Conversion of St. Paul, Thursday – 25th January 2024 – Acts 9,1-22; Mark 16,15-18
Becoming Christian in the Encounter
Today’s feast commemorates the extraordinary conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus. This experience of and encounter with the risen Christ was so important that Luke narrated it three times in the Acts of the Apostles (9,1-22; 22,3-21; 26,4-23). Although Paul himself never spoke directly of this event as a conversion, it was an event that radically changed and transformed him and his thinking. He was transformed from being a persecutor of Christ and his Church to become a herald of the Gospel and an Apostle of Christ to the Gentiles. Through his encounter with Jesus, he experienced a death and resurrection. Paul’s former way of life and existence died and a new one was born. What had been important and fundamental for him before now was counted as garbage and worthless (Phil 3,7-8). From then on he became a witness of the Resurrection of Jesus. His encounter with the Lord enlightened his mind and healed his interior blindness. He was able to see everything anew in the light of Christ. Paul now understands that he is not made righteous through his observance of the Law of Moses. Rather, righteousness and justification are based on faith in Christ. Only the grace of faith in Christ is capable of justifying everyone. Faith is not a one-time act. Rather, it consists of entrusting ourselves to Christ, being united to Christ, and being confirmed to Christ’s life, which is life (Gal 5,14). Indeed, we become Christians only if we encounter Christ.
