Paul was willing to die for the Lord, Smith proclaims

Archdiocese seeks to stir reflection during Pauline year

- WCR photo by Glen Argan Archbishop Richard Smith celebrates the Eucharist at a Mass launching the Year of St. Paul.

By GLEN ARGAN
WCR Editor
Edmonton

St. Paul was an effective preacher of God's word because he was willing to die for the Gospel, says Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith.

St. Paul admits that he was not a gifted speaker and that the spread of the Gospel was not due to his oratory or good arguments, Smith said during a June 29 Mass at St. Joseph Basilica launching the Year of St. Paul in the archdiocese.

While Paul's effectiveness was due to "the power of grace," it can also be attributed to his willingness to die, the archbishop said. "This is the reason for the effectiveness of his witness."

Smith continued: "We are called to the same kind of witness. Of this, the world has much need."

Gerard McLarney, a lecturer at St. Joseph's College of the University of Alberta, has been named coordinator of the archdiocese's program for the Pauline year.

The archdiocese wants existing programs and ministries to focus on St. Paul's life and writings this year to lead Catholics "to read afresh the letters of St. Paul," McLarney said in an interview.

Scripturefest on Paul

Scripturefest, sponsored by the officer of religious education, this September will focus on the writings of St. Paul, McLarney noted. Monthly follow-up sessions to Scripturefest will provide opportunities for people to pick up on various themes in Paul's writings.

"The holy father is calling the Church to be witnesses to Christ and evangelizers of the good news." - Gerard McLarney

As well, Theology on Tap will focus on themes in Paul's letters, he noted. Parish groups may want to study the Acts of the Apostles or Paul's letters. And the archdio-cesan evangelization program will dovetail with the Pauline year.

McLarney wrote his master's thesis on St. John Chrysostom's interpretation of the apocalyptic dimension of Paul's writings in his letters to the Thessalonians.

He is now working on a doctoral dissertation on St. Augustine's study of the Psalms. Augustine saw the Psalms as the voice of Christ and the voice of the Church. He relied heavily on St. Paul to help him develop that understanding.

Those two fourth-century fathers of the Church had a deep admiration for St. Paul and sought to render his work present in their local churches, he said.

By declaring the Year of St. Paul, "the holy father is calling the Church to be witnesses to Christ and evangelizers of the good news," McLarney said. "Who better to model that than St. Paul?"

A window

Acts and Paul's 13 letters to Christian communities "offer a window into his life, into his message, into who he is," he said.

"What Acts does is ground Paul's letters in the life and times of the Church. What we're getting is the narrative, the story behind the letters."

As for his letters, Paul asked that they be read during worship to the congregations to which they were sent, McLarney said. He also asked that they be shared with other churches.

Archbishop Smith called St. Paul a "great evangelist of our faith." His hope is that through the study of Paul's life and writings, people will be brought to a greater knowledge of Our Lord.

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