St. Paul was a zealous missionary, ready and willing to do anything to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He was even prepared to be a martyr, knowing that he could die at any moment for his belief in God.
What is it that fueled him and his missionary journeys?
God's love for St. Paul
St. John Chrysostom provides a stunning insight into the mind and heart of St. Paul in a homily he gave that is featured in the Church's Office of Readings:
The most important thing of all to him, however, was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ. Enjoying this love, he considered himself happier than anyone else; were he without it, it would be no satisfaction to be the friend of principalities and powers. He preferred to be thus loved and be the least of all, or even to be among the damned, than to be without that love and be among the great and honored.
It is a profoundly simple statement. St. Paul was willing to be killed for his faith, because he knew that God loved him.
In fact, St. Paul couldn't bear to be outside of God's love, as St. John Chrysostom explains:
To be separated from that love was, in his eyes, the greatest and most extraordinary of torments; the pain of that loss would alone have been hell, and endless, unbearable torture.
This truth about St. Paul's life should make us think about our own lives.
Do I truly feel God's love for me?
Am I convinced that God loves me in a personal way?
The good news is that when we do experience and accept God's love into our lives, we can overcome any obstacle.
St. Paul is a great reminder that one of the most important things we can do in our lives is to simply accept God's love for us and to let it sink into the depths of our heart.
