Judith Bouilloc & Sara Ugolotti A Journey with the Apostle Paul Based on the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters of Saint Paul
Under the direction of Romain Lizé, President, Magnificat Editor, Magnificat: Isabelle Galmiche Editors, Ignatius: Vivian Dudro Translator: Magnificat–Ignatius Proofreader: Kathleen Hollenbeck Layout Designers: Thérèse Jauze, Magali Meunier Production: Thierry Dubus, Audrey Bord To all the parishioners of Saint-Paul-de-Nice Church, who saw me growing up, Saint Paul would say: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14
Judith Bouilloc & Sara Ugolotti Based on the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters of Saint Paul A Journey with the Apostle Paul
And the Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” —Luke 17:6
The Prisoner PAGE 9 Life in Christ PAGE 17 An Ode to Love PAGE 33 The Apostle to the Nations PAGE 25 The Tree of Life PAGE 41 The Storm PAGE 49 A Child of Light PAGE 65 The Baptism PAGE 57 Contents
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. Galatians 5:13 - 1 -
1 Mediterranean Sea (the Latin name means literally “Our Sea”). My name is Clement. I come from a beautiful island, a land where bees dance among the flowers when the morning sun flows over the rocks in golden liquid rays. When this story began, I lived on the far eastern side of the Mare Nostrum,1 and I served Centurion Julius, a commander in the Roman Army. I wrote in Latin the letters my master dictated to me, brushed his cloak, and polished his helmet. Julius treated me well, but this wasn’t the life I had chosen. I had been taken from my beloved island by pirates and sold into slavery. One morning, the centurion told me that his time in Judea was coming to an end. He was given the mission of leading a Jewish prisoner before the emperor. 11
My master was happy to leave this remote province and return to Rome, where a high position awaited him. Perhaps in Rome he would have dozens of slaves to serve him and would no longer need me, I told him. Julius replied that I would love the splendor of Rome at his side, but I didn’t care about the Pantheon, the Temple of Apollo, and the Baths of Agrippa; I only dreamed of my village clinging to the hillside. Sadly, I packed our bags and followed Julius to the port of Caesarea. I hated sailing—I would get seasick, and I couldn’t swim. Also, on the deck of a merchant ship, everything is cramped together, and it is hard to stay clear of ropes and cargo. Catching sight of the harbor, my sadness turned into anger. Aboard the ship, I met Paul, the prisoner my master was taking to Rome. He did not look like a criminal at all. As we were heading toward Sidon, Paul told passengers about a God I didn’t know. I couldn’t hear much of what he was saying, since the rocking of the ship made my stomach churn. Seeing my misery, Paul’s friend Luke, a Greek doctor, gave me a remedy he had made, and I felt much better. The next day, as we stopped in Sidon, Julius allowed Paul to visit some friends without an escort. 12
Paul had given his word that he would return. What a strange prisoner! If I had been in his place, I would have run away. I asked my master about this, and he said that he respected Paul and trusted him. He questioned the charges against him. Paul, a Jew, claimed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God and the promised Savior-King awaited by his people. This angered the Jewish leaders in Judea. They accused Paul of starting riots and breaking their laws, which landed him in prison. My master also explained that Paul was a Roman citizen, just like him, and that he had insisted on his right to be tried in Rome. I then understood that being a citizen was vastly better than being a slave. When Paul came back, the boat set sail again. As we skirted the island of Cyprus to shelter ourselves from the headwinds, I listened with one ear to what Paul was telling some sailors and other prisoners: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 2 I laughed at these words. Slaves are the equals of freemen? Who was this Jesus Paul kept talking about? 2 Galatians 3:28. 13
As we skirted the island of Cyprus to shelter ourselves from headwinds, I listened with one ear to what Paul was telling some sailors and other prisoners: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free… for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” I laughed at these words. Slaves are the equals of freemen? Who was this Jesus Paul kept talking about? A Journey with the Apostle Paul Clement was the slave of a Roman centurion. On a ship bound for Rome, he met the prisoner Paul, the Apostle, who taught him about Jesus and the true meaning of freedom. Relying on the words of Saint Paul in the Bible, this story by Judith Bouilloc brings his last journey to life. AGES 7 AND UP
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