REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD – 01/25/22 (Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul)

Acts 22:6-8

6 "As I made my journey and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, `Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?' 8 And I answered, `Who are you, Lord?' And He said to me, `I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.'

Mark 16:15

15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

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Blessed Feast Day of the conversion of St. Paul, the Apostle! Today, we are commemorating the event in the life of St. Paul about his radical conversion to Christianity. He was the apostle who wrote most of the books in the New Testament and who proclaimed the gospel in accordance to the instruction of Jesus. But, before he was known as St. Paul, he was Saul, a Jew and a Pharisee who led the persecution of Christians. But, why did Jesus choose Him, especially when he was the reason of the death of many martyrs like St. Stephen? Jesus is showing to us that He does not choose us based on our achievements or our works, but His calling is a gift, and He has a plan for us. Even though what St. Paul did deeply offended our Lord, Jesus wanted to use him as a witness of His Mercy. God's Mercy was poured in the heart of St. Paul, and he was transformed from being one of the worst sinners to one of the greatest saints. 

This is the same mercy we can obtain from God despite our sins in the past. Some of us committed numerous grave sins before. Others were blinded by their anger while some abused other people mentally and verbally, if not physically. For some people, it's difficult to change because that can be a sign of their weakness. And yet, God becomes our strength when we acknowledge before Him our weaknesses. God speaks to us amidst the darkness of our lives. Even when we feel some satisfactions due to our sins, we can also feel the emptiness in our hearts. When we see other people who are hurt by our actions, it's a sign that there has to change. This involves a radical change because Jesus is always faithful to us, and He always speaks to our hearts. We just need to listen to know that by being faithful to Him, we can have true peace, and He will wash away our sins. Like St. Paul who had an extraordinary conversion, He will make a miraculous transformation in our lives. 

In reality, He is calling all of us to be an instrument of the gospel. We can share the gospel in our words or in our good works. But, we can only cooperate in the mission of Jesus in bringing more souls to Him only if we first cooperate with His grace for us. Conversion is not just a one time event. As such, may we always pray for the daily conversion in our lives, so His light will be able to guide us to our path to heaven. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic