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Acts: 20:28-38
At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:
“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.
The Word of the Lord.
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“They threw their arms around Paul and kissed him…They were deeply distressed, because they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.”
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For the last three years, Paul has been living with the Christian community in Ephesus, which he helped to establish. However, the Spirit has revealed to him in prayer that now he must leave for Jerusalem. “What will happen to me there,” he says, “I do not know.”
While Paul’s departure was difficult for everyone, his willingness to be on the move reveals his docility to the Spirit.
Interestingly, this was part of what inspired the compilation of the New Testament – absence.
Just as Paul used his pastoral letters to fill his absence, encouraging his Christian brothers and sisters, so Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote their Gospels to encourage believers as they awaited Christ’s return.
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What do Paul’s letters and advice reveal about the early Church?
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From the beginning, there was the handing on of apostolic authority, which the Catholic Church has continued for 100 generations. This power was given to Paul, who writes about ordaining priests like Timothy through prayer and the laying on of his hands.
With every departure, Paul warned Christians that false preachers, or “savage wolves,” would arise in their midst, twisting the truth for the sake of personal benefit.
But the faithful were to remain steadfast to Paul’s teachings, not being misled – just as Catholics are encouraged to listen to our shepherd, Pope Leo, today.
Finally, Paul lived a life of surrender to the Spirit, allowing nothing to shake his faith. He understood that neither absence, nor mistreatment, nor rejection, nor imprisonment, nor death could separate him from the love of God.
May Paul’s courageous spirit spurn us onward as we continue doing what he did – serving others for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
Saint Paul, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Winnie the Pooh, Pinterest (2) View of a City along a River, Jan Brueghel the Elder (3) Rick Warren, QuoteFancy