One with you all in celebrating the Conversion of St. Paul, the Apostle

The feast of the conversion of Saul the Pharisee to St. Paul the Apostle, which we celebrate every January 25, is a striking one. I think you will agree with me when I say that most of us secretly long for Paul’s experience to happen in our lives, too. 

Majority of us experience conversion in the ordinariness of daily life. While we might occasionally fall to the ground blinded by the light as St. Paul did, we eventually have to get up and be busy doing God's work in the task entrusted to us by Him. That's the real proof of our continual conversion -- not the drama of it all but being faithful to carrying out His will for us in the present moment in which we live.

We know with St. Paul that "Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus" (1 Tim 1:13-14). We are sinners in need of constant conversion, no question about it -- but we know the one in whom we put our trust (2 Tim 1:12), and He is our hope and our joy. 

The Mission of Jesus in his Baptism and our mission as Paulines

The celebration of the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord is the official end to the Christmas Season. Jesus being baptized, came out of the water; and the heavens were opened to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him. And behold a voice from heaven saying, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." 

Jesus stoops so low as to mingle with the multitude of sinners, and then the heavens are opened to magnify Him. He acknowledges Himself worthy of the strokes of divine justice, and the Father declares that He takes all His delight in Him.

It is at this moment that the mission of Jesus, as One sent by God, is declared authentic. The Father's testimony accredits, so to speak, His Son before the world, and this testimony relates to one of the characters of Christ's work as regards ourselves.

The mission of Jesus has a double aspect: it bears at the same time the character of redemption and of sanctification. It is to redeem souls, and, this done, to infuse life into them. That is the whole work of the Savior.

Our call as Pauline missionaries in the world has a deep resemblance to the mission of Jesus: that of saving souls through the work that we do in the country where we have been sent by God. May we be found worthy of this precious call as we strive to live faithfully our lives, imitating the teachings of Jesus, and allowing ourselves to be guided by the testimony of our Founders: Blessed James Alberione and Venerable Thecla Merlo!