A "call" or should I say "fall" to conversion

There is so much that we can learn from St. Paul; not only from his several epistles which make up most of the New Testament, but from his experience on the road to Damascus. We know what kind of person Saul of Tarsus was. He persecuted Christians and even oversaw the execution of St. Stephen our first Martyr. On the road to Damascus as told in the Acts of the Apostles (9:1-22), Paul’s intention was to do what he knew how to do best; he planned to persecute more Christians! On this road, a bright light flashed in front of him, and practically knocked him off of his horse. He fell to the ground and heard a voice that said “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Obviously we know that this voice belongs to Christ. Jesus gives Paul instructions to go into the city and he will be told what to do. At this point, St. Paul is blinded and remains that way for three days until Ananias who was instructed by the Lord to lay hands on Paul and baptize him. We know how St. Paul’s story goes from there; he preaches the Gospel, corrects Christians, spends a lot of time in prison or house arrest, and ultimately is beheaded in Rome.

The primary message we should draw from St. Paul’s story is that we all have a call to conversion. For many of us, our call will be slightly more subtle than St. Paul’s dramatic experience. Nonetheless, conversion will always begin with a personal encounter with Christ. However, it is up to us to discern in which ways we can discover God’s call and in the manner in which we can experience a sincere relationship with him. St. Paul isn’t the only figure in this passage that we can learn from. Ananias too experienced a conversion, which like Saint Paul was initiated by an encounter with the Lord.

Ananias heard horror stories of Saul of Tarsus and his reputation as Christian persecutor. Ananias like many of us developed a preconceived notion of St. Paul prior to meeting him and bringing him to the light. How many times have we heard and believed comments made about members of our community? Whether it be the parish secretary who nobody can seem to get along with, the hospitality minister who is not very good at showing hospitality, or the troublesome looking individual sitting in the back pew with tattoos and a bald head, our prejudices make us less inclined to want to fellowship with these people. This brings us to the next call, the call that Ananias hears, experiences and to which responds with action. He was hesitant in ministering to St. Paul because of what he had heard in regards to his past however in Acts 9:11-19, Ananias was told by Jesus to lay hands on St. Paul that he may regain his sight. He expresses his concern from all the evil that he has heard that Saul committed but Jesus said to Ananias “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of

As one mystical body of Christ we are called to acknowledge and appreciate each individual function of the parts of the body. We are all blessed with gifts and talents that when combined work towards the greater glory of God. If we set aside prejudices and judgements about fellow members of the Body of Christ and experience conversion along with them, we have the opportunity to grow in faith and fellowship together and to be one just as Christ wills it.

Heavenly Father, help us to be one just as you and Jesus are one.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ONE God forever and AMEN!