Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul (B)

Acts 22:3-16; Ps 117:1-2; Mk 16:15-18

Today, the Church commemorates how Saul of Tarsus, formerly an enemy and persecutor of Christians, was led by the grace of God to become the Early Church’s greatest missionary.

The Book of Acts tells us that Saul was a Roman citizen from birth. He became a student of the famous rabbi Gamaliel and was educated in the most rigid observance of the Mosaic Law (22:3). Saul embraced the sect of the Pharisees and developed a religious fanaticism against the Early Christian community (9:1). He took part of the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen (7:58), and the succeeding persecution of the followers of Christ (22:4)

Saul received an authorization from the high priest to go to Damascus to arrest the Christians in that city. It was on the road to Damascus that Saul encountered the Lord in a most dramatic way. A light from heaven suddenly blazed round him and, as he fell to the ground, he heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?” When he asked “Who are you, Lord?” the voice replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 9:-6) This is an important passage because for the first time in the Bible, Jesus clearly identified himself with his Church. The Lord did not say, “Why do you persecute my disciples?” but “Why do you persecute me; it is he, the Head, who is persecuted in his followers.

The “Damascus experience” was a turning point in the life of Saul. The encounter had affected him so deeply that a radical inner transformation happened. The light that had blinded him for a while also helped him see the light of Christ. When Saul got back his sight, he converted to the Christian Faith and got the name Paul. The man whose name once brought terror to the early Christians became a chosen instrument of Christ to spread Christianity to other places beyond Israel and the Jewish people (Acts 9:15-16). He became the Apostle to the Gentiles, bringing Christ to the people of Asia Minor, Greece, and ultimately Rome itself.

Ironically, the man who caused the martyrdom of so many people was eventually martyred himself in Rome around 65 AD. Paul was beheaded by a Roman sword as punishment for the same offense as the people he once persecuted.

The conversion of Paul is uniquely celebrated as a feast by the Church to remind us of the great celebration in heaven for every converted soul on earth (Lk 15:7). Moreover, it also reminds us of the great missionary efforts of Saint Paul, which became the pioneer and inspiration of future Christian missionary endeavors.

The life of Saint Paul should inspire us to spread the Good News to all people who do not share our Christian faith by our word and by our whole life. Like Paul, we need to transmit the Word of God in a manner suited to every culture and time without losing its original message, that is, Jesus, the eternal love of God!