Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - At his general audience on Wednesday 8 November, Pope Benedict XVI continued his presentation of the traits of St Paul whose whole life, the Pope recalled, was literally revolutionised by the encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. “Christ becomes his reason for living and the profound motive behind all his apostolic labour … Therefore it is important that we realise the impact Jesus Christ can have on life and on our own life. In fact Jesus Christ is the summit of salvation history and therefore the distinguishing point in dialogue with other religions.”
“Paul helps us understand the absolute, founding, and unique value of the faith” the Pope said: “ «Being justified» means being made just, being welcomed by the merciful justice of God to enter into communion with Him, and consequently being able to establish a much more authentic relationship with our brothers and sisters: and this on the basis of the total forgiveness of our sins. Paul says clearly that this condition of life depends not on our good works, but simply on God’s grace”. Before his conversion Paul was not distant from God and the Law of God. “On the contrary, he was an observing Jew, to the point of fanaticism. In the light of the encounter with Christ however he understood that acting in this way he had tried to build himself, his own justice, and with all this justice he lived for himself. He realised that in his life new direction was absolutely necessary … Paul, therefore no longer lives for himself for his own justice. He lives of Christ and with Christ: giving himself, instead of striving to build himself. This is the new justice, the new direction given us by the Lord, given us by faith”.
The Holy Father then highlighted a second component which defines the Christian identity described by Saint Paul in his life. “Christian identity composed of two elements: rather than seeking self, receiving self from Christ and giving one’s self to Christ and so participating personally in Christ’s life, immerging oneself in Him, sharing his death and his life … While Faith in fact unites us closely with Christ it emphasises the distinction between Him and us. However for Paul the life of the Christian has another component which we could call ‘mystical’, since it implies identifying ourselves with Christ and Christ with us”.
Following the example of Paul, “the faith should keep us in a constant attitude of humility before God, indeed of adoration and praise. In fact what we are because we are Christians, we owe solely to Him and to his grace... Our radical belonging to Christ and the fact that «we exist in Him» should gives us an attitude of total confidence and immense joy … our Christian life therefore stands on the most stable and safe rock imaginable. And from this rock we draw all our strength”. Pope Benedict XVI concluded “let us face our life with its joys and sorrows, sustained by these lofty sentiments offered us St Paul”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 9/11/2006, righe 37, parole 562)
