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The Conversion of St Paul

One of the most satisfying moments in literature occurs at the end of Charles Dickens’ novella, A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge, starts the story as a misanthropic greedy miser, but after being faced with a vision of his own death, unloved and unmourned, he turns his life around. Scrooge totally changes, and becomes kind, generous, and loving. The transformation is real, and heart-felt. Similarly, one of the greatest turnarounds in Christian history happens with St Paul. Saul of Tarsus, as he was originally known, was a zealous Pharisee, and was keen to persecute the followers of Christ. And yet Paul becomes a great evangelist, devoting his life to telling people about Jesus. His is a profound change of heart, which speaks to us of God’s ability to mould our characters and lives; to reconcile, and to heal.

St Paul first appears in the Acts of the Apostles holding people’s clothes as they are stoning Stephen the Deacon to death. There is a discomfort in even mentioning this because we are naturally squeamish about the idea of imposing capital punishment for blasphemy. We are Christians who believe that life is sacred, and a gift from God. Not so our tentmaker from Tarsus! At this stage of his life, Saul is angry, and zealous, fanatical and single-minded in his devotion to God and the Jewish law. He wants to stamp out the Church, once and for all!

This angry man is travelling to Damascus, keen to rid the world of the scourge of Christianity, when something amazing happens. Saul sees a bright light, and falls to the ground, and then he hears a voice, saying:

‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

‘Saul, Saul, pam yr wyt yn fy erlid I?’ (Acts 9:5)

Saul then realises that Jesus is talking to him. For a moment, I would like to concentrate on Our Lord’s Words. Christ does not say: ‘Why are you persecuting my Church?’, or ‘Why are you persecuting my followers?’ Instead He asks Saul, ‘Why are you persecuting ME?’ God the Son talks directly to the greatest persecutor of the Church. Our Lord takes things personally. The Church is the Body of Christ. We are His Body, He loves us, and cares for us. Therefore, God takes an enemy of the Church and transforms him into its true friend. We put our trust in a God who changes things, and the Conversion of St Paul is one of the most dramatic and consequential reversals in Christian history. 

At the heart of this event is the operation of sanctifying grace; the unmerited kindness of God, which has the power to make things Holy. We receive it through our Baptism, when we are washed clean, and born again to new life in Christ. Through his direct experience of Christ, along with the love of the Christian community (represented by Ananias of Damascus), Paul is restored. 

After his conversion Paul goes to the synagogues and to tell his fellow Jews that:

‘Jesus is the Son of God.’ (Acts 9:20)

This causes profound confusion. People are surprised that the same man who came to Damascus to arrest Christians, and have them tried for blasphemy, appears to have joined the very religious movement which he was persecuting. Not only this, but this pharisee is now busy telling everyone about Jesus. In the Gospel, Our Lord tells his disciples to go out and proclaim the Good News. This is exactly what St Paul is doing, and what he will carry on doing for the rest of his life. 

On foot, and by boat, Paul will travel thousands of miles around the Mediterranean Sea proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ and founding communities of believers. He also writes many letters to support the fledgling Church. Thanks to Paul’s dedication and devotion, the message of salvation has been announced throughout the world. At the heart of the Good News is the promise that there is nothing God cannot do, if we let Him. If we cooperate with the Divine, so that His will is done, on earth, as it is in Heaven. If we repent of our sins, and turn back to Our Loving Father, and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. If we are nourished by Word and Sacrament. If we pray, and are supported by a community of prayer, which we call the Church. Then God can, and will, transform us, to bear witness to Him, and to make His Kingdom a reality here and now. 

God can, and will, heal our wounds, restore our relationships, and give us the strength we need to be a loving community. If the Almighty can turn an enemy and persecutor of the Church into its greatest evangelist and missionary, what can He do with us? None of us are beyond redemption and conversion. God can, and will, use us to make the world a better place. Paul did not earn the right of salvation, and neither do we. God offers us salvation in and through Christ out of love. We can choose to accept His love, and to allow Our Heavenly Father to be at work in us. We can let God transform us bit by bit into His likeness. The more we co-operate, the more Our God and Saviour can be at work in and through us; proclaiming the truth of His Kingdom, and helping to reach those in need of His love.

So, my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us commit ourselves to follow the example of St Paul. Let us open both ourselves and our lives to Jesus, and allow Him to transform us. With joy, let us proclaim His Kingdom, giving glory to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Duw Dad, Duw y Mab a Duw yr Ysbryd Glân. To whom be ascribed all might, majesty, glory, dominion and power, now, and forever.

Caravaggio: The Conversion of St Paul [Rome: Odescalchi Balbi Collection]
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Trinity Sunday 2024: Transformed by God’s Love: Exploring the Trinitarian Faith and Sacramental Life

WE are all extremely fortunate to live in North Pembrokeshire for many reasons, and especially because we are close to so many hills. Mountains and hills take a lot of effort to climb, but once you have ascended, you can see for miles around. Hilltops are special places, and today’s Gospel takes place on one. Also, many other important and significant moments in Matthew’s Gospel take place on mountains including the Temptation, the Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration, and the Crucifixion. Our Lord also speaks His final words before his Ascension on a hilltop. 

Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church: a revelation of who God is, and how much God loves us, His people. This week we continue to meditate upon God’s love. This love forms a relationship so intimate that God is closer to us than we are to ourselves — that is something quite hard to get our heads around! Above all, God’s love is something to be experienced, rather than understood. Through this experience God transforms us, so that we can experience that love more fully, and finally enjoy it for eternity, in Heaven.

In today’s Gospel Jesus’ disciples have been told to go to Galilee, to a particular mountain, to meet the Risen Lord. They are obedient, and head north from Jerusalem. When the disciples arrive at the mountain, they see Our Lord and bow down and worship Him — just like the Wise Men did at His birth. Some of the apostles, however, doubt. They have not yet fully grasped the reality of the situation: the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead, is preparing to ascend to His Father, and send the Holy Spirit. Before His Ascension, Jesus comes to them, and speaks to them saying:

‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’

‘Rhoddwyd i mi, bob awdurdod yn y nef ac ar y ddaear’ (Mt 28:18)

This, at one level, is a grand claim to make. But, it is the fulfilment of a prophecy about the Son of Man made by the prophet Daniel:

‘And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.’

‘Rhoddwyd iddo arglwyddiaeth a gogoniant a brenhiniaeth, i’r holl bobloedd o bob cenedl ac iaith ei wasanaethu. Yr oedd ei arglwyddiaeth yn dragwyddol a digyfnewid, ac ni ddinistrir ei frenhiniaeth.’ (Dan 7:14)

Jesus is true God and true man. He fulfils the prophecies of scripture. He also has authority, which He shares with His Church, empowering it to act in His name.

Our Risen Lord tells the disciples to ‘Go therefore’ ‘Ewch, gan hynny’ (Mt 28:19). They are not to stay put, but are called to be active in the world. The Church is given a mission to: ‘make disciples of all nations’ ‘gwnewch ddisgyblion o’r holl genhedloedd’ (Mt 28:19). The disciples, having been taught by Jesus, are empowered to teach the faith to others. The Church has a universal mission. No-one is to be excluded or left out. As well as being proclaimers of the faith, the apostles are also instructed to baptize new converts:

‘baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’

‘gan eu bedyddio hwy yn enw’r Tad a’r Mab a’r Ysbryd Glân’ (Mt 28:19)

This small detail is important. It matters. From the very beginning, the Christian Faith is a Trinitarian Faith. We believe in One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three persons, bound together in love, who invite the world to be in a relationship with Them.

Our Eucharist this morning began, ‘Yn enw’r Tad, a’r Mab, a’r Ysbryd Glân, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’, because this is the God whom we worship. We express our belief in the words that we use, and also in our actions. Our deeds show in a physical way what we believe. As Christians, we are called to live out the faith of our baptism in our lives. God, who is love, has shown that love to the world through His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the sending of the Holy Spirit. To be a Christian is to have encountered that love, and been changed by it. We are changed in our baptism, when we are born again to new life in Christ. Also, we are changed each and every time we receive Holy Communion. By God’s grace, Communion, whether physical or spiritual, transforms us. Through this Sacrament we are united with Christ, so that we may become what He is, and share in the love which is the life of God.

Before Our Lord leaves His disciples He makes them a promise:

‘And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

‘Ac yn awr, yr wyf fi gyda chwi bob amser hyd ddiwedd amser.’ (Mt 28:20)

We are not alone. Christ is with us. He hears our prayers, and speaks to us in Scripture. This is very comforting to know. Jesus is with us in three ways. Firstly, through the sending of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, by being in the Church, which is His Body, and of which He is the Head. And thirdly, in the Sacraments which are outward signs of inward spiritual Grace. All these things are freely given to transform us into children of God. These blessings allow us, and all Christians, to share in the very life of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. To whom be ascribed all, glory, dominion, and power, now and forever. Amen.