The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Today we remember the conversion to Christianity of a pretty awesome guy. With a pretty awesome conversion. Not only does this guy have his own feast day (even though he does have to share it with the first Pope)- we have a day to mark his conversion too. (What must St. Augustine think of this?) That guy is St. Paul. He spent several years of his life hunting down, persecuting and killing Christians- men and women and probably even children. (What a guy!) And even then, God wanted St. Paul for His own. I can’t tell you how many bad guys I would like for Jesus to throw off a horse and bring to repentance, but that is obviously not the normal style God uses to get our attention. It’s what St. Paul needed. Through his response to God’s call, and his acknowledgement of the Lord’s passion and realization of the Body of Christ, Paul became the greatest evangelizer the world has ever known.

St. Paul encounters the love and power of Christ

Nothing moves me like a good conversion story; though I sometimes think that we glorify ‘back stories’ a bit too much. Some of my favorite saints- like Paul and Mary Magdalene- have amazing back stories. When I was pretty little I really thought that they belonged to me, as my patrons. I hadn’t done that much wrong, (relatively speaking) but the idea of daily conversion and completely turning your life around, no matter how simple and insignificant your problems are, spoke to me even then. We each need to get thrown from our horse be blinded by the light of Christ.

Since Christmas, my family has moved on to studying the book of Acts as part of our nightly prayers. My brother is reading aloud to us a chapter a night and then we talk about it. Last night we read where the Apostles (before Paul joined their ranks) had been imprisoned for preaching and healing when an angel appeared to them, opening the prison doors and saying “Go and stand in the temple and tell the people everything about this new life”! (Acts 5:20) I love that line- that mission for us- not just to tell everyone about the Person of Jesus or your belief in Him, but that your entire life has been changed as a result of Jesus’ coming. Our lives are to be different because we are Christians. Because I am a Catholic, my whole life is new, changed, and full of meaning. Our Faith is supposed to be our life; which brings me to my favorite quote of St. Paul’s: “For me, to live is Christ”. Our life should be nothing but living for Him. I lose this vision about once every thirty minutes; my needs, my desires, my disappointments are tops. Of course the Lord cares about me and provides for my good, but we are to be focused and consumed with love of God and doing His will. If we live for Christ, then to die is truly to gain! If it wasn’t for God and His all consuming love for me, my whole day would be nothing but a major fail.

Kind of a commanding guy, that St. Paul

This time last year, St. Paul was a particular patron of mine. I was working on the play “The Miracle Worker” at my local theatre and I was entrusted with the role of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s determined Irish teacher. I thought about how St. Paul knew what it was like to see, but have his mind clouded with half truths and illusions; and how he experienced temporary physical blindness and an opening up of His mind to Truth and Beauty and a love that he could never imagine. Helen Keller went through something similar, and her tremendous soul was placed in the hands of her teacher, as St. Paul- newborn in the Faith- was entrusted to Ananias for instruction. Helen knew a vision that few others experience in this life once the world was opened to her, and St. Paul shared the joy and blessings of a life lived in Christ after the transformation of his entire existence. During our final performance I was quite choked up and carried off in the ending scene when Annie breaks through to Helen by spelling the word ‘water’ (the matter of the Sacrament of Baptism). I had dropped to the floor to embrace this child, who was truly Helen to me in those moments, and through my tears I saw nothing but a blur and the stage lights- and they were blinding. I was overwhelmed with thinking that this must have been what Helen experienced as the world was opening up around her, and what St. Paul must have felt when stuck off his horse by the light and power of God’s voice asking “Why?” It was a grace filled moment.

Helen's dawn

Today’s scripture reading at Mass for the conversion of St. Paul speaks of Christians as followers of ‘the Way’. St. Paul met The Way along his way- Jesus Christ meets us on the road and shows us that He is the Road and our Destination.  He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life!