Thought for the Day – 25 January
We marvel at the total conversion of the man whom we celebrate today. We marvel at his zeal, his influence, and his transparent honesty in speaking about himself: “I am the foremost of sinners but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” ( 1 Tim 1:15-16). That sums up the importance of this feast for us, who are among those who follow in Paul’s footsteps and believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life, and are still making good on our own conversion.
In the end, the same thing that converted Saul is the only thing that will convert us: the deep conviction that “Christ loves us with all the inexhaustible charity of God’s own heart.” (Christ is Passing By, no. 59) For St Paul the time came and then everything changed—he changed, the world changed. He discovered that he possessed the age-old love which the Lord had pledged to his fathers: I have loved you with a timeless love. (Jer 31:3) And “in being loved by Christ,” concludes Saint John Chrysostom, “he thought of himself as possessing life, the world, the angels, present and future, the kingdom, the promise, countless blessings.”…………Rev. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
Paul is undoubtedly hard to understand. His style often reflects the rabbinical style of argument of his day and often his thought skips on mountaintops while we plod below. But the bottom-line is this: the question is “what is it about” and the answer is “love”.
St Paul Pray for us!
AnaStpaul 