The Conversion of St. Paul and the Conversion of the United States

         January 26---The Conversion of St. Paul, Part II

St. Paul was born a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. Being a Roman citizen, he was educated according to the precepts of Mosaic law.  This learning led to his becoming a member of the sect of the Pharisees, which was among the most severe in practice.  Having an unusual zeal for all Jewish law, he became a blasphemer and a persecutor of all Christians, a terror of the faithful, inflicting death and privations on them.

On his journey to Damascus, St. Paul was struck from his horse by a supernatural light.  God touched him with a special interior grace and his heart was changed.  Now he was willing to suffer all for Christ and committed himself to fulfilling the will of his Creator.

It was the perfect example of a true conversion, the work of grace.   The corporal blindness that St. Paul experienced for three days was a true reminder of the spiritual blindness of his former life. It signified the importance of dying to the world in order to be totally mindful of heavenly things.  Self love was thus conquered and now the great mission that God had for him could be undertaken. 

St. Paul was continuously mindful of his wonderful conversion and never ceased in praising and thanking Almighty God.

As penitents, we should meditate on the supernatural graces that God gave to St. Paul and ask for a true conversion so that we may be used in whichever way God sees fit for His glory. 

In the case of Saint Paul, he went on to become the most successful of all the apostles in converting people.   In other words, the man who had so vehemently persecuted Catholics was the now the greatest apostle of the Catholic Church.

In the case of the United States, our nation has sadly been responsible for spreading the spirit of Hollywood all across the globe.  As a result, many nations abandoned their Catholic traditions to adopt the Hollywood way of life.  The wisdom of Catholic customs, traditions, and ways of being that were handed down from one generation tot he next were destroyed.  Like Saint Paul, the United States persecuted Catholics.

Also, like Saint Paul we can be converted.  And once converted, great things can be expected of the United States.  First of all,  we must launch a spiritual crusade to undo the errors we spread around the world.

Somehow, the massive March for Life in Washington DC on Monday, and the many other marches for life across America, are a spiritual crusade against abortion.  May it serve as an example for the world to also fight abortion in their respective countries.

May Saint Paul, with Our Lady’s assistance, argue the case of the conversion of the United States before the Throne of Almighty God so that we will receive graces and courage to undo all the evil we have spread in the world, just like he did in life.