Feast of the Conversion of Paul
Paul addressed the people in these words:
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,
but brought up in this city.
At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law
and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
I persecuted this Way to death,
binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.
Even the high priest and the whole council of elders
can testify on my behalf.
For from them I even received letters to the brothers
and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem
in chains for punishment those there as well.
“On that journey as I drew near to Damascus,
about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’
And he said to me,
‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’
My companions saw the light
but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me.
I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’
The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus,
and there you will be told about everything
appointed for you to do.’
Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light,
I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.
“A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law,
and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
came to me and stood there and said,
‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.’
And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.
Then he said,
‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will,
to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice;
for you will be his witness before all
to what you have seen and heard.
Now, why delay?
Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away,
calling upon his name.'”
I remember well the great conversion I had within my own faith. I started teaching my first class at SEAS to 5th graders and I had all of these wonderful young pure and innocent children ready to learn and look up to me. When it came time to teach religion class, I just felt sick inside. How was I a sinner, fresh out of college with not the most Christian habits, going to tell these young people about God. I was a hypocrite. For the first time, I began to really pray, receive the sacraments more faithfully, study Jesus because I wanted to not because I had to. Adoration was an amazing experience and I began to be influenced by the saints in a profound way. I had students who were willing to listen so I became very hungry to seek Christ so that I could pass Him on to these pure innocent souls. 16 years later…I can’t thank God enough for transforming me. I am still a sinner who needs God’s mercy. I still don’t know everything about God. There are still things I don’t fully understand. I am better at recognizing God’s presence among us. I am learning how to pray better and approach God more reverently. I look forward to an encounter with Christ every day I wake. In the Scriptures, each time I come to school to teach, each time I go to Mass, each time I go to Adoration, each time I bend my knees to the crucifix in my kitchen, each time I wake to get to be a dad and husband for my family. There is no way to describe the joy of seeing a young person encounter Christ and grow in faith. They always amaze me! God always amazes me! Jesus is the center and not just a part of my life. I am thankful for my parents and those who have had a great influence on me and brought Christ to me through baptism. I now can say firmly that I really do believe Jesus Christ resurrected and all He said is Truth. I trust Him with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. His love and sacrifice are overwhelming. He is always present to comfort me in all of my trials and suffering. He understands suffering and when offered to Him can bring great joy and grace. If you give to God, He gives back much more. It seems like the most generous people have more time than everyone. Most importantly, I see things differently, more clearly. I look to serve wherever I go. I try to see God in each person. I can see how much others give and how selfish I used to be (and still am; but I am much quicker to say I’m sorry). God is trying to work through everyone every day. I am proud to be who I am, a child of God who makes a lot of mistakes. A brother of Christ who is never lonely because I know He has my back. If I need instant help (about 10 times a day or more), I can call on the Holy Spirit to guide me. When I just can’t take life anymore, I know where to go, into silence and listen to God in my heart. Jesus has taught me that salvation is within my grasp, most importantly I have learned how much He gave for that to be possible. It drives me to my knees into worship and adoration every day. I have learned that it is okay to ask for help, God made a 7 billion piece puzzle in this time and place. 2 billion of them are the body of Christ, Jesus is the head, we are the body and each of us has our own unique purpose. If you or I are missing, the body can’t achieve its work at that moment the way God intended. A piece of the puzzle is missing and incomplete. Isn’t that the worst feeling after working so hard to put a puzzle together just to find out that one piece is missing. Furious, is how I would describe it! Of course, God will find another way and wait patiently for you to come to Him. It’s not His fault, it is ours. I have learned that my life is a complete and total gift and I am living on borrowed time. Every life is precious and I never want to waste time anymore.
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
“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.”
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned”. What do you believe in? Check your phone contacts to see who you hang out with. Check your history on Youtube and the latest things said on your Instagram. What stations do you watch the most on TV? What is the most popular on your Netflix. What is your Bible? What do you worship? Yeah, I have it pretty good, too. Wake with Jesus in the morning and reflect on His Word in the Scriptures. Sit in silence and listen. I bet if you do every day and make it a habit, what you believe in will change and what you watch and listen to will as well.
Today’s challenge: Come to God and be converted. Give God everything, He has given you everything. Wake each day to see what Jesus has in store for you, put things into perspective then, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” Just be who God made you to be.
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
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