Paul, who are you?

Paul, a Jew, was born in Tarsus (Acts 22:3), a rich commercial center which was also home to the important Stoic and Epicurean schools of philosophy. It was in this city that Paul learned the art of Greek rhetoric and became acquainted with the profound religious questions that tormented the hearts of pagans tired of offering incense to numerous divinities. He was aware of the demands of Judaism as practiced in the Diaspora and of its attempt to find points of contact between the Hebrew faith and Hellenism.

As the the son of a family which strictly observed the Jewish Law, Paul of Tarsus was sent to Jerusalem where he learned not only the Law but also all the rules which interpreted it. At the end of his schooling, Paul (known by his Jewish name, Saul) became a Pharisee, a term that means "separated one," and strictly interpreted how he was to live Judaism. If we were to ask Paul to show us his youthful identity card, this would be the information recorded there.

When we first meet him, Paul is "someone." A convinced Pharisee, he acts in a way that is consistent with his identity: his profound desire to carry out the will of God leads him to take on the responsibility of destroying the infant Church of Jesus Christ. As he walks towards Damascus (cf. Acts 22), ready to take as prisoner any who persist in this new sect, a voice from heaven demands: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" "Who are you, Lord?" he asks. "I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Get up...and you will be told what you have to do."  

Deeply shaken, Paul sets out to discover himself and his identity. He goes to Ananias, as God directs him to do. Ananias asks God if he has perhaps not make a mistake: "Lord, this man has done much harm to your saints in Jerusalem and also here...." But the Lord replies that Paul is "the instrument I have chosen to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel" (cf. Acts 9:4-16; 22:3-21; 26:9-18). God has a specific plan for the life of Paul.

Jesus later tells Paul,"...get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason: to appoint you as my servant and as witness of this vision in which you have seen me, and of others in which I shall appear to you" (Acts 26:16).

What was true for Paul is true also for us: our genuine identity comes from God. We receive it as a gift in our call; it develops in dialogue with the One who seeks to draw us to himself, perhaps throwing us into confusion.

(By Sr. Filippa Castronovo, FSP; International Encounter on Jesus Master, WTL, 1998).

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Getting to Know Paul the Apostle
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Apostolic Spirituality and Holiness | Communicating Christ