Today the church remembers The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle.
Paul has been called by some modern writers "the true founder of the
church" and even "the first Christian." Although we may reject such
statements as exaggerations, they do reflect the enormous importance of
this man in the development of our faith and our community in history.
The occasion of Paul's conversion has long been regarded as a major
turning point in Christian history. He had been an enthusiastic
Jew, a Pharisee, in fact, and had studied under one of the great rabbis
of his day, Gamaliel. Paul advocated and witnessed the stoning of
Stephen (see December 26) and was enroute to Damascus to assist in the
further persecution of the Christians there when his dramatic conversion
took place.
From then on
his life was totally devoted to the service of Christ, and especially to
the conversion of non-Jewish people. His letters and the Book of Acts
give us a wealth of information regarding his life and work. He founded
churches in Philippi, Athens, Thessalonica, Corinth, and many other
important cities of his day. He is generally believed to have died with
Peter in Rome, a victim of the persecution of Nero.
The Feast of
the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle is a feast celebrated during
the liturgical year on January 25, recounting the conversion. This feast
is celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches.
This feast is at the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity, an international Christian ecumenical observance that began in
1908, which is an octave (an eight-day observance) spanning from January
18 (observed in Anglican and Lutheran tradition as the Confession of
Peter) to January 25. In rural England, the day functioned much like
groundhog day does in modern day America. Supposed prophecies ranged
from fine days predicting good harvests, to clouds and mists signifying
pestilence and war in the coming months.
O God, who taught the whole world through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Paul, draw us, we pray, nearer to you
through the example of him whose conversion we celebrate today, and so make us witnesses to your truth in the world.
O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused the light
of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we pray, that we,
having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves
thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_Paul_the_Apostle
