By Paul Thigpen

Stay Close to St. Paul

The Year of St. Paul is rapidly coming to a close. I hope it has been as life-changing for you as it has for me.

TCA began the Year of St. Paul with a cover story providing an overview of the apostle's life and work. Each issue since then has included some special feature to observe the celebration. In addition to that biographical sketch, we published:

• an essay about St. Paul by Pope Benedict XVI, pondering what he has to tell us today.
• favorite Pauline passages in Scripture from an array of prominent Catholics.
•  words about the power of the apostle's message from St. Bernardine of Siena in our "Living History" column.
• six "TCA Reviews" of books and DVDs that serve as excellent resources for learning more about St. Paul.

Editing these issues has rekindled my love for the apostle and my gratitude for his ministry. Better yet, writing a little book called "Praying the Rosary With St. Paul" (published by Our Sunday Visitor last December) compelled me to delve deeply into the apostle's wisdom to find treasures I could share with others for meditating on the mysteries of Our Lord and His mother.

As always, the hours spent with St. Paul were hours well invested. Whenever we take the time to ponder his insights into the life of faith, applying them to our daily lives, we find ourselves enlightened, strengthened and enriched.

No wonder the ancient Church recognized in the apostle's letters the words of God for every generation.

Imagine that someone offered you a box of precious gems, without cost -- yours for the asking. Would you decline the offer?

Probably not! You would most likely accept them, enjoy their beauty and share them with those you love.

So it is with the costly spiritual jewels of St. Paul's wisdom in Scripture. He offers them to us, without cost; they are ours for the asking. Once we accept them, they are worthy of being cherished and shared with others.

That's why in these pages, then, Marcus Grodi wraps up the Year of St. Paul for us with a final collection of scriptural gems from the apostle. His column is packed with priceless Pauline biblical passages to memorize and live by.

With this final issue of the Pauline Year, we leave you with an urgent reminder: Stay close to St. Paul. Make him your companion for a lifetime.

If you do, he'll surely show you the way to Jesus Christ. TCA