THE WORD

Ac 22,3-16 or Ac 9,1-22 / Mk 16,15-18

Jesus said to the eleven, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents (with their hands), and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

IN OTHER WORDS

When we hear the word “conversion” we usually think of a great sinner who becomes a good

person. St. Paul was actually not a bad person. When he persecuted the Church he did it out of zeal for God. He just did not understand yet who Christ was.

What we commemorate today, therefore, is more an enlightenment of Paul, a call to a new understanding of God, a vocation to bring this new understanding and the Good News of Christ to the nations, as Jesus told his disciples before his Ascension.

All of us are called to an ongoing conversion. This does not mean that we have to be first bad persons who need to turn away from evil and become good Christians.

Pope Francis revealed that he goes to Confession every 15 days, an indication that he is aware of the necessity of an ongoing conversion. The Greek word for conversion is “metanoia,” a word that indicates a “turning.” Two kinds of turning are required: a turning away from the present way of life, and a turning to a new way of life, to a new understanding of who God is and what Christ wants us to do.

‘Turning away from’ and ‘turning to’ is an adventure, as it was in the life of St. Paul. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that he would travel more than 4,000 kms by land and sea to preach to countless people the One he had persecuted. But his readiness to leave the past behind, kept him strong until the last moment of his life. And it filled him with joy. He wrote the letter to the Philippians, the “Letter of Joy” as it is called, while in prison, not knowing whether he will be freed or killed. Oh yes, we might be “good Christians” but we still need conversion: a turning away from routine and a turning to a new, exciting future guided by God’s Spirit who is always full of surprises.

• Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD | (CKMS, Quezon City)

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