PAULINIAN SPIRITUALITY 

WHO IS ST. PAUL? 

1. Paul was short of stature (“the man of 3 cubics”) 
2. He was broad- shouldered, somewhat bald, with slightly curve nose, closely-knit
eyebrows, thick, greyish beard, fair complexion, and a pleasing and friendly manner. 
3. He was afflicted with a malady which is difficult to diagnose (2 Cor. 12: 7-9). 
4. He was weak & lowly as to the standard of the world (1 Cor. 1: 27-29). 
5. Despite his painful and humiliating infirmity (Gal. 4: 13-14); 
6. and although his bearing was not impressive (2 Cor. 10:10), 
7. Paul must undoubtedly have been possessed of great physical strength to have
sustained so long such superhuman labors (2 Cor. 11: 23-29) 
8. Believed had died at the age of sixty- eight (68) after having served the Lord for thirty-
five (35) years 

1. Born at Tarsus, a city of Cicilia, in what is now known Turkey, between AD 7 and 10.
– Acts 21: 39; 22:3 2. As he belonged to the tribe of Benjamin he was given the name
Saul (“Asked For”) in memory of the first king of the Jews – Phil. 3:5 
3. As a Roman citizen he also bore the name of Paul (“Little”) 
5. His father had acquired Roman citizenship, so Paul was a “Roman-at- Law” – Acts
16:37; 22:25- 284. Circumcised on the eight day – Phil. 3:5 
1. Brought up in the sect of the Pharisees – Acts 23:6 
2. At about age 14, he was sent to Jerusalem to the school of Gamaliel – Acts 5:24;
22:3 
3. Becomes a self righteous Pharisee and a patriotic zealot – Acts 22:3 
4. He becomes a persecutor of Christians – Acts 7:58; 8:3-22; 26:9-11 
5. By trade a tent-stitcher; every Jew had to teach his son a trade by which he could live
– Acts 18:3-20; 1 Cor. 4:12 
6. As a Jew Paul took great pride in the fact that he was raised in the Pharisee tradition
of Judaism (Ph. 3:5-6). 

1. He regarded Jesus and Christians as enemies and corruptors of Judaism. 

2. To him Christ was a breaker of the Law and a blasphemous violator of God’s
covenants. 
3. He righteously opposed Jesus’ followers and persecuted the Christians. 
4. He was present and gave his approval to the gruesome stoning of St. Stephen, the
first Christian martyr. 
“For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God
violently and tried to destroy it; (Gal. 1,13)” 
“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to
the high priest and asked him for letters 
to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or
women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9,1.2) 
“I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and
women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders bear me witness. From them I
received letters to the brethren, and I journeyed to Damascus to take those also who
were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.” (Acts 22,4-5//26,9-
11). 
Toto Damascus 
“As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, suddenly a light from the sky flasched
around him. He fell to the ground...” 
“... and he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?’” 
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. 
“I am Jesus, whom you persecuted,” the voice said. 
zeal for the religion of his fathers, for the LAW......in his desire to protect his religion at
all costs. persecuting the followers of Jesus..His has that burning...to the extent of 
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF SPIRITUALITY?

The most basic definition is “a way of loving and living.”

A school of spirituality is a school of loving. 

WHAT IS PAULINE SPIRITUALITY? 

Pauline Spirituality is a way of living and loving patterned after St. Paul, and, of course,
patterned after our Lord.
It has to do with the way we relate to God as Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit. 

WHAT IS THE SPIRITUALITY OF ST. PAUL? 

It must be Trinitarian because it is Christian.

If it is Christian, it has to be the Triune God. The Triune God has to come in. 

CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY 

It does not merely include all spiritual activities like: prayer, rosary, novenas,
sacraments, recollections, retreats, works of charity, and so on... 
It includes everything that make up the complex reality we call life.
Even falling in love has to do with our spirituality. 

CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY 

Making commitments
Relating with people
Working
Malling
Watching TV 
Driving
The use of computers
The use of cell phones
The use of social media 
The use of equipment 
Even resting 
It is spirituality that will stir our lives and give it direction.
It is spirituality that will give us a Christ-like orientation, under the influence of the
Holy Spirit and the Gospel.
Spirituality is very much related to faith. 

CHRISTIAN FAITH 

It can be defined in terms of Creed, Code, Cult. (Doctrine – Moral – Worship) (Fr
Joseph Roche, SJ) 

CREED 

It would be our life of believing.

We are very strong in Worship, external rites and rituals, but we are very weak in
Doctrine.
This is what Fr. Bulatao, SJ calls split- level Christianity.
We should be strong in Doctrine and Worship and strongest in Morals. 
LIVEN THE SPIRITUALITY 

How do we liven the spirituality which existed in the first century of our Church, 56-58
AD? We make it alive by living it out. Deepening our faith, acknowledging and
deepening our personal vocation, intensifying our loving and compassionate
forgiveness and surely being men and women of celebration and hope. If we do not live
our spirituality, we will be engulfed by the world. We will become victims of
violence, despair and depression. We need a deep spirituality. We should not mix up
career and vocation. Thinks in terms of investments and returns Thinks in terms of
promotion and demotion. Talks about commitment. Talks about sharing 

CAREER vs VOCATION CAREER

 
Thinks in terms of success and achievements 
Talks about washing another’s feet 

CAREER vs VOCATION 
CULTURE OF DESPAIR 
One student of Ateneo was so intelligent with a 145 I.Q. Tan is his last name. One
Sunday afternoon, he went to the office since he is a student teacher. Since there were
no people, he covered all the windows and all the doors. He taped all the places where
air could pass through. He turns on a gas tank and he died of suffocation. Where did he
learn that? Through the internet. How did the police know that he learned it in the
internet? They looked at his laptop and that was the last document. He studied it well
and just followed the instructions. Maybe because of his superior intelligence, he could
not cope anymore. He finished Management Engineering at the Ateneo and was
pursuing M.A. in Philosophy when this happened. Do you know Adolf Morquille? He is
the 9th riches person in Germany. He is into cement, pharmaceuticals, Volkswagen
business, etc. If you are the 9th riches person in Germany, it means that you are super
rich. He is a multibillionaire and he committed suicide. He just put himself in front of a 
running train. So, he was killed. He committed suicide. This is the kind of society we
have. We have a culture of despair. We are supposed to be building a culture of
celebration. We do not have to blame ourselves but ought to try to fight it. Do not rely on
money, success, achievement...