Mass Readings and Meditations “The Word among Us” Saturday, 25 January
2014
Meditation: Acts 22: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in
Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly
according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are
today. 4 I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and
women and putting them in prison, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of
elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers
in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to
bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.
Paul Tells of His Conversion
6 “While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a
great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. 7 I fell to the ground and
heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 I
answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth[a]
whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did
not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 I asked, ‘What am I to
do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be
told everything that has been assigned to you to do.’ 11 Since I could not see
because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand
and led me to Damascus.
12 “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law
and well spoken of by all the Jews living there, 13 came to me; and standing
beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ In that very hour I
regained my sight and saw him. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has
chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own
voice; 15 for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen
and heard. 16 And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins
washed away, calling on his name.’
Footnotes:
a. Acts 22:8 Gk the Nazorean
The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 22:7)
The Scriptures are filled with miraculous stories about people
whose lives were changed when they had a personal encounter with God. Most of
these people were introduced to the Lord by someone else. Andrew took his
brother, Peter, to Jesus. Peter reached out to Cornelius. Samuel anointed Saul
and David. Philip evangelized an Ethiopian official. And the list goes on and
on.
But Paul didn’t have a middle-man. Jesus miraculously appeared
to him on the road to Damascus. And what a conversion it was! Paul must be the
patron saint of dramatic conversions because his is one of the most dramatic
before-and-after stories in the whole Bible.
So what is conversion? First and foremost, it is a grace from
God. People experience conversion because the Holy Spirit reveals God’s love,
his mercy, and his holiness to their hearts. But there is a human dimension to
conversion as well. Conversion happens as a person decides to turn away from
sin and turn to the Lord.
Paul’s conversion came when he realized that what he thought was
a good thing—persecuting believers in Christ—was really a sin. God made it
clear that he had been persecuting Jesus as well as innocent Christians. And
that revelation moved him to devote his whole life to spreading the good news
that he had just experienced. From that moment on, the primary goal of Paul’s
life was to bring as many people as possible to conversion.
If St. Paul were here today, he would not hesitate to ask us if
we have given our lives to Christ. But he wouldn’t stop there. He would also
urge us to run the race every day, living a life of holiness and service to the
Lord (2 Timothy 4:7). He wouldn’t stop there, either. He would also tell us to
get out into the world and share our faith with everyone we meet. It’s how Paul
lived, and it’s how God wants us to live.
“St. Paul, pray for us, May we all become like you, disciples
who witness to Jesus everywhere we go.” Amen!
Psalm 117: Universal Call to Worship
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol him, all you
peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness
of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
Mark 16: 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the
good news[a] to the whole creation. 16 The one who believes and is baptized
will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these
signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out
demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes in their
hands,[b] and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will
lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Footnotes:
a. Mark 16:15 Or gospel
b. Mark 16:18 Other ancient authorities lack in their hands
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