*Note: This blog was posted by Fr. David. What a delight to have had the opportunity to travel with a group of parishioners to Greece and Turkey a few weeks ago. The tour was aptly named "In the Footsteps of St. Paul." We saw the ruins of the great places of Ephesus and Corinth, visited the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki, and walked the ground that Mary, the Mother of Jesus would have walked in her final days.
Standing on the ground that St. Paul would have walked was without question one of the most spiritual experiences for me. To have shared that opportunity with many of our parish family made the experience so much sweeter. It reminded me of a trip that a I took a few years ago when my Mom and I toured Ireland. While the tour was great, what made it so special was that I did so in the presence of my mother. I doubt that my life will ever afford me the opportunity to have that much time alone with my Mom.
The Patron Saint of our Diocese is the great St. Paul. How special was the devotion to this saint of former Bishop, James Mahoney. Prominently displayed on the good Bishop's coat of arms was the sword of St. Paul. As I walked the ruins and ground that Paul would have graced I recognized that while it was truly holy space the space that we walk on here in this city is just as holy. Our mission continues to be lived as we care for one another, instruct and educate the young people, comfort the needy and the afflicted, console those who have lost loved ones, baptize the newest members of the flock, and on and on it goes. Sometimes we forget to realize that this mission of the early Christians is being lived out in the very lives that we live. Certainly that ground that I experienced was blessed and holy. But what I experience daily is the holiness and the sanctity of the very ground on which I walk today. To know that we continue in this mission of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and the love of God makes us part of the living footsteps of those early men and women. Knowing the mission is still alive and well in the world today is a blessing beyond all others. And this I know with certainty . . . . St. Paul would definitely approve.
