The Feast of the Conversion of St Paul | Thursday 25 January 2024

Today is Thursday the 25th of January, the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul.

The monks of the Abbey of Keur Moussa sing:
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul: You are my hope throughout the day.”
Can you make this your prayer today?

As you enter into prayer now, can you begin by lifting your soul to God, and placing all your hope and all your trust in the Lord?

Today’s reading is from the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts 22:3-16

[Paul said to the people:] ‘I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.

‘While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” I answered, “Who are you, Lord?” Then he said to me, “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.” Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. I asked, “What am I to do, Lord?” The Lord said to me, “Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to you to do.” Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to Damascus.

This is a great story - God intervening dramatically in the life of Saul. And just as remarkable is Saul’s immediate response ‘What am I to do, Lord?’ Perhaps this blinding light was the only way to get Saul’s attention. And Saul responds simply, but wholeheartedly. Can you think of a moment in your life where God has caught your attention? Perhaps not through a blinding light! But maybe something else…

Have there been times in your life when you have asked ‘What am I to do, Lord?’? Is there a desire in you to respond to God as wholeheartedly as Saul?

Listen to how the story continues and reflect on your own responses to God’s invitation.

"A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there, came to me; and standing beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own voice; for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’

Saul, now called Paul, is asked to witness to what he has seen and heard. Take some time to talk to Jesus about how you desire to witness to what you know of him – in whatever form that takes in your life.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.