30 Days With Saint Paul - Thomas Craughwell

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30 Days with
Saint Paul
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© 2012 Thomas Craughwell
All rights reserved. With the exception of short excerpts used in articles and critical
reviews, no part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in any form
whatsoever, printed or electronic, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-61890-071-5
Cover design by Caroline Kiser.
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
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Contents
Biography of Saint Paul
Day 1: The Love of Christ
Day 2: O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?
Day 3: Members of the Household of God
Day 4: The Holy Name of Jesus
Day 5: The Image of the Invisible God
Day 6: Those Who Have Fallen Asleep
Day 7: God’s Kindness
Day 8: The Nature of Love
Day 9: Live by the Spirit
Day 10: Your Calling
Day 11: Alive to God
Day 12: Love Never Ends
Day 13: The Whole Armor of God
Day 15: Children without Blemish
Day 16: What Abides
Day 17: The Potter and the Clay
Day 18: Give Praise to the Life-Giving God
Day 19: Rooted in Christ
Day 20: The Body and Blood of the Lord
Day 21: Be Steady
Day 22: Forbear with One Another
Day 23: Encourage the Fainthearted
Day 24: Put on Immortality
Day 25: Beware the False Prophets
Day 26: Bring Christ to All Nations
Day 27: Seek the Quiet Peace of Prayer
Day 28: Take Up the Cross, and Follow Him
Day 29: Give Humble Thanks for God’s Grace
Day 30: Fight the Good Fight
About the Author
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(DIED C. 67)
FEAST DAYS: JUNE 29 AND JANUARY 25
All of the apostles were important, but St. Paul was the indispensable apostle. He had a
genius for taking the message of Jesus Christ, which was deeply rooted in Hebrew
theology and religious practice, and making it accessible and appealing to Greeks and
Romans. He is the founder of Christian theology, the man who built upon the gospel to
formulate a coherent system that explained the impact of the coming of Jesus Christ into
the world as God and man, and the salvation he achieved for us through his death on the
Cross and his Resurrection. Like the rabbis who taught in the synagogues, Paul taught
the first Christians in the house-churches where they met for the Eucharist. But he also
imitated the Greek philosophers who button-holed passersby in the marketplace; by
introducing questions about the nature of this world and hopes for the next, he brought
the conversation around to the truth of the gospel. You will find an example of Paul’s
method in the Acts of the Apostles, in the speeches he delivered in Athens.
His Hebrew name was Saul, and he was born in Tarsus, in what is now Turkey. He
was of the tribe of Benjamin, and a Pharisee. His father was a citizen of Rome, and Saul
inherited that citizenship. This does not mean he had been born in Rome, or had lived
there. It was an honor the Roman administrators of the empire granted to conquered
people as a way to foster loyalty to the regime. Roman citizenship brought with it a host
of privileges, which St. Paul would invoke: if a Roman citizen were arrested, he had the
right to have his case tried by Caesar; he could not be tortured (a standard part of the
Roman judicial system at the time); if he were found guilty and sentenced to death, he
could only be beheaded. The privilege of citizenship explains why St. Paul was
beheaded while St. Peter, who was not a citizen of Rome, died the gruesome death of
being crucified upside down.
Saul’s father was a tentmaker, and he taught this trade to his son, but he also arranged
for the boy to receive a solid religious education. When Saul was in his teens, his father
sent him to Jerusalem to study under Rabbi Gamaliel, regarded as one of the finest
teachers in the land of Israel. Paul may have been in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus.
Certainly he was there at the time of the first persecution of the Church. He witnessed
and consented to the stoning of the deacon, St. Stephen, and watched over the coats of
the men who gave Christianity it’s first martyr.
Saul was zealous in his faith, and volunteered to help in the round-up of Christians.
Hoping to escape the persecution, many Jerusalem Christians fled elsewhere. Saul
received letters from the high priest authorizing him to arrest Christians wherever he
found them, and so he set out for Damascus, “breathing out threatenings and slaughter
against the disciples of the Lord.”
Saul and his party of soldiers were not far from Damascus when a blinding light
flashed around them. Paul’s horse reared, throwing him to the ground. Stunned and
frightened, Saul had a vision of Christ. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” the Lord
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demanded. “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you persecute.”
“Lord.” Saul said, “what will you have me do?” Christ commanded him to continue to
Damascus and wait there for a sign. Then Jesus vanished.
The soldiers were as terrified as Saul. They had seen the flash of light and heard
Christ’s voice, but they had not seen anyone. In the stillness that followed the vision, the
soldiers climbed down from their horses and lifted Saul from the dust of the road. He
was blind.
Helping him back onto his horse, the soldiers led Saul to Damascus, to Straight Street,
to the house of a Jewish man named Judas. For three days Saul refused to eat or drink
and barely spoke as he pondered what might happen to him next. Then he had a visitor, a
Christian named Ananias, whom the Lord had sent to heal Saul, body and soul. Ananias
was afraid to go anywhere near such a notorious persecutor of Christians, but Christ
assured him he had nothing to fear; Saul was a changed man, who would be Jesus’
“vessel of election, to carry my name before the Gentiles.” At Judas’ house, Ananias
touched Saul’s eyes and restored his sight, then he baptized him.
It is a widespread misconception that Saul took the name Paul after his Baptism as a
sign that he had been reborn in Christ. In fact, for years Saul had used the name Paul
when he was conversing or doing business with Gentiles. The Greek-speaking
population of the Roman Empire—and Greek was the dominant language—often found
it difficult to pronounce Hebrew names, so it was commonplace for Jews to adopt a
Greek name for business purposes. In Saul’s case, this was especially important, since
his Hebrew name sounded very much like the Greek word saulos, which means
effeminate. Paulos, on the other hand, is Greek for rest or calm.
The Christians of Damascus were uneasy with Paul the convert. Was this a ruse; a
way to win their confidence so it would be simple to round up the entire congregation? If
the Christians were wary, the Jews of Damascus were openly hostile. They looked on
Paul as a traitor, and some plotted to assassinate him. When word of the plot leaked out,
some Christians hurried Paul to a house that had a window cut into the city wall. After
dark, Paul climbed into a large basket, and the Christians lowered him to the ground.
Back in Jerusalem, Paul encountered the same problem—the Christians did not
believe his story. But the disciple St. Barnabas was convinced that Paul’s conversion
was sincere. Barnabas used his influence as one of the most trusted and respected
disciples of the Lord to introduce Paul to the apostles. Once the apostles accepted him as
a true Christian, the rest of the Church in Jerusalem accepted Paul, too. Nonetheless,
Jerusalem was not safe for Paul; the apostles urged him to go back to Tarsus.
For five or six years Paul remained in his hometown, supporting himself as a
tentmaker, waiting for God to reveal what he should do next. That revelation came
through Barnabas, who called on Paul and invited him to join him on a missionary
journey in Syria and the island of Cyprus. In two years they made a multitude of
converts. Perhaps the most memorable experience of their journey occurred in Lystra,
where Paul healed a man who had been crippled from birth. The people of Lystra
rejoiced at the miracle, but they did not attribute it to Jesus Christ, rather they believed
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that Paul and Barnabas were the gods Jupiter and Mercury who had taken on human
form. When the Lystrians tried to sacrifice an ox to Paul and Barnabas, the two disciples
fled the city.
The two years Paul spent on the road preaching the gospel gave him a new
understanding of how best to attract Gentile converts. Most Jews who had converted to
Christianity continued to follow the kosher laws and have their male children
circumcised. There was a faction within the Church that believed all converts, Gentiles
included, should adopt the dietary regulations and circumcision, but St. Peter was not
among them. Although he ate non-kosher food and did not require his male Gentile
converts to be circumcised, he kept that to himself so as not to scandalize Jewish
Christians. Paul had become convinced that requiring Gentiles to follow the Jewish
dietary laws, and especially the requirement that adult male converts must submit to
circumcision, would undermine his mission to the Gentiles. He was particularly
frustrated with Peter: as head of the Church, Peter should have addressed the problem,
instead he tried to avoid it, which Paul considered cowardly if not hypocritical. The issue
was addressed at the first council of the Church, held in Jerusalem. All the apostles and
most disciples attended and together they hammered out a compromise: Gentile males
would not be required to submit to circumcision, but Gentiles were forbidden to eat meat
that had been sacrificed to pagan gods, meat from an animal that had been strangled
rather than butchered, or food that contained animal blood. Paul accepted the
compromise, but we do not know if he and St. Peter ever reconciled.
Now that the kosher-and-circumcision matter had been settled, Barnabas suggested
another missionary journey, with his nephew John Mark coming along as their assistant.
John Mark had served in that capacity on the first missionary journey, but had proven to
be—in Paul’s eyes—unreliable; the fact that John Mark went home before the journey
was concluded confirmed Paul’s opinion of the young man. He refused to travel with
him again. Paul’s low opinion of John Mark offended Barnabas. He defended his
nephew, but Paul was adamant. Sadly, the disagreement broke their friendship.
It was on this journey that Paul traveled to Athens and preached his famous sermon on
“the unknown god.” In the city he had seen many shrines and altars dedicated to various
gods; troubled by the thought that there might be a deity unknown to them, and
unwilling to offend him, the Athenians erected an altar, consecrating it to “the unknown
god.” Paul said that the god whose name they did not know was the true God, and he
was his servant. He had revealed himself in part to the Athenians, and now he had sent
Paul with the full revelation of his glory and the salvation he offered to all men. Not all
the Athenians were impressed by Paul’s message, but some were. Among them was St.
Dionysius, who became the first bishop of Athens.
After several years on the road, Paul returned to Jerusalem. There, prominent Jews
stirred up a mob against Paul; they attacked him on the street and nearly beat him to
death, but he was rescued by a band of Roman soldiers who took him to the Roman
tribune Lysias. The tribune assumed that Paul was a sorcerer, but Paul defended himself
against such a charge and tried to explain Christianity to Lysias, which only antagonized
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the tribune. He imprisoned Paul in Jerusalem for a brief period before transferring him to
the prison in Caesarea. There, Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen, appealing to
the governor to send him to Rome for trial before the emperor.
The Acts of the Apostles gives us a detailed account of Paul’s activities, but not of his
trial. He must have been acquitted, because we learn that he spent several years in Rome,
where he rented a house. Throughout those years he preached openly to the Romans.
When Emperor Nero initiated his persecution of the Church, Peter and Paul were
among the victims. Peter was taken to an arena (where St. Peter’s Square is today) and
was crucified upside down. Paul was taken to a spot along the Ostian Way where he was
beheaded. According to tradition, Peter and Paul were both martyred on the same day,
June 29.
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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For thy sake
we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in
all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
ROMANS 8:35–37
Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the
Most High, is terrible, a great king over all the earth.
PSALM 47:1–2
TODAY’S MEDITATION
By your Baptism Christ has bound you to himself, and there is nothing on earth that
can separate you from him—unless you sever that sacred tie yourself. Do not be
like some who use sorrows as an excuse to turn away from God. When sorrows
come, turn to Christ and cling to him even more closely and he will comfort you.
PRAYER
Jesus, strengthen me, especially in times of trouble, or when the world’s contempt
for you tempts me to renounce the Faith. I desire you above all things. I will accept
whatever you send me. I wish to do your will rather than my own. And I long to be
united with you forever in heaven. Send me your graces so that I can accomplish all
these things.
St. Paul, Apostle and martyr, pray for me!
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When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then
shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” O
death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?
1 CORINTHIANS 15:54–56
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the
voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,
saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and
wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
REVELATION 5:11–12
By his death and Resurrection, Christ opened to us the gates of heaven. For those
who love God, death is not the end, it is the passage to eternal life.
PRAYER
Almighty God, give me true contrition for my sins. Help me to make a good and
thorough Confession. Give me your grace so that my resolution to avoid mortal sins
will not weaken. At the end of my days, call me to you. And have mercy on the souls
of all of my beloved dead.
St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, pray for me!
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You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints
and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is
joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into
it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
EPHESIANS 2:19–22
The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is the
Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
PSALM 118:22–23
The message of Jesus Christ is for all people. Everyone who becomes a Christian
joins the Christian family, the household of God. And that household finds perfect
fulfillment when we are all together around God’s throne in the kingdom of heaven.
PRAYER
Open the gates of salvation to me, good Lord! I confess that I am not worthy, yet I
place my trust in the death and Resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. Do not
permit that my soul, purchased by the blood of Christ, should be lost.
St. Paul, Vessel of Election, pray for me!
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At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
PHILIPPIANS 2:10–11
And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name
Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God
will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob
for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
LUKE 1:30–34
Reverence for the Holy Name of Jesus is as old as the Church. Show your reverence
for the Holy Name by giving up the habit of using it carelessly, or even as a curse.
PRAYER
Make us, O Lord, to have a perpetual fear and love of your Holy Name, for you
never fail to govern those whom you solidly establish in your love. You, Who live
and reign forever and ever. Amen.
St. Paul, converted by the Lord Jesus, pray for me!
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[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all
things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible . . . all things were
created through him and for him.
COLOSSIANS 1:15–16
When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the
deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his
command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him.
PROVERBS 8:27–30
As the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ existed eternally, before he
appeared on earth as God and man. It is one of the great mysteries of our Faith that
calls for our gratitude, our reverence, and our awe.
PRAYER
For the beauty of the universe, I praise you, O God! For my own creation I offer
you my humble, heart-felt thanks. Let me always see your hand in the glory of the
natural world.
St. Paul, zealous for souls, pray for me!
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We would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you
may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen
asleep.
1 THESSALONIANS 4:13–14
Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you
gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me,
I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.
MATTHEW 25:31–36
To mourn the death of a loved one is natural, but you must not let your grief
overwhelm you. Pray and make sacrifices for the soul of the departed so that he or
she may fly swiftly to God. And trust that our heavenly Father, Who created us to
spend to eternity with him, will bring your loved one into the light of his presence.
PRAYER
O Lord, the memory of those I have lost pierces my heart. I entrust them to you,
confident that you will not regard their sins and failings, but remember their love
for you. Grant them, Almighty Father, that salvation which they always desired.
And unite all of us around your Throne.
St. Paul, companion of Sts. Luke, Titus, Timothy, and Barnabas, pray for me!
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Do you suppose, O man, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them
yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume upon the riches of
his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God’s kindness is
meant to lead you to repentance?
ROMANS 2:3–4
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be
judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.
MATTHEW 7:1–2
The mercy of God is boundless, but to presume that we have earned it, that it can be
taken for granted is a serious, even a calamitous mistake. It is true that there is no
sin so terrible that God will not forgive the sinner, but the sinner—and that includes
you and me—must repent first.
PRAYER
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. And I detest all my sins
because of Thy just punishments. But most of all, because they offend Thee, my
God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help
of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.
That I may awake and sin no more, St. Paul, pray for me!
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If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am
nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not
love, I gain nothing.
The disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, “Truly, I say to
you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven.”
MATTHEW 18:1–4
All of us have experienced love. But we also have experienced other emotions that
are not so edifying. God, on the other hand, is the only Being who is love right
through. And so St. Paul assures that of all the spiritual gifts God may bestow upon
us, the greatest is love, because when we love, we are imitating God.
PRAYER
Take my heart, good Jesus. It is filled with love for you. Increase that love so that I
may never do anything to offend you, to offend my neighbor, or to endanger my
soul. And replace my pride with true humility.
St. Paul, whose love for Christ was stronger than death, pray for me!
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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ
Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us
also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no
envy of one another.
GALATIANS 5:22–25
If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and
follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for
my sake, he will save it.
LUKE 9:23–24
We say that we are Christians, that we believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ, that
in Baptism we were reborn by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Then every day, let us
strive to show the world that we are followers of Christ.
PRAYER
Whatever cross you lay upon me, O Lord, I will bear for love of you. But grant to
me those virtues that make it easy to bear such a burden. Fill me with your grace so
that I may be a faithful follower of you, good Jesus, and may I never give the world
cause to mock the Faith which you planted here on earth.
That I may walk in newness of life, St. Paul, pray for me!
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Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and
meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace.
EPHESIANS 4:1–3
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious
oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron, running down
on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of
Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life for evermore.
PSALM 133:1–3
St. Paul calls the Church “the body of Christ.” We are members of Christ’s body,
part of a single entity, united by faith in and love for Almighty God. Then let us
curb our tongues, suppress our resentments, and live in peace with one another.
PRAYER
Forgive me, Almighty God, for those times when pride, anger, and resentment have
gotten the better of me and I have sinned against you and my neighbor. Pluck these
vices from my heart, and replace them with patience and meekness, so that I may
live in peace with all men.
That I may be worthy of my calling, St. Paul, pray for me!
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But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we
know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has
dominion over him. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he
lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ
Jesus.
ROMANS 6:8–11
Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with
strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of
Judah, “Behold your God!”
ISAIAH 40:9
Adam and Eve dwelt in a paradise where there was no pain, no suffering, and no
death. When they disobeyed God, sin, sorrow, and death entered the world. But
rescue came when Jesus Christ was born. By his death on the Cross, he atoned for
the sins of all humankind, and opened to us the way to eternal life with Almighty
God.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, for love of sinful humanity you poured out all your blood and
reconciled us with your Father. Grant me your grace so that sin may have no hold
over me, and that I may live each day ever mindful of your Passion and
Resurrection.
That I may be alive in Christ Jesus, St. Paul, pray for me!
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Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love
does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong,
but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things. Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for
tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if
you have love for one another.”
JOHN 13:34–35
Love is the primary attribute of Almighty God. You probably find it easy to love
some people, but difficult to love all of your neighbors—but Christ commands us to
love even our enemies. Make an effort today to pray for the salvation of those who
have injured you. The more you pray for your enemies, the easier it will become,
and the more pleasing you will be to God.
PRAYER
I am a wayward child, dear Lord, who needs your direction. Teach me to be patient
and kind, even to those have hurt or offended me. Set a guard over my words and
my actions so that I may not hurt another. And let my heart experience your love, so
that it will be easier for me to love my neighbor for love of you.
St. Paul, who rejoiced in the right, pray for me!
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Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities,
against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
EPHESIANS 6:11–12
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the
dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place
for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is
called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down.
REVELATION 12:7–9
As Christians we are part of a spiritual war against the power of the Evil One, who
delights in corrupting individual souls and entire societies. Invoking the
intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, let us prepare ourselves for the fight by
frequent, worthy reception of the sacraments and daily prayer and good works.
PRAYER
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle! Be our protection against the
wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into Hell Satan, and
all the other evil spirits, who wander about the world, seeking the destruction of
souls.
St. Paul and St. Michael the Archangel, pray for me!
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For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
ROMANS 8:38–39
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to
give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and
I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I
will be found by you, says the Lord.
JEREMIAH 29:11–14
Like St. Paul, let us have complete confidence in the power of the love of God. He
is in complete control of every facet of His creation, so that no matter what troubles
we may experience in the world, he will wipe away every tear in the next.
PRAYER
I offer you my heart, filled with love for you, Almighty Father. I confess that my
love is imperfect, but it is my greatest desire to grow in my love for you. Shield me,
then, from every power and temptation that may try to separate me from you.
That I may never be separated from the love of Christ, St. Paul, pray for me!
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Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world.
PHILIPPIANS 2:14–15
The Lord came and stood forth, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And
Samuel said, “Speak, for thy servant hears.”
1 SAMUEL 3:10
It is hard to submit to the will of God. Our pride and rebellious heart tell us that we
know best; that the obligations placed upon us are unreasonable. Confess your sin
of pride, and pray for the gift to have ever greater trust in God.
PRAYER
The world calls to me, O God, yet I would be your servant, your child. Protect me
from this crooked and perverse generation. Keep me safe in the light of your love.
And if I am tempted by the enticements of the world, draw me back to you.
St. Paul, a light in a corrupt world, pray for me!
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Day 16: What Abides
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child;
when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but
then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been
fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and
is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire
her. He who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for he will find her sitting at
his gates.
WISDOM 6:12–14
As adults we understand more about our faith, our world, and our emotions and
motivations than we did when we were children. But our understanding of God is
still immature. Only in heaven, when we see him face to face, will we experience
fully the mystery of God and his boundless love for us.
PRAYER
Like King Solomon, O God, I pray for wisdom. Help me to discern what is pleasing
to you and then give me the strength to do it. Sustain me so that I will not fail in my
resolve to despise anything that threatens to take me away from you. Grant that I
may live the rest of my life guided by the radiant, unfading light of your wisdom and
love.
That I may abide in God’s love, Saint Paul, pray for me!
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Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me thus?” Has the potter no
right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for
menial use?
ROMANS 9:20–21
Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man became a living being. And the Lord God planted a garden in
Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
GENESIS 2:7–8
All of us are as clay in the hands of God. He molds us into the shape that pleases
him. To each of us He grants certain gifts, talents, responsibilities, even crosses that
we must bear. How we use our gifts, fulfill our responsibilities, and bear our crosses
reveals our love for God to the world.
PRAYER
Lord, you have formed me and you know me. Help me to overcome my rebellious
spirit. Guide me with your grace so that I may be content in the state of life to
which you have called me.
That I may submit to the will of God, St. Paul, pray for me!
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Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for
everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
EPHESIANS 5:18–20
The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God,
and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
EXODUS 15:2
So often when we pray we ask God for something. It is natural—we have so many
needs, and he expects us, he encourages us to come to him for help. But let us not
forget to praise him.
PRAYER
I love you, O Lord, with my whole heart. In the sight of the angels I sing your
praise. May there never be a day when I neglect to praise and give thanks to you,
the summit and joy of my life.
That I may praise the Lord always, St. Paul, pray for me!
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As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him, rooted and built up in
him and established in the faith, just as you were taught.
COLOSSIANS 2:6–7
Yet he is not far from each one of us, for “In him we live and move and have our being;”
as even some of your poets have said, “For we are indeed his offspring.”
ACTS 17:27–28
Cling to the Faith! Do not let yourself be led astray by new fangled notions, or
celebrity preachers who spout novel but untrustworthy interpretations. The Church
has preserved the deposit of faith it received from Jesus Christ through the apostles
—that is the sure way to salvation.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I promise to follow the narrow way that leads to salvation. Keep me on
the right path, save me from stumbling, guide me so that I may not lose my faith.
Send the Holy Spirit to enlighten me so that I may be true to all that you have
taught as it is preserved in your Holy Catholic Church.
That I may be rooted in Christ Jesus, St. Paul, pray for me!
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Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner
will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself,
and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without
discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most
High. And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of
heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into
your hand!”
GENESIS 14:18–20
The Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist, is the most precious gift Christ gave us.
When we receive Holy Communion we are truly receiving Jesus Christ, His Body
and Blood, His Soul and Divinity. May all of us heed the warning of St. Paul and
never receive Communion in a state of mortal sin.
PRAYER
My Lord and my God! Every time I receive you in Holy Communion I am filled with
joy and gratitude and awe. Let me never receive you unworthily. And on those
occasions when I am in a state of serious sin and must not receive you physically,
then let me make a spiritual communion so that I will be better prepared to make a
good Confession and be restored to a state of grace.
St. Paul, lover of the Eucharist, pray for me!
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Day 21: Be Steady
The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears
they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away
from listening to the truth and wander into myths. As for you, always be steady, endure
suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
2 TIMOTHY 4:3–5
Harden not your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when
your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty
years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who err in heart, and they do
not regard my ways.” Therefore I swore in my anger that they should not enter my rest.
PSALM 95 8–11
St. Paul took great care to transmit the gospel of Jesus Christ as Our Lord first
taught it. He once warned a Christian congregation that even if an Archangel should
appear with an unorthodox teaching or interpretation, they should reject it and cling
to what they learned from him. False teachers and false doctrines have always
plagued the Church, and our day is no different. Be true to the truths Christ gave to
us in the Catholic faith.
PRAYER
For the gift of the Catholic faith, I thank you, Almighty God. Keep me faithful to
your teachings. Let me not be seduced by false doctrine that waters down the faith,
or attempts to justify what you have condemned. Direct me to that way that leads to
eternal salvation.
St. Paul, great teacher and evangelist, pray for me!
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Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness,
meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against
another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
COLOSSIANS 3:12–14
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me,
and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you
seven times, but seventy times seven.”
MATTHEW 18:21–22
Think how many times God has forgiven you. You, then, are obliged by God to
forgive those who have injured you. And not just when you are in a generous mood,
but always.
PRAYER
I am humbled when I consider your mercy, my God: all my weaknesses, all my rash
judgments, all my sins you have forgiven. Give me a patient, forgiving spirit so that
I may forgive completely and whole-heartedly anyone who has offended me.
That I may be one of God’s chosen ones, St. Paul, pray for me!
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We exhort you, brethren, admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak,
be patient with them all. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do
good to one another and to all.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp
and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your
Father who is in heaven.
MATTHEW 5:14–16
Your faith is not a solitary, private endeavor. You are part of a community of
believers—the Catholic Church. You pray at Mass with your fellow parishioners.
And you are obliged to practice your faith in other ways: by giving a good example
in the world, and by strengthening the faith of your fellow Catholics when they are
down-hearted or confused.
PRAYER
Give me wisdom and conviction, O Lord, when I am called upon to encourage my
brothers and sisters in the Church, or to defend the faith against critics and
unbelievers. Send me your grace so that I may set a good example and never be a
cause for scandal.
That I may always seek to do good, St. Paul, pray for me!
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Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead
will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put
on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality.
But the righteous live for ever, and their reward is with the Lord; the Most High takes
care of them. Therefore they will receive a glorious crown and a beautiful diadem from
the hand of the Lord, because with his right hand he will cover them, and with his arm he
will shield them.
WISDOM 5:15–16
On the Last Day, at the end of the world, the dead shall rise, their bodies and souls
reunited. This is the promise of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is also the
ultimate triumph of God: through the sin of Adam and Eve, sin, death, and decay
entered the world. At the end of time, sin, death, and decay will be swept away
forever.
PRAYER
Cover me with your right hand and shield me with your strong right arm, Almighty
God, so that on the dreadful Day of Judgment no harm will come to me. Look not
upon my countless sins and failings, but upon my love for you, and call me to stand
with your saints.
St. Paul, revealer of the mysteries of God, pray for me!
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See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to
human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to
Christ.
COLOSSIANS 2:8
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are
ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns,
or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil
fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know
them by their fruits.
MATTHEW 7:15–20
To follow Christ is to be counter-cultural. We view the world as God would have it
be, and as a consequence we are often out of tune with our times. Often in the
history of the Church, our fidelity to God rather than to the “prophets” of the
secular age has made us a target. Pray that no harm will befall God’s Church.
PRAYER
Build up my courage, O God, that I may be true to the gospel and not be seduced by
the false prophets of this world. Let me be patient and forgiving to the professed
enemies of the faith, and if it is your will, teach me how to be persuasive in
explaining and defending what the Church teaches.
St. Paul, true prophet of Jesus Christ, pray for me!
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Brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did
among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have
faith.
I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by
those who did not seek me. I said, “Here am I, here am I,” to a nation that did not call on
my name.
ISAIAH 65:1
The world is full of people who do not know the gospel of Jesus Christ or who have
consciously rejected it. Pray for them, that they may receive the gift of faith. And
support the Church’s missionaries, at home and over seas, with your prayers and
whatever gifts you can make.
PRAYER
Almighty God, let your message spread across the world, for the building up of
your Church, for the salvation of souls, and for your greater glory. Soften the
hearts of even the most obstinate and make them devoted followers of you, just as
you touched the heart of that early enemy of the Church, Saul, who became St.
Paul.
St. Paul, patron of missionaries, pray for me!
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If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things
that are on earth.
COLOSSIANS 3:1–3
A woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary,
who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with
much serving; and she went to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has
left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha,
Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has
chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.”
LUKE 10:38–42
Your days are full of obligations, plans, and worries. It can be overwhelming. It can
also distract you from God. So everyday, perhaps first thing in the morning, before
the chaos begins, set a few minutes aside to pray.
PRAYER
I would like to be Mary, good Jesus, but most of my time is spent being Martha.
These few moments alone with you are precious to me. Since I cannot sit at your
feet all day, accept everything that I do today as my offering to you. Help me to do
everything well, and may I always have you in mind as I go about my work.
St. Paul, who chose the good portion, pray for me!
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When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God
in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ
and him crucified.
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.
JOHN 12:32
To meditate upon the Passion of Christ is one of the most ancient devotions of the
Church. As we see in 1 Corinthians, St. Paul practiced it. Begin by reading one of
the accounts of the Passion in the gospels. Imagine yourself present at the scene and
how you would react to the sufferings and death of Jesus.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, who died for love of me, forgive me all my sins, which wounded
you so grievously. I adore Thee, O Christ, and I bless Thee, because by Thy Holy
Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
St. Paul, who proclaimed Jesus Christ and him crucified, pray for me!
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When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not
because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us
richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and
become heirs in hope of eternal life.
TITUS 3:4–7
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld
his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.
JOHN 1:13–14
We cannot earn salvation. It is a gift given to us by God in return for the atonement
Jesus Christ made upon the Cross. Strive to be conscious of the tremendous thing
God has done: the Second Person of the Holy Trinity took on human flesh, dwelled
here on earth, taught us the way to salvation, and then shed his blood so that we
could share eternal life with him.
PRAYER
My good Jesus! How wondrous is your love for us, that you humble yourself to
become man and dwell among us, and then suffer a terrible death on the Cross to
save us. I can never repay such goodness and loving kindness, yet I ask you, dear
Savior, to accept my heart, which is filled with love and gratitude for all you have
done for your unworthy servant.
That I might be an heir of eternal life, St. Paul, pray for me!
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The time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith.
2 TIMOTHY 5:6–7
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am
with you always, to the close of the age.
MATTHEW 28:18–20
St. Paul—like all the apostles—was faithful to Christ unto death. Few of us are
called to give up our lives for the Faith, yet in a society that is increasingly hostile
to religion and religious people, we all experience a kind of martyrdom. In spite of
the contempt of the world, hold fast to the Faith so that when you have finished
your race, God will present you with the victor’s crown.
PRAYER
O God, you have planted the Faith in my heart. Let me never be afraid or abashed
to confess my love for you and my conviction to be faithful to you. Give me the
courage to defend the faith when called upon to do so. Hear my prayers for those
who do not yet believe in you: touch their hearts and call them to you, as you in
your mercy have called me.
St. Paul, who fought the good fight, pray for me!
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About the Author
For the last 30 years, Thomas Craughwell has been an independent scholar of the
saints, digging through the autobiographies and letters of the saints, as well the writings
of their contemporaries, to get past the sentimentality that tends to surround saints and
find the living, breathing, struggling, real-life men and women.
Craughwell is a full-time freelance writer. Among his published works are the highly
acclaimed Saints Behaving Badly (Doubleday, 2006), Saints for Every Occasion
(Stampley, 2001), and Saints Preserved: An Encyclopedia of Relics (Image, 2011). He
has written more than two dozen books on history, religion, and popular culture.
Craughwell has written about saints for Wall Street Journal, American Spectator,
Inside the Vatican, National Catholic Register, and many Catholic publications. He is a
regular contributor to Our Sunday Visitor, and writes a monthly column on patron saints
for diocesan newspapers.
A popular speaker, Craughwell has appeared on EWTN, CNN, Discovery Channel
and more than 150 radio stations to discuss saints, the canonization process, and Catholic
history. He was also featured in The History Channel adaptation of one of his highly
praised historical books, Stealing Lincoln’s Body.
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Table of Contents
Day 16: What Abides
Day 21: Be Steady
About the Author
101
Index
Biography of Saint Paul 6
Day 1: The Love of Christ 12
Day 2: O Death, Where Is Thy Sting? 15
Day 3: Members of the Household of God 18
Day 4: The Holy Name of Jesus 21
Day 5: The Image of the Invisible God 24
Day 6: Those Who Have Fallen Asleep 27
Day 7: God’s Kindness 30
Day 8: The Nature of Love 33
Day 9: Live by the Spirit 36
Day 10: Your Calling 39
Day 11: Alive to God 42
Day 12: Love Never Ends 45
Day 13: The Whole Armor of God 48
Day 14: The Love of Christ 51
Day 15: Children without Blemish 54
Day 16: What Abides 57
Day 17: The Potter and the Clay 60
Day 18: Give Praise to the Life-Giving God 63
Day 19: Rooted in Christ 66
Day 20: The Body and Blood of the Lord 69
Day 21: Be Steady 72
Day 22: Forbear with One Another 75
Day 23: Encourage the Fainthearted 78
Day 24: Put on Immortality 81
Day 25: Beware the False Prophets 84
Day 26: Bring Christ to All Nations 87
Day 27: Seek the Quiet Peace of Prayer 90
Day 28: Take Up the Cross, and Follow Him 93
102
Day 29: Give Humble Thanks for God’s Grace 96
Day 30: Fight the Good Fight 99
About the Author 100
103

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