By james art The story
+ Saul was a faithful Pharisee born in Tarsus. Entrusted with an official mission by the high priest, Saul went to Damascus, intending to arrest the Christians in that city and bring them to Jerusalem for trial.
+ As Saul approached the city, a light from heaven suddenly blazed around him, and an immediate transformation took place in the soul of Saul, who would become known as “Paul.”
+ In his many letters, Saint Paul never recalls the moment of his conversion with deep gratitude for the mercy and love shown by the Divine Master.
+ The Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul was first celebrated in France in the sixth century and was introduced in Rome in the eleventh century.
For prayer and reflection
“We are Christians only if we encounter Christ, even if He does not reveal Himself to us as clearly and irresistibly as He did to Paul, making him the apostle of the Gentiles.” – Pope Benedict XVI
Spiritual bonus
January 25 marks the end of the annual Prayer octave for Christian unity. This observance was started by Franciscan Friars of the Redemption in 1908 and is an invitation to all Christians to reflect and pray for the unity of the Church.
prayer
God who taught the whole world
through the preaching of the blessed apostle Paul,
draw us, we pray, closer to you
through the example of him whose conversion we celebrate today,
and so make us witnesses of your truth in the world.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever. amen
(from The Roman Missal)
Profiles of saints prepared by Father Silas Henderson, SDS