The Abbey Church

Abbot Michael Brunner offered the following homilette on Tuesday, January 25, at the morning conventual Mass celebrating the Conversion of Saint Paul. We offer this brief sermon here, and invite you to discover some of the other homilies from the community on our website.

Abbot Michael Brunner (January 25, 2022)

The church has been celebrating the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” this week. There is that expression: “In all essentials unity, and in other matters charity.” Saint Paul is an interesting person. But he was also a difficult person. His conversion marked a change in the development of the church. He had different ideas for many of the other apostles and Christians. He had some severe disagreements with Saint Peter. And, for that matter, he had some severe disagreements with other Christians in places that he went to. The church was not quite sure back then what the essential work of the faith was. Faith was in development, in terms of its understanding and expression. I think the contrasting figures of St. Peter and St. Paul are models for us today. The church held together. Saint Paul did not go off and found his own church. Saint Peter did not expel him. They worked together, had the same faith and the same one Lord Jesus Christ. Our church and our nation, for that matter, are riven by divisions where people cannot work together. May we look to Saint Paul as a model for, us as we encounter those who disagree with us. And may we work with them charitably.