St. Paul has daily impact on people, says Greek Orthodox patriarch

Published: 2008-12-01

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (CNS) -- St. Paul the Apostle's writings and ministry have a daily impact on people almost 2,000 years later and "an ocean away," and the Pauline year is not long enough to fully appreciate his legacy, Archbishop Demetrios told an audience in Huntington. The patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church in the U.S. said St. Paul's influence is apparent if often unnoticed today and pointed out how often St. Paul is quoted, not just in church circles, but in everyday life. "Fight the good fight," "labor of love," "the wages of sin" and "suffer fools gladly" are among the common expressions from the 13 letters in the New Testament attributed to St. Paul, Archbishop Demetrios said. Yet the apostle's legacy is "more profound," he noted. Archbishop Demetrios, who is a Pauline scholar, made the remarks Nov. 23 in delivering the sixth annual Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua lecture on pastoral theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary in the Rockville Centre Diocese.

Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .