Today, when skepticism against city halls, chancery offices, academia, Wall Street, NAFTA, etc., has infiltrated our political, religious and financial spheres, the figure of Paul standing tall and strong for Christ’s way of love, as opposed to Old Testament Law, is a cool breeze of hope, straight from Bethlehem’s manger.

Just as we too often have overlooked Jesus’ human life of choices made and fought for, so have we failed to gage and rejoice over Paul’s loyalty to Him, providing protection for His sheep beneath the cloak of merciful compassion.

In Romans 13:10, the apostle told us, “love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is fulfilling the law.”

Once again, we are consulting Jerome Murphy-O’Connor’s excellent work, Paul, a Critical Life, as a reference.

We have already seen in the December 29th article, “Paul, Persecutor and Lover of Jesus Christ,” how Paul adopted the trade of tent maker, and in his sojourn in Thessalonica, we find him working in a warehouse with his converts, which no doubt bonded the friendship among them. He had encouraged them to work with their own hands, making leather goods, not to stand idly by, waiting for God to take them into Paradise. Paul led by example.

It is to be assumed that the warehouse was located on a busy street, where the workers kept at their jobs twelve hours a day, seven days a week, in order simply to exist. They were Paul’s adopted family, and he would preach a new way of life to them, filling up the vacuum created by their turning away from pagan gods.

Paul understood how difficult it was for his new converts to be separated from family and friends for adopting this new religion, and he addressed them in his letters with warm affection, as: “father” and “nurse” to his “children.” Eighteen times he addressed them as “brethren.”

For all his loving care, he was adamant that each member of the community find his own skeuos, vessel, learning self-mastery in a much more profound and wide-reaching way than physical self-control, not “to go beyond” and “not to take too much.” Here Paul is warning against covetousness and greed. ( It gives us pause to consider what our nation would be like today with a great deal less of both.)

How many of us, when reading Romans, consider how hard-won was Paul’s conviction that Christ’s law of love made all else subservient to Him. When the Law-observant Jewish converts in Jerusalem became aware of the lax standards in Antioch, where converts had been welcomed into the Church by simply declaring their belief in Jesus Christ, they became apprehensive.

All believers, including Paul, were convinced that salvation was the inheritance of the Jewish people. Since Jesus had been seen obeying the law when he went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and recommended it to others, it was taken for granted that all converts to Christ would follow the Jewish law.

Paul was as familiar with salvation history, starting with Abraham, as any rabbi, but it was the Christ, Who had appeared to him and had won his heart for a lifetime of friendship and allegiance.

As single-minded as he had been in persecuting the Christians, including Steven, the first martyr, so, too, when Paul came to know Christ, he followed Him with no reservations.

Easy? No. Yet, the apostle was determined to keep his converts undefiled by those who would bend their spirits beneath laws that had been put aside by Jesus’ admonition to live by love.

Paul had seen how the Galatians had received the Holy Spirit simply by following his teaching. No circumcision, no fastidious distractions over laws that killed the spirit – only faith.

And it was faith that stood by him in his first trial before the Romans, accusing him of being a leader of the Christians and a persistent disturber of the peace:

At my first defense, no one took my part; all deserted me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

(2 Timothy 4:16 f.)

Paul was rescued, but not for long. In the second trial, he was condemned to death by the sword. His last words have been preserved by 2 Timothy 4: 6-8.

I am now ready to be poured out like a libation; the time of my release is at hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will reward me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Lord, in your goodness, grant us the grace to finish our race. Amen.

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