Suy Niệm tin mừng Lễ Thánh Phaolô trở lại.
Sự biến cải của Thánh Phaolô và những hậu
quả của sự cải biến này là một trong số những sự kiện quan trọng nhất ảnh
hưởng đến lịch sử của Giáo Hội thời sơ khai. Trong sách Công vụ Tông Đồ,
Thánh Luca đã cẩn thận không để những câu chuyện của Thánh Phao-lô lấn át
những câu chuyện nói đến uy quyền của thánh Phêrô và những công việc của
cạ́c thánh tông đồ.
Chúng tôi cũng phải nên bắt chước như vậy. Bất kể những tranh chấp nảy sinh trong Giáo hội thời sơ khai giữa Thánh Phaolô và các Tông Đồ mà Chúa Giêsu đã chọn trong cuộc sống trần thế của Ngài (Mk 3,14), chúng ta không có một lý do gì để làm một sự lựa chọn giữa Thánh Phêrô và Phaolô. Chính thánh Phao-lô đã lên án những thái độ như vậy trong thư gởi tín hứu Corintô (1Cor 10-16). Cả hai đều là nhân vật chủ chốt trong công trình cứu độ của Thiên Chúa.
Sự trung thành của chúng ta đối với Chúa Jêsus trong Giáo hội mà Ngài đã thành lập trên nền đá tảng đó là Pherô, một Giáo hội, mặc dù có nhiều khuyết điểm nhưng luôn luôn có sự chăm sóc của Thiên Chúa Cha trên Trời, được các thánh và những người thầy thật vĩ đại phục vụ và chăm nom. Thái độ chia rẽ mà Thánh Phaolô lên án thường có thể nảy sinh giữa chúng ta. Chúng ta đừng bao giờ làm bất cứ điều gì gây ra sự chia rẽ trong cộng đoàn Giáo Hội.
Lạy Chúa, khi chúng ta cử hành sự mừng lễ Phao-lô trở lại, xin ban cho chúng ta được có những ân sủng để luôn luôn nhớ rằng chúng ta được kêu gọi đổi mới liên tục, trung tín, kiên trì và khoan dung trong Giáo Hội của chúng ta.
January 25: Conversion of St Paul the Apostle SG2018
The conversion of Saint Paul and its consequences were in many ways the most significant cluster of events affecting the early history of the Church. In his Acts of the Apostles, St Luke is careful not to let Paul’s story completely override his account of Peter's authority and apostolic work.
So too for us. Whatever disputes arose in the early Church between Paul and the Apostles whom Jesus chose during his earthly life “to be with him” (Mk 3:14), we have no reason whatsoever to choose between Peter and Paul. Paul himself condemns such attitudes (1Cor 10-16). Both are key figures in God’s work of salvation. Our loyalty is to Jesus in the Church which he founded on Peter, a Church which, in spite of many weaknesses, has always, in God’s providential care, been served by great saints and teachers. The divisive attitude which St Paul condemns can often arise amongst us. Let us never on any account be guilty of causing divisions in the church community.
Lord, as we celebrate the conversion of Paul, grant us the grace always to remember that we are called to constant conversion, fidelity and perseverance and tolerance in Your Church.
2024
Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle, January 25
“Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 9:17
Saint Paul (who in Hebrew was known as Saul of Tarsus) was a devout Jewish Pharisee who vigorously defended the law. After Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven, the newfound Christian faith began to grow rapidly. As a result, Saul of Tarsus vigorously tried to end this new religion which he perceived as erroneous. He traveled about looking for followers of Jesus to arrest and imprison. Saul even gave his consent to the stoning of the deacon, Saint Stephen, the first martyr. However, on one of his journeys, Saul had a vision of the risen Christ Who spoke to him gently, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). It was in that encounter that Saul was left blinded for three days.
The line quoted above are the words of Ananias, a devout disciple of Jesus. Ananias had also received a vision from Jesus Who told him to go to Saul of Tarsus and to lay his hands on him so that he would be healed. Ananias was also told that Saul was “a chosen instrument” through which the Gospel would be preached to the “Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel.”
Though there are many fascinating aspects to the story of Saint Paul and his conversion, it is also inspiring to reflect upon the way in which God first converted him. Jesus was not harsh with Saul. He was not condemning. Instead, he saw the goodness and vigor of Saul and knew that he would respond if he were given the opportunity. Though Jesus used the powerful action of striking him blind, He did so because He saw so much potential for good within Saul.
This same truth applies to our lives. Each one of us has incredible potential for good, and God does see this. God is aware of all that He can do with us and is seeking to draw us into His mission of sharing the Gospel with those in need. The question to ponder is whether or not you have responded to the ways that God has spoken to you and invited you to serve Him with your life. Saul’s encounter with Jesus was powerful and transforming not only because he was blinded by this vision—it was powerful and transforming, first and foremost, because Saul wanted to serve God but was trying to do so in an erroneous way. And once that error was corrected, Saul responded in an immediate and complete way. As a result, Saul became one of the greatest evangelists in the history of the Church.
Reflect, today, upon the desire in the heart of Jesus to invite you into His mission. Though you may be unaware of the many ways God can use you, Jesus is fully aware. He sees all of your gifts and knows who He wants to draw to Himself through you. Say “Yes” to Him this day and do so with every fiber of your soul. Doing so will allow God to do great things through you.
Lord, I do love You and desire to be used by You in the way that You choose. Help me to convert my heart more fully to You so that I can be led by Your gentle and powerful hand. I accept whatever mission You give to me and pray that my life will give You true glory and further Your glorious Kingdom on earth. Jesus, I trust in You.
Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle, January 25
Opening Prayer: Lord, you chose Saul to be your Apostle. He left behind his former way of life and embraced the new life offered by your Son. He counted his former life as rubbish and gloried in the salvation offered by Jesus to all people. Help me leave behind my worldly ways and embrace the cross of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Dying to the Old Man with Christ: Paul’s experience of and encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus was so important that it is narrated three times in the Acts of the Apostles (9:1-19; 22:3-21; 26:4-23). Although Paul himself never spoke of the event as a conversion, it was an event that radically changed and transformed his life. Paul went from being a persecutor of Christ and his Church to being a herald of the Gospel and an Apostle of Christ to the Gentiles. Through his encounter with Jesus, he experienced a death and a resurrection. Paul’s former way of life and existence died and a new one was born. What had been important and fundamental for him before was now counted as trash and refuse (Philippians 3:7-8).
2. Rising as a new man with Christ: Through his encounter with the risen Christ and his baptism into Christ, Paul became a witness of the Resurrection of Jesus. His encounter with the Lord enlightened his mind and healed his interior blindness. He was able to see everything anew in the light of Christ. Paul now understands that he is not made righteous through his observance of the Law of Moses. Rather, righteousness and justification are based on faith in Christ. The ceremonies, observances, liturgical rites, food prohibitions, and works of the Old Law were unable to place a person in a right relationship with God. Only the grace of faith in Christ is capable of justifying us. Faith is not a one-time act. Rather, it consists of entrusting ourselves to Christ, being united to Christ, and being conformed to Christ’s life, which is love. As Paul teaches: We are justified by faith that works through love (Galatians 5:14).
3. We are Christians only if we encounter Christ: What does Paul’s conversion mean for us? Pope Benedict reflected on this question and answered as follows. “We are only Christians if we encounter Christ” (Benedict XVI, September 3, 2008). We become Christians not because we embrace a new philosophy with our minds or because we choose to follow a new morality. Becoming a Christian is much more and arises from an encounter with the risen Christ in Scripture, in prayer, in the service of love, and in the Church’s liturgy. If our faith in Christ is real, it becomes charity and love.
Conversing with Christ: Saul asked you: “What shall I do?” You led him to Damascus and there he received his mission to carry the name of Jesus to Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. You showed him that he would suffer as he fulfilled this mission. I ask you the same question: “What shall I do?”
Resolution: We probably have a good sense of our vocation and mission in life. And yet, each day is a new one and we need to renew our commitment to God. Our mission and vocation are made concrete in the smaller decisions we make each day. What is it that God is asking of me today? How can I be a disciple or apostle of Jesus today?
Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle, January 25
Opening Prayer: Lord, I am in constant need of conversion. Help me to pray well so that, like St. Paul, I will radiate Christ with my entire life.
Encountering Christ:
1. A Greater Experience Than the Apostles’: Our life is meant to be a proclamation of the Gospel to every living creature. The apostles experienced Jesus in their daily living with him. We experience him too—in our prayer, when we read the inspired words of Scripture, when we practice charity toward the least of my brothers and sisters. We also experience him in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist which is a deeper and more intimate experience than anything the apostles had up until the Last Supper.
2. A Transforming Encounter: This experience of Christ should transform us. We should be different from people who haven’t experienced Christ. How is it possible for someone who has received the living God himself in the Eucharist–even if it was only one time–how is it possible for that person to be unchanged?
3. Serve God, Serve Others: It is a great disgrace that Christians cannot easily be distinguished from non-Christians. Our experience of Christ should make us so different that whenever someone walks into a room, he or she should be able to tell who the Christians are within a few minutes. That doesn’t mean that we have to be talking about Christ all the time. It means that our life should be so transformed by reception of the Eucharist, and our other experiences of Christ, that he shines out in our actions, as he did in the first disciples.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, help me to stop resisting you. There are so many things in my life that compete with you for first place that you cannot show your goodness through me. Help me to see that until I open my heart to you entirely, I cannot be a saint—I cannot be a good person or even a nice person. Let me stop serving myself and dedicate myself to serving you and others.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will do something that is uncomfortable for me, something I would rather not do, but something that will allow you to reach those around me.
Chúng tôi cũng phải nên bắt chước như vậy. Bất kể những tranh chấp nảy sinh trong Giáo hội thời sơ khai giữa Thánh Phaolô và các Tông Đồ mà Chúa Giêsu đã chọn trong cuộc sống trần thế của Ngài (Mk 3,14), chúng ta không có một lý do gì để làm một sự lựa chọn giữa Thánh Phêrô và Phaolô. Chính thánh Phao-lô đã lên án những thái độ như vậy trong thư gởi tín hứu Corintô (1Cor 10-16). Cả hai đều là nhân vật chủ chốt trong công trình cứu độ của Thiên Chúa.
Sự trung thành của chúng ta đối với Chúa Jêsus trong Giáo hội mà Ngài đã thành lập trên nền đá tảng đó là Pherô, một Giáo hội, mặc dù có nhiều khuyết điểm nhưng luôn luôn có sự chăm sóc của Thiên Chúa Cha trên Trời, được các thánh và những người thầy thật vĩ đại phục vụ và chăm nom. Thái độ chia rẽ mà Thánh Phaolô lên án thường có thể nảy sinh giữa chúng ta. Chúng ta đừng bao giờ làm bất cứ điều gì gây ra sự chia rẽ trong cộng đoàn Giáo Hội.
Lạy Chúa, khi chúng ta cử hành sự mừng lễ Phao-lô trở lại, xin ban cho chúng ta được có những ân sủng để luôn luôn nhớ rằng chúng ta được kêu gọi đổi mới liên tục, trung tín, kiên trì và khoan dung trong Giáo Hội của chúng ta.
January 25: Conversion of St Paul the Apostle SG2018
The conversion of Saint Paul and its consequences were in many ways the most significant cluster of events affecting the early history of the Church. In his Acts of the Apostles, St Luke is careful not to let Paul’s story completely override his account of Peter's authority and apostolic work.
So too for us. Whatever disputes arose in the early Church between Paul and the Apostles whom Jesus chose during his earthly life “to be with him” (Mk 3:14), we have no reason whatsoever to choose between Peter and Paul. Paul himself condemns such attitudes (1Cor 10-16). Both are key figures in God’s work of salvation. Our loyalty is to Jesus in the Church which he founded on Peter, a Church which, in spite of many weaknesses, has always, in God’s providential care, been served by great saints and teachers. The divisive attitude which St Paul condemns can often arise amongst us. Let us never on any account be guilty of causing divisions in the church community.
Lord, as we celebrate the conversion of Paul, grant us the grace always to remember that we are called to constant conversion, fidelity and perseverance and tolerance in Your Church.
2024
Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle, January 25
“Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 9:17
Saint Paul (who in Hebrew was known as Saul of Tarsus) was a devout Jewish Pharisee who vigorously defended the law. After Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven, the newfound Christian faith began to grow rapidly. As a result, Saul of Tarsus vigorously tried to end this new religion which he perceived as erroneous. He traveled about looking for followers of Jesus to arrest and imprison. Saul even gave his consent to the stoning of the deacon, Saint Stephen, the first martyr. However, on one of his journeys, Saul had a vision of the risen Christ Who spoke to him gently, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). It was in that encounter that Saul was left blinded for three days.
The line quoted above are the words of Ananias, a devout disciple of Jesus. Ananias had also received a vision from Jesus Who told him to go to Saul of Tarsus and to lay his hands on him so that he would be healed. Ananias was also told that Saul was “a chosen instrument” through which the Gospel would be preached to the “Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel.”
Though there are many fascinating aspects to the story of Saint Paul and his conversion, it is also inspiring to reflect upon the way in which God first converted him. Jesus was not harsh with Saul. He was not condemning. Instead, he saw the goodness and vigor of Saul and knew that he would respond if he were given the opportunity. Though Jesus used the powerful action of striking him blind, He did so because He saw so much potential for good within Saul.
This same truth applies to our lives. Each one of us has incredible potential for good, and God does see this. God is aware of all that He can do with us and is seeking to draw us into His mission of sharing the Gospel with those in need. The question to ponder is whether or not you have responded to the ways that God has spoken to you and invited you to serve Him with your life. Saul’s encounter with Jesus was powerful and transforming not only because he was blinded by this vision—it was powerful and transforming, first and foremost, because Saul wanted to serve God but was trying to do so in an erroneous way. And once that error was corrected, Saul responded in an immediate and complete way. As a result, Saul became one of the greatest evangelists in the history of the Church.
Reflect, today, upon the desire in the heart of Jesus to invite you into His mission. Though you may be unaware of the many ways God can use you, Jesus is fully aware. He sees all of your gifts and knows who He wants to draw to Himself through you. Say “Yes” to Him this day and do so with every fiber of your soul. Doing so will allow God to do great things through you.
Lord, I do love You and desire to be used by You in the way that You choose. Help me to convert my heart more fully to You so that I can be led by Your gentle and powerful hand. I accept whatever mission You give to me and pray that my life will give You true glory and further Your glorious Kingdom on earth. Jesus, I trust in You.
Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle, January 25
Opening Prayer: Lord, you chose Saul to be your Apostle. He left behind his former way of life and embraced the new life offered by your Son. He counted his former life as rubbish and gloried in the salvation offered by Jesus to all people. Help me leave behind my worldly ways and embrace the cross of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Dying to the Old Man with Christ: Paul’s experience of and encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus was so important that it is narrated three times in the Acts of the Apostles (9:1-19; 22:3-21; 26:4-23). Although Paul himself never spoke of the event as a conversion, it was an event that radically changed and transformed his life. Paul went from being a persecutor of Christ and his Church to being a herald of the Gospel and an Apostle of Christ to the Gentiles. Through his encounter with Jesus, he experienced a death and a resurrection. Paul’s former way of life and existence died and a new one was born. What had been important and fundamental for him before was now counted as trash and refuse (Philippians 3:7-8).
2. Rising as a new man with Christ: Through his encounter with the risen Christ and his baptism into Christ, Paul became a witness of the Resurrection of Jesus. His encounter with the Lord enlightened his mind and healed his interior blindness. He was able to see everything anew in the light of Christ. Paul now understands that he is not made righteous through his observance of the Law of Moses. Rather, righteousness and justification are based on faith in Christ. The ceremonies, observances, liturgical rites, food prohibitions, and works of the Old Law were unable to place a person in a right relationship with God. Only the grace of faith in Christ is capable of justifying us. Faith is not a one-time act. Rather, it consists of entrusting ourselves to Christ, being united to Christ, and being conformed to Christ’s life, which is love. As Paul teaches: We are justified by faith that works through love (Galatians 5:14).
3. We are Christians only if we encounter Christ: What does Paul’s conversion mean for us? Pope Benedict reflected on this question and answered as follows. “We are only Christians if we encounter Christ” (Benedict XVI, September 3, 2008). We become Christians not because we embrace a new philosophy with our minds or because we choose to follow a new morality. Becoming a Christian is much more and arises from an encounter with the risen Christ in Scripture, in prayer, in the service of love, and in the Church’s liturgy. If our faith in Christ is real, it becomes charity and love.
Conversing with Christ: Saul asked you: “What shall I do?” You led him to Damascus and there he received his mission to carry the name of Jesus to Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. You showed him that he would suffer as he fulfilled this mission. I ask you the same question: “What shall I do?”
Resolution: We probably have a good sense of our vocation and mission in life. And yet, each day is a new one and we need to renew our commitment to God. Our mission and vocation are made concrete in the smaller decisions we make each day. What is it that God is asking of me today? How can I be a disciple or apostle of Jesus today?
Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle, January 25
Opening Prayer: Lord, I am in constant need of conversion. Help me to pray well so that, like St. Paul, I will radiate Christ with my entire life.
Encountering Christ:
1. A Greater Experience Than the Apostles’: Our life is meant to be a proclamation of the Gospel to every living creature. The apostles experienced Jesus in their daily living with him. We experience him too—in our prayer, when we read the inspired words of Scripture, when we practice charity toward the least of my brothers and sisters. We also experience him in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist which is a deeper and more intimate experience than anything the apostles had up until the Last Supper.
2. A Transforming Encounter: This experience of Christ should transform us. We should be different from people who haven’t experienced Christ. How is it possible for someone who has received the living God himself in the Eucharist–even if it was only one time–how is it possible for that person to be unchanged?
3. Serve God, Serve Others: It is a great disgrace that Christians cannot easily be distinguished from non-Christians. Our experience of Christ should make us so different that whenever someone walks into a room, he or she should be able to tell who the Christians are within a few minutes. That doesn’t mean that we have to be talking about Christ all the time. It means that our life should be so transformed by reception of the Eucharist, and our other experiences of Christ, that he shines out in our actions, as he did in the first disciples.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, help me to stop resisting you. There are so many things in my life that compete with you for first place that you cannot show your goodness through me. Help me to see that until I open my heart to you entirely, I cannot be a saint—I cannot be a good person or even a nice person. Let me stop serving myself and dedicate myself to serving you and others.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will do something that is uncomfortable for me, something I would rather not do, but something that will allow you to reach those around me.
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