Every disciple of Christ has a conversion of faith in one form or another. The conversion stories of many of Christ’s apostles are recorded in the Gospel. However, we can say that in salvation history, few conversions have had greater consequence than the conversion of St Paul to the way of Jesus. St Paul had been very hostile toward the Christianity before this conversion. He testifies honestly through his letters in the New Testament about his hostility toward Christianity prior to this. It appears that St Paul was never ambivalent about anything in his life, having lived very boldly and passionately. At the very least, Paul had stood by while Stephen was stoned to death, and perhaps he threw some of the stones himself. But through a dramatic event, St Paul was converted and transformed. God changed him in a profound way. Through St Paul’s transformation, Christianity was transformed too. Today’s feast at Mass celebrates St Paul’s transformation and conversion.
What if Paul’s conversion never took place? What if St. Paul had remained a zealous Jew and had never converted to the way of Jesus? What if Paul had never been called to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles? The world itself, not just the Church, would be a very different place if St Paul’s conversion had never taken place.
As we celebrate St Paul’s conversion today, let us think about all the ways we still need conversion in our own lives. Let us pray with St Paul for the conversion of our brothers and sisters. And our own conversion as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment