Letters from Prison

Homily for Friday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

One of the things that always impresses me when I read passages such as the one proclaimed today from the Letter to the Ephesians is the fact that St. Paul wrote this and some of his other letters while languishing in prison. Life for prisoners at that time meant not only that they were kept in a locked cell, they were also chained to the walls of that cell. This meant that even when someone came to bring them food or clothing, because it was not supplied by the prison itself, they were unable to embrace their visitors.

Despite this kind of isolation, St. Paul is still able to write of one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. He is still able to remind us that we are all called to live a life worthy of the call which we have received.

This is all the more remarkable when we consider that his imprisonment is the direct result of his vocation to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. He had been a Jew, a Pharisee, highly regarded and welcome in the homes of the most influential men of his time. However, he gave all that up in order to preach the Gospel of Jesus who revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus. He has gone from the heights of influence and power to the degradation of prison life because of his willingness to do as God asked.

Many people are feeling the effects of the isolation that has become part of our daily life under the threat of Covid 19. People in nursing homes have become despondent because they cannot see their families. Daily news broadcasts remind us that even being within six feet of one another is dangerous. Perhaps we can find some strength and courage in the witness that St. Paul gives us for the sake of the Gospel.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator