On this feastday of St. Paul’s conversion, the Church offers us this account from the very final sentences of St. Mark’s Gospel: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16, 15-18)
The Jews have always looked to Jerusalem, the Muslims to Mecca, but Christians are not asked to regard any city as more sacred than another (mind you, Rome has quite a different meaning for Christians than has Jerusalem for Jews or Mecca for Muslims).
We have been sent “into the whole world” and we have been told to never look back. We are free in many more ways than we want to know! But with great freedom comes great responsibility. There is the hymn that says, “Let us build the city of God….” Our own neighborhood is the city of God. The city of God, after all, is not made of stones, but of people, “living stones,” St. Peter says in his first letter. (2, 5)
***
The accounts of St. Paul’s conversion (Acts 9, 1-22, for example) are the story of the power of God to transform lives for God’s purposes. Clearly, the Lord chose St. Paul, who was a very influential person, as an instrument to do amazing work. But how do we relate to that in our own faith journey? It seems that many people over the ages, and we too, are often blinded by the brightness of the light of “the God of our ancestors” calling us to be a witness to the voice of Jesus. Are we open to that? Are we ready to step up and be responsible for sharing the Good News in some fashion today? Are we willing to follow in St. Paul’s footsteps and do our part to build the city of God?
***
Celebramos hoy en la Liturgia de la Iglesia la conversión de San Pablo. La conversión debió suponer un tremendo cambio de mentalidad para él, una verdadera conversión. No solamente se hacía proscrito, como judío, al hacerse cristiano, sino que se le consideraba como renegado y traidor, ya que San Pablo había sido rabí, fariseo, y rabioso perseguidor de cristianos.
Y ahora ese mismo San Pablo sigue a Jesús. Cristo ha venido a ser su vida. Como su Señor, San Pablo también se sienta a la mesa con pecadores, recaudadores de impuestos, y paganos. De ahora en adelante entregará su vida a Cristo y a la Iglesia, una comunidad en la que no hay distinción entre griego y bárbaro, entre ciudadanos esclavos y libres, entre hombres y mujeres, y especialmente entre judíos y no-judíos.
Después de la conversión de San Pablo, Ananías le dijo: “Tú serás el testigo del Justo, de Cristo, ante toda la humanidad, testificando de todo lo que has visto y oído.” Nosotros también estamos invitados a dar testimonio de Aquel a quien hemos encontrado – Cristo Jesús.
