Readings: Acts 22:3-16, Ps. 117, Mark 16:15-18
“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)
Today, we are celebrating a conversion story. People repent every day. Hardened criminals become pastors, evangelists and bishops. What is so special about St. Paul’s conversion story? What do we learn from him?
1. No Human Being is Beyond Redemption: St. Paul’s conversion story teaches us that God can call anybody. Today, we are not just celebrating St. Paul; we are celebrating hope for humanity; we are celebrating a God whose mercy knows no bounds, who can see good even in something considered detestable by human beings. We serve a God of second chances.
2. Stop Hiding Your Sins: I once heard a herbal medicine seller on the radio saying: “If you hide sickness, sickness will hide you.” In the same way, if we hide our sins, we cannot overcome them. You gain power over your sins when you stop hiding them (pretending they don’t exist). We free ourselves from their grasp by openly confessing our sins, as St. Paul did in today’s first reading. It is better to confess your sins than to make everyone believe you are sinless while secretly persisting in your sins.
3. Confessing Sins Helps Us Face the Truth: You cannot treat whatever you deny. In my primary school days, I remember a teacher calling on me to answer a question, and I gave the wrong answer, only for my classmates to laugh. I hated being that guy who doesn’t know the answer. I didn’t see myself as an “olodo” (dullard), but when I saw them laughing, I realised I was one. By accepting the truth, I ensured no one ever laughed at me again by always topping the class. That experience was my conversion day. One of the reasons we remain in sin is our inability to understand its stench.
4. To Repent is to Encounter God: Homilies don’t convert people; even our best efforts at evangelisation do not bring about repentance—God alone can break into peoples’ hearts. The story of St. Paul shows us that conversion occurs when a person encounters God, which can happen within or outside the church. Perhaps the person encountered God while listening to a homily. The preacher was just an instrument; God did the conversion.
Many Christians claim to be born again (baptised) but lack an encounter with God. They live recklessly because they have only heard about God but have never had an experience (like that which brought St. Paul to his knees on the way to Damascus). Pray to have an experience of God that would show you that God is not just a figment of imagination.
5. Every Sinner Needs an Ananias: By commanding us to go and preach to the whole world, Jesus asks us to become Ananias to many Sauls in our world. Ananias was not responsible for Paul’s conversion but became the living image of God to Paul, the messenger of God’s mercy and pardon. Ananias told Paul that God had called him to be a witness. Ananias did not condemn Paul but served as a spiritual guide, teaching him until Paul got back on his feet.
Did Ananias open Saul’s eyes by his power? No. God worked through him. This is the message Jesus conveys in today’s Gospel passage: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name, they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents…” Do not be scared of attempting to win a sinner for God, but remember that you are only an instrument. God will do His work in the end.
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, give us the grace of total repentance today. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (The Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle - Feast Liturgical Colour: White. Bible Study: Acts 22:3-16, Ps. 117, Mark 16:15-18).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu