Dear
brothers and sisters, as in early times, today too Christ
needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves. He needs
witnesses and martyrs like St Paul. Paul, a former violent
persecutor of Christians, when he fell to the ground dazzled
by the divine light on the road to Damascus, did not
hesitate to change sides to the Crucified One and followed
him without second thoughts. He lived and worked for Christ,
for him he suffered and died. How timely his example is
today! "And for this very reason I am pleased to announce
officially that we shall be dedicating a special Jubilee
Year to the Apostle Paul from 28 June 2008 to 29 June 2009,
on the occasion of the bi-millennium of his birth, which
historians have placed between the years 7 and 10 A.D."
~ Pope
Benedict XVI, June 28, 2007
First Vespers of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul