Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul , the Apostle
Lectionary:
519
Paul addressed the people in these words:
"I am a Jew, born inTarsus
in Cilicia ,
but brought up in this city.
At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law
and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
I persecuted this Way to death,
binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.
Even the high priest and the whole council of elders
can testify on my behalf.
For from them I even received letters to the brothers
and set out forDamascus to
bring back to Jerusalem
in chains for punishment those there as well.
"On that journey as I drew near toDamascus ,
about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
I replied, 'Who are you, sir?'
And he said to me,
'I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.'
My companions saw the light
but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me.
I asked, 'What shall I do, sir?'
The Lord answered me, 'Get up and go intoDamascus ,
and there you will be told about everything
appointed for you to do.'
Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light,
I was led by hand by my companions and enteredDamascus .
"A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law,
and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
came to me and stood there and said,
'Saul, my brother, regain your sight.'
And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.
Then he said,
'The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will,
to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice;
for you will be his witness before all
to what you have seen and heard.
Now, why delay?
Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away,
calling upon his name.'"
"I am a Jew, born in
but brought up in this city.
At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law
and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
I persecuted this Way to death,
binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.
Even the high priest and the whole council of elders
can testify on my behalf.
For from them I even received letters to the brothers
and set out for
in chains for punishment those there as well.
"On that journey as I drew near to
about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
I replied, 'Who are you, sir?'
And he said to me,
'I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.'
My companions saw the light
but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me.
I asked, 'What shall I do, sir?'
The Lord answered me, 'Get up and go into
and there you will be told about everything
appointed for you to do.'
Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light,
I was led by hand by my companions and entered
"A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law,
and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
came to me and stood there and said,
'Saul, my brother, regain your sight.'
And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.
Then he said,
'The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will,
to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice;
for you will be his witness before all
to what you have seen and heard.
Now, why delay?
Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away,
calling upon his name.'"
Or Acts
9:1-22
Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of
the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues inDamascus ,
that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back toJerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearingDamascus ,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him toDamascus .
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple inDamascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, AAnanias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man fromTarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones inJerusalem .
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children ofIsrael ,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples inDamascus ,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God.
All who heard him were astounded and said,
"Is not this the man who inJerusalem
ravaged those who call upon this name,
and came here expressly to take them back in chains
to the chief priests?"
But Saul grew all the stronger
and confounded the Jews who lived inDamascus ,
proving that this is the Christ.
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to
On his journey, as he was nearing
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in
and the Lord said to him in a vision, AAnanias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God.
All who heard him were astounded and said,
"Is not this the man who in
ravaged those who call upon this name,
and came here expressly to take them back in chains
to the chief priests?"
But Saul grew all the stronger
and confounded the Jews who lived in
proving that this is the Christ.
Responsorial
Psalm Ps 117:1bc, 2
R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to
all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk
16:15-18
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
"Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
"Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Meditation: "Go into
all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation"
Mark
ends his gospel account with Jesus' last appearance to the apostles before his
ascension into heaven. Jesus' departure and ascension was both an end and a
beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus' physical presence
with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with
them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end
of time. Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, ascended to the right
hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit who
would anoint them with power on the Feast of Pentecost, just as Jesus was
anointed for his ministry at the River Jordan. When the Lord Jesus departed
physically from the apostles, they were not left in sorrow or grief. Instead,
they were filled with joy and with great anticipation for the coming of the
Holy Spirit.
Jesus'
last words to his apostles point to his saving mission and to their mission to
be witnesses of his saving death and his glorious resurrection and to proclaim
the good news of salvation to all the world. Their task is to proclaim the good
news of salvation, not only to the people of Israel , but to all the nations.
God's love and gift of salvation is not just for a few, or for a nation, but it
is for the whole world – for all who will accept it. The gospel is the power of
God, the power to forgive sins, to heal, to deliver from evil and oppression, and
to restore life. Do you believe in the power of the gospel?
This is
the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All
believers have been given a share in this task – to be heralds of the good news
and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world. We have not
been left alone in this task, for the risen Lord works in and through us by the
power of his Holy Spirit. Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours
out his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of Christ
and to equip it for effective ministry and mission to every land and peoples.
Do you witness to others the joy of the gospel and the hope of the
resurrection?
Conversion
of Paul the Apostle
Many Christians celebrate today the conversion ofSt. Paul who became an apostle to the Gentile
nations. Paul testified how he first opposed the gospel and persecuted
Christians, but was converted when Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:3-16).
Paul's encounter with the person of Christ radically changed his life and
opened his eyes to the truth of the gospel. Benedict XVI reflects on the
significance of Paul's conversion for the whole Christian people:
Many Christians celebrate today the conversion of
"Paul's conversion matured in his encounter with the Risen
Christ; it was this encounter that radically changed his life. What happened to
him on the road to Damascus
is what Jesus asks in today's Gospel: Saul is converted because, thanks to the
divine light, "he has believed in the Gospel". In this consists his
and our conversion: in believing in Jesus dead and risen and in opening to the
illumination of his divine grace. In that moment Saul understood that his
salvation did not depend on good works fulfilled according to the law, but on
the fact that Jesus died also for him the persecutor and has risen. This truth
by which every Christian life is enlightened thanks to Baptism completely
overturns our way of life. To be converted means, also for each one of us, to
believe that Jesus "has given himself for me", dying on the Cross (cf.
Galatians 2: 20) and, risen, lives with me and in me. Entrusting myself to the
power of his forgiveness, letting myself be taken by his hand, I can come out
of the quicksands of pride and sin, of deceit and sadness, of selfishness and
of every false security, to know and live the richness of his love." (from address given on January 25, 2009)
“Lord
Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, you fill us with an indomitable
spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can subdue. Fill me with your
resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving for your
glory. May I witness to those around me the joy of the gospel and the reality
of your resurrection.”
This
reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager, whose website is located at:
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/
Conversion of
Paul’s entire life can be explained in
terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus . In an instant, he saw that all the
zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted, like the strength of a boxer
swinging wildly. Perhaps he had never seen Jesus, who was only a few years
older. But he had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus stood for, as he
began to harass the Church: “...entering house after house and dragging out men
and women, he handed them over for imprisonment” (Acts 8:3b). Now he himself
was “entered,” possessed, all his energy harnessed to one goal—being a slave of
Christ in the ministry of reconciliation, an instrument to help others
experience the one Savior.
One
sentence determined his theology: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts
9:5b). Jesus was mysteriously identified with people—the loving group of people
Saul had been running down like criminals. Jesus, he saw, was the mysterious
fulfillment of all he had been blindly pursuing.From then on, his only work was to “present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me” (Colossians 1:28b-29). “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and [with] much conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5a).
Paul’s life became a tireless proclaiming and living out of the message of the cross: Christians die baptismally to sin and are buried with Christ; they are dead to all that is sinful and unredeemed in the world. They are made into a new creation, already sharing Christ’s victory and someday to rise from the dead like him. Through this risen Christ the Father pours out the Spirit on them, making them completely new.
So Paul’s great message to the world was: You are saved entirely by God, not by anything you can do. Saving faith is the gift of total, free, personal and loving commitment to Christ, a commitment that then bears fruit in more “works” than the Law could ever contemplate.
Comment:
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 perhaps our problems are accentuated by the fact that so many beautiful jewels have become part of the everyday coin in our Christian language (see quote, below).
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 perhaps our problems are accentuated by the fact that so many beautiful jewels have become part of the everyday coin in our Christian language (see quote, below).
Quote:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét