Today, October 20, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of Paul of the Cross, Priest, our Church first invites us to reflect on a Scripture passage from the first letter of the Peter the apostle (5:1-11), in the Common of Pastors, entitled "The duties of pastors and the laity". Our treasure, which follows, is from a letter by Saint Paul of the Cross, priest.
Saint Paul of the Cross (Paul Daneo) was born in Ovada (Italy) on 3 January 1694. In 1720 he took the religious habit devoting himself to asceticism and the apostolate. He was ordained a priest by Benedict XIII in 1727.
Discerning that the sins of humanity were the result of the forgetfulness of God's love manifested in Jesus crucified, he preached that the Passion of Jesus "the greatest and most overwhelming work of divine love ... the miracle of miracles of God ... a sea of love and sorrow," is the most effective remedy.
He was guided by our Lady who appeared to him dressed in the Passionist Habit, and who also showed him the Sign of the new Congregation. Paul, along with his brother Giovanni Battista, founded the Institute of the Passionists.
In the century of the enlightenment and of the deification of reason, he pointed out the way of salvation through the weakness and folly of the Cross.
In 1737, on Monte Argentario (Grosseto), he opened the first house of the Congregation. In 1741 Pope Benedict XIV approved the Rule with a rescript and again in 1746 with a Pontifical Brief. In 1769 Clement XIV, who had a great affection for Paul, approved the Institute. In 1771, after much suffering, Paul joyfully received news of the inauguration of the first Passionist monastery for cloistered nuns in the city of Tarquinia (Viterbo, Italy). In 1773 he opened the Retreat of Saints John and Paul on the Caelian Hill in Rome, the gift of Clement XIV, who was a protector and incomparable benefactor of the Congregation. In 1775 he rejoiced in the final approbation of the Rule by Pius VI.
Despite having an episode of mystical marriage in his youth, Paul experienced heartbreaking spiritual dryness for about fifty years. He lived through many difficult trials that resulted in him being called "the prince of the desolate". He realized perfectly his desire to "be crucified with Jesus". And he, the Mystic of the Crucified, became the one who was mystically crucified. Paul was distinguished by an extraordinary love of poverty, solitude and penance. He was a revered Superior General of the Institute until the end of his life. He was greatly loved by various Popes. A tireless apostle, he derived wisdom and strength from the open wounds of Christ for his life and apostolate. He is considered "one of the greatest spiritual directors of all time". Paul guided many people to live in a spirit of naked faith, totally embracing the divine will, and dying mystically to themselves in order to be reborn in God. He was favored with experiences of ecstasy and other supernatural gifts and is considered "the greatest Mystic of the eighteenth century". For purposes of spiritual direction and the government of the Congregation he wrote more than 50 thousand letters, only a minimal number of which still exist. He died in Rome on 18 October 1775. He was declared a Saint on 29 June 1867. The spiritual movement sparked by Paul has gradually expanded and today, various institutes of consecrated life and committed laity live his spirituality and venerate him with the tender love of children.
The first letter of Saint Peter begins with an address by to Christian communities located in five provinces of Asia Minor, including areas evangelized by Paul. Christians there are encouraged to remain faithful to their standards of belief and conduct despite threats of persecution. Numerous allusions in the letter suggest that the churches addressed were largely of Gentile composition, though considerable use is made of the Old Testament.
The contents following the address both inspire and admonish these "chosen sojourners" who, in seeking to live as God's people, feel an alienation from their previous religious roots and the society around them. Appeal is made to Christ's resurrection and the future hope it provides and to the experience of baptism as new birth. The suffering and death of Christ serve as both source of salvation and example. What Christians are in Christ, as a people who have received mercy and are to proclaim and live according to God's call, is repeatedly spelled out for all sorts of situations in society, work (even as slaves, the home, and general conduct. But overall hangs the possibility of suffering as a Christian. Persecution is later described as already occurring, so that some have supposed the letter was addressed both to places where such a "trial by fire" was already present and to places where it might break out.
