A Love Total and Complete!

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle

Acts 9:1-22; Mk 16:15-18

Today we celebrate the feast of the conversion of St. Paul. 

If there was one conversion that mattered to the early Church, it was the conversion of St. Paul. 

If the pre-Constantinian Church embraced a pivotal moment in its history, it was the discipleship of Paul that eventually proved to be a value addition as he went on to broaden the mission horizon of the early Church. 

Looking at the towering personality of Paul, we are compelled to ask ourselves, ‘Who was Paul really?’

At first, Paul was a self-proclaimed enemy of Christ and as the first reading describes, he was ‘still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord.’

Secondly, he volunteered to ask for letters from the high priest to arrest and bring back the believers of the Way to Jerusalem in chains. 

Thirdly, his hatred for Christians was such that he took pains to reach the city of Damascus which was about 130 miles (210 kilometers) northeast of Jerusalem. Scholars believe that in the absence of modern means of transport, the journey would have taken Paul six days. 

This is how the name of Paul inspired fear among the early Christians. However, the plan of God was different. God needed the very man who was the notorious persecutor of the Church to become His renowned apostle and evangelist. ‘Inscrutable are the ways of God’ (Eccl 8:10-12). God says, ‘I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind’ (Jer 17:10). 

Hence, in the eyes of God, the very negative qualities of Paul carried positive insights.

At first, Paul’s convictions were unmatched. Indeed, Paul’s hatred for Christians made him cruel. But after his conversion, his love for Christ made him tender. God saw that the one who was capable of hatred was also capable of love. This is the story of Saul, who hated Christ and Christians to pieces, but loved them later to pieces as Paul. 

Secondly, Paul volunteered to approach the high priest for his permission to arrest Christians. What God seems to have found in it is Paul’s willingness to take orders. Hence, for Paul, there is only a change of master. Jesus Christ replaced the high priest, and Paul would take orders from Christ to proclaim the inclusive Gospel. 

Thirdly, Paul’s painstaking journey to Damascus would be proof to God that he would be the traveling missionary that He needed. The tireless evangelist travelled more than 10,000 (roughly 16100) miles by ship and by foot. Yes, Paul rode to Damascus, not to persecute Christ, but to be persecuted for Christ after his conversion. 

Thus, God’s choice of Paul marked the watershed moment for the early Church. 

The conversion of Paul challenges us with a few insights. 

1.Scholars believe that Paul’s conversion underwent a process. Though Paul’s conversion narrative looks very dramatic, his unease began the moment he witnessed Stephen’s prayer in Acts 7:57-60. Though Paul tried to camouflage his unease about persecuting Christ and Christians, when it was broken, Paul surrendered in humility. We need to get in touch with the moments of our conversion by faithfully responding to them. 

2. The two questions of Paul (Acts 22: 6-10) reveal that when he realized that he was fighting God, he made a U-turn in his life. Especially his question, ‘What shall I do, sir?’ shows that Paul was willing to make reparations for his mistake. The man who was transformed went on to transform the Church by bringing Gentile converts to the Lord. Paul’s life offers proof that he was willing to right the wrongs. 

3. Paul embraced the beautiful journey of his life. Paul was someone who went where life took him. As a self-proclaimed enemy of Christ, he was capable of destroying the Church. But later on, he was willing to die for Christ and his Church. In all these, Paul’s response was total and complete. Paul was never lukewarm in his response. Hence, his life is an example of loving the Lord ‘with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength’ (Mk 12:30-31). How are we?

Let us pray that inspired by Paul’s life, we may commit ourselves to God’s mission freely, fully, and completely. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar