“Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

At Mass, we frequently hear an excerpt from one of the letters of St. Paul proclaimed. In the days before cell phones, texting, and even organized mail delivery, Paul spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in the methods available to him. During your religion classes, invite your students to learn more about this Apostle who kept up a lively correspondence in the early Christian community. 

St. Paul is often considered to be the most important person after Jesus in the history of Christianity. However before he was known as a champion for Christ, he was actually known for persecuting Christians and was even present when the first martyr, St. Stephen, was stoned to death. His life changed dramatically when Jesus appeared to him and called him to tell all people about the Risen Lord. You can learn more about St. Paul in the Saints Resource.

Paul traveled widely to cities throughout the Roman Empire of his day, establishing more than a dozen churches to carry on the work of evangelization. Since he could not stay very long with these new Christian communities, Paul wrote them letters that someone else would hand-deliver the next time they visited that town. The letters were often read aloud in the assemblies and 13 of his letters were eventually included in the Bible. In his letters, Paul declares his own faith in Jesus, gives advice about how to live the Christian life and reminds people of God’s loving care for them. 

Putting Our Faith into Writing. Although St. Paul’s letters have come down to us over the centuries, our communications with our friends and families usually are in the form of short and disposable electronic messages. Writing letters is becoming a lost art, and young people do not often write about their faith in a letter for someone else to read. Have students write a letter describing why their faith and Jesus are important to them. 

Learning More about St. Paul’s Letters. Use the Letter to Titus in a classroom lesson. It has just 46 verses long but is a good example of St. Paul’s writing style. Here is an abbreviated section to read to younger students: Chapter 1, verses 1-4; Chapter 2, verses 11-15; Chapter 3, verses 4-8. Students in middle grades could read the whole letter. They will discover that Christian disciples experienced many of the same challenges that they encounter in their daily lives.

Writing Letters to Our Friends. Have students write and send a short letter of encouragement to someone.  Examples are soldiers, the sick, and those preparing for Baptism or Confirmation.
Consider subscribing to Praying the Scriptures, the online resource that supports teachers in learning and reflecting on the Sunday Scriptures in the classroom and at home.
 

About the Author
Dr. Lauri Przybysz specializes in equipping families to live their vocation to be domestic churches and signs of God’s love. Lauri received the Doctor of Ministry from the Catholic University of America, and she has been both a Catholic middle school religion teacher and a faith formation coordinator at the archdiocesan and parish levels. She is the mother of six children and grandmother of 21.