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Saint Paul is an extraordinary role model for me as a priest. He was celibate, a zealous convert, and a man deeply in love with Jesus.
But one aspect of his life is often overlooked. Though he traveled far and wide, Paul rarely traveled alone.
As the Risen Lord says to the disciples in our first reading, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Paul for the work to which I have called them.”
Paul and Barnabas are being commissioned to preach the Gospel in Greece, Cyprus, and modern-day Iraq. At times, their journey will be a dangerous.
But they will never be alone; they have each other.
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I can only imagine how much harder Paul’s journey would’ve been if he didn’t have anyone by his side; if he had no community to write to while in prison; if he had no person to pray for him while he preached.
Perhaps his ministry would’ve been impossible.
Even for Paul, the celibate road was marked by more than one set of footprints; those of trustworthy friends.
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As it’s written in the Book of Sirach:
Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter; whoever finds one finds a treasure.
Faithful friends are beyond price, no amount can balance their worth.
Paul knew that. We know that.
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Looking back, we’ll see a variety of people who’ve crossed our path. True friends are the ones who’ve never left our side.
Even in this age of social distance and “virtual presence,” how might we reach out to a friend – or try to be such a friend – today?
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