In Christ Jesus I have reason to boast to what pertains to God.

 

Scripture readings for today's reflections can be found at Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

Our first reading for today is from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. As you may recall, Paul was formerly a persecutor of the early Christians. He was a Pharisee and was very zealous in attempting to eradicate the early Christian Church. He was rounding them up and bringing them to trial in order to prevent them from preaching about the fact that Jesus Christ had indeed risen from the dead on Easter Sunday morning and was indeed the Messiah everyone was waiting for. Paul thought and believed they were heretics that needed to be stopped and punished, even to the point of death. In the Acts of the Apostles, we hear of Paul being present at the stoning to death of the deacon, St. Steven. In Acts chapter 8, verse 1, we read that St. Paul was consenting to Stephen’s death.

Then Paul had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus that changed his whole life. Paul went from persecuting these early Christians to being one of the greatest leaders of this new faith that he tried to destroy.

In today’s reading we hear Paul say God had given him grace to be a minister of Jesus Christ. As a result of Paul’s conversion, he traveled far and wide to bring this good news of Jesus Christ to everyone he would meet. Paul traveled beyond the Jewish community and was known to be the apostle to the Gentiles as St. Peter was the apostles to the Jews. Paul taught that the good news of Jesus Christ was not meant only for the Jewish people who were waiting for the Messiah, but this good news was meant for all people. It wasn’t easy for Paul and he suffered greatly for bringing the Gospel to others, but he remained strong in his faith in Jesus Christ. At one point in the Acts of the Apostles, they were suspicious of Paul’s newfound faith. They found it hard to believe that the one who was trying to put them to death was now preaching about Jesus Christ being the Messiah.

Paul is an example of how we are all to live out our lives as Christians. We have all entered into that relationship with Jesus Christ when we were baptized and received confirmation. We continue in that relationship with Jesus Christ each time we come to mass and receive Holy Communion. We, like St. Paul, are called to bring this good news of the Risen Jesus to all those in our lives. We may not be called to preach as St. Paul did, but we are called to preach in how we live out our lives as Christian people. As followers of Christ, we are to bring this love of Christ to all we meet by showing them the love that God has for each one of us.

St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” So, as we go through our day today, bring this love of Christ to all meet, whether it’s by helping someone in need, or just by simply praying for someone that may need your prayers. Then we, like St. Paul, will be spreading the Good News that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.