Conversion considerations

The psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhorts us to go and tell all the nations about God. The episode from the Acts of the Apostles, which Friar Jude Winkler tells us is one of three accounts of the conversion of Saul, has been understood as the model of the overwhelming spiritual experience which changes lives. When we drill down a bit into the customs and language we discover, as Friar Jude notes, that we have exaggerated some of the details around the name change of Paul and how the action of natural forces such as lightning strike and consequent temporary cataract formation. The power of the Apostle to the Gentiles in completing the ancient command to spread the Word is what can cause us to stand back in awe. Paddy Gilger, S.J. is stuck by the deep conversion of attitude which is shown by Ananias as he comes to minister to and forgive his would be persecutor. The inadequacy of language and our tendency to read what we understand into texts is demonstrated in our struggle with the continuation of Bread of Life Discourse in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. Theological terms about eschatology, realized and present, are appropriate in some analysis of this text. The difficulty of the Jews to hear about eating flesh and drinking blood is clear from their dietary prohibitions and is a difficult reality for us, requiring the trust and faith modelled by Ananias that acting on this Word will bring Life. Conversion may be as the most dramatic versions of the change in life of Saul suggest or it may be the deep trust we develop over time as a result of accepting the invitation to eat His Flesh and drink His Blood becoming the Body of Christ in which we live.