On the way to Damascus, Saul thought of nothing but persecuting the followers of the Messiah. His hatred for the one called Christ was not limited to merely despising him, but also demanded action to eliminate what he considered to be the worst deviation emerging from within Judaism. With this in view, he leaves Jerusalem to carry out a vicious campaign…but shortly afterwards, he – far from what he could ever have imagined – was miraculously enflamed with love for the Crucified One, and began to preach in favor of Him whom he had formerly persecuted.
The years passed by, and the situation was inverted: Paul relentlessly had to defend the true doctrine from the numerous errors arising from within the midst of the Early Church, due to the malice of certain individuals and the whim of others. That is how Paul merited the title Apostle of the Gentiles, not only because he preached the word of God to them, but also for having defended them from the errors that were already brazenly rising up in the very midst of the Christians. Against the sects of his time he explained the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ; only one flock, one pastor, and one Church, the Spouse of Jesus Christ. Read more…
