"The just man lives by faith." St. Paul's faith was profound from the start. On his way to Damascus, sternly determined to find and destroy all Christians, he was halted by a blinding light, and Jesus our Lord spoke: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Paul asked: "Who are you, sir?"

"I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting."

At once St. Paul believed and adored Christ: "What is it I must do, sir?"

After his conversion, the Apostle grew steadily stronger in his faith in God and preached it with fervor and irresistible zeal.

St. Paul's faith was always firm, and for it he made great demands upon himself. In his own words we know that he was "journeying often, in perils from floods, in perils from robbers, in perils from my own nation, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils from false brethren." In spite of all this, he never failed, he never stopped, not even before the executioner.

Let us ask St. Paul for an increase of faith, so that we may face the trials of life as he did.

Consideration: How do we react when our Lord permits us to suffer something? Do we turn to Him in complete trust and confidence to ask Him for strength to bear it? Suffering serves to bring persons of strong faith closer to God.

Prayer: O St. Paul the Apostle, preacher of truth, Doctor of the Gentiles, pray to God for us, and grant the grace we implore.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Ejaculation: St. Paul the Apostle, our patron, pray for us and for the apostolate of the media of social communication.

Hope is that virtue by which we trust in God and the necessary graces for our eternal salvation. The expressions of St. Paul, "We stand and glory in the hope," "We are saved by hope," are very touching.

Amid all obstacles, St. Paul rejoiced greatly: "I can do all things in him who strengthens me." And he teaches us how to avoid the dangers of despair and presumption: he warns us, in our afflictions, never to lose hope, for little sufferings assure us of great glory in heaven. Being poor sinners, full of weakness and miseries, we should never dare a presumption of any kind; rather, we should fear our frailty and inconstancy.

Consideration: Does hope spring abundantly in our hearts? Let us remember that Jesus in the Gospel says: "If you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it to you."

Prayer: O St. Paul the Apostle, preacher of truth, Doctor of the Gentiles, pray to God for us, and grant the grace we implore.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Ejaculation: St. Paul the Apostle, our patron, pray for us and for the apostolate of the media of social communication.

It is impossible to describe the immense charity of the Apostle. In his ardent desire and love for Jesus, he exclaimed: "And I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me." He also said: "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress? or famine? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution? or the sword? I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:35-39).

Such was St. Paul's love for God, and because of that love he merited to be caught up to the third heaven and speak to our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle laid the greatest stress on the necessity of charity: "But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection." He deemed this virtue to be so necessary, that he wrote to the Corinthians: "If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing."

The heart of the Apostle was so inflamed and transformed by the love of Jesus Christ, that St. John Chrysostom did not hesitate to affirm that the heart of the Apostle St. Paul was the heart of Christ.

Consideration: Keeping the commandments, receiving the sacraments and being faithful to the precepts of Holy Mother Church increase our love of God. Are we faithful to our obligations?

Prayer: O St. Paul the Apostle, preacher of truth, Doctor of the Gentiles, pray to God for us, and grant the grace we implore.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Ejaculation: St. Paul the Apostle, our patron, pray for us and for the apostolate of the media of social communication.

The Apostle distinguished himself not only in the love of God, but also in the love of neighbor. He wrote to the Thessalonians: "We wanted to share with you not only God's tidings, but our very lives."

And elsewhere he remarks that he helped all in need; that he would give himself to all the brethren and save them all. In fact, St. Paul worked more miracles than the other Apostles and covered most of the Roman world. He was always hated, threatened, persecuted by relentless enemies, but nothing could stop him; his love was boundless. He tells us to love one another with brotherly love, patiently bearing the shortcomings of others. He told the Romans:

"Let love be without pretense. Hate what is evil, hold to what is good. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. To no man, render evil for evil, but provide good things not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of men."

St. Paul also enumerated the characteristics of charity: "Charity is patient, is kind; charity does not envy, is not pretentious, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, is not self-seeking, is not provoked; thinks no evil, does not rejoice over wickedness, but rejoices with the truth; bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Charity never fails" (1 Cor. 13:4-8).

Consideration: Lack of charity pierces the heart of Jesus deeply. Do we love our neighbor? How do we show our love? Are we always ready to help others and to defend their reputation?

Prayer: O St. Paul the Apostle, preacher of truth, Doctor of the Gentiles, pray to God for us, and grant the grace we implore.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Ejaculation: St. Paul the Apostle, our patron, pray for us and for the apostolate of the media of social communication.

God resists the proud and gives His grace to the humble. Only the humble are blessed by our Lord and loved by all. St. Paul is a model of this virtue. Speaking of himself, he says: "Gladly I will glory in my infirmities, that the strength of Christ may dwell in me. Hence, I am satisfied, for Christ's sake, with infirmities.... For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Not only in his writings, but also, and even more in his life, the humility of the Apostle is manifest. Among his own associates he appeared modest and unassuming, for even when commanding or exhorting them to do good for the salvation of souls, his attitude was full of humility. St. Paul had such a low esteem of himself, that he openly repeated: "I am not worthy to be called an Apostle, for I persecuted the Church of God."

Inspiring humility! He had labored and preached among many peoples, performing miracles and winning converts, yet, he calls himself the least of all. What a reproach to us! St. Paul considered himself a poor sinner, and we, quite often, forget our failings and our sins and seek praise and honor. At times, we take much pleasure in the little good we do, and boast about it.

Let us imitate St. Paul and heed his warnings: "What have you, that you did not receive? And if you received it why glory, as if it were not received? To glory of nothing is gross deception."

Consideration: How do we practice humility? Do we, perhaps, feel in our hearts a desire to show off and be praised? Remembering that the first condition to gain grace from God is humility will help us reject these desires.

Prayer: O St. Paul the Apostle, preacher of truth, Doctor of the Gentiles, pray to God for us, and grant the grace we implore.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Ejaculation: St. Paul the Apostle, our patron, pray for us and for the apostolate of the media of social communication.

An excessive desire for riches can put our soul in danger of eternal ruin, for whoever is extremely attached to riches and other things of this world cannot love and comprehend the things of God. St. Paul persistently warns us to be content with our food and clothing, for we can take nothing with us when we die.

The virtue of poverty, therefore, shone throughout the Apostle's life. He loved to be poor. In all his apostolic journeys he went without provisions, and only one pair of sandals. His food, often received from charitable hands, was very scanty; in many places he suffered hunger and thirst. St. Paul had poor health, yet he traveled many long days under the burning sun, or in the rain, or braving the cold weather. And where did he rest? On the floor, and often on the bare ground. What a contrast between the life of the Apostle and ours! Before his example, our efforts pale. Let us ask St. Paul the grace of contentment. If we are rich, let us do some good work, never forgetting our duty to help the Catholic press, which is, in our present day, a powerful means of light and salvation.

Consideration: Are we rich? Then let us keep our hearts free from undue attachment to wealth, and be generous in giving to the needy, if we wish to avoid the terrible sentence of our Lord: "For it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter in the kingdom of God." Are our affairs prospering? Then let us practice charity, avoid wasteful spending, and help the Lord to provide for the needy. Are we poor? Let us bear our lot with patience, for in this manner we shall be like our Lord Jesus Christ and St. Paul.

Prayer: O St. Paul the Apostle, preacher of truth, Doctor of the Gentiles, pray to God for us, and grant the grace we implore.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Ejaculation: St. Paul the Apostle, our patron, pray for us and for the apostolate of the media of social communication.

Openly St. Paul proclaims that he is our father, having begotten us in the Gospel of Christ. He, therefore, kept all in his heart and repeated: "Are they Hebrews? So am I! Are they Israelites? So am I! Are they ministers of Christ? I am more. But I most gladly will spend and be spent myself for your souls."

St. Paul is truly a conqueror and great lover of souls! And we are much indebted to him! Let us then be grateful, and pray, and imitate him; let us read his life and letters, and spread our devotion to him. Let us become better acquainted with his kind and affectionate spirit. No, he is not the severe and grim saint he often appears to be in certain pictures.

We know from his own words that he loves us as a mother loves her children. Let us then stay near to him; he will set us afire with the love of our Savior, and will guard us from all dangers of body and soul. No one should be afraid to love St. Paul: our Lord loved St. Paul so much that He made him a vessel of election. Oh, how St. Paul loves us! He would choose to be anathema by Christ, for his brethren (Romans 9:3).*

* Anathema: A curse. The apostle's concern and love for his countrymen the Jews was so great, that he was willing to suffer even an anathema, or curse, for their sake; or any evil that could come upon him, without his offending God.

While in prison, like a criminal and suffering from anguish and hunger, he remembered that Timothy was suffering from a stomach ailment, and advised him to take certain medicines. The great love of Saint Paul! Let us pray to him, and remain under his protection.

Consideration: Let us feel sure that St. Paul loves us and has great powers of intercession. Do we want to enjoy the protection of Saint Paul? Let us pray and confide in him; keep his picture in our home; read his life.

Prayer: O St. Paul the Apostle, preacher of truth, Doctor of the Gentiles, pray to God for us, and grant the grace we implore.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Ejaculation: St. Paul the Apostle, our patron, pray for us and for the apostolate of the media of social communication.

St. Paul's zeal was as great as his love. His burning heart longed for souls and wanted to reach all peoples either with his word or with his writings. In fact, his letters have come down through the centuries to us and still do good.

The soul of this Apostle was all love for Jesus Christ; and the Holy Spirit made him say that he would spend himself to save all, for the grace of God was in him.

Amazing indeed were his labors in the vineyard of the Church, always fruitful with miracles and conversions. Even from prison he wrote: "I am chained like a criminal, but the Word of God is not chained." And even there he preached the Gospel. The prison-keeper at Philippi was converted; at Malta, the Proconsul; at Rome, senators and Hebrews were converted. When the Apostle was taken out of the Mamertine prison to be flogged and executed, three soldiers were converted, and three days after the martyrdom of St. Paul, they too died as martyrs for the Faith.

How miserable we feel before the Apostle! Truly, many people failed St. Paul, but St. Paul never failed anyone.

Consideration: Are we full of zeal for the salvation of our souls and the souls of others? Let us ask ourselves often: What would St. Paul do if he were in my place?

Prayer: O St. Paul the Apostle, preacher of truth, Doctor of the Gentiles, pray to God for us, and grant the grace we implore.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Ejaculation: St. Paul the Apostle, our patron, pray for us and for the apostolate of the media of social communication.

The life of St. Paul is a bright example of obedience to the will of God which was manifested in many ways to him. God commanded him to preach the Gospel to all the world, and he meekly obeyed. St. Peter advised him to cease preaching in Tarsus, and Paul obeyed; he was told to set out on apostolic journeys, and Paul obeyed. He did not hesitate an instant in doing the will of God, even though his goal and intentions were often different, even though he knew he would meet persecution and sufferings.

Let us imitate St. Paul in his prompt and constant obedience, and say with him: "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

The Apostle tells us to obey promptly: "Children, obey your parents; servants be obedient...as to the Lord, and not to men." Moreover, St. Paul tells us to obey the law of God and to stand firm in our Faith, never allowing false opinions to prevail so that his reproach to the Galatians may not be applicable to us: "O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth?" And elsewhere he warns that if an angel from heaven were to tell them anything different from his teaching, they should not believe. "Be not conformed to this world, but be reformed in the newness of your mind."

Let us practice the Apostle's teachings, and avoid bad companions, especially those who promote false interpretations of Christ's teaching--interpretations which have brought ruin to many families and nations.

Consideration: How is our obedience? Always ready to do the will of God? Let us beware of false doctrines, and remember that only the obedient will achieve victory.

Prayer: O St. Paul the Apostle, preacher of truth, Doctor of the Gentiles, pray to God for us, and grant the grace we implore.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Ejaculation: St. Paul the Apostle, our patron, pray for us and for the apostolate of the media of social communication.