The Conversion of St. Paul
Hanging on the wall near my study’s writing desk, January in my Lutheran liturgical calendar has number 25 all wrapped up in white, announcing that today is The Feast Day of the Conversion of St. Paul. This is one of my favorite feast days because it declares in unconditional terms that we are all saved by the dramatic intervention of God in our lives. Jesus hit Saul like a thunderbolt, throwing him off his horse, crushing him to the ground with grace unleashed in all its transformative power. Jesus once said clearly to his disciples,
You did not choose me;
no, I chose you;
and I commissioned you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last.
(John 15:16-17, Jerusalem Bible)
Today Jesus says to Paul, “I’ve got you! You didn’t ever get me!” That’s the way God came to Moses in the burning bush, to Isaiah in the Temple, to his disciples, to you and to me. In his mercy, God picks us up and squeezes us close to himself. On November 30, 1937, God picked me up as an infant and in Holy Baptism said, “Now I have you, Andrew! You belong to me!” Ever since that day, over seventy-two years ago, God has never let go of me. And God never let go of Saul whom he renamed Paul and then made him one of Jesus’ apostles.
In Praying with Saint Paul, Fr. Jopseh T. Lienhard helps us understand what happened to Jesus’ horse-thrown apostle as he shares and explains a message St. Paul never tired of telling:
Courtroom drama has long been a staple of the theater, and of novels, movies, and television. Shakespeare used it effectively in The Merchant of Venice. The courtroom novels of John Grisham are best sellers. Films like The Caine Mutiny Court Martial are classics. The TV series Law and Order is a hugely successful show, but it is only one of dozens of series about trial lawyers, which almost always lead to a dramatic courtroom scene. Of course, the genre is far older. The Book of Daniel in the Old Testament gives us the wonderful story of Susanna, who is accused of a capital crime by two corrupt old men. The young and clever Daniel is the brilliant prosecutor, and he saves Susanna’s life. The trial of Jesus in the New Testament is very different; there an innocent man is convicted and condemned in an unjust trial but, in God’s mysterious plan, his unjust death brings justification to many sinners. Saint Paul sees the human race, too, in terms of a courtroom drama. Because of sin, the whole human race was rightly condemned. But – and here we see the mystery of God’s action, which does not follow the rules of human trials and sentencing – the sentence of condemnation is not the last word. Rather, through the mystery of Christ,we are later acquitted, because Christ’s action drew the punishment away from us. The story is told of a judge in traffic court. At the end of a long day, the judge’s own son is brought before him. The young man is clearly guilty. What does the judge do? He imposes the highest possible fine on his own son. Then he takes off his black robe, walks with his son to the cashier, and pays the fine himself; and they go home together. Do you see a parallel here?
I do, and I hope you do too.
Here’s the Prayer for this day:
O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused The light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.