The Conversion of Saint Paul

The importance of Paul’s conversion from Judaism to “the way” of Jesus is evident form the three accounts presented in the Acts of the Apostles (9:1-30; 22:3-21; and 26:9-20). The account of his encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus describes a radical change that took place in his life, a change that shaped the future of Christianity as a faith movement distinct form its Jewish heritage. Paul himself understood this experience as being directly related to his life and mission prior to his conversion: “In legal observance I was a Pharisee, and so zealous that I persecuted the Church. I was above reproach when it came to justice based on the law. But those things I used to consider gain I have now reappraised as loss in the light of Christ” (Philippians 3:5-7). This persecuting fervor was transformed into zeal for Christ and the spread of the Gospel among the Gentiles.

“Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is, and in what our nobility consists, and of what virtue this particular animal is capable.” - Saint John Chrysostom

Today’s feast of the conversion of Saint Paul (January 25) invites us to reflect on more than the historical event of Saint Paul’s conversion. Paul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus was not only a transforming experience, it became the primary point of reference for all of his apostolic ministry. This is because Paul’s conversion was not the result of some sort of psychological process or an intellectual awakening. Instead, it was the fruit of his meeting with Jesus. Ultimately, as Pope Benedict XVI observed, Christianity “is not a new philosophy or a new form of morality. We are only Christians if we encounter Christ, even if He does not reveal Himself to us as clearly as He did to Paul to make him the Apostle of the Gentiles.” Our call is to be aware of the ways we encounter Christ in reading Sacred Scripture, in prayer, and in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, to “touch Christ’s heart and feel that Christ touches ours. And it is only in this personal relationship with Christ, in this meeting with the Risen One, that we are truly Christian” (from the General Audience on September 3, 2008).

*Taken from my book From Season to Season: A Book of Saintly Wisdom