Homily For The Feast of Conversion of St, Paul 2026
Recently, I was out in Alpine and saw a bumper sticker with a pentagram design. It said, “Don’t pray for me!” In an appropriate response to that, I promptly prayed for the conversion and salvation of the owner of that sticker. Why pray for the unwilling, the unbelieving, the hostile and obstinate? Let us consider that as we look at the theme of our feast for today.
Today is the 25th of January and is designated in our Christian calendar as a celebration of the Conversion of St. Paul. The feast originated among the French church - a church comprised of Gentiles - in the sixth century. In this feast, the Church celebrates the only conversion in the Christian calendar, for the impact is immeasurable. Think of all the Gentiles in the Church of God, they far outnumber their Jewish brethren;
they do so in part because of the power of God to convert the most zealous of Jews into the greatest of Christian evangelists to the Gentiles. Our collect, our prayer for today, says, “O GOD, who, through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Saint Paul, hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world; Grant, we beseech thee, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show forth our thankfulness unto thee for the same, by following the holy doctrine which he taught; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
It’s hard to believe that the same Saul of Tarsus who held the robes, the coats of those who executed St. Stephen is the same Paul of Tarsus who was God’s chosen instrument for the expansion of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Notice the posture pre-conversion, the vitriol of Saul in his hatred of the Christians - St. Luke tells us “Saul, breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.” Saul hated the Christians so much that intimidation and certain death in regards to the followers of Christ was as natural to him as breathing. He sought every opportunity to take the battle to those heretical Nazarenes - Saul got letters from the high priest, he sought support from synagogues to persecute Christians. In terms of his convictions, Saul, before his confrontation on the road to Damascus, desired to bring Christian men, women and children, bound, enslaved, back to Jerusalem - so that the heretics may be tried according to the Law. It took the “light of the Gospel” to capture and convert Saul from being the killer of the Christians into their greatest advocate. Saul never sought the light of Christ, rather Christ in his mercy sought and converted the most unlikely of men. The ascended Christ who welcomed St. Stephen into God’s glorious presence now commands the obedience of Saul in becoming His Apostle.
We read that Saul was crippled by the glory of Christ, blinded by His merciful appearing. Some have called this event “Saul’s Epiphany.” In a moment Saul experienced the blinding light - brighter than the sun. The verb in Greek for this brightness is also used to describe the radiance of Christ’s countenance in His Transfiguration. It is so intense that it knocks Saul to the ground - the glory of God humbles him like others who experienced God’s glory - Isaiah, Moses, Ezekiel and the Apostle John in the first chapter of Revelation 1.
As Saul falls to the ground, he hears the voice of Jesus - “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?” In Scripture, calling one’s name twice conveys intensity of emotion in the petition. Note Our Lord’s identification with Christians. Saul is persecuting Christ by harming Our Lord’s followers. This is so important for us to remember. Christ, the head of the Church, has ascended into heaven but His Body, the Church, remains on earth.
He feels the pain and joys of His people; we are an extension of Him. This reality undergirds the entirety of the Book of Acts as it is a record of the Body of Christ announcing the Gospel of her Ascended Head.
Saul is trying to understand this voice, this brightness of presence that has appeared. He asks, “Who are you?” The voice reveals that he is Jesus and again repeats that it is He that Saul is persecuting. Saul is resisting the God of heaven; whatever Saul thought he was doing - perhaps he thought he was doing the Lord’s work - it is clear now that he is resisting God and this is an incredibly dangerous place to be. He uses a common proverb of a young bull who pushes against a sharp goad of its master. The harder the bull pushes, the more pain he feels. The implication in the proverb is clear - Jesus is pursuing Saul and it is absolutely futile to resist.
Perhaps St. Paul felt like C.S. Lewis in his conversion, where Lewis described God’s relentless pursuit of him like “‘the great Angler’ playing his fish, to a cat chasing a mouse, to a pack of hounds closing in on a fox, and finally to the divine chess player manoeuvering him into the most disadvantageous positions until in the end he concedes ‘checkmate’.
St. Paul then asks that most important of questions - what must I do? How do I obey you? Jesus tells him that he will reveal that to Paul in time. It is almost as though Jesus is telling him that waiting, meditating on who the Lord is is more important than any immediate next step. Waiting on the Lord is what is important. St. Luke tells us that he is led by the hand by the other members of his party to Damascus where he waits for three days without food or water - waiting for the Lord to reveal what he is to do.
The story of Paul’s conversion then turns to the obedience of Ananias - a follower of Jesus in Damascus. Ananias receives a vision concerning the infamous Saul. The Lord gives him specific instructions on where to find Saul and how Saul is blind. Jesus then tells him how he will play a role in Saul’s healing. Notice here the faith and the challenge of Ananias - he reminds the Lord of Saul’s reputation, what he has done, how dangerous he is to the Church, how he can imprison all who follow Jesus. For Ananias, obeying God, going to Saul would be like giving himself up to the police.
Of course, God knows this but Saul is the Lord’s chosen instrument. He, the most zealous of the Pharisees, would take the Gospel to the Gentiles. He would preach the Gospel to kings and among the Jewish leadership. Indeed, Paul would preach and have an audience before great men, but it would be accompanied by great suffering. “I will show how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Obedience to Christ’s call would bring immense suffering for St. Paul - for he walked the same path as the Lord.
Ananias obeyed the Lord and went to Saul. His faith is evident in putting his hands on Saul and then calling him “Brother.” His first words to the one who breathed out curses against Christ’s Church was, in effect, welcome to the family. Saul received his sight and was baptized, receiving the Holy Spirit.
Our Epistle for today ends with the transformation of Saul. He was discipled by the Church in Damascus and straightway - immediately - preached that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. All were amazed for they knew of his former life - how he persecuted the Church. But St. Paul increased in strength - mirroring our Lord’s growth in obedience as we saw in the first Sunday in Epiphany - confounding the teachers of the Law with his answers. Proving from the Jewish scriptures that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Saul, the fanatical persecutor of the Church was transformed by the love of Christ into one of the Church’s greatest evangelists and apologists.
We celebrate the wonderful conversion of St Paul because it is inconceivable what Christianity might have become without his conversion. The Gospel of Jesus through St. Paul the converted apostle went to all nations - all peoples have had access to the glorious light of Christ’s Gospel. Conversion, repentance. In this only feast commemorating conversion, we are reminded of the importance of repentance and conversion. Submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ - moment by moment - not just one event in years past. In this spirit of submission to Jesus, may we ask him what he would have us to do? Let us be absolutely willing to do what he tells us. In simple things or that which is more demanding. We have this modelled in both the lives of Saul and Ananias. Saul waited and Ananias embraced the danger of obedience. Both submitted to God’s will.
As we pray for our own obedience, let us pray that God may convert his enemies into his greatest evangelists. May we have the faith to look around at those who hate Christ and believe the possibility of their conversion - God desires that they might turn. The Church communicates this hope through prayers, our collect for today and the petition in the Litany where we plead to Christ, “That it may please thee to forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts.” That God would forgive and convert those who hate, persecute and slander the Church. So, beloved, come to the Feast of the Lord - who invites us to come to him in faith and repentance and plead for those who rebel so that they might be reconciled to the God who loves them. Amen.
