As I mentioned last Sunday it is very good to be back with you after an action packed 10 days between Greece and Turkey tracing the footsteps of St Paul. As I promised, during the journey I prayed for your intentions and offered Mass too. We are very familiar with St Paul as we hear from him most Sundays. The fact that he features so regularly illustrates his critical role in the early church; remember that his letters were written well before the four gospels. He was, and is, a remarkable man of deep intellect, with a first-class education (which is reflected in the complexity of his writing), coupled with single minded determination. His life was changed literally in a flash where, as a result of his encounter with the risen Jesus. Prior to this Paul believed that Jesus was a complete fraud. His commitment to the Lord is illustrated to me by his travels across thousands of miles. I travelled by air-conditioned coach and airplane, he went largely on foot and sailing ship – he was shipwrecked a few times too! The certitude of his belief eventually led to his death. Paul would not have died for something that was untrue. He is a witness to us of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus, something of which we can be certain of and, God willing, participate in at the end of our earthly lives. St Paul, pray for us.

Fr Chris