Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Paul to the Thessalonians, on ‘Children of the Light’)

“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”—1 Thessalonians 5: 5-11 (New International Version)

The 1612 image accompanying this post, Apostle St. Paul, was painted by the Spanish Renaissance painter, sculptor, and architect El Greco (1541-1614), and hangs in Museo del Greco, Toledo, Spain.

Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Paul to the Romans, on ‘No Distinction Between Jew and Greek’)

“Brothers and sisters:
What does Scripture say?
            The word is near you,
                        in your mouth and in your heart
—that is, the word of faith that we preach—,
for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
For the Scripture says,
            No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”—Letter of St. Paul (c. 4-67 AD), to the Romans 10: 8-13
 
Likewise, there is no distinction between anyone else, along any lines, who “calls on the name of God.”
 
The image of St. Paul accompanying this post was created by the Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco (1541-1614).

Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Paul to the Thessalonians, on Hope Despite Grief)

“We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

“Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.

“For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

“Thus we shall always be with the Lord.

“Therefore, console one another with these words.”—1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18

The 1612 image accompanying this post, Apostle St. Paul, was painted by the Spanish Renaissance painter, sculptor, and architect El Greco (1541-1614), and hangs in Museo del Greco, Toledo, Spain.

Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Paul to Timothy, on Salvation)

“God our Savior…wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”—1 Timothy 2: 3-4 (New International Version)

The 1612 image accompanying this post, Apostle St. Paul, was painted by the Spanish Renaissance painter, sculptor, and architect El Greco (1541-1614), and hangs in Museo del Greco, Toledo, Spain.

Spiritual Quote of the Day (Rita Dove, on St. Paul in the Context of His Time)

“I see now that Paul's proclamations were demanded of him. At that time Christianity was still a heresy within a larger tradition; Saul’s persecution of Christians, his conversion, and his consequent wrangles with the priests in the Temple—these events were all in the family, so to speak. At the time when the Pauline Epistles were written, the biggest question for the new religion was whether or not to accept Gentiles; once that quandary was settled, more mundane issues (Can they remain uncircumcised? Must they obey the Judaic rules of diet?) were the order of the day. The disciples attempted to thread a path through the existing Old Testament laws; they sought an extension, and fulfillment, of Judaism. Paul’s public needed concrete rules, so he gave them restrictions to hold onto; Wife, obey your husband; husband, love your wife—just as you obey Christ and He loves you. Children, obey your parents. Servants (this is the tricky part), obey your masters—followed by a telling conditional: ‘according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as unto Christ’ (Ephesians 6:5-6). And because pictures are worth a thousand words, he gave them metaphors: the Church as a bride, Christ as bridegroom, and martial imagery sure to delight a city devoted to the huntress Diana. Gird the loins with truth, slip the feet into the Gospel of peace, take up the breastplate of righteousness and the shield of faith! Blatant theatrics, but it worked.”—Former American poet laureate and essayist Rita Dove, “The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians,” in Searching for Your Soul: Writers of Many Faiths Share Their Personal Stories of Spiritual Discovery (1999)

The image of St. Paul accompanying this post was created by the Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco (1541-1614).

Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Paul to the Galatians, on ‘The Fruit of the Spirit’)

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”—Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians 5 :22-23 (New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition)

The 1612 image accompanying this post, Apostle St. Paul, was painted by the Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance El Greco (1541-1614). It hangs in Museo del Greco, Toledo, Spain.

Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Paul’s Epistle to Timothy, on What to Seek)

“Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.”—1 Timothy 6:11. (New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition)

(The 1612 image accompanying this post, Apostle St. Paul, was painted by El Greco, and hangs in Museo del Greco, Toledo, Spain.)

Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Paul to the Philippians, on Being ‘United in Heart’)

“Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.”—Philippians 2:1-4
 
The image of St. Paul accompanying this post was painted by the Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco (1541-1614).

Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Paul to the Corinthians, on the ‘New Creation’ For All in Christ)

“If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition)

The image of St. Paul accompanying this post was painted by the Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco (1541-1614).

Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Paul to the Corinthians, on the ‘Hidden Wisdom of God’)

“Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”—1 Corinthians 2: 6-8 (Revised Standard Version)

Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Paul to the Romans, on Why ‘Hope Does Not Disappoint’)

“We boast in hope of the glory of God…. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”—St. Paul (c. 4-67 AD), Romans 5: 2, 5

The image of St. Paul accompanying this post was created by the Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco (1541-1614)  

Quote of the Day (St. Paul, on Putting Into Practice Anything ‘Excellent or Praiseworthy’)

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”—St. Paul, Philippians 4:8-9 (New International Version)

(The image of St. Paul accompanying this post was painted by El Greco.)

Quote of the Day (St. Paul to the Romans, on Endurance and Encouragement From God)

“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” —Romans 15-1-6 (New International Version)

The image of St. Paul accompanying this post was created by the Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco (1541-1614).