Shade Tree Wisdom 9/13/11

          I picture St. Paul has a medium-sized man, dressed in a brown travel robe, sandals on his feet, staff in hand, always accompanied with one or two younger men. Maybe there is a small donkey to carry books and parchments. The robe is travel worn and shows much use, stained now with signs of travel, and there are spots that look like dried blood on it. He looks weary, but there is a fire in his brown eyes that compels attention.

          Now I see him in Athens in the Acropolis, that famous place where philosophers spend their time gathering, discussing, debating, and always ready “to hear some new thing.” They regard this new comer with some reservation, but willingly give him an audience. So when he starts to speak, he grabs their attention with his first words.” Men of Athens, I observe you are very religious in all respects”. Acts 17,22., “for I even found an altar ‘to the unknown god’.” V.23a.

          Then this, “What you therefore ignorantly worship, this I proclaim to you” v.23b. St.Paul then speaks of God as Creator who “gives to each one life with an appointed time”. In short, GOD made us, he said, and we are under His care, so that now “All everywhere should repent.”

          Then the conclusion: “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring that men everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” 17, 30-31. Some sneered, some ignored the speech. Others said, “we want to hear more of this matter”.

          This is the way the Gospel message spreads, by people who tell the story. The Holy Ghost works through that word we speak, maybe haltingly, hesitantly, briefly, but the Lord has promised this, “I will be with you, even to the end of the world”.

          So we, living in the year 2011, need only check the record to see that the Word does go “into all the world”. The Word that tells us of what God has done through Christ, God’s Son, who came, suffered, died and rose again to open the way to eternal life for all who believe in Him.

          So, no matter how you picture St. Paul, remember he was just one of God’s messengers to tell the wonderful story to sin-blind people.

GPD 9/13/11