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Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, which commemorates that great saint?s conversion from a persecutor of Christians to an eventual martyr for the Faith. Originally named Saul, St. Paul originally persecuted Christians; the Acts of the Apostles even tells us that ?Saul was consenting to [St. Stephen?s] death? (Act 7:59 DRB). However, St. Paul dramatically encountered Christ in a blazing light that left him temporarily blind. Through the light, he heard a Voice that said, ?Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou [M]e?? I am Jesus of Nazareth, [W]hom thou persecutest? (Act 22:7-8).
Blinded by the light, St. Paul asked Our Lord what he was to do; Jesus gave him instructions to go to Damascus, where St. Paul was soon baptized and received into the Church. From that moment on, St. Paul devoted himself tirelessly to spreading the Faith, using his own experience as proof that God?s mercy is infinite. Despite the many sufferings that St. Paul experienced as a result of his new faith, he was filled with a deep joy, rejoicing in his sufferings with the knowledge that He was participating in the sufferings of Christ (cf. Col 1:24).
In a sermon about St. Paul, St. John Chrysostom identified the cause of the great apostle?s joy: ?The most important thing of all to [St. Paul]?was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ. Enjoying this love, he considered himself happier than anyone else; were he without it, it would be no satisfaction to be the friend of principalities and powers. He preferred to be thus loved and be the least of all?than to be without that love and be among the great and honored.
St. Paul?s conviction of God?s love for him was so great that joy filled his life as a result. While St. Paul?s conversion story is very dramatic, each one of us has experienced the same Divine Mercy in our own lives. At our baptisms, God brought us from a state of spiritual death to the life of sanctifying grace. While we hopefully never had the misfortune to commit a deliberate mortal sin before our baptisms, being in Original Sin is in itself a state of spiritual deadness, as no grace inhabits the soul.
After Baptism, if we have ever had the misfortune to fall into mortal sin, God?s infinite mercy has once again brought our souls from death to life if we have received the Sacrament of Penance worthily. While St. Paul heard Christ?s voice through the blinding light, we hear Christ speaking to us through the priest in the confessional as he advises us and absolves us in persona Christi.
Although few of us experience God?s mercy in such a visibly dramatic way as did St. Paul, our encounters with Divine Mercy are nonetheless equally dramatic on the spiritual level. Rather than falling into the temptation to compare our blessings with those of the great saints, such as St. Paul, may we instead be filled with gratitude at God?s infinite mercy that calls the greatest sinners to be the greatest saints. May we also be grateful for the effects of God?s Divine Mercy in our own lives, which has brought us from spiritual death to the life of grace and which continues to offer us the forgiveness of our sins no matter how many times we may fall.
St. Paul, ora pro nobis!
File:Michelangelo, conversione di saulo, 1542-45, 02.jpg
The Conversion of St. Paul by Michelangelo. Public domain.
I believe God created you to enjoy freedom, pure relationships, and authentic love.
I understand you might feel helpless right now. I?ve been there: I spent 30 years using, but am now enjoying 15+ years of recovery. I?ve been in the dark wood of error, and I?m here to guide you out.
In my journey, I searched everywhere and I tried everything. I kept what worked and abandoned what didn?t. Road to Purity is where I share what worked. For me, for thousands of others, and it can work for you.
Lasting freedom from porn is possible for all, which is why I started Road to Purity ? to share the treasures I?ve found, all in one place and process.
If you follow this path, here?s how it will work:
1. Get stable.
2. Discover the roots of your problem.
3. Find healing and experience lasting freedom.
If you?re ready for authentic freedom, start our Restoring God?s Foundation course today. If you?re not ready for that, download our 5 Keys to Freedom.
So you can stop seeing yourself disintegrate and instead enjoy lasting freedom and life to the full.
I look forward to working with you, Brother.
-Dann
Scenes from a Danish kindergarten.
In Denmark, kids are encouraged to get muddy on a regular basis. Getting dirty isn?t just fun, it?s beneficial. Mud play boosts creativity, strengthens sensory development, and even supports a healthier immune system.
https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1882316726073012224
Here is a very Rare video of the 21 coptic Christians that were martyred In Lydia ,praising The Lord in Joy after they were told
?You will be slaughtered the next few days if you don?t Betray ur Jesus man worshippers
Please remember their names ‼️‼️
https://x.com/coptsg/status/1882454450851446795
This is what happens when you mess around with the wrong Jew!
This Hamas supporter repeatedly harassed Jews at a Kosher restaurant and learned his lesson the hard way.
https://x.com/THEREALJEW613/status/1882585998745616555
In China, Islam is considered a ?Mental Illness? that needs to be treated.
Mosques are regularly torn down and Arabic writings are covered or erased.
Every Country in the West needs to follow suit before it?s too late!
https://x.com/CilComLFC/status/1882617825673842798
https://x.com/NiohBerg/status/1882411960307990582
We must defend sacred tradition and the Church?s timeless heritage of the Latin Mass.
?Cardinal Robert Sarah
Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae.
Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.
(Ave Maria)
Ecce ancilla Domini.
Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. (Ave Maria)
Genuflect] Et Verbum caro factum est.
Et habitavit in nobis. (Ave Maria)
Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix.
Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
Oremus.
Gratiam tuam, quaesumus Domine, mentibus nostris infunde: ut qui, Angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem ejus et crucem ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
https://x.com/Vitus_oss/status/1882542780469424572
This man speaks for the majority.
If you?ve not seen this before, watch it, give it a share.
If you have seen it before, watch it again, give it a share again.
Then someone give him a medal and buy him a beer.
https://x.com/koshercockney/status/1882471272283853209
Islamist migrants in the UK:
?We are not afraid of the UK government! Jihad is part of Islam.
https://x.com/realMaalouf/status/1882563178103734705
?Islam will not achieve its ambition to Islamize the whole world. Because the Lord did not die for nothing: He promised that He will be with His Church until the end of time.
https://x.com/Sanothomas/status/188259431946464492949 years ago today, Palestinians invaded the Lebanese Christian town of Damour and massacred hundreds of civilians.
Men were lined up against the walls of their homes and gunned down.
Women were tortured and gang-raped.
Babies were shot in the back of their heads.
Pregnant women had their babies cut out of the womb.
?It was an apocalypse , said Father Labaky, a priest who survived the massacre.
?They were coming in thousands, shouting ?Allahu Akbar! Let us attack them for the Arabs, let us offer a holocaust to Mohammad , they were slaughtering everyone, men, women and children.
I?m Dann Aungst, Founder of Road to Purity. I know that you want to be
a man of integrity. In order to do that, you need to stop using porn.
You?ve tried to quit before and failed, which makes you feel guilty
and alone.
I believe God created you to enjoy freedom, pure relationships, and
authentic love.
I understand you might feel helpless right now. I?ve been there: I
spent 30 years using, but am now enjoying 15+ years of recovery. I?ve
been in the dark wood of error, and I?m here to guide you out.
In my journey, I searched everywhere and I tried everything. I kept
what worked and abandoned what didn?t. Road to Purity is where I share
what worked. For me, for thousands of others, and it can work for you.
Lasting freedom from porn is possible for all, which is why I started
Road to Purity ? to share the treasures I?ve found, all in one place
and process.
If you follow this path, here?s how it will work:
1. Get stable.
2. Discover the roots of your problem.
3. Find healing and experience lasting freedom.
If you?re ready for authentic freedom, start our Restoring God?s
Foundation course today. If you?re not ready for that, download our 5
Keys to Freedom.
So you can stop seeing yourself disintegrate and instead enjoy lasting
freedom and life to the full.
I look forward to working with you, Brother.
-Dann
Scenes from a Danish kindergarten.
In Denmark, kids are encouraged to get muddy on a regular basis.
Getting dirty isn?t just fun, it?s beneficial. Mud play boosts
creativity, strengthens sensory development, and even supports a
healthier immune system.
https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1882316726073012224
Here is a very Rare video of the 21 coptic Christians that were
martyred In Lydia ,praising The Lord in Joy after they were told
?You will be slaughtered the next few days if you don?t Betray ur
Jesus man worshippers
Please remember their names ‼️‼️
https://x.com/coptsg/status/1882454450851446795
This is what happens when you mess around with the wrong Jew!
This Hamas supporter repeatedly harassed Jews at a Kosher restaurant
and learned his lesson the hard way.
https://x.com/THEREALJEW613/status/1882585998745616555
In China, Islam is considered a ?Mental Illness? that needs to be treated.
Mosques are regularly torn down and Arabic writings are covered or erased.
Every Country in the West needs to follow suit before it?s too late!
https://x.com/CilComLFC/status/1882617825673842798
https://x.com/NiohBerg/status/1882411960307990582
We must defend sacred tradition and the Church?s timeless heritage of
the Latin Mass.
?Cardinal Robert Sarah
Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae.
Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.
(Ave Maria)
Ecce ancilla Domini.
Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. (Ave Maria)
Genuflect] Et Verbum caro factum est.
Et habitavit in nobis. (Ave Maria)
Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix.
Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
Oremus.
Gratiam tuam, quaesumus Domine, mentibus nostris infunde: ut qui,
Angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus, per
passionem ejus et crucem ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per
eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
https://x.com/Vitus_oss/status/1882542780469424572
This man speaks for the majority.
If you?ve not seen this before, watch it, give it a share.
If you have seen it before, watch it again, give it a share again.
Then someone give him a medal and buy him a beer.
https://x.com/koshercockney/status/1882471272283853209
Islamist migrants in the UK:
?We are not afraid of the UK government! Jihad is part of Islam.
https://x.com/realMaalouf/status/1882563178103734705
?Islam will not achieve its ambition to Islamize the whole world.
Because the Lord did not die for nothing: He promised that He will be
with His Church until the end of time.
https://x.com/Sanothomas/status/188259431946464492949 years ago today, Palestinians invaded the Lebanese Christian townof Damour and massacred hundreds of civilians.
Men were lined up against the walls of their homes and gunned down.
Women were tortured and gang-raped.
Babies were shot in the back of their heads.
Pregnant women had their babies cut out of the womb.
?It was an apocalypse , said Father Labaky, a priest who survived the massacre.
?They were coming in thousands, shouting ?Allahu Akbar! Let us attack
them for the Arabs, let us offer a holocaust to Mohammad , they were
slaughtering everyone, men, women and children.
Freemasonry is an enemy of God, Church, and country.
Recognise it as such once and for all, and with all the weapons which reason, conscience, and faith put in your hands, defend yourselves from such a proud foe.
Let no one be taken in by its attractive appearance or allured by its promises; do not be seduced by its enticements or frightened by its threats.
Remember that Christianity and freemasonry are essentially irreconcilable, such that to join one is to divorce the other.
You can no longer ignore such incompatibility between Catholic and Freemason, beloved children: you have been warned openly by Our predecessors, and We have loudly repeated the warning.
? Pope Leo XIII (Custodi Di Quella Fede: On Freemasonry)
A Christian believes there are certain moral laws that are divinely
binding on all people. That premarital sex relations are fornication.
That extramarital sex activity is adultery. A Christian believes that
marital relations between husband and wife are sacred. That artificial
birth control is a sin; a Christian believes that sex activity between
two men or two women is sodomy and a crime that characterizes the
pagan nations of antiquity and destroyed their civilization. No
society has ever survived homosexuals in power. They are in power ? I
mean it, I?ve got no prophetic powers ? I hope I make it to the year
2000. A Christian believes that the willful destruction of unborn
human life is murder. A Christian believes that marriage is a lifetime
commitment. And that divorce with remarriage is forbidden by Jesus
Christ, even among Christians who are not Catholic. Marital
instability was frowned upon and an embarrassment to Protestants. For
Catholics there never was any question of a temporary marriage or a
part-time commitment and there was no organized movement for the
annulment of marriages. I repeat: the days of America are numbered.
The Catholic Church cannot survive. No wonder they are closing so many
churches. Because many of the once believing Catholics are no longer
Catholics.
Passionists
Holy Spirit
Church
Paul the Apostle
conversion
Caravaggio, Conversion of Paul
Our yearly church calendar celebrates saints from every age and place because saints are examples of God?s grace present always and everywhere. Some saints are singled out for their importance. St. Paul the Apostle, whose dramatic conversion is celebrated on January 25th, is one of them. His martyrdom, along with Peter, is celebrated June 29th and we read extensively from his writings throughout the church year.
An account of Paul?s conversion ( Acts 22: 3-13) ? one of three found in the Acts of the Apostles ? is read first at his feast day Mass. Mark?s gospel for the feast recalls Jesu after his resurrection telling his disciples to ?Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.? (Mark 16: 15-18) St. Luke devotes much of the Acts to Paul?s missionary journeys ending in Rome. The apostle fulfilled that command of Jesus.
Paul writes to the Corinthians:
?I am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God?s grace that is what I am, and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the others: or rather, not I but the grace of God that is with me. ( 1 Corthinians 15:9-10)
St. Paul is an example of how far we can rise, from the depths to the heights, and for that reason the church celebrates his conversion. He never forgot that God?s grace raised him from the dust to become a powerful force in his church and in the world. He never forgot he was a Pharisee who became one of Jesus? most loyal disciples. His conversion gave him a boldness to go fearlessly to the ends of the earth
?Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?? Jesus says to him from a blinding light. He never forgot the moment he was blinded by a light that made him see.
?Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what we really are, and in what our nobility consists, and of what virtue a human being is capable. Each day he aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardour and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him. He summed up his attitude in the words: I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead. When he saw death imminent, he bade others share his joy: Rejoice and be glad with me! And when danger, injustice and abuse threatened, he said: I am content with weakness, mistreatment and persecution. These he called the weapons of righteousness, thus telling us that he derived immense profit from them? ? ( St. John Chrysostom)
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.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Pope John XXIII called for a Second Vatican Council on the Feast of the Conversion of Paul, January 25, 1959. He called for the church to be converted.
Liz Forest
Paul was led because he was blinded by the light. His eyes were healed when he heard about Jesus and accepted Christ?s love into his life. Virtual scales can easily block my vision unless I focus on God?s love, goodness and mercy. With what media and internet puts before me, I need to filter the views I take in. ?For the prophet the right criteria to be applied to the whole human journey is the Word of the God who wishes us well not woe. (P.89 in ?The Time is Now? by Joan Chittister, OSB) For the prophet and for the follower of Christ, the Word of God speaks to us.
cenaclemary12
Remove the scales from my eyes, Lord of Light, that I might see you willing love into this day. When Paul was ?blinded? on the road to Damascus, he had to be led by others to a safe place. Annias was asked to go to him and did so with trepidation, knowing he was the one rounding up Christians as criminals. Paul felt something like scales falling from his eyes as Annias prayed with him, spoke to him about Christ.
Susan
?Though Paul has a prominent part in these stories, he is still an agent whom God sends and constantly empowers.? This was very true for me!
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