Conversion Process

The Conversion of Saint Paul has been celebrated but there is always time to talk about conversion. As I learned in the seminary, "Conversion is a lifelong process." We are continually growing in the ways of faith and holiness. What happened to Saint Paul can happen to any of us. Our conversion stories may not be as dramatic as his, but God always gets our attention and calls us to follow His will each day of our lives. I would encourage everyone to read that beautiful passage about Paul's conversion, Acts of the Apostles 22:3-16. Take time to allow the words to touch our lives in a special way and listen to the voice of the Lord. As this quote says, "Being converted is simply meeting yourself for the purpose of going to the very end of your being. Conversion means a willingness to see the truth of things and conform one's conduct to it" (A. Sertillanges). Along that line, we hear, "In the voice and the Light that Saul encounters on the road, he sees the truth of things and willingly conforms himself to Jesus Christ" (Magnificat, 339). We need to conform ourselves to be like Christ. We need to imitate Christ in all that we say, think, or do. When we receive the baptismal garment, we are told that we have put on Christ and are to become like him. It takes grace to conform to the person of Christ and that grace is there for the asking. We also need to live that conversion of mind and heart. That is why striving to become like Christ is truly a lifelong process, but hopefully a process that we begin now! Have a blessed day!!!