Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the Apostle
Has anyone ever asked you “Are you saved?” The question can be disconcerting as the concept is not typically found in the Catholic spiritual vocabulary. When I was first asked this question, I did not have a thought out response, just a visceral reaction. I replied, “Of course I am saved, I am a Confirmed Catholic”. These words found no traction with the person asking the question; however they permanently changed the way I look at my faith. From that moment forward, I knew I had to claim my faith as my own. What had mainly been my father’s faith up to this point, now became mine own.
Owning my faith came about because my heart had been converted. In many ways, I had been prepared my whole life for this moment, but now had the missing pieces. Conversion is a movement, sparked by grace, toward accepting and responding to Christ’s love for us. This statement, “I am a Confirmed Catholic” seems on the surface, an intellectual response. Still hearing those words from my own mouth, upended my personal ethos. With this epiphany, the gospel that had been preached so clearly by the words and actions of my new friend, galvanized my Catholic faith.
For Paul, conversion to Christ came in great contrast to the severe persecutions he was placing on the early Christian community. Paul’s witness makes it clear that Christ took Saul’s persecution of the community personally, “why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 22: 7) Jesus made clear that Saul’s maltreatment of his disciples was maltreatment of him. Saul accepted the vision as conviction from the Lord. He repented and was baptized. In today’s scripture, he is sharing the story of his conversion. Paul shared how his vision, blindness, baptism and drive to witness were all part of God’s will for him. Are there any people in our life we treat unnecessarily harsh? Do we understand that our actions also hurt Christ?
Many of us in some way may still be persecuting Christ. How might we allow God to convert our hearts? Who are the messengers in our lives calling us to deeper conversion? For Paul, and all of the Apostles, conversion sent them into the world to proclaim the Gospel. We too are sent to proclaim the gospel message. Proclaiming the Good News means more than simply speaking about faith. For Jesus, it meant driving out demons, baptizing those who believe, and healing the sick. In short, they went into the world to prayerfully live their faith in a manner that reflected a heart converted for Christ. When people look at us, who do they see?
-Michael Montgomery