Joseph De Piro: A Friend of Paul’s Heart

         De Piro makes a lot of references to the Pauline letters. In fact, out of 468 biblical references in his sermons, 73 of them are from Saint Paul, and this without considering duplicates of the same reference. Should we consider repetitions, the number would then be 102.

         De Piro used to urge the Society members to familiarise themselves with Saint Paul. He even used to tell them to memorise his letters. But it was clear that before telling his members, he himself was very familiar with these writings. In fact when one studies the Servant of God’s sermons one finds out that he refers to 10 out of the Apostle’s 14 letters.

         When using Pauline literature, the Servant of God did not use to stick to the literal sense of the word; first he would understand the text and then use that same text in different contexts. Thus for example, 21 times he quotes from chapter 8 of the letter to the Romans, that chapter in which Paul writes about the love God has shown us in saving us through his Son. De Piro uses these quotations not just when one would most expect to find them, such as in his sermons about the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but even in wider contexts such us Sunday homilies and martyrs’ feast days, to show that the martyr could offer his life precisely because he had experienced God’s love first. Such a thing can only be done by someone who knows very well the sense of the words he’s referring to.

         In certain cases De Piro seems to be so familiar with the Pauline message that he was able to find the precise quotation for the right circumstance. Thus for example Rom,2:11, where Saint Paul speaks about the fact that there is no favouritism with God. The Servant of God uses this verse and presents it to religious superiors that they might live it in their ministry with their community members. This, of course, in a time when Concordances were not common and computer programs were still unheard of! So, De Piro was not only familiar with the Pauline texts; he knew also the proper sense of the text; he knew very well both the texts and the contexts to which he would apply the texts.

              In certain cases De Piro seems to be so familiar with the Pauline message that he was able to find the precise quotation for the right circumstance. Thus for example Rom,2:11, where Saint Paul speaks about the fact that there is no favouritism with God. The Servant of God uses this verse and presents it to religious superiors that they might live it in their ministry with their community members. This, of course, in a time when Concordances were not common and computer programs were still unheard of.!!! So, De Piro was not only familiar with the Pauline texts; he knew also the proper sense of the text; he knew very well both the texts and the contexts to which he would apply the texts.

         When one analyzes the references which De Piro uses from the Pauline letters, one can immediately realise that the Servant of God often refers to those texts where the Apostle emphasises love and union with Jesus Christ. Out of 102 Pauline references he has 46 dealing with such a theme. It is possible that De Piro used a lot of these texts because God love was something that appealed to him in a special way. But it is also possible that the love of God grew in him precisely thanks to Paul’s letters.

         In a time when preachers used to speak a lot about fire and hell which will be God’s punishment for sinners, De Piro, while leaving no doubt that he did believe in such a reality, did not like threatening with this punishment. He loved man with Christ’s heart. Whenever he referred to sin, rather than referring to punishment, he used to emphasise more who man is: “... he in whom God himself dwells ...”, “... he who, through the resurrection, is transformed into God himself”. Far from punishment and damnation!!! It was definitely this “God-Love for man” that enabled De Piro to love man so to such an extent.

         In a considerable number of times (15 out of 102) the Servant of God refers to Gal 2:20 when speaking about the Eucharist: “it is no longer I, but Christ living in me. The life that I am now living, subject to the limitation of human nature, I am living in faith, faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me”. God’s unity with man and man’s with God is so central for De Piro. In fact God’s incarnation is another recurring theme in De Piro. Here he sees first and foremost God’s oneness with man. Even when presenting Jesus in his suffering, again he emphasises the fact that through his sufferings Jesus becomes one with us who are suffering. When preaching about the Eucharist, he cannot refrain from speaking about this reality! When one sees this thinking going through De Piro’s mind one can start to understand why De Piro is who he is!!!

         Joseph De Piro quotes Saint Paul in a similar way in other writings, such as the “San Pawl: Almanakk tal-Istitut tal-Missjoni” and in the Constitutions he wrote for the missionary society he founded in 1910. He even refers to the Apostle’s words in his last testament:
“I recommend to all the members of the Society of St Paul without any distinction, be they superiors or subjects, to engage to the full their holy eagerness in maintaining among themselves mutual love in Chrsit, being convinced that nothing may procure more the glory of God, one’s spiritual good and that of the neighbour than the conservation of the same, according to the words of our faher St Paul, ‘But love builds up’.”