Conversion of St. Paul
One
Today, January 25th, we celebrate the Conversion of St. Paul.
Paul, also known as Saul, was born in Tarsus, modern-day Turkey, around 8 AD, which means he was likely in his mid-twenties when Jesus died and rose again. At that time, Paul was a devout Jew, so committed to his beliefs that he was determined to destroy Christianity before it gained momentum and spread. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that Paul, with letters of authority from the Chief Priests, was on his way to Damascus, where the new faith was taking root, to put an end to Christianity before it spread, using imprisonment and violence if necessary.
But, suddenly, while on the road to Damascus, there came a light from heaven. He fell to the ground, and then heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, Lord?” he asked, and the voice answered, “I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Get up now and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.” Struck blind, Paul was led by the hand to Damascus, where a Christian named Ananias laid hands on him and prayed. Immediately, it was as though scales fell away from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. So, he was baptized. After he had spent only a few days with the disciples in Damascus, he began preaching in the synagogues, “Jesus is the Messiah, He is the Son of God.”
If Jesus is real and He is God, well, then that redefines everything! After his encounter with Jesus, Paul completely transformed his life and became one of the Church's most powerful missionaries, spreading Christianity through Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Spain.
Two
Apostle to the Gentiles
Acts of the Apostles tells the story of three missionary journeys of St. Paul.
In the first journey, Paul, accompanied by Barnabas, traveled through central Asia Minor, forming friendships and proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah. He preached that salvation comes from receiving the very life of Christ into the soul through Baptism and allowing Christ to live the law of love in us. Many Jews accepted this Good News and were baptized. Others, however, saw the Gospel as a threat and relentlessly pursued Paul, seeking to put him to death.
Therefore, we are told in Acts 13:45, “When they saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. 'We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said: I have made you a light for the nations, so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.'”
On his second journey, the Holy Spirit led Paul to Europe, to Macedonia and Greece, where he firmly established Christianity in cities like Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth.
During his third journey, Paul returned to many of the established communities in Turkey and continued to build up the new Church in Greece, most notably through an extended stay in Ephesus. Finally, he was arrested, taken to Rome, and martyred. He is buried in the Church that bears his name, St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Three
Paul knew rejection from his own people
Few sufferings cut as deeply as watching an adult child turn away from Jesus and the Catholic Church, a rejection that often feels personal because our lives are bound to Christ. Paul knew this pain well. He experienced rejection from his own people and understood the heartbreak of seeing those you love walk away from the faith. But Paul was indefatigable. Isn’t that a great word? It means he never gave up, and neither should you. But we need a real strategy to bring your kids back to Christ. So, here are three crucial steps.
First, prayer! Pray for the conversion of your kids by name.
Paul prayed for the conversion of people he loved. In Colossians, Paul writes, “That will explain why, ever since the day I told you, I have never failed to pray for you, and what I ask God is that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of his will. So you will be able to lead the kind of life which the Lord expects of you, a life acceptable to him in all its aspects; showing the results in all the good actions you do and increasing your knowledge of God.”
Pray for them by name in every Rosary. And the most powerful prayer is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. That is the prayer offered by Jesus, which is infinite and all-powerful. Go to Sunday Mass and daily Mass and join your prayer for your kids’ conversion to the prayer of Christ. There is no more effective means.
Four
Sacrifice
The second step is to offer sacrifices for the conversion of your children. Again, to the Colossians, Paul wrote, “It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church.”
At the beginning of each day, do the morning offering and offer it for your children by name. Say, “Father, I give you my prayer, work, joy and suffering this day. I unite it to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and I offer it for (name your kids).”
Then everything you do that day is united to the infinite intercession of Christ for the conversion of your kids. Then throughout the day, renew that offering by accepting what you did not choose, do not like, and cannot change, and offer it up for their conversion, offer it by name. I accept this for so and so. I do this for the conversion of so and so. We waste a lot of opportunities each day. Don’t waste them. Accept them and offer them up.
Five
Friendship is the bridge
The third step is to build a bridge by building a deep friendship with your kids who have fallen away. Remember this principle: people come to God through other people. Paul knew this and built deep friendships with Barnabus, Timothy, Titus, Silas, and many others.
You may not be the person who brings your son or daughter back to Christ and the Church. But you certainly don’t want to be a roadblock, and you want to be a bridge. That bridge is friendship. And what does friendship take: time. Spend time together. Invite them to do good things together. Prepare a meal or dessert for them. Invite them to do good things, like a walk or some activity.
Here is the most important part. Be genuinely interested in their lives. Learn what they are doing, what they like, and what they desire. Then delight in them. Make them know and feel that you think the world is a better place just because they exist. Find all kinds of ways to say to them by word and action: It is good that you exist, how wonderful you are.
People can’t believe an invisible God loves them unconditionally and delights in them if the people they can see don’t communicate unconditional love and express their delight in them. We build the bridge to God by demonstrating to our kids that we know them, unconditionally love them, care for them, and delight in them.
Now, do all three steps over and over and over and never give up, and lastly, have confidence that God will break open their hearts and they will receive the love of God. Trust him and never give up.