25 January 2022
Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle
Christianity would be very different without the conversion and the tireless zeal and testimony of St. Paul the Apostle. Beginning with his encounter with that blinding light, with that sweet, commanding voice, Paul learned everything he needed to in order to go out and tell the Good News to all the world.
Seeing the emptiness of his life prior to conversion, he preached about a love that he would be nothing without: “If I do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2)
Having once breathed murderous threats against the Christian community, he now exhaled with certainty words of God’s unbreakable alliance with us: “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom. 8:35)
Ever mindful of his past and his frailty, he now rested confident in the source of his power: “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” (Phil. 4:13)
Paul understood that being a saint means being fully human and letting God’s glory shine through us: “But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” (2 Cor. 4:7)
What are your favorite lines from Paul? Perhaps with grateful hearts today, we can spend some time reading one of his letters.