In the story of the life of St. Paul, Apostle and Martyr, we see the marvellous effects of God's grace. It was by grace, through the strength of Christ, that he laboured so long, so faithfully, so successfully. It was by grace he had courage to endure hardness, and by grace that his heart thrilled with such fervent love to Christ—a love which sustained him through all the trials of his long life.
We read that St. Paul was exposed to one great trouble, a "thorn in the flesh," as Scripture terms it, and we are told that it was permitted for his humiliation. Three times he besought of God to take it from him, but the answer was, "My grace is sufficient for thee."
The Apostle had been highly educated; he was nobly born; he had received great intellectual gifts; he had gained knowledge and experience by travel into distant countries; he had even been caught up into paradise, and heard words which he could not utter, and seen wonders which it had been impossible to describe, yet God kept him humbled by some sharp and continued trial or temptation.
There are some who have imagined they could find in the life of St. Paul reasons for denying the teaching of our Holy Church, which affirms the supremacy of St. Peter.
St. Paul taught in words the unity of faith and discipline, the necessity of order, the obedience due to lawful authority, but he taught it also in his own life.
Glorious is his career; so marvellous in his conversion; so sublime in doctrine, so eloquent in teaching, so grandly successful in his missionary work, yet he comes to St. Peter as supreme head of the Church. To him he refers all matters of discipline, and to him he gives an account of his labours, because to him Christ said, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church."
Nor are there wanting those who seek to prove from the writings of St. Paul, that to "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ" is salvation without the good works which the Church of Christ requires of her children.