Conversion - personal and constant!

WORD 2day: Monday, 21st week in Ordinary time

August 23, 2021: 1 Thessalonians 1: 1- 5, 8-10; Matthew 23: 13-22

Evangelisation is one topic that the Church can never tired itself speaking of, because it is the primary reason for its being. As soon as the Church speaks of evangelisation, the anti-church civil society would interpret it as ‘Conversion’ and in turn those factions never tire themselves of accusing the Church of conversions. 

Conversion - while it would mean mere numbers for those who accuse, the readings today present to us what a true conversion should be, or what it is for the Church! It means discovering the deepest sense of meaning within a person, a sense that would give the person a sense of living his or her life to the full; it is a call that has always been there, now being listened to and recognised with all its consequences. 

This meaning, this call, is experiences and responded to in terms of priorities, choices and value systems that are adopted by individuals and communities that share the same call or meaning. Right priorities and right values are crucial within this discourse. St. Paul underlines it in such clear terms writing to the Thessalonians, that our faith should be active; our love committed and our hope firm. 

Faith in action, love as concrete compassion and hope as unceasing optimism – these are the reasons why Pope Francis is fond of repeating – A ‘Christian’ can never be sad! Conversion, therefore, consists in understanding the call within to live one's life to the full and doing the needful to respond to that call! In this sense, is it not true that each and every one of us, has to be committed to our personal and constant conversion?