Word to the Wise
Thursday, January 25, 2024 - Jan. 25 - The Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle
[Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22 and Mark 16:15-18]"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 who you are persecuting.' [Acts] Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature." [Mark]
How did Christianity manage to get beyond the bounds of Jerusalem and the territories surrounding it? Why didn't it remain a kind of sect of Judaism? One of the major reasons is personified in St. Paul the Apostle. His dramatic conversion, recounted three times in the Acts of the Apostles, led to his three missionary journeys and the founding of new Christian communities in the eastern half of the Roman Empire. It is St. Paul who is identified with the mission to the Gentiles and the eventual break with Judaism that made the spread of Christianity possible. He has been called by some historians and theologians, "the second founder of Christianity." It is his preaching, reflected in his letters, that has shaped Christian faith the most. So, it is fitting that we celebrate the event of his conversion.
One of the features of the three accounts in Acts that captures my attention is the line, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." Jesus identifies himself with those who believe in him. We see this also in the Gospel According to Matthew 25:31-45 ("As often as you did it to the least of my brethren, you did it to me!"). It comes through strongly in the Last Supper discourse in the Gospel According to John. All of this is a challenge to a tendency to separate Jesus from our neighbor and focus on him (Jesus) separately and devoutly. But, that is not true Christianity. St. Paul's preaching on the Body of Christ, a reality larger than any institutional expression, challenges us to see Jesus beyond the bounds of Catholic or even Christian faith. It can be helpful to read St. Paul's address to the Athenians in Acts 17:22-34 and ask ourselves how we would have reacted.
In God's plan of salvation, the charge recounted today in the Gospel According to Mark to go out into the whole world is personified in St. Paul. His conversion was an act of grace. That same grace has come to us in baptism. Can we become "missionary disciples," as Pope Francis has challenged us to become. This is how WE became Christians! AMEN