the curia informs - Passio Christi

THE CURIA INFORMS
[Editor’s Note: On the occasion of the celebration of First Vespers of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul,
28 June 2007, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, from the Basilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls,
announced to the entire world his intention to celebrate, from 28 June, 2008 to 29 June, 2009 a year dedicated
to Saint Paul, in light of the bi-millennium of the birth of the Apostle to the Gentiles. The bishop of Rome
further stated: “The Apostle to the Gentiles, who was especially committed to taking the Good News to all
peoples, left no stones unturned for unity and harmony among all Christians. May he deign to guide and protect
us in this bi-millennial celebration, helping us to progress in the humble and sincere search for the full
unity of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body.” He also said that: “…As in early times, today too Christ
needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves… He needs witnesses and martyrs like St Paul.”
We, as Passionists, are also aware that one of these witnesses was another St. Paul, i.e. our Founder, St.
Paul of the Cross. In keeping with the sentiments of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, Fr. Adolfo Lippi
(PRAES) offers the following article for our study and reflection during this Pauline Year.]
SAINT PAUL OF THE CROSS, SAINT PAUL
THE APOSTLE AND THE PAULINE YEAR
This year, how should we as Passionists approach the complexity
and the profundity of the Pauline message
On 29 June 2008, the
Catholic Church began a
year of reflection on the
Apostle to the Gentiles and his
message, with the goal of rediscovering
this multifaceted figure,
restudying his numerous letters
and growing in appreciation for
his teaching, as well as praying for
the renewal of evangelization in
today’s world and the unity all
believers in Christ. The Founder
of the Passionists, as described by
his biographers beginning with St.
Vincent Strambi, in addition to
being named Paul after the
Apostle of the Gentiles, had many points in common
with him. 1 In particular we can recall the experience
of his conversion that entailed the total gift of himself
to God, the intimate association with Christ Crucified
and his zeal for evangelization. From the very beginning
of his proclamation of this Pauline Year, the
Pope stressed its ecumenical dimension. We can
Fr. Adolfo Lippi, CP (PRAES)
The Vatican logo for the Pauline Year
recall the love of Paul of the Cross
for those separated from the
Church, especially the English, a
love that was then incarnated in
Blessed Dominic Barberi.
I don’t think that there can be
any doubt that Paul the Apostle is
the first great theologian of the
Cross, in the sense that he does not
limit himself to the narration of the
Passion and the Resurrection nor to
a mere kerygmatic proclamation;
rather he seeks to penetrate the
meaning of the mystery and to
demonstrate how this leads to an
image of God that is completely
new and different from all that preceded it. “It is
from the centrality of the paradox of the cross –
writes a biblical scholar – that Pauline theology,
i.e. its pneumatology and also its ecclesiology,
that Pauline thought derives its originality and practicality”.
2
Paul of the Cross is well known for this. As ➥
1 Cf Vincenzo Maria di San Paolo, E. Zoffoli, San Paolo della Croce. Storia critica, II, 111-121. Zoffoli also made a very accurate
listing of the all the times that Paul of the Cross, in his writings, cited St. Paul the Apostle, demonstrating that he had a profound
understanding of him in all his letters.
2 A. Pitta, IL paradosso della croce. Saggi di teologia paolina, Piemme, Casale M., 1998, 14.
July 2008 - PIB n. 17
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