The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-02-04
81. PAUt's DAY AONORFD
Continued from Page ~

vine mission that Paul fashioned the
| ancient Jewish thought with a prag
matte sense; and that in him IL was
| recognized as good because it succeed
ed In bettering the lives of peoples.
NO pragmatist was he whose thought,
even today, is far beyond the highest
intellectual, moral and spiritual devel-
opment of the finest types of the best
OF the race; and it must be recognized
as absolute, immutable truth because
Fit has infinite endurance.
What, then, is the secret of Paul's
Wonder-working? 1t must assnredly
be found in the fact which transform
ed his own life; the. grace which was
poured into his soul on the Damas-
can way; which was, after all, only
the beginning Of the way that led to
his seminary solitude in the Arabian
hills. The traditions of his fathers
had made him just enough of a mys-
tic that he yearned most, after the
first CLEAN of supernatural light, TO
raise even his sensitive nature into a
participation with the intelligence of
conscience, of the divine PROJECTIONS.
1t is little surprise that when he came
| forth, his whole being burned under
the flame that touched him under the
shadow of the anti-Libanian mount !.
There he learned the lesson of Gods
grace and mans cooperation, which
made him the master thinker of grace.
the life OF life. In his seclusion i'm the
desert, he went to the very fountain
head OF the supernatural energies, and
drew new life for the nations from
the mind and heart of God, the very
center of it's center of life. He was
henceforth to be ruled and to rule
those to whom he was sent, not by the
dictates of pleasure and pride, the
| forces that work from within. but by
the grace of God coming from without
and fashiOning conscience, not on a
psychical basis of, what may I gain,
out OF spiritual, what can do for
God and immortal souls. Well, then,
did he afterwards say of himself: '<By
the grace of God am what am. and
his grace which was showered upon
me was not in vain:" 1t was thereaft-
er that his footsteps were to fall i'm
the mountains, proclaiming the alli-
ance between earth and heaven, which
would forever make the truth of Gods
Gospel to radiate through the coun-
tries and the centuries of the world.
An Identical Message.
Abolishing Jewish nationalfsm, he
began TO unveil the divine mind which
Jewish law began, and to make of the
religion of Christ the religion of hui
mainly and not an obscure Jewish
creed No longer was there question,
for whom was the Gospel, for, there
was neither Jew nor Gentle, barbarian
nor Scythian, bond nor free" The
Father was to be worshipped neither
on the Samaritan mountain nor in Je-
rusalem, but on the polluted affairs of
Paphos and of Salamis, by the side
OF Mars hill at Athens; in the syna-
sogues of the Hellenic dispersion. on
board the shipwrecked vessel at NAL
ia, over the mountains of Lacaonia.
the marshes of Latium. and in the
Praetorian camp at Rome.
He, who was, debtor to the Greeks
and the barbarians," brought to all
the same message, that human wis
dom began in man and ended with him.
To the Corinthians, Il come not in loft
mess of speech or of human wisdom"
1t was always the foolishness of the
Cross. To them also he says, 'For
l judged not myself to know anything
among you, but Jesus Christ. and Him
| crucified. Before the Gentiles he ap-
pealed to the law of God impressed
upon their consciences. He told them
that the unknown God was their Crea-
tor, author of their life, directing men
by Fits providence, in speaking to their
hearts. He not only preached truths
but facts, and proposed them to their.
faith, and not to their discussion.
He gave to the heathens correct no.
lions of God, duty, responsibility, chas-
tity, the most heavenly prerogative of
redeemed human nature; then holt
| ness, morality, justice, humanity, free
dom, which in the proper time neces-
| sarily broke the chains, revolutionized
the sentiments, elevated the views
hopes, and aspirations and designs of
| nations.
Before him, PHILOSOPHERS, like en-
| pires, fall to their doom. Consciences
| that were scared against remorse were
converted in his moral conquest of
the world. All the forces of evil be-
/ gan to writhe from out their Shiny
holes, and to defend their threatened
| supremacy; and yet before him the
reign of idols and wanton rites is on
the wane, to crumble away rapidly and
i to pass away forever. To the Athens
TRANSPORTED by him, Basil and Gregory
I two centuries later came from the
wilds of Cappadocia to study the gos-
pei of Christ
He built the foundation of the city
of God at the confluence of three
civilizations, and fashioned the new
i structure on Jewish basis, with a
Greek form, to be held together by
Roman cohesion informed by divine
grace.
4 Model for the Fathers.
i From him, Augustine learned grace;
Chrysostom, Christian morals; Athan
asius, the Incarnation. He moulded
. the philosophy of Socrates and in
, vested it with Christian form. Fol
/ 80 ~,