The conversion of St. Paul

This 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time is also the celebration of the conversion of St. Paul.

I like this verse from the Gospel Acclamation: I chose you from the world, to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last, says the Lord.

This was the most profound verse I found in the Bible hours before my conversion to Catholicism. On the weeks prior to our baptism, I questioned myself if I am doing the right thing to be converted to Christianity.

Our RCIA facilitators told us that some of the cathecuments sometime ‘dropped out’ of RCIA at the last hour before their baptism. So, I kept asking myself if I am seriously into ‘it’ (Christianity) or could it be just a passing fad. And the verse from the Bible is ‘I chose you, you did not choose Me’ from the Gospel of John seems to whack me in my head. It is like Jesus telling me to stop imagining that one can become a follower of Christ on their fancy. It is not. It is God’s will. Without His will, no one can go to God through Jesus Christ.

St. Paul too has been chosen by Christ. St. Paul was steadfast in following Him. None of us can ever live up to that disciplined life St. Paul lived. The only thing I take comfort from St. Paul is how ‘rotten’ he was before his conversion. He slaughtered people who believed in Christ.

So, does it make you wonder why Jesus wanted to pick a person like Saul (Paul’s previous name) to be His follower? Why didn’t Jesus find someone who has better resume? Why did Jesus picked him? I guess it is to show us that the Lord favours us for our characters. The characters which the Lord will polish and fine tune. Saul for his stubborness in carrying out his master’s will. Saul, the thick skinned person who kept barging ahead with his mission. Saul who placed the Lord above everything else.

While I was driving to church for my OHP duty, it occurred to me that the challenges St Paul faced back then, still exists today. People still call St. Paul all sorts of names. People still accused him of butchering the Word of God. People made fun of him. People joked that we Christians are actually Paulians.

But does it matter to Paul, the person and Paul the saint? I guess not. So, can we Christians also have the same kind of resilience like Paul? I guess we can try.

I have somehow messed up my roster. I have to attend mass again on Sunday morning because apparently, I have lector’s duty too. I have totally forgotten about it because I missed entering into my mobile phone diary. But St. Paul probably gave me a nudge. The church clerk phoned me on Friday to tell me that the weekend has a special reading due to St. Paul conversion. I told her I will inform all the lectors on duty this weekend. Little did I know, I am one of them. Thank God, or else I would have made a big boo-boo. I hope we have different priest on Sunday morning or else I have to endure two masses with the same homily….Haiz….