Saint Paul, one of the earliest and most outstanding promoters of the gospel and an extraordinary source of understanding of the Christian faith, entered the New Testament as an adversary of the followers of Jesus. Being a devout Jew and believing that this new movement threatened the truth of Judaism, Saul as he was known to fellow Jews, was on his way to Damascus to persecute the disciples of Jesus when he underwent a sudden and profound conversion. Through a personal revelation of Christ and after conferring with Peter and others, he came to grasp the meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and the work of the Holy Spirit in a whole new light. He traveled extensively around the Mediterranean Sea and across Asia Minor, Greece and Italy preaching this new gospel, making converts to Christianity, and writing letters or epistles that give us rich theological insights into God’s plan of salvation for the world. He became convinced that his mission was to reach out beyond the confines of the Jewish community and bring the message of Christ to the pagan world. In doing so he became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles.
Although Paul was not one of the twelve or someone who would qualify as an apostle for having known Jesus in the flesh and encountered him in his risen body before the Ascension, he claimed and held the title of apostle. The windows along the sides of our church hold images of many of the apostles, along with portraits of Jesus and Mary in special positions at the center of each wall. Paul is found on the right side of the church in the second window as you enter through the front doors. His image is located opposite that of Saint Peter on the left side with good reason. Peter and Paul together became known as two great pillars of the early church , with Peter emerging as the “rock” and leader of the new Israel and Paul wandering about as a charismatic preacher reaching out to non-Jewish world. Paul respected and learned from Peter about Jesus but also challenged him when he saw Peter unwilling to let go of some prescriptions of Jewish law and custom. Tradition tells us that both came to Rome and became martyrs for the faith. We celebrate one feast for both on June 29, the day when the Pope bestows the palium, a special sign of apostolic mission given to newly appointed archbishops. Peter and Paul hold a certain kind of primacy in the whole church at its beginning and so it makes sense that as we enter the main doors of our local church we meet them early on, one on the right and the other on the left. Without Peter and Paul as leaders and guides, we could not go any further into the true meaning or message of the Christian church.
The two images are of the head of a lion and a wheat sheaf. The head of the lion is a symbol of the evangelist Mark. Tradition identifies Mark as a missionary companion of Paul, along with Barnabas. The wheat sheaf is a symbol of the bread which becomes the Body of Christ in the Eucharist. Paul recalls the institution of the Eucharist at the last supper in I Corinthians 11:23-28. Paul’s strong and clear reference here underscores the importance of these words of Jesus referring to the bread and the cup that were to be taken as his body and blood in remembrance of him. When looking at other symbols in the church it will be helpful to note any patterns that can be found among the windows. For instance, on the window of Saint Peter (opposite to the left) is found the image of a young man, symbol of another evangelist, Matthew. In this same window is found a bunch of grapes, another Eucharistic symbol of the wine for the Blood of Christ. So we begin to see that church art can teach us if we are willing to take the time and look for such clues, especially biblical ones. In future bulletins we will explore more of these important figures from the scriptures and symbols that can help us learn more about our faith. Take time yourself to examine the art that surrounds us. It not only delights the eye, it leads us more deeply into the mysteries of faith.
