The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to accept our call to be witnesses to the truth, love, and compassion of the Way of Jesus.
President Donald Trump, left, and first lady Melania Trump attend the national prayer service led by Rev. Mariann Budde at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul Tells of His Conversion in Defense before the Jerusalem Jews
* [22:1–21] Paul’s first defense speech is presented to the Jerusalem crowds. Luke here presents Paul as a devout Jew (Acts 22:3) and zealous persecutor of the Christian community (Acts 22:4–5), and then recounts the conversion of Paul for the second time in Acts (see note on Acts 9:1–19). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB, n.d.)
The passage from the Acts of the Apostles describes the Conversion of Saul.
* [9:1–19] This is the first of three accounts of Paul’s conversion (with Acts 22:3–16 and Acts 26:2–18) with some differences of detail owing to Luke’s use of different sources. Paul’s experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1 Cor 15:8. The words of Jesus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” related by Luke with no variation in all three accounts, exerted a profound and lasting influence on the thought of Paul. Under the influence of this experience he gradually developed his understanding of justification by faith (see the letters to the Galatians and Romans) and of the identification of the Christian community with Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor 12:27). That Luke would narrate this conversion three times is testimony to the importance he attaches to it. This first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. At this point, the conversion of the hero of the Gentile mission is recounted. The emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15).
* [9:2] The Way: a name used by the early Christian community for itself (Acts 18:26; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). The Essene community at Qumran used the same designation to describe its mode of life.
* [9:8] He could see nothing: a temporary blindness (Acts 9:18) symbolizing the religious blindness of Saul as persecutor (cf. Acts 26:18).
* [9:13] Your holy ones: literally, “your saints.” (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 117 is a Universal Call to Worship.
* [Psalm 117] This shortest of hymns calls on the nations to acknowledge God’s supremacy. The supremacy of Israel’s God has been demonstrated to them by the people’s secure existence, which is owed entirely to God’s gracious fidelity. (Psalms, PSALM 117 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Mark describes the Commissioning of the Eleven and Signs of Believers.
* [16:9–20] This passage, termed the Longer Ending to the Marcan gospel by comparison with a much briefer conclusion found in some less important manuscripts, has traditionally been accepted as a canonical part of the gospel and was defined as such by the Council of Trent. Early citations of it by the Fathers indicate that it was composed by the second century, although vocabulary and style indicate that it was written by someone other than Mark. It is a general resume of the material concerning the appearances of the risen Jesus, reflecting, in particular, traditions found in Lk 24 and Jn 20. (Mark, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)
Kimberly Grassmeyer comments that one (unfortunate) theme binding the two readings is differentiating oneself from "the other". In the first case this differentiation manifests itself as early followers of Christ being hunted down by the Jew Saul (Paul); in the second, non-believers who will receive condemnation as opposed to the privileges that will accrue to the baptized Christian faithful.
So, how do I claim my faith without fearing the judgments and persecutions that follow it for so many in the world, while also understanding that it has been used to judge and persecute those of other faiths? How do I commit to and embrace my faith, but not embrace its exclusionary elements? We're all aware of the atrocities committed across time and borders, in the name of religion. We agree, I hope, that we can and should do better? I want my faith to always lift up. I want to always model love for the stranger. I want to live, to the best of my earthly, 21st century ability, the teachings of a loving, forgiving, welcoming Jesus. Others around me achieve these with more grace and regularity than I do, so I know there is room for me to grow as a Christian. Will you join me in asking for the strength, wisdom and will to do so? Amen. (Grassmeyer, 2025)
Don Schwager quotes “Our witness is trustworthy if we live accordingly,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
"For [Paul] truly became a witness to [Jesus], and a witness as one should be, both by what he did and by what he said. We too must be such witnesses and not betray what we have been entrusted. I speak not only of doctrines, but also of our way of life. Look, what he knew, what he heard, he bore witness to this before all, and nothing hindered him. We too have heard that there is a resurrection and ten thousand good things; therefore, we ought to bear witness to this before all. 'We do in fact bear witness,' you say, 'and believe.' How, since we do the opposite? Tell me, if someone should say he was a Christian but should then apostatize and act like a Jew, would his testimony be sufficient? No, not at all; for people would look for testimony through his actions. Likewise, if we say that that there is a resurrection and ten thousand good things but then look down upon them and prefer the things here, who will believe us? For all people pay attention not to what we say but to what we do. 'You will be a witness,' [Christ] says, 'to all' (Acts 1:8). That is, not only to the friends, but also to the unbelievers. For this is what witnesses are for: they persuade not those who know but those who do not. Let us become trustworthy witnesses. How will we become trustworthy? By the life we lead." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 47) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 22:3-16 comments that Paul’s conversion is especially relevant now, at the beginning of this Jubilee Year. For the Jewish people, the Jubilee was a time marked by forgiveness of debts and freedom from bondage. For us, it is a time to celebrate the freedom we have in Christ. God does not want us to define ourselves by our past. He wants to cancel our debts, shower us with his mercy, and offer us the grace to live each day in a way that is pleasing to him.
So no matter how far from the love of Christ you may feel you are, know that he is waiting for you to return to him. There is nothing you have done or will do that disqualifies you from receiving his love and mercy. If he can forgive Paul and use him for his eternal purposes, he can do the same for you!
“Lord Jesus, thank you for offering me a new beginning this Jubilee Year!” (Meditation on Acts 22:3-16, n.d.)
Kathleen Bonnette who works at the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University, where she also teaches theology, comments that Bishop Budde showed faithful moral courage. Catholics should follow her lead.
Bishop Budde’s act of moral courage in the face of these attempts to further marginalize already vulnerable people is laudable and should inspire the rest of us—especially our pastors and bishops—to proclaim the dignity of all clearly and with conviction from our positions of influence. Statements like that of Bishop Mark J. Seitz, who urged Mr. Trump to “pivot from these enforcement-only policies to just and merciful solutions” are one way to do this, but it will also require explicit comment by clergy and lay leaders in homilies and other public reflections. (Bonnette, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the three accounts of the conversion of Saul, the Aramaic version of Paul, in Acts. The film removed from Paul’s eyes may indicate cataracts as a result of a lightning strike. Friar Jude notes the effect of the serpent bite on Paul’s ministry in the ending of Mark’s Gospel that comes from Matthew.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis who reflects on how we are called to love imperfect people imperfectly.
I’m wondering what love means now. On the way to an election and on the other side of it, whenever you hear these words, who’s your neighbor and how do you love them? Can you see and feel their humanity? Sense their connectedness to you, the way you’re alike, even though you’re different? The way their blood is red, no matter what color their skin is? The way their heart beats, no matter who they love or how they love them? Can you sense your neighbor’s kinship with you and therefore be imagining that their self-interest and your self-interest are intertwined?… (Rohr, n.d.)
We are enlightened by the Spirit to be witnesses to the Way.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/22?3
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/9?
Bonnette, K. (n.d.). Bishop Budde showed faithful moral courage. Catholics should follow her lead. America Magazine | The Jesuit Review of Faith & Culture. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://www.americamagazine.org/
Grassmeyer, K. (2025, January 25). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/012525.html
Mark, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/16?15
Meditation on Acts 22:3-16. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://wau.org/
Psalms, PSALM 117 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/117?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Go into All the World and Preach the Gospel. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
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