The Catholic Church offers its adherents living examples of Christian conduct. However no saint acts in isolation. As last Tuesday’s story shows, Pater Rösch received assistance from those who likewise jeopardized their personal safety to help. Such mutual faithfulness began as early as the year 33 AD (ACE, in current nomenclature).
Tomorrow the Church celebrates the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. This fictional account of his conversion concerns itself with the idea that Paul was not an evildoer from God’s perspective. His misguided attack on Christians flowed from the personal conviction of a man of prayer seeking truth. Scripture offers a biography of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles and also scattered throughout many Pauline epistles.See the following link for more information.
He Is Praying
Saul’s prayer had become his life. After all the studies, all the searching of books, all the questions, he understood that the only important thing was prayer. With a passion, he poured his heart into it, because he’d fallen in love with God. His prayer directed all his actions. It was zeal for his One God that brought him to Damascus. He had been told to bring the neo-pagans to trial, because they were disrupting the community of believers. Why is it, he thought, that every time somebody comes up with a new god, a new idea, even the best of men fall prey to their pernicious heresies? He wished people weren’t so fickle.
Riding toward the city gates, he tried to put aside thoughts of the dissenters. It was the noon hour and his heart turned to the payer other Pharisees like himself would be reciting. “The Lord is king, let the earth rejoice, the many coast-lands be glad . . .” he raised his strong voice in song. Those who rode with him joined in the chant.
The thought of the fools who wanted more than the One God of Israel distracted him. To help his prayer, he refocused on his plan to round up the misfits and take them to Jerusalem for trial. Eager to bring the heretics to justice, he continued Psalm 97 because it matched his righteous anger, “A fire prepares his path, it burn up his foes on every side . . .” He spurred his horse on, in a hurry to put an end to these enemies of God and Temple.
His men sang the response, “His lightnings light up the world. . .”
A blinding light flashed. His horse reared, and he fell to the ground.
* * *
“Ananias,” a familiar voice whispered in the holy disciple’s psyche.
“Here I am, Lord,” said Ananias, recognizing Jesus.
“Go to the house of Judas and ask for Saul of Tarsus; he is there praying.”
Yup and St.Paul probably never really had a conversion as it was more of a fulfillment since he was a Jew and this was the fulfillment of the Jewish covenant.
ReplyDeletePaul brought the Word of God to the Gentiles which opened the flood gates like never before :)