your saints.
Amen.
Amen.