Celebrating Beauty: The Conversion of St. Paul
- Claire Anderson
- Jan 24, 2021
- 3 min read
An ongoing series about how to add a little beauty to our favorite feasts and seasons
There are very few saints who have multiple feast days. Only Mary, St. Joseph, St. Peter, and St. Paul are celebrated multiple times a year, and of all the saints with great conversion stories, the only one on the calendar is the Conversion of St. Paul, celebrated on January 25. What is this feast? Why do we celebrate it? What is it about St. Paul's conversion that is so special?
For starters, St. Paul's conversion is one of the most dramatic conversion stories recorded in Scripture and one of a very few that involves an actual appearance of Jesus. (You can read the story in Acts 9: 1-22 or as told by St. Paul himself in Acts 22: 3-16 and Galatians 1: 11-24). It's a pretty incredible story. In just a few short verses we see Saul, the man who held everyone's coats when they stoned St. Stephen and "breathed murderous threats" against Christians turn into Paul, the prolific writer and dauntless evangelist for the very Jesus he had so despised. The turning point for him was an encounter with Christ that literally knocked him to the ground and blinded him. He was moved by the courage of Ananias who came to him and healed him, though he certainly could have been killed. After that, Paul never looked back. All he did, he did in, with, and for Jesus Christ.
“More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8)
In a way, St. Paul's conversion story is the same as every great conversion story. There comes a point when we encounter Jesus and have to choose, will we follow him or will we follow our own way. And hopefully, after that we never look back and endeavor to let all we do be done in, with, and for Christ and never cease to proclaim what he has done for us.
We can all see ourselves in St. Paul. We may not have been actually persecuting people who believed in Jesus, but perhaps there was a time when we didn't want others to know we were Christian or perhaps we simply wanted to live life our own way. Or maybe we just went through the motions with our faith, wanting to leave Jesus in the one hour we give to Him on Sundays. Everyone's story is unique, but like St. Paul, conversion happened when we decided to live differently, to say 'yes' to Jesus instead of 'no'.
That is the beautiful power of story. In St. Paul's story and in the stories of other saints, we see modeled for us what conversion looks like. From their testimony, we can draw courage to encounter Christ in our own time and situation. Just as their stories inspire and instruct us, our stories can do the same for others. Story is a privileged place of encounter where we can learn wisdom from another and apply it to our own life.
Today as we celebrate St. Paul's conversion, take some time to consider your own conversion story. It may not be dramatic, but that's ok. Just look at your life and notice where the Lord had been drawing you closer to Himself. Was there a moment you made a conscious choice to follow Christ, or did you come to faith more gradually? What perhaps may need to change in your life so that you can follow Jesus more closely? How has the Lord been working in your life? Don't just think about it. Write it down so that when you are asked why faith is so important to you, you have an answer.
Happy Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, friends!
Let's Celebrate!
Here are just a few ideas to help you celebrate the day with some beautiful things.
Prayer
The best way to celebrate conversion is to take time to encounter Christ. Here are just a few ways:
Using the questions above, reflect on your own faith journey. Go to adoration and write your story. If you are looking for a challenge, share your story with your family or a close friend and invite them to share theirs.
Pray Lectio Divina with the story of the conversion of St. Paul or with any of St. Paul's writings! (You can read a post on how to pray Lectio Divina here.)
Movies and Books
Music
Gustav Holst: St. Paul Suite
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