Wednesday of the
Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
(Galatians 2:1-2.7-14; Luke 11:1-14)
It is hard to overestimate the contribution of St. Paul
to early Christianity. He was arguably its
greatest theologian and its most successful missionary. Although he continually proved himself a
person of undaunted courage, he could also be tender and loving. Today’s first reading indicates another
supreme virtue of Paul.
Even though he received a mandate to preach from Christ,
Paul never breaks covenant with the Twelve.
Quite the opposite, in the passage from Galatians Paul shows how he gave
them deference. He went up to Jerusalem
for their approval of his mission. He
also gladly accommodated their desire that he take up a collection for poor
Christians in Jerusalem. But Paul is not
necessarily placid before the regular apostles. When Peter tries to avoid
criticism for eating with Gentiles, Paul charges him with hypocrisy.
Paul serves us well both as a model to be imitated and a
sage to be contemplated. He loved Christ
more than anyone or anything. He also
helps us to know the Lord by writing openly of his personal relationship with him. It might not have been always comfortable to know
Paul as exacting as he was. However, the
acquaintance would have brought us much closer to our goal of salvation.
