The Conversion of St. Paul

Today the Church celebrates the conversion of St. Paul. What an amazing testimony his life is to the power of God's grace and the joy of conversion.

I remember well my first trip to Rome in 1999 and our pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. As I knelt at the tomb of St. Paul I got goosebumps thinking about his life and what a powerful witness he was after his conversion. The Lord told him through Ananias that he would suffer much for the Lord's name (cf Acts 9:16).

He soon launched into the great adventure of discipleship and discovered that his willingness to experience suffering for the Lord's sake bore tremendous spiritual fruit leading him to say the following:

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory." (Colossians 1:24-27)

He was able to discover that God's grace was especially at work in and through his willingness to experience hardships for the sake of the Gospel. He is a great inspiration and his writings have brought strength and hope to millions of people and they continue to do so.

The Word Among Us had a great reflection on him for today. I posted it below.

Have a blessed weekend!

Daily Reflection From The Word Among Us

What happened to shake Paul to his core? We know it wasn’t chastisement or threats of punishment, even though Saul “was breathing murderous threats against the disciples” (Acts 9:1). It wasn’t an angry demand that he stop sinning or that he cut out the violence. It wasn’t a bolt of divine wrath that dashed him to the ground.

It was a question: “Why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, came to Saul, placed a mirror in front of him, and asked him a question filled with sadness, compassion, and understanding. Who are you, Saul? What are you becoming? He spoke not in anger but in kindness. He allowed Saul to see himself, in the light of his own divine glory. And the rest is history.

This is the heart of conversion: a moment—sometimes a brief moment, other times a quite lengthy one—in which Jesus shines his light on us. Conversion happens when the Holy Spirit prompts us to question our priorities, our desires, our very selves. It comes when God’s light shines more brightly, or anew, in our hearts, and we sense his presence more powerfully than before. And that presence unsettles us, even as it lifts us up.

But conversion isn’t just about us. It’s mainly about Jesus. Not only do we see ourselves in a new light, we also see the Lord—brilliant in his glory, blinding in his love, filled with mercy and redemption. Seeing who he is, we get a glimpse of who we can become. And that vision, that sense of hope for our future, is so compelling that we willingly turn away from sin and embrace the Lord.

Paul’s conversion was a dramatic turning point in his life. On that day, he decided to follow Jesus and not look back. This is the kind of conversion God wants all of us to have—this decision to break with our old lives and commit ourselves to Jesus. It may not happen as dramatically as it did for Paul. But we all face the question of whether we are going to turn to Jesus and stick with him through thick and thin. So who are you? Who do you want to become?

“Jesus, I turn my life over to you today.”