Daily Retreat 01/25/06

2006 Jan 25 Wed: Conversion of Paul, ap F

Acts 22: 3-16 or Acts 9: 1-22/ Ps 116(117): 1bc. 2/ Mk 16: 15-18

From today’s readings: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? .....Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature!"

The Conversion of St. Paul

Accounts of the conversion of St. Paul recur three times in the Acts of the Apostles: first, the author (St. Luke) recounts the incident (chapter 9); then, St. Paul narrates his conversion while presenting his defense to the Jews in Jerusalem (chapter 22); and then again, Paul recalls the miraculous events in his speech before King Agrippa (chapter 26).

In compiling the Acts of the Apostles, Luke could have chosen to present the details of Paul's conversion only once, and then merely mentioned a summary of Paul's defense statements before the Jews and King Agrippa. But because the details of the conversion are repeated and even offered from a slightly different point of view each time, it's patently clear that Paul's conversion was a watershed event in the early Church, and the miracle of his conversion must have been the inspiration for many conversions.

Some of us can trace particular moments of conversion in our own lives, but even if, by God's grace, we've stayed relatively close to Him all of our lives, each of us needs to be committed to ongoing conversion, to continual sanctification, and the commitment to grow in our faith - and to be just as grateful as St. Paul was for the wondrous ways God has shown us His light!