My favorite apostle is Paul. I think he is the supreme example of someone who had the courage and strong will to change himself. To me, he's someone I can relate to, because he used to be Saul, the proud Doctor of the Law who used to seek and kill Christians because they believed in a leader who he could not understand at the time. But, after becoming Paul, he was the apostle of gentility who changed lives and lived his own life by giving the example first, before telling others how to be or what to do. He was despised by people he loved once and was loved by those who shared his new beliefs and new behaviour, but Paul was always sincere and brave in pursuing what he felt was right.
Once he saw Jesus on the way to Damascus, Saul felt Jesus moral superiority and heard Jesus asking: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" This was enough to make Saul decide to change. This passage of the Bible has a great significance to me, because it makes me think how one experience, one moment of enlightenment can change the course of our entire life for the better, when we decide that is what we want and show courage and strong will to change it. Saul used to be a good man, but intolerant and very proud of being who he was. He decided to use the law of that time, to his favour, to persecute, humiliate and kill Christians, because he could not understand or respect their beliefs. And I think to myself how many "Sauls" still exist nowadays...Aren't we like Saul when we are sarcastic towards people's beliefs? Aren't we like Saul when we try to humiliate and make fun of people for their belief or faith? Aren't we like Saul when we are so proud to be who we are that we think nothing and no one can be better than us and our intelligence? History changes with time, and we might not kill and persecute people for their beliefs as we used to, a long time ago, but we developed other ways to persecute and humiliate people in this respect. Making prejudist jokes and being sarcastic towards people's beliefs (any belief!) is accepted by society. It is also allowed by society that you hide cowardly behind these jokes what you really feel, but you are not allowed, by this same society, to show it openly in other ways of expression (it would be then considered politically incorrect!). Isn't it a bit hypocritical to accept prejudice in the form of comedy as an excuse to vent out your feelings?
The other day, I went to a comedy gig in St Albans where a comedian said: "I love the women who wear Burka because I find them sexy." And the majority of people in the place laughed at his joke. Then, I ask myself if this isn't a typical example of someone hiding cowardly their prejudice behind their jokes. Also, I wonder if people who were laughing at it were not enjoying the fact that someone was being sarcastic towards something they might not agree with or like it... in this case, it would be women wearing Burka. Independently of agreeing or not with the fact that some women wear Burka, what makes us think that it's okay to laugh at a joke like that?
I am a Christian, but I took offense from this joke and personally didn't think it was funny at all! It is disrespectful and unnecessary... Everybody deserves respect! I have noticed that it is a pattern to see comedians making fun of all religions here. How much more disrespectful and sarcastic will people allow themselves to be in the name of comedy?
When Saul saw Jesus, he asked: "Who are you, Lord?" And Jesus answered: "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting." And Saul asked: "What shall I do, Lord?" This is an extremely important question. Saul didn't ask why, how, when, where...he simply asked what he should do from that moment on. He felt, in that moment, that Jesus was someone superior to him somehow, even if he couldn't understand completely why, at that moment. He didn't argue or showed stubbornness and pride, because that episode was enough to make that good, but proud man, feel he was following the wrong path. When we feel inside us that we are wrong, I would think that we generally are, even though we don't like admitting it to ourselves and prefer to ignore this feeling inside. Jesus answered Saul saying: "Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do." Why can't we get up and decide to do what we are supposed to?
Some people (it includes me) might be asking: but what are we supposed to do? This is one of my favorite passages of the Bible and it was written by Paul, already a Christian and great Apostle by then, and I think it gives us the base to understand what we need to do.
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all the mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profit me nothing. Charity suffer long and is kind, charity vaunt not itself, is not puffed up, dot not behave itself unseemly, skeet not her own, is not easily provoked, think no evil, rejoice not in iniquity, but rejoice in the truth; bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things. And now abide faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (Paul, I Corinthians, 13:1-7 & 13).
We shall do charity. This is our answer. Not only the type that raises money to help the ones who need it (although this is very noble). We can also practice charity in the kind way that we treat others. This kind way includes, not only politeness, but the type of kindness that is meaningful and sincere. The kindness that makes others feel warm inside. The kindness that is tolerant, not because of social standards or appearances, but because of a good and sincere heart. The type of kindness that thinks: "Would I like it if I was in this person's shoes and this person did to me what I just did to them?" The type of charity that always thinks that we should do to others only what we would like others to do to us and the ones we love. Charity can be expressed in many ways and it's the greatest of all things. Let's pay close attention to the part which says: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." Let's leave our childish ways behind and become grown ups spiritually wise. Let's stop thinking morally like children, and seek to know more about things which really matter and are good, instead of seeking things which are only temporary.
In the Gospel according to Spiritism book, in the chapter 15 called "Without charity, there is no salvation", Allan Kardec comments on this part of the Bible above from the apostle Paul, writing:
"This is the way in which Saint Paul understood this great truth, which said: 'When I have learned the language of the Angels, when I have the gift of prophecy, which I can penetrate all the mysteries; When I have all the faith that is possible, even to the point of transporting mountains, if l do not have charity, then I am nothing. Within the three virtues: faith, hope and charity, the most superior of these is charity." In this manner and without any possible doubt, Paul places charity above even faith. This is because charity is within the reach of everybody, from the ignorant to the wise person, from rich to poor people; it is also quite independent of any particular beliefs.
He does even more: he defines true charity by showing it as being not only beneficence, but also a collective of all the qualities of the heart, in terms of goodness and benevolence towards all of our fellow beings."
This is what we need in the world, isn't it? Charity! Let's have it started with us first rather than to wait for others to start practicing charity in every action of everyday...
There is a book called Paul and Stephen which is my favorite book of all and it talks about the life of Saul while non Christian, and Paul, the apostle. It is a beautiful book and I might talk about it here one day...
Peace!
Mrs. P
"Ainda que eu falasse todas as línguas dos homens e a língua dos próprios anjos, se eu não tiver caridade, serei como o bronze que soa e um címbalo que retine; - ainda quando tivesse o dom de profecia, que penetrasse todos os mistérios, e tivesse perfeita ciência de todas as coisas; ainda quando tivesse a fé possível, até o ponto de transportar montanhas, se não tiver caridade, nada sou. - E, quando houver distribuído os meus bens para alimentar os pobres e houvesse entregado meu corpo para ser queimado, se não tivesse caridade, tudo isso de nada me serviria.
A caridade é paciente; é branda e benfazeja; a caridade não é invejosa; não é temerária, nem precipitada; não se enche de orgulho; - não é desdenhosa; não cuida de seus interesses; não se agasta, nem se azeda com coisa alguma; não suspeita mal; não se rejubila com a injustiça, mas se rejubila com a verdade; tudo suporta, tudo crê, tudo espera, tudo sofre. Agora, estas três virtudes: a fé, a esperança e a caridade permanecem; mas, dentre elas, a mais excelente é a caridade (S. PAULO, 1a Epístola aos Coríntios, cap. XIII, vv. 1 a 7 e 13.)
