CONVERSION

January 25 marks the celebration of the Conversion of St. Paul – from a devout Jew named Saul whose only wish is to annihilate the early Christian Church to an influential Christian named Paul who desired that others know the joys and responsibilities of salvation in and through Jesus Christ.  What brought about this drastic change or conversion in Saul?  A real experience of the risen Christ that he could not ignore for it opened his eyes to the truth of the human condition and our need for right relationship with God, others, our self, and creation.

So close to our celebration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, it is interesting to note the observations of Michael Gorman in his book Reading Paul:
            “…one Sunday, on the January weekend when Americans commemorate Dr. King, the children’s sermon at church rehearsed the life of the civil rights leader, and I could not help but notice the similarities between his story and Paul’s.  Like Dr. King, Paul knew himself to be commissioned by God to preach and live a socially and politically charged message that

·         focused on the justice of God;

·         called for the inclusion of outsiders in the beloved community;

·         necessitated the rejection of violence;

·         implicitly, and sometimes explicitly, challenged imperial power;

·         meant living in the shadow of the cross and the power of the resurrection; and

·         resulted in much persecution, and eventually death.

This list suggests both the parallels between Paul and Dr. King and the shape of Paul’s life itself after his encounter with the resurrected Jesus.  Prior to that experience, Paul was a far cry from either Dr. King or the man that the encounter birthed.” (10-11)

So in the living memories of St. Paul and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week, I encourage us all to think about how we have encountered the risen Christ in our lives.  Have we allowed this encounter to bring about our own conversion for the greater glory of God and in service of humanity?  Do we continue to open our eyes to the many ways the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ is trying to shape us into men and women for and with others?  Do we accept hardships as our part in the cross of Christ knowing that we who have died with Christ will also rise with him?  Let this be our prayer.

Erin Schmidt is the Campus Ministry Liturgy Coordinator.