Word to the Wise
Wednesday, January 25, 2017 - Jan. 25 - The Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle
[Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22 and Mark 16:15-18]"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?" [Acts of the Apostles]
One of the pivotal moments in the history of Christianity is celebrated today on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. it would be difficult to imagine the Church without his writings! In fact, Christianity might have remained a sect of Judaism if Paul had not undertaken his missionary journeys and established communities around the Mediterranean region. [Yes, I know he was not the only person who was preaching, but his writings are the ones that survived scrutiny.] Some scholars have referred to him as the "second founder" of Christianity. His conversion, then, is worth our notice and celebration.
The lectionary today offers us two of the accounts of that conversion. There are two others, one in Acts (26:9-18) and the other in Galatians. As in all story telling, they differ in detail. In the Acts of the Apostles, we have someone other than Paul as the author. In Galatians, we have Paul himself. In Acts, two of the three accounts are in speeches given by Paul and one in a narrative of the event. The one thing that always catches my eye is the first line from the voice: "Why are you persecuting ME?" It is this identification of Jesus with anyone who believes in him that is profound. Paul would be writing about this identification in Romans 5 when he speaks of baptism into Christ, and in writing about the church as the "body of Christ." Paul realized that he was not simply rounding up religious heretics. He was fighting God!
Most of us will not have conversion experiences as dramatic as Paul's. However, we can surely deepen our understanding of his vision of Jesus and his (Paul's) developing thought by reading his letters in sequence. His impact on the theology and doctrine of Christianity is enormous. Yet, it all began with an incident on the road to Damascus. We can join him on his journeys and experience his challenges. It could be a great spiritual adventure (and you don't have to take a cruise to do it). AMEN
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