Guide: Life of St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles

““Christ Jesus took “C hold of me” Life of St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles

From the Way to Damascus to Rome This short booklet wants to retrace the most important episodes of the life of Saint Paul, through icons and some abstracts from the Acts of the Apostles. Paul's life begun in a precise moment and place: the moment he meets the risen Jesus on the Way to Damascus. From that moment Saul, who had been a persecutor of the Christians, became Paul Apostle to the Gentiles. “Christ Jesus took hold of me� he asserted in one of his letters later on. From then on he dedicated his whole life to proclaiming salvation to all people particularly to the Gentiles (non Jews). The icons accompanying the text are read from right to left. The chapel of St. Paul of the church of Bab Kisan, in Damascus.

The places of conversion and preaching of Paul, today are found in Syria and Lebanon which are therefore considered part of the area known as Holy Land. The Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land are also present here to safeguard the Holy Places and support the local communities affected by war through the support of the Association pro Terra Sancta.

LIFE OF ST. PAUL

On the Way to Damascus

St. Ananias baptizes Paul

Escape from Damascus

The Philippian Jailer Converted

Shipwreck in Malta

Martyrdom in Rome

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On the Way to Damascus ACTS 9:1-9 1

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out mur-

me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

derous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he

went to the high priest 2 and asked him for

replied.

letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that

and you will be told what you must do.”

if he found any there who belonged to the Way,

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whether men or women, he might take them as

chless; they heard the sound but did not see

prisoners to Jerusalem.

anyone.

3

As he neared Damascus on his journey, sud-

when he opened his eyes he could see

denly a light from heaven flashed around him.

nothing. So they led him by the hand into

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Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and

He fell to the ground and heard a voice say

to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute

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“Now get up and go into the city,

The men traveling with Saul stood there spee8

Saul got up from the ground, but

did not eat or drink anything.

2

St. Ananias baptizes Paul ACTS 9:10-19 In Damascus there was a disciple named

This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim

Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision,

my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to

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“Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered.

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The

the people of Israel.

16

I will show him how 17

Then

Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on

much he must suffer for my name.”

Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus

Ananias went to the house and entered it.

In a vision he

Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother

has seen a man named Ananias come and

Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you

place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

on the road as you were coming here—has

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sent me so that you may see again and be

named Saul, for he is praying.

12

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard

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Immediately,

many reports about this man and all the harm

filled with the Holy Spirit.”

he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.

something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes,

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and he could see again. He got up and was

And he has come here with authority from

the chief priests to arrest all who call on yourr name.”

15

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go!

b baptized,

19

and after taking some food, he

regained his strength.

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Escape from Damascus ACTS 9:19-25 Saul spent several days with the disciples in 20

23

After many days had gone by, there was a

At once he began to preach in

conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but

the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.

Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they

21

All those who heard him were astonished

kept close watch on the city gates in order to

and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc

kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night

in Jerusalem among those who call on this

and lowered him in a basket through an ope-

name? And hasn’t he come here to take them

ning in the wall.

Damascus.

as prisoners to the chief priests?”.

22

Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and

baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.

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The Philippian Jailer Converted ACTS 16:16-32 16

Once when we were going to the place of

magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and

prayer, we were met by a female slave who had

are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advoca-

a spirit by which she predicted the future. She

ting customs unlawful for us Romans to accept

earned a great deal of money for her owners by

or practice.”

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22

The crowd joined in the attack

She followed Paul and the rest

against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates

of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the

ordered them to be stripped and beaten with

Most High God, who are telling you the way to

rods.

fortune-telling.

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23

After they had been severely flogged,

She kept this up for many days.

they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was

Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned

commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he

around and said to the spirit, “In the name of

received these orders, he put them in the inner

Jesus Christ I command you to come out of

cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About

be saved.”

19

When

midnight Paul and Silas were praying and

her owners realized that their hope of making

singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners

money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and

were listening to them.

dragged them into the marketplace to face the

such a violent earthquake that the foundations of

her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

authorities.

20

They brought them before the

26

Suddenly there was

the prison were shaken. At once all the prison

5

doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.

27

The jailer woke up, and when he saw

the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.

28

But Paul shouted,

“Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

29

The

jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.

30

He then brought

them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31

They replied, “Believe in the Lord

Jesus, and you will be saved you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.

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Shipwerck in Malta ACTS 27:43-28:1-9 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life

allowed him to live.� 5 But Paul shook the snake

and kept them from carrying out their plan. He

off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The

ordered those who could swim to jump overbo-

people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall

ard first and get to land.

dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing

28,1

nothing unusual happen to him, they changed

43

Once safely on shore, we found out that the

island was called Malta.

their minds and said he was a god.

2

7

The islanders showed us unusual kindness.

They built a fire and welcomed us all because it

There was an estate nearby that belonged to

Publius, the chief official of the island. He welco-

Paul gathered a pile of

med us to his home and showed us generous

brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper,

hospitality for three days. 8 His father was sick in

driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his

bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul

hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake han-

went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his

ging from his hand, they said to each other, “This

hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had

man must be a murderer; for though he escaped

happened, the rest of the sick on the island

from the sea, the goddess Justice has not

came and were cured.

was raining and cold.

3

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Martyrdom in Rome 2 Timothy 4:6-8 and 18 6

For I am already being poured out like a drink

offering, and the time for my departure is near.

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that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the

race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store

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for me the crown of righteousness, which the

and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.

Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on

To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack

St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, spent his last years imprisoned in Rome until the Roman court condemned him to death because he was a Christian. According to tradition, he was beheaded on June 29, 67 AD in a place called "palude Salvia".

The Christians collected his body and buried it on the Via Ostiense, where today the magnificent Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls rises.

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Prayer to St. Paul "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

These words of Jesus travel all the roads of the world and also challenge our conscience.

"Why are you persecuting me?"; these words turned Saul into Paul!

Paul, Apostle of Jesus, you were violent and you became mild until writing a hymn to charity; you were proud and you became humble until becoming a poor slave; you were a persecutor and you became persecuted for the love of Jesus up to martyrdom.

Paul the apostle without fear, pray for our eyes to open to see the true treasure of life; pray for the wall of compromise and mediocrity to break in us so that we become missionaries of Jesus towards everyone, anywhere, always, in our life and words.

Amen.

Card.Angelo Comastri

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