We’ve finished our first full month of the Year of St. Paul — but the celebration has barely begun. Pope Benedict wants us to draw still closer to St. Paul. The benefits of this exercise should be obvious. Humble as he was, Paul himself directed his congregation in this way: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 1:11).

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It is also the deepest sort of honor we can give a fellow Christian. Thus I was somewhat surprised last month when I opened a new book by an evangelical scholar, and found on the first page: “to venerate Paul is to denigrate the Savior whom he so passionately serves.”

Well, not quite. Paul did point beyond himself, but he also recognized that his vocation conferred a certain dignity — a dignity that Christians were duty-bound to observe. It is the singular dignity of a father in a family: “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (1 Cor 4:15). The fourth commandment obliges us to “honor” our fathers and mothers, and that means give them our love, respect, obedience and, of course, imitation. An attentive reading of the letters of St. Paul shows us that he expected no less from us than this basic Christian duty!

So how should we honor him this year?

1. Read him. Start with the Acts of the Apostles, where he first appears (as Saul) at the end of chapter 8. After Acts, we should move on to his letters. But don’t expect them to be easy reads, like the newspaper or even like a devotional book. St. Paul is a profound theologian and he presumes a readership that’s steeped in his own intellectual and spiritual tradition. Read slowly and prayerfully, using a good Catholic study Bible. (I recommend the individual volumes of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible or the Navarre Bible.)

2. Pray as he did. St. Paul told people to “pray constantly” (1 Thes 5:17) … give thanks in all things (Col 3:15-17), both joys and sorrows … and intercede for others, as Paul did himself. I especially like his expression in Colossians 1:9: “we have not ceased to pray for you.” Still today, he has not ceased to pray for us, and we should ask his intercession, even as he begged the intercession of other Christians (see Col 4:3).

3. Be apostolic as he was. An apostle is literally “one who is sent.” St. Paul was sent to an empire. We are sent to our family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Our witness to them will probably follow the Pauline pattern: some successes, many disappointments, and more than a few persecutions — all occasions for thanks.

4. Suffer as he did. Suffering is inevitable, but we make of it what we will. St. Paul united his pains and struggles with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (Col 1:24). Like Jesus, he offered his life as a sacrifice (Phi 2:17). And he asks us to do the same: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Rom 12:1). There is but one sacrifice (see Heb 10:12), Christ’s great offering of Himself, and Paul invites us to join it.

5. Give alms. Paul was ever concerned for the poor and for his mission, which was supported by the generosity of Christians like you. Today, the St. Paul Center is no less dependent on such kindness. We are grateful for all you have done for us thus far, and we “always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” (Col 1:3).