Paul addressed the people in these words: I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted this Way to death, binding both men and women and delivering them to prison. Even the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify on my behalf. For from them I even received letters to the brothers and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem in chains for punishment those there as well.
"On that journey as I drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?'
And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.' My companions saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me. I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?' The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do.' Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light, I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.
"A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law, and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me and stood there and said, ‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.' And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.
Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice; for you will be his witness before all to what you have seen and heard. Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon his name.'" (Acts 22:3-16)
I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
We are all familiar with the conversion of St. Paul (in fact, it was the subject of last Thursday's Mass). But what does his conversion and life as an Apostle have to do with us as Catholic men? Especially as we struggle to live out our faith amidst all the busyness of our lives and all the worldly temptations we experience. In this article, we will take a look at Paul's conversion, and ongoing conversion, and see how it applies to our own lives.
Initial Conversion
One minute Paul is Saul the zealous Pharisee, bent on destroying the followers of Jesus; the next, he is blinded by a blazing light, falls to the ground, and hears the Lord speaking his name. After he meets Christ, his life is turned upside down, and he ends up spreading Christianity halfway around the world. No doubt, Paul's conversion story is one of the most dramatic in the history of the church. But how can we take such an amazing story seriously?
This is a good question to ask, especially as so many things — including our life of faith — tend to get watered down by the various conveniences and compromises that the world offers. By contrast, Paul's life was so radical that it may seem like a Hollywood movie — and just as divorced from our everyday lives. After all, we know what a strong personality Paul was; we could say that he was just as extreme after his conversion as before — he was just headed in a different direction.
Ongoing Conversion
But we all sense that there is more to it than that. Throughout his Christian life, Paul allowed Jesus to transform him to the point where he could write, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). Brothers, as hard as this may seem, that is the way it must be with us. The spiritual life Paul speaks of is really a life of an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus Christ, and one of ongoing transformation into the image and likeness of Christ. It is about becoming a new person, a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17), not just a "cleaned up" version of our old self.
Conclusion
Saints like Paul are not meant to be the "oddballs" of the church, nor are we. They're supposed to be the norm! Each of us, in his particular vocation, is called to conversion and to holiness. For some of us, even our initial conversion was more of a process over a period of time. For others, it came at a specific point of time when the direction of our lives was dramatically changed by God's intervention. No matter what, initial and ongoing conversion is a work of God in our lives, and so we should not set our sights too low.
It's been said that the first requirement for sainthood is the desire to become one. We must have the goal, as Paul did, of reaching "the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). In truth, God's vision for us is even bigger than our own. He wants to do so much more with our lives than we can imagine — if we will only give our lives completely to him and trust him to do what he has promised!
"Lord, I know that conversion is more than just being Baptized and attending Mass. I give my life completely to you. I want you to truly be Lord of my life. I know that holiness is more than just an ideal! You desire it to be an ongoing reality in my life. Pour out your Spirit on me that I may be converted and transformed more fully. Change my heart so that I will serve you alone!"
Many thanks to The Word Among Us for allowing us to adapt material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission.
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. Even though St. Paul's conversion was quite dramatic, what can we, as Catholic men, learn from it?
2. How would you describe your own initial conversion to Christ? Can you point to a specific point in time or was it a process?
3. Why is conversion not just a one-time event, but a lifetime process of ongoing conversion and deepening of our faith and life in Christ?
4. What are some of the key elements of ongoing conversion, i.e., transformation into the image and likeness of faith? What steps can you take to better respond to this work of God in your life?
5. If you are in a men's group, end your meeting by praying for one another that this ongoing work of conversion would continue as you deepen your commitment to Christ and your relationship with him. Use the prayer at the end of the article as the starting point.
