Conversion: the call and the commitment

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

January 25, 2022: The Conversion of St. Paul

Acts 22:3-16; Mark 16:15-18

In celebrating the event of the conversion of St. Paul we celebrate the Christian theology of Conversion. It is not merely about someone abandoning one's previous faith and embracing another faith, a phenomenon which seems to be creating so much of a controversy down the history. It is about discovering, or rediscovering, one's call and commitment, the original call and the fundamental commitment. 

Paul was called...and he knew it well. He did not realise the crux of his call, but he was convinced he was called. We as children of God need to have that conviction that we are called, a fundamental self-identity that sets us apart and keeps us close to God. At times we may mistake, misunderstand or misinterpret the call that we have received...but what is important is the search to remain faithful to God. 

Paul committed himself to God and God's mission, with all his heart and with all his soul. Even when he was a persecutor of the Christians, he was doing it all for God and that authenticity in Paul, brought him to the right path in the same drammatic way that he loved God. His commitment was exceptional and that is why when his whole direction was changed in life, Paul continued with the same zest within him. There was inbuilt within him, a sense of absolute commitment to his call.

Conversion, therefore, is a rediscovery of the original call that we have received from the Lord. The call and the reminder is to remain always alert to discern the purposes of the Lord and be ready always for an absolute commitment to God's ways!