Fr. Thomas Cook is a priest who knows his way around the Diocese of Winona. A native of Austin, he has served as a pastor in such varied communities as Easton, Truman, Madelia, and St. James. He was also a very popular instructor at Lourdes High School in Rochester. Fr. Cook is well known for his apologetic and catechetical talks, and Call to Be Catholic invited Fr. Cook to speak on the topic, "In Search of St. Paul." This year has been designated by Pope Benedict XVI as the year of St. Paul, marking the approximate 2000th anniversary of his birth as an occaision for deeper study into this key New Testament figure.
Fr. Cook placed great emphasis on the importance of understanding who Saul of Tarsus really was and how unique his formation truly was. The city of Tarsus, located in modern day Turkey was a trade center of some importance in the Ancient World. Land trade routes from the East met the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world at Tarsis. Saul of Tarsus thus grew up in a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
The formation of the man who was to become St. Paul was also cosmopolitan. Fr. Cook informed us that Paul was clearly educated in the Greek classics. Throughout the Pauline letters there are phrases and allusions to Greek literature. In addition to this, we know that Paul was a merchant, a tentmaker by trade who was a Roman citizen, a status which accorded him numerous privileges. This man who is so deeply immersed in classical knowledge is also a Jew, and quite proud of this aspect of his identity. Paul is proud of his membership in the party of the Parisees. St. Paul studied the depths of Judaism under the professorship of Gamaliel, one of the greatest Torah scholars of that time.
Saul of Tarsus, with this background, despised the new sect of Christians. His zeal for the law led him to be the most passionate persecutor of the new Faith. He was complicit in the martyrdom of St. Stephen, and was on the way to Damascus with the authority to search the synagogues and root out the Christians in its membership. It was then that Saul of Tarsus became St. Paul.
Fr. Cook was quick to point out that all of the paintings, statues, and images we have of this moment take great liberty with the Biblical text. It is nowhere said that Saul was knocked from his horse. After seeing the light, hearing the voice of the Savior identifying himself with his followers, Saul is led into Damascus, in the same manner he had thought to lead Christians out.
At numerous points throughout his talk, Fr. Cook made certain to bring the character of Paul alive for us today, and give day to day examples of how we face the same emotions, moral struggles, and moments of grace. Fr. Cook made particular mention of understanding God's will and God's plans, and how our resistance against the plans of God often is futile in the unfolding of events.
The audience connected well with Father. Questions and dialogue ranged from points about the live and writings of St. Paul to other questions regarding more general information about Catholic teaching in general.
This was a well attended event. It was wonderful to see people from all over the diocese.
If you have a question, I will be forwarding this to Fr. Cook. If you have a comment about the event or anything else to say, please comment below.
