THE STORY OF CONVERSION - 1/25/23 (Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle)

Acts 22:6–8

“As I made my journey and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.’”

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012523.cfm

Blessed Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul! St. Paul was one of the greatest missionaries and evangelists of the Catholic Church, not just because of the number of people whom he evangelized, but also because of his own transformation. From being one of the worst sinners, he became one of the greatest saints. Paul, who was named as Saul in Hebrew, was zealous in persecuting Christians. He thought that it was the will of God that Christians would be killed. This started to change when he became temporarily blind and when he heard the voice of Christ saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?" In our own lives, there could be times when we were so attached to our sins where we seemed to be blind as to how we're offending the people around us and Jesus Himself. Before, we might be simply focused on our ambitions, riches and achievements. Just as how St. Paul fell to the ground, we also fell to numerous sins. But, because of God's mercy, He uses this as an opportunity to make us humble and acknowledge that He is whom we really need. Our Lord may reveal to us our sinfulness, either through our own conscience or through our experiences with other people, for us to see the ugliness of our sins and come back to Christ. 

Jesus saw the potential of St. Paul, and as he regained his sight, he was baptized where God washed away his sins. For us who are already baptized, Jesus is reminding us the importance of forgiveness of all of our sins, including our grave sins, in the sacrament of confession. God has been merciful with us that through His grace, He will transform us so that we can reach our potential. And, what is this potential? It's our potential to become a saint. The story of St. Paul should remind us that all of us have stories of conversion, though different in our own ways. And, if someone who persecuted Christ and His Church could be a saint, this meant that this was possible for all of us. One of the signs of genuine conversion is when we feel grateful for the mercy of God for us, sinners, in such a way that we desire other people to love God even more. What is our story of conversion? What was our perspective before when we did not think much of God? And, how did it change when we become transformed by God's love? No matter how dark our past is, let's trust in Jesus who will banish the darkness of our sins by His light because He loves us and He wants our salvation. 

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

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth