This book – the second of Fr James McCaffrey’s three posthumous works to appear – may at first seem to have a surprising subtitle. But the wording has been carefully chosen, as explained in the early lines of the Prologue:
The title of this book – St Paul: A Gospel of Prayer – may appear somewhat audacious. Paul did not write a gospel, and at first sight he does not seem to have a great deal to tell us about prayer. […] Yet, if we search deeply and carefully in his letters, we will discover these two essential truths: that Paul himself was truly a man of prayer, indeed a mystic; and that his writings give us a profound and practical teaching for all on the art of communing with God. (pp. 7-8)
This is the perspective that informs the whole work.
The book falls into two parts, of four chapters each. Part I – “Paul the Disciple” – explores Paul’s preparation for his Christian ministry. While his conversion might be the first thing that comes to mind, the opening chapter, “Paul, an Unlikely Choice”, goes further back as it considers how God chooses those to whom he entrusts a special mission. Taking a number of precedents in Scripture – Moses, David, Gideon and the twelve apostles – Fr James McCaffrey shows that God often calls people whom one would least expect; Saul, persecutor of Christians, was therefore no exception.
Chapter 2, “Transformation of a Life”, helps us to understand more about the kind of person Paul (or Saul) was before his conversion, as well as something of the world in which he grew up: the rich social and linguistic culture of his home town of Tarsus; his education under Gamaliel; his belonging to the Pharisees. Also, drawing insightfully on the letters, the author depicts the character of Paul – his emotions and ardour. With this context and background laid out, the chapter continues by describing the conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus.
Just as Chapters 1 and (most of) 2 form the background to Paul’s conversion, so Chapters 3 and 4 also belong together: as the context preceding his ministry. The third chapter is entitled “In Darkness and Solitude”. The “darkness” corresponds to the three days of the immediate aftermath of the conversion experience; here, we are given an interior portrait of what it must have been like for Paul as he waited in blindness and relative seclusion, going over in his mind the encounter with Christ which had irrevocably turned his world upside down. The section on “solitude”, which is just as compelling in its own way, corresponds to Paul’s stay in Arabia (cf. Galatians 1:17). This section is of particular note, as it runs counter to the perspective of some modern studies which would have Paul begin his preaching ministry immediately after his conversion. As a Carmelite, Fr James McCaffrey knew instinctively that a person needs to be formed – “tested” – in a desert solitude before being ready to take up a mission; and as a Scripture scholar, he not only recognised the precedents in Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist and, indeed, Jesus in the wilderness, but he also examines, in minute detail, the relevant passages in Galatians and Acts, so as to recreate Paul’s itinerary between his conversion and ministry.
This examination leads onto the inspiring Chapter 4, “The Heart of the Desert”, which evokes, with great spiritual insight, aspects of what must have been Paul’s experience at this time. This ranges from “an inner wilderness” (p. 84) – via “trials” (p. 86), “combat” (p. 92), “solitary prayer” (p. 93) and “repentance” (p. 98) – to “a reversal of values” (p. 99), “freedom” (p. 104) and being “led by the Spirit” (p. 106).
At this halfway point in the book, we are ready to move on to Part II – “Paul the Apostle”. Chapter 5 introduces us to Paul as “A Man of Prayer” and shows how, at the turning points of Paul’s ministry, he prepared for them with prayer and was led by the Spirit, walking “in the footsteps of a crucified and risen Saviour” (p. 13).
The remaining three chapters offer us an in-depth discussion of three major passages on prayer in Paul’s letters: the inspiring prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 (Chapter 6: “Paul Speaks to his Community”); Paul’s account of his own prayer in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (Chapter 7: “Prayer in Adversity”); and his invaluable teaching on prayer in Romans 8:26-27 (Chapter 8: “Praying in the Spirit”).
There follow five brief but valuable sections. First, an Epilogue, entitled “A New Creation”, which was Paul’s ultimate longing (cf. Romans 8:20-22). There then follow two appendices: the Scripture texts on the conversion of St Paul; and “Questions for Reflection and Discussion”, with three questions for each of the eight chapters – this section could be a source of stimulating discussion when used in groups. A Select Bibliography follows. And finally, there is a “Postscript”: a poignant section containing some of the author’s final words, including insights on Ephesians 3, on which he continued to meditate, right up to a few hours before his death. This could truly be said to sum up the message of the book: that the writings of St Paul are not just to be studied, but are especially to be absorbed, pondered and lived, animating the spirit from within.
