Homily For Wednesday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 25th January, 2023 The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul

Readings: Act: 22:3-16, Ps. 117, Mark 16:15-18

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

THE GRACE OF TRUE CONVERSION BEGINS WITH PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD

There is something deep and unique about every person, sometimes it takes personal experience to discover this uniqueness. This is evident in our first reading today as we celebrate the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, an event that prompt me to reflect on my personal experience of God. I am confident enough to tell you that everyday is an opportunity to encounter God through different events that occur in our lives.

 

I don't know if you have ever had an experience that made you realize the emptiness of this life, a kind of experience that turns pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness, an experience that changes your perspective about things or people?

 

This is the kind of experience that Saul had with Jesus that made him realize the emptiness of his life and how wrong he was, fighting against God’s people. For Saul was a young and zealous Pharisee who was deeply involved in the persecutions of early Christians. He was present at the moment when St. Stephen was martyred and stoned to death. Saul was also a leading figure among the Sanhedrin in their attempt to destroy the Church and the followers of Christ, for he went from place to place and carried out violent attacks against the followers of Christ until he encountered the Lord on his way to Damascus.

 

This very encounter brought true conversion in his life and changed his perspective about Christians. This encounter gave him a new identity, changing his name from Saul to Paul. A name indicating his new mission. A mission he so carried out with all his zeal and passion that he is regarded as one of the apostles and today his works still speak about the effect of his personal encounter with Jesus. For his life is a fulfilment of the command of Jesus in our Gospel passage today when he said to his disciples, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned.

 

Dear friends, as we celebrate the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, we are called to reflect on our own conversion. Today like St. Paul, we are called to reflect on our personal experience with God. How have we personally experienced God? When was your spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that does not based on what people told us of him?  Remember that by the virtue of our baptism we are called to share in the same ministry and calling that St. Paul himself had received from the Lord. So, in case you have not personally experience the Lord, all you need to do is to sincerely seek God in those common events in your life and you will realize how much God is willing to reveal himself to you.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we really need to have a personal encounter of your presence in our lives. As we reflect on the encounter and conversion of St. Paul today, may we experience your presence in a unique way and through this experience discover our purpose and mission in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Do have a blessed and favourable day.