Be Imitators of Me
(Discovering the Riches of the Pauline Letters)
Paul was a Man of God and a Contemplative
If one carefully analyses the opening lines of his letters, Paul comes across to the readers as a man of God. His greetings to the addressees include his thoughts on God. He speaks of God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The triune God was the source of all grace and his apostleship. He constantly thanked God (see Rom1:1-8). He concluded his letter to the Romans with a doxology that underlines his dispositions towards God and, therefore, the work that he was doing. Similarly, in other letters, too, his thoughts are constantly directed to God, and he wants the communities to have the same dispositions (see 1 Cor 1:1-9). The opening section of 2 Corinthians is a masterpiece (2 Cor 1:3-7). He sings of the mercies of God! He told the Corinthians that in the midst of afflictions, we are to “rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Cor 1:9).
Paul’s love for Christ found expression in his contemplative prayer. To the Corinthians, he wrote about the contemplative dimension of his life. He spoke thus about himself: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into Paradise – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows – and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter” (2 Cor 12:2- 4). Paul was a man of God who could contemplate in prayer the spiritual and mystical realities. He perceived that it was such ecstatic experiences that made him accept “weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities” (2 Cor 12:10).
In his letter to the Galatians, he speaks of his ministry, which he started after time spent in prayer; he did not embark upon his apostolic ministry immediately after the Damascus experience. Differently put, he spent time contemplating the mystery of Christ before beginning his missionary activities. Thus, he wrote to the Galatians: “But when he who had set me apart before I was born and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood ... but I went away into Arabia, and again I returned to Damascus” (Gal 1:15-17). Biblical scholars consider this retirement into Arabia as a time for prayer.
(i)Paul knew that God is the source of all good. While not denying the contribution that an individual makes in the spread of the Word of God, Paul knew his role vis-à-vis the role of God. He wrote: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Cor 3:6). (ii) Similarly, he wrote to the Philippians, saying, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). Hence, he could not but cling to his God. Paul constantly gave glory to God (Gal 1:3-5). The Christological hymns that we have spoken about earlier reveal the interior depth of Paul. The opening lines in Philippians (Phil 1:2-11), Colossians (Col 1:3-8) and Thessalonians (1 Thes 1:2-9) show that Paul was attributing the fecundity of his apostolate to the Lord God. We quote one such prayer from the above to capture the depth of Paul’s interior life. He told the Philippians, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy ... And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment” (Phil 1:3-9).
For married couples, Paul suggested occasional continence in sexual relationships in order ‘to devote oneself to prayer’ (1 Cor 7:5). Paul was conscious of the fact that prayer is made possible through the presence of the Spirit in one’s life – “no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3). Paul repeats that he remembers his communities in his prayers (Eph 1:16). (iii) The spiritual side of Paul comes across powerfully when he tells the Corinthians, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him ... Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit, which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God ...The spiritual man judges all things but is himself to be judged by no one” (1 Cor 2:9-15).
Paul felt that prayer enabled him to speak the mystery of Christ; hence, he asked the Colossians to support him with their prayers; he believed that God would open the door for announcing the Word when one turns to God in prayer (see Col 4:2-4). Paul felt orphaned since he was away from the Thessalonians; he prayed earnestly “night and day” to be able to meet them face to face and supply what was lacking in their faith (1 Thes 3:10). (iv) Paul also made use of synonyms to drive home the importance of prayer. A classic example is in his letter to Timothy. He wrote to him saying, “...I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all men...” (1 Tim 2:1; see also 2:8). The use of the fourfold synonym reveals the mind of Paul. At various moments, Paul comes across to the readers as a spiritual man, as a man of interior depth! (v) There is much more to be said on this theme!
i. The desert is a place for encountering God; in the desert one realizes his / her helplessness. Hence through time spent in prayer, one can cling to God, the source of all strength!
ii. Here, the original Greek is an imperfect (ēuksanen) and therefore it is better nuanced – God was giving the growth [continuously]. Paul was repeating the implication of the parable of the seed growing by itself (Mk 4:26-29).
iii. The thoughts on prayer could be concluded with a teaching that Pope Francis has offered with his life and example, namely, through prayer one recalls his sense of mission and the values he needs to model, decluttering one’s mind to refocus on priorities, breaking from sheer busyness in order to re-energize oneself. According to Pope Francis half-an-hour of prayer is good enough for the day unless one is busy, and in which case he needs to pray twice as much, an hour. See Chris Lowney, Pope Francis: Why he leads the way he leads: Lessons from the first Jesuit Pope (Chicago: Loyola Press, 2013) 80-82.
iv. The original Greek used here is katartisai (from katartizō). It is a highly nuanced word. It means the following: to restore to proper condition, to mend, to make good, to complete, to make something function well, to prepare for correct use, etc. For details, see Gordon D. Fee, The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians, 126-127.
v. For a short but good presentation of Paul as a man of prayer, see William G. Thompson, Paul And His Message For Life’s Journey (New York: Paulist Press, 1986) 113-120.