...since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.
But when he, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart
and called me through his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me...
Saint Paul insisted to his Galatian congregation that his teaching was more than a doctrine he'd learned from others, and more than his opinion about God and grace. It came by direct revelation from the Lord. In that respect he echoed Jesus' remark to Saint Peter, "...flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father."
He was not reluctant to promote the Christian way as he had learned it from others, nor did he hesitate to offer his own opinions on many subjects. But he still insisted upon the truth he'd been shown directly, the truth his faithful heart recognized as God's gift and not his own fabrication.
Of that he could speak with the authority of an apostle; and he would even argue with Peter and James, the recognized leaders of the Church, about this revelation. In this same letter to the Galatians he will recount their lively discussion and how the others came around. There are Jewish scholars even today who believe that it was Saint Paul, and not God, who created the permanent divide between Christianity and Judaism.
There are people who do not hesitate to throw their weight around, speaking with great authority, but without authorization from God or anyone else. And there are people who never want to speak with authority, their own or anyone else's. We hear of that reluctance as the Lord concluded his Sermon on the Mount,
When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Matthew 7:29
Christians learn to trust the Spirit who guides, instructs, and speaks to them; they learn to trust their own training in the faith, and their own experience of life. Everyone is different, and every person brings a particular gift to the community. They can speak with confidence of what they know while recognizing the limits of their knowledge. And they can admit they were wrong when they're proven wrong, (like Arthur Carlson, the sadder but wiser TV journalist in the sitcom WKRP.)
We may love our opinions but we love the Lord more, and everyone around us. With them we worship the Lord, choose our battles wisely, and learn to laugh at ourselves.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.