Fr. Marcel’s Bulletin Message on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul
Today, we have the option to celebrate the feast of the conversion of a great apostle. Instead of celebrating the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, we decided to celebrate this amazing worker in the Lord’s field. This great apostle was a Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin. He received the name Saul at his circumcision. He was from Tarsus.
Today, we celebrate the feast of one who, after a record of brutalizing and persecuting the early Christians, converted to Christianity and became known as apostle Paul. As Saul, he was a zealous Jew. He surpassed all his equals in zeal for the Jewish law and their traditions. He was well educated. He had a hand in the killing of St. Stephen (regarded as the first known Christian martyr). After the murder of Stephen, the priests and magistrates of the Jews were satisfied, and consequently raised a violent persecution against the Church in Jerusalem, in which Saul was a passionate leader. By the virtue of the power he had received from the high priest, he dragged Christians out of their houses, loaded them with chains, and thrust them into prison. These Christians were scourged in the Synagogues to compel them to blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ. By the violence he committed, Saul’s name became a household name- as a terror to the Christian faithful. During this era of intense persecution against the Christians, their persecutors led by Saul also seized the Christians’ estates and what they hold in common. Yet all these could not satisfy the fury of Saul. In the fury of zeal, Saul applied to the high priest and the Sanhedrin for a commission to take up all Jews at Damascus who confessed Jesus Christ, and bring them bound to Jerusalem, that they might serve as public examples for the terror of others.
But God demonstrated the powerful mercy and patience he had for all sinners. While on the road to Damascus to annihilate the Christian Community there Saul was blinded by a brilliant light and he heard the voice of Christ saying to him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” This experience of the Lord became the turning point in his life. His journey to Damascus was no longer to arrest and kill the Christians. He journeyed to Damascus a blind man. He was later cured and attended to by Ananias. He was also baptized and later took the name Paul. The new name represents the new life he has found in Christ. Paul later became one of the chief founding voices of Early Christianity. St. Paul worked tirelessly for Jesus Christ. He fell in love deeply with Christ, and never stopped talking about the grace of forgiveness of Jesus. The same passion with which he persecuted the Christians was also the same passion with which he preached, taught, fought and defended Christ, Christianity and Christians. His books- 13 in all form the bulk of the New Testament of the Bible.
Brethren, the magnitude of Paul’s transgression, such as his attempts to wipe out Christianity completely teaches us that any sinner may be forgiven no matter how horrible his or her sins are unless the person does not want to be forgiven. None of us is a finished product. God is not yet tired of us. Any time, any day, God is ready to forgive us.
Note this, St. Paul, as Saul was a sincere and dedicated religious man. He was an expert in the law and faithful to his Jewish religion. He persecuted the Christians because he believed they were distorting God’s law. By following the letter of the law, he was opposing God. He later realized that God’s grace revealed in Jesus Christ is the core value that shed light on the meaning of law. St. Paul did not advocate lawlessness, but rather a NEW LAW, and that is, the Holy Spirit living in our hearts.
Dearest beloved, let’s not celebrate today’s feast simply as a remembrance. Conversion is not a one-time or one-day experience. It should be an ongoing experience. By ongoing conversion, I don’t mean daily deliberate moral transgression and daily show of contrition. Was it not the same St. Paul who asked “Should we go on sinning so that grace may abound?” Ongoing conversion calls for daily renewal. It calls for constant evaluation of our life so as to know where we truly stand before God. It calls for a daily deliberate movement towards God. We cannot possibly experience God too much. We can never be satisfied with our knowledge of God which is deeply rooted in an experiential relationship with him. Daily conversion enjoins us to go deeper with the Lord. When St. Augustine went deeper in his relationship with God, he exclaimed:
Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.
St. Paul as Saul, who persecuted the Christians with all his might experienced conversion. As he enters into a deeper relationship with God he also exclaims in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Convinced that he has worked so hard for the sake of the kingdom therefore assured of blessedness, St Paul declares in 2 Timothy 4: 7-8 “I have fought a good fight of faith. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. What is waiting for me is the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day, but not to me only but to all those that love his coming.”
It was the same Paul we are celebrating today that declares in Philippians 1: 21 “For to me, to go on living is Christ, and to die is gain.”
As one who experienced the power of mercy and forgiveness, as one who knew the power of redemption, he reasonably proclaimed in Romans 8:1-2, “There is therefore no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
Brethren, real conversion should lead us to a full appreciation of God. Honest conversion leads to an honest love of God. We are converted to love him above all things, above all places and above all persons.
We may give the impression that we are right with God, but when alone with the self and alone with God, we tell ourselves the truth. It was the great philosopher Socrates who said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
As we celebrate the power of God’s mercy and compassion, as we celebrate the Conversion of St. Paul, let’s ask the Lord for the same zeal and passion St. Paul had in preaching the gospel. Remember, the greatest and lasting gospel we can ever preach is with our own lives.
God bless you!
Fr. Marcel Emeka Okwara CSsR
Associate Pastor
Today, we celebrate the feast of one who, after a record of brutalizing and persecuting the early Christians, converted to Christianity and became known as apostle Paul. As Saul, he was a zealous Jew. He surpassed all his equals in zeal for the Jewish law and their traditions. He was well educated. He had a hand in the killing of St. Stephen (regarded as the first known Christian martyr). After the murder of Stephen, the priests and magistrates of the Jews were satisfied, and consequently raised a violent persecution against the Church in Jerusalem, in which Saul was a passionate leader. By the virtue of the power he had received from the high priest, he dragged Christians out of their houses, loaded them with chains, and thrust them into prison. These Christians were scourged in the Synagogues to compel them to blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ. By the violence he committed, Saul’s name became a household name- as a terror to the Christian faithful. During this era of intense persecution against the Christians, their persecutors led by Saul also seized the Christians’ estates and what they hold in common. Yet all these could not satisfy the fury of Saul. In the fury of zeal, Saul applied to the high priest and the Sanhedrin for a commission to take up all Jews at Damascus who confessed Jesus Christ, and bring them bound to Jerusalem, that they might serve as public examples for the terror of others.
But God demonstrated the powerful mercy and patience he had for all sinners. While on the road to Damascus to annihilate the Christian Community there Saul was blinded by a brilliant light and he heard the voice of Christ saying to him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” This experience of the Lord became the turning point in his life. His journey to Damascus was no longer to arrest and kill the Christians. He journeyed to Damascus a blind man. He was later cured and attended to by Ananias. He was also baptized and later took the name Paul. The new name represents the new life he has found in Christ. Paul later became one of the chief founding voices of Early Christianity. St. Paul worked tirelessly for Jesus Christ. He fell in love deeply with Christ, and never stopped talking about the grace of forgiveness of Jesus. The same passion with which he persecuted the Christians was also the same passion with which he preached, taught, fought and defended Christ, Christianity and Christians. His books- 13 in all form the bulk of the New Testament of the Bible.
Brethren, the magnitude of Paul’s transgression, such as his attempts to wipe out Christianity completely teaches us that any sinner may be forgiven no matter how horrible his or her sins are unless the person does not want to be forgiven. None of us is a finished product. God is not yet tired of us. Any time, any day, God is ready to forgive us.
Note this, St. Paul, as Saul was a sincere and dedicated religious man. He was an expert in the law and faithful to his Jewish religion. He persecuted the Christians because he believed they were distorting God’s law. By following the letter of the law, he was opposing God. He later realized that God’s grace revealed in Jesus Christ is the core value that shed light on the meaning of law. St. Paul did not advocate lawlessness, but rather a NEW LAW, and that is, the Holy Spirit living in our hearts.
Dearest beloved, let’s not celebrate today’s feast simply as a remembrance. Conversion is not a one-time or one-day experience. It should be an ongoing experience. By ongoing conversion, I don’t mean daily deliberate moral transgression and daily show of contrition. Was it not the same St. Paul who asked “Should we go on sinning so that grace may abound?” Ongoing conversion calls for daily renewal. It calls for constant evaluation of our life so as to know where we truly stand before God. It calls for a daily deliberate movement towards God. We cannot possibly experience God too much. We can never be satisfied with our knowledge of God which is deeply rooted in an experiential relationship with him. Daily conversion enjoins us to go deeper with the Lord. When St. Augustine went deeper in his relationship with God, he exclaimed:
Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.
St. Paul as Saul, who persecuted the Christians with all his might experienced conversion. As he enters into a deeper relationship with God he also exclaims in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Convinced that he has worked so hard for the sake of the kingdom therefore assured of blessedness, St Paul declares in 2 Timothy 4: 7-8 “I have fought a good fight of faith. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. What is waiting for me is the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day, but not to me only but to all those that love his coming.”
It was the same Paul we are celebrating today that declares in Philippians 1: 21 “For to me, to go on living is Christ, and to die is gain.”
As one who experienced the power of mercy and forgiveness, as one who knew the power of redemption, he reasonably proclaimed in Romans 8:1-2, “There is therefore no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
Brethren, real conversion should lead us to a full appreciation of God. Honest conversion leads to an honest love of God. We are converted to love him above all things, above all places and above all persons.
We may give the impression that we are right with God, but when alone with the self and alone with God, we tell ourselves the truth. It was the great philosopher Socrates who said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
As we celebrate the power of God’s mercy and compassion, as we celebrate the Conversion of St. Paul, let’s ask the Lord for the same zeal and passion St. Paul had in preaching the gospel. Remember, the greatest and lasting gospel we can ever preach is with our own lives.
God bless you!
Fr. Marcel Emeka Okwara CSsR
Associate Pastor
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