Ananaias and Conversion of St Paul -- Benjamin West - 1786Today our Church celebrates the Conversion of St. Paul. It is a remarkable moment in the history of Christianity. Some may think this day is "all about Paul." Yet today is
"all about us." How so? This story of on man's conversion is a teaching moment. All of us "thanks" to Adam and Eve, we might say, come into this world as sinners. All of us, we presume, have at one time or another found ourselves challenged by the power of the same evil spirit that had taken the heart and mind of the Jewish zealot, Saul. Today we reflect on the moment of his awakening, his spiritual healing and our own calling. This is the moment when Saul accepted the calling from God. The was the true change, the genuine metanoia.
There is much in St. Luke's Acts of the Apostles that will bring you back almost two thousand years to the moment of conversion: 9:1-22 and 22:3-16. These divinely inspired words, read slowly and reread once or twice, will be for you a moment to reaffirm your commitment to your Christian faith. If you feel that your personal spiritual journey needs redirection listen as Ananaias did to the voice of God. It was his calling to be the "missionary" to bring healing to the mind and heart of Saul and so lead him from his blindness. Let this feast day be like Ananaias to you if you need to bring yourself closer to the Lord or if you can be the "voice" of God to a family member or friend who has wandered away from the intention, the purpose that God has for you or someone else in need of this remarkable grace.
This feast is a reminder that there are basically two types of human beings: those who hear a call and filled with enthusiasm and a fired-up spirit follow the calling and those who say to themselves "not at this time" repeatedly. The Conversion of St. Paul and his life are reminders to all of us who have worn the oils of Baptism and Confirmation that we have been called from our own moments of blindness to proclaim that Jesus is the driving force in our lives.
"all about us." How so? This story of on man's conversion is a teaching moment. All of us "thanks" to Adam and Eve, we might say, come into this world as sinners. All of us, we presume, have at one time or another found ourselves challenged by the power of the same evil spirit that had taken the heart and mind of the Jewish zealot, Saul. Today we reflect on the moment of his awakening, his spiritual healing and our own calling. This is the moment when Saul accepted the calling from God. The was the true change, the genuine metanoia.
There is much in St. Luke's Acts of the Apostles that will bring you back almost two thousand years to the moment of conversion: 9:1-22 and 22:3-16. These divinely inspired words, read slowly and reread once or twice, will be for you a moment to reaffirm your commitment to your Christian faith. If you feel that your personal spiritual journey needs redirection listen as Ananaias did to the voice of God. It was his calling to be the "missionary" to bring healing to the mind and heart of Saul and so lead him from his blindness. Let this feast day be like Ananaias to you if you need to bring yourself closer to the Lord or if you can be the "voice" of God to a family member or friend who has wandered away from the intention, the purpose that God has for you or someone else in need of this remarkable grace.
This feast is a reminder that there are basically two types of human beings: those who hear a call and filled with enthusiasm and a fired-up spirit follow the calling and those who say to themselves "not at this time" repeatedly. The Conversion of St. Paul and his life are reminders to all of us who have worn the oils of Baptism and Confirmation that we have been called from our own moments of blindness to proclaim that Jesus is the driving force in our lives.
