Apostle to the Gentiles

On January 25 Catholic Christians celebrate  the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. In October of 2023, I traveled to Greece on a pilgrimage. Twenty-five of us traced the footsteps of Saint Paul in his mission of spreading Christianity throughout Europe or, more accurately, the pagan world in the first century A.D. I’d always found Saint Paul’s letters kind of rambling and distant from my own faith experiences. Admittedly, I couldn’t relate to many of his greetings to fellow Christians, stern warnings of unacceptable behavior, and rather tiresome prose. Indeed, there are many profound messages that do speak to me, especially in Romans, Chapter 8, verse 26. “In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.”
Paul, formerly known as Saul Savlos Pavlos, was born in Tarsus of Cilicia or modern-day Turkey. His parents were Jewish of the tribe of Benjamin. His father was a Roman citizen and of great wealth which led to Paul’s privilege and education. While in Jerusalem, he persecuted the Judean Christians gaining numbers. In Acts Chapter 8, verse 3 we learn that, “…Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.” But this isn’t the Paul we learned about while in Greece. Our journey started after his conversion and continued with his suffering to proclaim the news of Christianity. He underwent beatings, imprisonment, rejection, and ultimately martyrdom to herald the message of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ to populations that had deified pagan gods for centuries. How did he convince idol worshippers in Greece to believe in a Savior that was born into the world, died for their sins, and was resurrected after three days?
Known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul’s mission was remarkable, but I didn’t fully understand what he endured to bring the Gospel message into the world. While on pilgrimage in Greece, his life came into clearer vision. We visited the Baptistry of Lydia, the site of the first baptismal ceremony in Europe where Lydia, a dyer of purple cloth, became the first pagan woman in Europe to convert to Christianity. The place is about seven miles from the city of Kavala near the ancient, archaeological site of Philippi named after Alexander the Great’s father, Phillip. We walked through the ruins in Phillipi and saw remnants of the prison that held Paul, an arrest following his preaching the Gospel. Paul was subsequently released from prison in Phillipi due to his Roman citizenship. Nothing deterred Paul from his ministry, not even the persecutions and periods in a prison cell that totaled two and half years and many other occasions under house arrest by Romans. Many scholars documented he traveled by foot over 10,000 miles total, which is like walking from New York to Los Angeles, four times over! We also traveled to other cities and excavation sites, namely Thessaloniki, Veria, Delphi, Corinth, Athens, Ephesus in Turkey, Patmos, and the islands of Crete, Mikonos, Santerini.
I’m still left wondering: How did the Apostle Paul change minds and hearts? Perseverance had to be key to his success, added to courage, conviction, and promptings of the Holy Spirit. How did he convince Lydia to be baptized and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ? In this instance, I think individuals on Paul’s journey were searching for a belief or faith life and were open to the news of redemption.
On his second missionary journey, Paul walked alone into Athens. Altars and monuments dedicated to worshipping pagan gods sat high and in plain view. Paul addressed a group of philosophers on a rock hill called the Areopagus situated very close to the Parthenon and other temples of worship. And here Paul preached and appealed to the Athenians that their belief and temple dedicated to an Unknown God was actually the one true God! Paul’s eventual success in converting many Gentiles to Christianity was not accomplished singlehandedly. He had supporters and many partners in his ministry. But he was most definitely the catalyst for their involvement in collectively spreading Christianity.
When I first landed in Greece, before we started our pilgrimage, I said to our guide something like, “If Saint Paul can have a conversion, we all have a chance.” Of course, he converted from persecuting Christians to preaching the Gospel. And then I was humbled in his footsteps by hearing his words while walking his pathways—a total acceptance of God’s will and tireless journey to accomplish his mission.
And when I returned home from my pilgrimage, I faced the reality: Change is hard. Ingrained habits may dictate our daily routines. I didn’t realize how much I needed a watershed moment for my own footsteps.
The heart of conversion is living out our faith. Sharing why we believe in what we believe takes strong conviction. And, in the context of my immediate world, I fall short. But there’s hope, and it can start with small gestures and praying for the grace to accomplish God’s will in my life.
Paul lived in a world with well-established trade routes for spreading the Gospel news. We live in societies where information travels in the blink of an eye. Imagine if Paul were alive today how quickly his message could be proclaimed. But who would listen? Are we closed to the truth because of the deluge of information? Truth doesn’t change. It’s an absolute. And Paul the Apostle was preaching the truth of monotheism and one God to a world that worshipped Apollo and other deities.
The message of Jesus Christ through Holy Scripture, foretold in the Old Testament, encompasses the Gospel writers, The Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. It’s news that’s been shared for centuries thanks to those first footsteps and preaching by apostles and disciples who faced persecution and martyrdom for their beliefs.
The other day, I found a small card with a prayer to Saint Paul for success. It opens with “Oh, great Saint Paul, give me grace of success in the work that I do. Help me to give it the careful thought and the strict attention that will lead to success.” Saint Paul knew success in his mission. He also knew failure that didn’t lead to giving up even when discouraged. We will have successes and failures in our personal and professional lives. But the key is perseverance and a spirit willing to overcome obstacles and disappointments.
Now, I think of Saint Paul with a new regard for his work in the world. He gives me hope for my own conversion to a deeper faith and courage to live it out. I wish all of you grace-filled days that lead to acceptance of life’s sorrows and gratitude for its innumerable joys! May your own footsteps lead to success in all that enriches your lives—faith, family, and friends!