The Place Where I See Hope

The Conversion of St. Paolo by Michaelangelo

On this day the Lord has acted. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. That is the antiphon sung to Psalm 118, and in my very fuzzy memory, this is likely used at times such as Easter. And it is the leitmotif in the story of Paul's conversion from the bad boy hooligan on the hunt for followers of "the Way" to one of the most zealous and steadfast believers in the grace of God granted through the redemptive powers of Christ. The story of his conversion, as told by Luke in Acts 9, is one of my favorites. Saul (who is called Paul later because that's the Hellenization of the name Saul) is ready to rumble in Damascus, and is marching on down the road with some of his mates. And that's when God pings him... or rather wallops him with a bright ray of light. As Paul later testifies in one of his trials at Agrippa:

I was travelling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, when at midday along the road, your Excellency, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.” I asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you. I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”--Acts 26: 12-18

Blind and bewildered, he's led into town where Ananias, a follower of Christ, gets the instruction from God to heal him. At first, Ananias says, "Say what?!?! Heal the dude that wants to have me stoned to death?!?!" But God assures him this is a good thing and (as always) do not be afraid because "I have this one under control." So Ananias does as he's told. He even addresses Saul as a brother. And in that exchange, God acts to redeem Paul... taking two enemies and making them brothers in Christ.

I love this story. I love what it says about a power beyond ourselves that can strip away the petty nastiness and the anger and the fear and the hatred that infects our relationships with one another and make something else happen. In Paul's conversion, I see the hope of what can be in all areas of relations, both secular and religious. It is possible for people to change. It is possible for the one who is persecuting me today to see a great light and become my friend tomorrow. It is possible for me to get past my distrust of such a conversion, and allow that God may be working in a way that defies logic or imagination. Because that's what God does all the time.

I'm not a Pollyanna about these things. But I hold it as my hope for this messed up super competitive world that such conversions can and do happen. So mote it be.