Feast Day: January 25
Title: Apostle to the Gentiles
Virtues Highlighted: Zeal (both before and after conversion), humility, obedience to divine grace, courage in witness
▬ Background ▬
Saul of Tarsus was a devout Pharisee, born a Roman citizen. Zealous for the Law, he became a fierce persecutor of the early Christian Church, convinced he was defending the true faith. He stood by as Saint Stephen, the first martyr, was stoned, and he “breathed threats and murder” against the disciples of Christ (Acts 9:1).
▬ The Conversion Event ▬
While journeying to Damascus to arrest Christians, Saul experienced a divine encounter that shattered his former way of life.
“And as he went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus: and suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him. And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Who said: Who art thou, Lord? And he: I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.”
(Acts 9:3–5, Douay-Rheims)
Blinded by the heavenly light, Saul was led into the city, where he spent three days in fasting and prayer. The Lord then sent Ananias, a devout disciple, to baptize him. With the words of baptism, scales fell from his eyes, and he regained both physical and spiritual sight.
▬ Aftermath and Mission ▬
Now Paul, he immediately began preaching Christ crucified in the synagogues, astonishing those who had known of his former hatred for Christians. From that point on, he endured beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, and rejection for the Name of Jesus. His letters form a large part of the New Testament, and he is revered as the Apostle to the Nations.
✧ Traditional Significance ✧
In traditional Catholic devotion, the conversion of Saint Paul stands as:
- A testimony to the power of grace, which can change even the most hardened sinner.
- A reminder that the Church is Christ’s Mystical Body, as Christ did not say “Why do you persecute My followers,” but “Why persecutest thou Me?”
- A call to ongoing interior conversion, modeled after Paul’s total transformation.
The feast was already observed in Gaul by the 6th century and was fixed in the Roman calendar at January 25, concluding the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity in modern times.
✧ Reflections from the Fathers and Saints ✧
🕯 St. John Chrysostom:
“See how even the enemy becomes a disciple. Paul, breathing slaughter, is changed in an instant. Who can despair after this? For if Paul, the lion, became a lamb, there is hope for all.”
🕯 St. Augustine (who himself would later undergo a profound conversion):
“Christ did not say, ‘Why do you persecute My servants,’ but ‘Me’—showing that He is in His members. He is touched in heaven by what His saints suffer on earth.”
✧ Devotional Use ✧
Traditional Prayers:
- Novena to Saint Paul (for conversions, especially of sinners or unbelievers)
- Litany of Saint Paul (in some older prayer books)
- Meditation on the Road to Damascus (a powerful subject in Ignatian-style mental prayer)
Scriptural Reading (Lectio Divina Style):
- Acts 9:1–22
- Acts 22:1–16 (Paul recounts his conversion)
- Galatians 1:11–24 (Paul asserts the divine origin of his Gospel)