The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us the following about how God’s grace works to convert a soul: “Grace is a participation in the life of God…This vocation to eternal life is supernatural. It depends entirely on God’s gratuitous initiative, for he alone can reveal and give himself. It surpasses the power of human intellect and will, as that of every other creature” (1997-1998). Saint Paul captures this same idea about God’s saving grace and how it operates in our lives: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

All of us, like Saint Paul, will never forget when the Lord delivered us from the darkness of addiction, compulsions, or unhealthy attachments—the moment of our conversion when we asked the question, “Lord, what shall I do?” We can reflect on that moment and others when God stepped into our lives, just as He did with Saint Paul, to strengthen our faith in His love and plan for us. Saint Paul never forgot what God did for him. However, while God’s grace can and does work miracles in human hearts, the power of this grace depends ultimately on saying “yes” to Him each day.  

Pope Saint John Paul II shared in a homily given on January 25, 1987, the following about today’s great saint: “Paul accepted the task given to him by God and made of it from that moment, the very purpose of his life. His conversion lies precisely in this that he allowed the Christ he encountered on the road to Damascus to enter into his life and to orient it towards one single goal: the preaching of the Gospel.”

Therefore, let us follow Saint Paul’s example by saying “yes” to the grace of God and preaching the Gospel in our recovery and lives, one day at a time. 

Reflection Questions

• Remember and share your conversion story with another. How does this strengthen your faith in God’s grace in your life and the mission He has called you to?
• Pray today that Saint Paul, the Apostle, through the example of his conversion and life brings us ever closer to Jesus.

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 117:1bc, 2
Gospel: Mark 16:15-18

Reflection by Chiara F.