Benny Nalkara, CMI

St Paul is considered as a pastor par excellence of the early Church. As a Pastor, Paul’s commitment to the communities, even those which he did not personally establish was unparalleled. The letters are proof of his pastoral commitment. His theological insights were pastorally motivated and guided. He was concerned about the well-being and growth of the communities. The Churches founded by him were full of infighting and backbiting. They put up with false teaching. They were prone to legalism on one end and complete chaos on the other. Some of the church members were making insignificant matters too important, while others were too willing to compromise on Christian essentials. He guided them with his authenticity, corrected their wrongdoings, clarified their doubts and inspired them to grow into the maturity of Christ. Paul loved these churches and their struggles burdened him more than shipwreck or imprisonment.
Paul as a pastor he took care of these communities through his apostolic altruism and availability. He was ready to “become all things to all” (1Cor 9:19-23), he showed the courage to take up risks, appreciated the members of his Churches, especially in the Gentile Churches (1 Thes 1:2-10). As a pastor he was bound to suffer for the cause he taken up. We have a detailed description of Paul’s sufferings as an apostle and pastor in 2 Corinthians. Paul narrates his imprisonments, lashes, rods, stoned, shipwrecked, adrift at sea, sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, cold and exposure, danger from everyone everywhere (v. 23-27) and testifies that how loyal he was to the cause of Christ. As the pastor Paul was also committed to the socio-cultural and economic welfare of the people. Paul was not only interested in preaching the gospel about the liberation of humans from sin, law and death but he also tried to effect social equality of the Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female (Gal 3:28; 1 Cor 7:2-7). His commitment to help the poor Christians in Judea (Gal 2:10) is related to the request made by the leaders in Jerusalem. He said that he was eager to help the poor. Paul, the pastor had a genuine concern for the poor (1 Cor 16:1-4; 2 Cor 8-9; Rom 15:25-27). He respected the cultural uniqueness of his communities. He did not want to impose Jewish customs among the Gentile Christians.
Paul had to toil day and night to fulfil his pastoral duties. His work never seemed to let up. He had letters to write, visits to make, a collection to gather for the saints in Jerusalem. He had to send people here and there and manage the affairs of his churches from a distance. Paul’s pastoral commitment gave him a lot of pressures from outside. He had to respond to a myriad of criticisms, often conflicting criticisms. Some people thought he was too harsh. Others said he was too weak. Some people in his churches were ascetics and thought Paul was worldly. Others were licentious and thought Paul was too ethically demanding and they didn’t like his discipline. They complained about his teaching and questioned its authenticity. They challenged his credentials as an apostle. They compared him negatively to the original apostles. They thought him lame compared to the false apostles. They didn’t like his preaching style. They didn’t like the way he arranged his travel plans. All this for the man who led them to Christ, loved them like a Father, planted many of their churches and worked for them without expecting any reward.
As a pastor par excellence, Paul felt “daily pressure for the anxieties for the churches” (2 Cor 11:28). That expression presents the heart of Paul, the pastor. He highlighted this “daily pressure” over the physical sufferings and tribulations. More than his tiresome work that he had to carry out and the ruthless criticisms he had to face, what mattered him the most was the anxiety for the churches. Floggings and hunger and shipwreck and imprisonment are far more tolerable, in his mind, than the weight of concern he feels for the spiritual welfare of his converts. He was anxious about the inner struggles experienced by the communities and individuals in the imitation of Christ. He was concerned about their loyalty and perseverance in becoming disciples. It is that anxiety that made him become involved in the particularities of his converts’ lives and the affairs of the churches which in turn made him more sympathetic, gentle, and understanding.
A pastor, who is intimately connected to his folk and keeps a heart to heart relationship with them will experience the daily pressure for the anxieties for them. Paul, the pastor “with the smell of the sheep” continues to inspire us in this regard with flaming zeal, profound compassion, evangelistic fervour, and a father’s heart. More than able administrators and efficient managers, the pastors today are called to be the ministers and animators of souls and to be “under daily pressure for the anxieties” for the flock of God. More than imposing pressure upon them, we need to sympathize with them and “carry their burdens.” As pastors in different capacities, we need to open our eyes to see the world with “joy and hope” in spite of the many problems we encounter in this world.