The Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle
In Conversione S. Pauli Apostoli
On this day the Church commemorates how Saul of Tarsus, a fierce persecutor of the disciples of Christ, was struck down on the road to Damascus by a light from heaven and the voice of the Lord, and rose a new man to become the great Apostle of the Gentiles.
The Conversion of Saint Paul is one of the most luminous events recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, and the Church keeps its memory with a feast of its own. Saul, a Pharisee of Tarsus, zealous for the Law and consenting to the death of the first martyr Stephen, had set out for Damascus with letters of authority to seize the followers of the Way. As he drew near the city, a light from heaven suddenly shone round about him; he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” And when he asked, “Who art Thou, Lord?” the answer came, “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.”
From persecutor to Apostle
Blinded by the vision, Saul was led by the hand into Damascus, where for three days he neither saw nor ate nor drank. There the Lord sent to him the disciple Ananias, who laid hands upon him; the scales fell from his eyes, he was baptised, and he received the Holy Ghost. From that hour the persecutor became the preacher. The vessel chosen, as the Lord said, to carry His name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, Saul — thereafter called Paul — spent himself in tireless journeys, founding churches throughout the Mediterranean world, and at last sealed his witness with martyrdom at Rome.
The grace that makes all things new
The Church celebrates this conversion not as the achievement of a man but as the work of God’s mercy, which can turn the heart of an enemy into the heart of an Apostle. In Saint Paul the faithful behold a living proof that no one is beyond the reach of grace, and they take courage to pray for the conversion of sinners and the spread of the Gospel. It is fitting that this feast falls at the close of the week of prayer for the unity of Christians, that all may be drawn into the one fold under the one Shepherd.
The Collect
O God, who didst teach the whole world by the preaching of the blessed Apostle Paul: grant, we beseech Thee; that we, who this day keep the memory of his Conversion, may draw near to Thee by following his example. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Deus, qui univérsum mundum beáti Pauli Apóstoli prædicatióne docuísti: da nobis, quǽsumus; ut, qui eius hódie Conversiónem cólimus, per eius ad te exémpla gradiámur. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
Common Questions
When is the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul?
It is kept on 25 January in both the traditional and the modern calendars.
What does this feast celebrate?
It commemorates the moment on the road to Damascus when Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor of the Church, was converted by the appearance of the risen Christ and became Saint Paul, the great Apostle of the Gentiles, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles.
Why is this conversion given its own feast?
Because it stands as a singular work of God’s mercy and a turning-point in the spread of the Gospel; the Church holds it up as an enduring sign that grace can transform even the most hardened heart.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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