To fully understand Paul’s self-defense, which the Lectionary gives us as our First Reading today, we need to understand the background of Paul’s letter to the Galatians: The Church in Galatia was mostly gentile converts to Christianity who were being manipulated by a group of Jewish converts to Christianity who insisted that meticulous practice of Jewish law was necessary to be a “real Christian.” 

These Jewish Christians also undermined Paul’s teaching authority by claiming he was an illegitimate teacher of the faith since he did not learn the faith from Jesus himself. Paul defends himself in the first chapter of this letter, retelling his own vocation story while evoking imagery from the vocation stories of both Isaiah and Jeremiah. Our reading today ends with Paul reminding the Galatians that the Church glorified God because of his conversion and his new ministry as a teacher of the gospel.

We who are baptized have also been chosen by God to be messengers of the gospel and preachers of His Word. Many of us have pasts or parts of our lives we think might discredit us from fulfilling this task. Paul (then known as Saul) started out as Christianity’s greatest enemy, but after encountering Christ and opening his heart, he became the greatest evangelist and theologian that Christianity has ever seen. God’s power in our lives transcends any insufficiency or weakness that we think keeps us from being a true disciple. May the example of our lives truly cause others to glorify God.

What parts of my life do I try to hide, or do I think discredit me from true discipleship? 

Father Most Faithful, may we entrust our entire lives to you and become a reason for others to give you praise and glory. Amen.