Journey to our Apostolic Origins

This morning we travelled from Assisi to Rome

Morning Prayer

Acts of the Apostles 22:30; 23:6-11

Since the tribune wanted to know what precise charge the Jews were bringing against Paul, he freed him and gave orders for a meeting of the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin; then he brought Paul down and stood him in front of them.

Now Paul was well aware that one section was made up of Sadducees and the other of Pharisees, so he called out in the Sanhedrin, 'Brothers, I am a Pharisee and the son of Pharisees. It is for our hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.' As soon as he said this a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was split between the two parties. For the Sadducees say there is neither resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, while the Pharisees accept all three. The shouting grew louder, and some of the scribes from the Pharisees' party stood up and protested strongly, 'We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?'. Feeling was running high, and the tribune, afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered his troops to go down and haul him out and bring him into the fortress.

Next night, the Lord appeared to him and said, 'Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome.'

Reflection

St Luke wrote both his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Both these works have a journey theme. From Luke 9:51 Jesus resolutely takes up the road to Jerusalem, and the whole Gospel from that point is his journey towards the cross, towards, death and resurrection ending at his Ascension. The Acts of the Spostles picks up from the Ascension and journeys with the Church that came to birth and ultimately with Paul and his journey towards Rome... 

Next night, the Lord appeared to him and said, 'Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome.' and ultimately for the witness of Paul's our martyrdom. 

Our journey towards Rome then is a journey towards an apostolic origins, to the city of the martyerd apostles Peter and Paul and to the first Christian  martyrs of Rome. But it also to the city from where Pompallier began his journey. Today our own pilgrimage journey connects with these much earlier journeys of those who gave their lives for Christ as we are invited to give our live more deeply to him on our spiritual hikoi.

St. Paul the Apostle,  originally known as Saul of Tarsus, was born in the first decade of the first century AD in the city of Tarsus (in modern-day Turkey). He was a Roman citizen and a devout Jew, trained as a Pharisee. Initially, he was a fierce persecutor of Christians, believing their teachings to be a threat to Jewish law. His life changed dramatically on the road to Damascus, where he experienced a profound vision of the risen Christ. 

This conversion marked the beginning of his mission as a Christian apostle. From that moment, Paul dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel, especially among the Gentiles (non-Jews), earning him the title “Apostle to the Gentiles.” Paul undertook several missionary journeys across the Roman Empire, establishing Christian communities in cities such as Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, and Thessalonica. His letters—or Epistles—to these communities form a significant portion of the New Testament and are foundational to Christian theology. In them, Paul explores themes of grace, salvation, faith, and the role of Christ in human redemption.

Despite facing persecution, imprisonment, and hardship, Paul remained steadfast in his mission. He was eventually arrested in Jerusalem and, as a Roman citizen, appealed to Caesar. He was taken to Rome, where tradition holds he was martyred—beheaded under Emperor Nero around 67 AD.

Our first stop was to the The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. 

It is one of Rome’s four major papal basilicas and a site of profound spiritual and historical significance. Located about two kilometers outside the ancient city walls, it was built over the burial place of St. Paul the Apostle, who was martyred in Rome around 67 AD.

We entered the basilica through the holy door. Found in the four major basilicas of Rome—St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls—the Holy Door is sealed shut and only opened during a Jubilee, typically every 25 years or during extraordinary jubilees declared by the Pope.

Passing through the Holy Door is not merely a physical act but a profound spiritual journey. It represents a passage from sin to grace, from estrangement to reconciliation with God.

The door itself becomes a threshold of mercy, echoing Christ’s words: “I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he will be saved” (John 10:9). It invites pilgrims to renew their faith, to leave behind the burdens of guilt and despair, and to embrace the hope and healing offered by divine grace.

Spiritually, the Holy Door is a call to conversion . It challenges believers to open the doors of their own hearts - to forgive, to serve, and to love more deeply. In crossing its threshold, one symbolically enters into a deeper communion with Christ and the Church, stepping into a renewed life of discipleship and mission.

The journey to the tomb of St Paul

St Paul the Apostle, pray for us

Originally commissioned by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century, the basilica has undergone several reconstructions, most notably after a devastating fire in 1823. The current structure, completed in the 19th century, faithfully preserves the grandeur of its early Christian origins while incorporating neoclassical elements. Its vast nave, supported by 80 imposing columns, leads to a magnificent apse adorned with mosaics depicting Christ, the apostles, and scenes from the Book of Revelation.

St Paul

St Peter

One of the basilica’s most striking features is the series of medallions displaying portraits of all the popes from St. Peter to the present day, symbolizing the continuity of the Church. Beneath the main altar lies the tomb of St. Paul, marked by a marble slab and visible through a glass panel, drawing pilgrims from around the world.

From St Peter

to the incredible Popes of my lifetime

St Paul’s words for the way of hope

Hope does not disappoint, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5

There are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

We must be content to hope that we shall be saved - our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping for it if it were - but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not saved yet - it is something we must wait for with patience. Romans 8:24-25

The mystery is Christ among you, your hope of glory: this is the Christ we proclaim, this is the wisdom in which we thoroughly train everyone and instruct everyone, to make them all perfect in Christ. Colossians 1:27-28

We then went to the Catacombs of Domitilla where we celebrated the Mass of the Conversion of St Paul. To understand the Church in its first century it is necessary to understand the spirituality of martyrdom which was rooted in a profound witness to faith, love, and union with Christ. For the first Christians, martyrdom was not merely a tragic end but a glorious participation in the Passion of Christ, a path to eternal life and a powerful testimony to the truth of the Gospel.

The word martyr comes from the Greek martys, meaning “witness.” Early martyrs bore witness to Christ through their unwavering fidelity, even unto death. Their suffering was seen not as defeat, but as victory - an imitation of Christ’s own sacrifice. In dying for the faith, martyrs became living icons of the crucified and risen Lord, inspiring courage and conversion among believers and non-believers alike.

Martyrdom was also deeply eschatological—pointing to the hope of resurrection and the coming Kingdom of God. The early Church believed that those who died for Christ were immediately received into glory, their blood becoming the “seed of the Church,” as famously stated by Tertullian. Their deaths were commemorated in liturgy, their tombs became places of pilgrimage, and their stories were preserved as sacred memory.

These times of persecution led the early Christians to live in the catacombs to practice their faith in safety and reverence. These underground burial sites offered a discreet place for worship, prayer, and the celebration of the Eucharist. The catacombs were not hiding places in the conventional sense, but sacred spaces where believers could gather without fear of interference from Roman authorities. They also served as burial grounds for martyrs and the faithful, reinforcing the Christian belief in the resurrection. The art and inscriptions found there reflect a deep spirituality rooted in hope, communion, and eternal life.

Readings at Mass

Acts of the Apostles 22:3-16

Paul said to the people, ‘I am a Jew and was born at Tarsus in Cilicia. I was brought up here in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was taught the exact observance of the Law of our ancestors. In fact, I was as full of duty towards God as you are today. I even persecuted this Way to the death, and sent women as well as men to prison in chains as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify, since they even sent me with letters to their brothers in Damascus. When I set off it was with the intention of bringing prisoners back from there to Jerusalem for punishment.

‘I was on that journey and nearly at Damascus when about midday a bright light from heaven suddenly shone round me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” I answered: Who are you, Lord? and he said to me, “I am Jesus the Nazarene, and you are persecuting me.” The people with me saw the light but did not hear his voice as he spoke to me. I said: What am I to do, Lord? The Lord answered, “Stand up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told what you have been appointed to do.” The light had been so dazzling that I was blind and my companions had to take me by the hand; and so I came to Damascus.

 “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” at the Basilica of St Paul's outside the Wall

‘Someone called Ananias, a devout follower of the Law and highly thought of by all the Jews living there, came to see me; he stood beside me and said, “Brother Saul, receive your sight.” Instantly my sight came back and I was able to see him. Then he said, “The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Just One and hear his own voice speaking, because you are to be his witness before all humankind, testifying to what you have seen and heard. And now why delay? It is time you were baptised and had your sins washed away while invoking his name.”’

Paul receiving his sight at the Basilica of St Paul's outside the Wall

O praise the Lord, all you nations,
acclaim him all you peoples!

Strong is his love for us;
he is faithful for ever.

Mark 16:15-18

Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them:

‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved; whoever who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’

Reflection

The irony of Paul recounting his Damascus road experience was that he was already blind... In his persecution of the early Church he couldn't see what he was doing... Thou shall not kill, and yet he approved the stoning of Stephen. Yet he was able to justify this as an upright Pharisee. The Law was conveniently put aside... but the risen Christ identified with the persecuted Christians... you are persecuting me!

So easily we can be blind... I wonder who we throw stones at and justify ourselves in doing this.

Like Paul we are continuously called to conversion, that opening of our eyes to new possibilities in the life of Christ. Look at Paul himself, a persecutor of the Church becoming the great apostle to the Gentiles. Who would have believed it? In the account of Paul's Damascus road experience in Acts 9 Ananias wrestled with the face the Lord wanted him to pray over Saul, a persecutor of the Church...  Ananias said, 'Lord several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your saints in Jerusalem. He has only come here because he holds a warrant from the chief priests to arrest everybody who invokes your name.' The Lord replied, 'You must go all the same, because this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel; I myself  will show him how much he himself must suffer for my name.' 

So easily we write people off.

In the account of today's Gospel (Acts 22) Paul tells the story to the rioting crowd in Jerusalem we heard about in our morning prayer telling the crowd of  his Jewish background and faithfulness to gain their attention before explaining how he was sent to the Gentiles. 

Later in Acts 26 Paul will recount the event to King Agrippa. This account focuses on Jesus's mission for Paul to be a witness to both Jews and Gentiles and his role in the future spread of Christianity.

As we come to this city of the Apostles Peter and Paul and the early Christian martyrs as represented in these catacombs may we too be converted from our blindnesses. May we too be graced by the same Holy Spirit as the work of conversion echoes within us and may we gain courage to proclaim Christ risen after their example.

The Body

and blood of Christ and the ancient martyrs