(A biblical refection on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul – 25 January 2013)
First Reading: Acts 22:3-16
Alternate First Reading: Acts 9:1-22; Psalms: Ps 117:1-2; Gospel Reading: Mk 16:15-18
The Scripture Text
“I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as you all are this day. I persecuted the Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brethren, and I journeyed to Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
“As I made my journey and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’ And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.’ Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ And when I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
“And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And in that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know His will, to see the Just One and to hear a voice from His mouth; for you will be witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’ (Acts 22:3-16 RSV)
Saul of Tarsus was an unrelenting persecutor of Christians. Then one day, God surrounded him with a magnificent light that sparked an inner revolution. Saul heard God speak, and instantly he was a changed man. The devout Ananias explained to Saul what had happened and what he must do: “The God of our fathers appointed you to know His will, to see the Just One and to hear a voice from His mouth; for you will be witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:14-16).
And so Saul – also called Paul – became a great vessel of grace and one of the Church’s most illustrious saints. But he never forgot what he had been and how God had saved him. Years after his conversion, he wrote: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners” (1Tim 1:15). Neither did he ever take credit for his personal transformation. Paul knew he owed everything to the absolute mercy and forgiveness of God. “I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted Him; but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1Tim 1:13-14).
The grace and mercy that transformed the “Terror of Tarsus” into the heroic Saint Paul are still at work today. That’s because all conversion – whether quick and dramatic or gradual – is God’s work, and God never changes. We have to respond, of course, by repenting and putting our faith in Jesus. But it is God who convicts us of sin and makes us a new creation.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux [1090-1153] once said, “Our true life can be found only through conversion.” And once we have experienced conversion ourselves, don’t we earnestly desire that same great grace for others? Today, think about someone you know who seems far from God – someone in your family, your office, or your neighborhood. Why not decide to pray for them for just five minutes every day? Keep Saul in mind, and pray with the confidence of someone who knows God’s mercy.
Short Prayer: Heavenly Father, merciful Lord, today I come to You. Remove the hardness of my heart. Shine Your marvelous light, and let it be a guide for me to repentance and a share in Your glorious life. Amen