THE CONVERSION
OF ST. PAUL
INTRODUCTION
Today, January 25th
we’re focusing on the conversion of St. Paul.
Today’s first reading - Acts 23: 3-16 - gives us one of the two versions of his conversion that are in the Acts of the
Apostles. We could read either. [Cf. Acts 9: 1-22.]
We don’t know what day it
was that this actually happened – but January 25th is as good as
any.
Any day is a good day to
get new insights, change, convert, grow.
DETAILS
Saul’s name changed to
Paul. Paul’s brain changed. He had been against Christians – arresting them – chaining them –
dragging them to Jerusalem - having them imprisoned – having them killed.
He was there for the
stoning to death of Stephen the deacon.
His thought patterns
changed.
He realizes his wrongness.
He describes it as a
blindness.
He realizes what he was doing.
He gets baptized and
becomes a great voice that adds new Good News to the history of religion in our world.
He does what today’s
gospel [Mark 16: 15-18] challenges us to do: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to
every creature.”
Paul is still doing
this. People are still reading and
hearing and thinking about his messages.
Today’s a good day to say:
I have to think about this. He made
quite a change.
To me that’s one of life’s
big questions. Can a person change? We’ve all experience people we wondered about. We inwardly asked: Can he or she ever change?
Saul – Paul did. Buddha
and Augustine changed?
Every Lent – on Ash
Wednesday – every Christian hears the words: Change and believe in the Good
News – or Remember you are dust and into dust you shall return.
WHAT PAUL GIVES US
Besides messages in the
Acts of the Apostles, his letters give us messages that people have received
and in this way - now with Christ in their lives - they end up becoming new in new and newer ways.
HOMEWORK
We could do some homework.
I think a good practiced
is to take a book of the Bible for the year.
It’s still January. One of these
years pick a letter of Paul – read it and then line up say 1 key message in that
letter that is worth making one’s own.
Like picking Galatians.
Like I like Galatians 6:
2: "Bear one another’s burden. In this way you'll be fulfilling the Law of
Christ."
CONCLUSION
Then at the end of the year you'll hear someone say, "Wow you’ve changed."
