Acts 22:3-16; Ps 116; Mk 16:15-18
Ordinarily, the Church celebrates the feast of a saint on his/her death anniversary. A holy person’s moment of death is the point wherein he/she starts living and enjoying life everlasting with God. In very few occasions, we also commemorate the birthday of a holy person such as that of Mary (September 8) and John the Baptizer (June 24). The feast, however, that we are celebrating today is unique because it is not a birthday or a death anniversary of someone, but a day of his conversion. Why does the Church celebrate in a special manner the day of Paul’s conversion?
First of all, I would like to believe that the Church commemorates the day of Paul’s conversion in order to remind people of the power of grace over sin. The grace of God is greater than human sinfulness. It is difficult to imagine a sinner more evil than Saul of Tarsus (the man who later became Saint Paul). He was a religious fanatic and a murderer of Christians. He intended to wipe out all followers of Christ on this planet. But God chose to save Paul from the power of darkness and made His move while the murderer was on his way to kill more Christians. After his dramatic encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, Paul started to become the fearless apostle of Christ to the gentiles.
The story of Paul’s conversion should encourage us not to lose hope on someone. How many times have we said that a person is incorrigible or unredeemable? We should not say that to anyone, not even to ourselves. Not as long as a person lives is he/she hopeless. We should allow God to work His way to a person’s heart. We could give advices or provide guidance to a person through our words and actions, but ultimately, it is God who is going to change the sinner from within. It is never too late for anyone to be saved because God’s mercy is boundless and there is no time limit in His offer of salvation.
Moreover, I would like to think that the Church remembers the day of Paul’s conversion in order to remind us of the great celebration in heaven for every converted soul on earth (Lk 15:7). The Good Shepherd is willing to leave the 99 of His flock in order to find one lost sheep. And when He finds it, He celebrates with His friends because every found sheep or every converted soul is worth the celebration.
The story of Paul’s conversion should inspire us to work hand in hand for every person’s salvation. We should not attempt to convert the world; rather, we aim to convert one soul at a time, starting with our own. The great spiritual guru, Anthony de Mello, writes about a Sufi Bayazid who once said this about himself:
“I was a revolutionary when I was young, and all my prayer to God was, ‘Lord, give me the energy to change the world.’
“As I approached middle age and realized that half my life was gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to ‘Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come into contact with me. Just my family and friends, and I shall be satisfied.’
“Now that I am an old man and my days are numbered, my one prayer now is, ‘Lord, give me the grace to change myself.’ If I had prayed for this right from the start, I should not have wasted my life.”
(The anecdote is from A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers by William J. Bausch)
Ordinarily, the Church celebrates the feast of a saint on his/her death anniversary. A holy person’s moment of death is the point wherein he/she starts living and enjoying life everlasting with God. In very few occasions, we also commemorate the birthday of a holy person such as that of Mary (September 8) and John the Baptizer (June 24). The feast, however, that we are celebrating today is unique because it is not a birthday or a death anniversary of someone, but a day of his conversion. Why does the Church celebrate in a special manner the day of Paul’s conversion?
First of all, I would like to believe that the Church commemorates the day of Paul’s conversion in order to remind people of the power of grace over sin. The grace of God is greater than human sinfulness. It is difficult to imagine a sinner more evil than Saul of Tarsus (the man who later became Saint Paul). He was a religious fanatic and a murderer of Christians. He intended to wipe out all followers of Christ on this planet. But God chose to save Paul from the power of darkness and made His move while the murderer was on his way to kill more Christians. After his dramatic encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, Paul started to become the fearless apostle of Christ to the gentiles.
The story of Paul’s conversion should encourage us not to lose hope on someone. How many times have we said that a person is incorrigible or unredeemable? We should not say that to anyone, not even to ourselves. Not as long as a person lives is he/she hopeless. We should allow God to work His way to a person’s heart. We could give advices or provide guidance to a person through our words and actions, but ultimately, it is God who is going to change the sinner from within. It is never too late for anyone to be saved because God’s mercy is boundless and there is no time limit in His offer of salvation.
Moreover, I would like to think that the Church remembers the day of Paul’s conversion in order to remind us of the great celebration in heaven for every converted soul on earth (Lk 15:7). The Good Shepherd is willing to leave the 99 of His flock in order to find one lost sheep. And when He finds it, He celebrates with His friends because every found sheep or every converted soul is worth the celebration.
The story of Paul’s conversion should inspire us to work hand in hand for every person’s salvation. We should not attempt to convert the world; rather, we aim to convert one soul at a time, starting with our own. The great spiritual guru, Anthony de Mello, writes about a Sufi Bayazid who once said this about himself:
“I was a revolutionary when I was young, and all my prayer to God was, ‘Lord, give me the energy to change the world.’
“As I approached middle age and realized that half my life was gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to ‘Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come into contact with me. Just my family and friends, and I shall be satisfied.’
“Now that I am an old man and my days are numbered, my one prayer now is, ‘Lord, give me the grace to change myself.’ If I had prayed for this right from the start, I should not have wasted my life.”
(The anecdote is from A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers by William J. Bausch)
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