Did Paul Have a Staff?
January 25, 2023
Fr. John Riccardo
Today we celebrate the feast of “the conversion of Saint Paul.” I’ve always found the way N.T. Wright speaks about this to be helpful. Wright suggests that Paul didn’t so much undergo a “conversion,” the way we tend to think of that word today. In other words, Paul didn’t move from one “religion” to another, let alone from “Judaism” to “Christianity.” Rather, what we’re celebrating today was that real moment when Jesus revealed Himself to Paul and this zealot came to the shocking realization that the crucified and risen Jesus was in fact the fulfillment of all that God had promised to the Jewish people, and to the world for that matter. In short, Jesus is Lord (and Caesar isn’t).
Paul has always been a hero of mine. When I was just out of college, I spent the better part of a summer praying with every verse where Paul spoke about himself. It allowed me to feel as though I really got to know Paul. He’s been my model of priesthood ever since. It’s almost impossible to overstate the impact this man, who wrote less than 80 pages, has had on Church and world history. Aside from being a primary inspiration of priesthood for me, we in ACTS XXIX increasingly think that a “Pauline vision” of priesthood could be very timely right now for many of us (do we even think about Paul celebrating the Eucharist? See Acts 20:11).
There are many components to this “Pauline vision” of priesthood, but on this feast let me offer just one.
We often ask bishops, priests, deacons, and lay leaders in the Church, “Do you think Paul had a staff?” Now, for the sake of clarity, we don’t mean by this question, “Do you think Paul had other people with him?” – as if he was some sort of lone ranger missionary, traveling all across the Roman Empire on his own. We mean, “Do we think Paul saw the people that he did ministry with as a ‘staff’?”
Reflect on what Paul has to say as we answer this question:
“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the Church at Cenchreae, that you may receive her in the Lord as befits the saints, and help her in whatever way she may require of you, for she has been a helper of many and of myself as well.” Romans 16:1-2
“Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I but all the Churches of the Gentiles give thanks…” Romans 16:3-4
“Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you.” Philippians 4:21
“Tychicus will tell you all about my affairs; he is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you…and with him Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother…” Colossians 4:7-9
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus…to Timothy, my beloved child…” 2 Timothy 1:1-2
“Paul, a servant of God…to Titus, my true child in a common faith.” Titus 1:1,4
“Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker, and Appia, our sister, and Archippus, our fellow soldier…” Philemon 1-2
“So if you consider me your partner, receive [Onesimus] as you would receive me.” Philemon 17
From the verses above, and we could look at many more, the answer is a resounding, “No.” Paul saw those around him as brothers and sisters, set apart for mission, like him – even though there were clearly distinctions among them with regards to gifts, roles, and responsibilities. And, yet, how common it is to hear a pastor or bishop speak about his “staff.” Is that how we’re supposed to see each other? Is that a biblical model of leadership or for doing ministry? Aren’t we instead, like Paul, supposed to see our co-laborers as brothers and sisters, called by the Lord to this work, with different giftings and roles than ours, all for the building up of the kingdom so that God can get His world back? Again, this isn’t meant to call into question different levels of authority, but it is meant to call into question our way of seeing one another. How often, when I was a younger priest, I shamefully saw the people I worked with in a manner very different from Paul’s!
As we celebrate the feast of St. Paul, let us ask this mighty intercessor to pray for us who serve in the Church that we might see each other as members of the Body of Christ, as brothers and sisters, as co-laborers in the vineyard, set apart for the greatest mission we could ever hope to join.