On January 25, 2024, we celebrated 52 years of marriage.
St. Paul’s conversion is celebrated on the same day.
St. Paul’s Conversion
St. Paul is one of my favorite Christian writers. Formerly known as Saul, he was well-bred; he came from a family of means. He was from the tribe of Benjamin, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. In addition his father was a Roman citizen, which afforded Paul both Roman and Hebrew citizenship. He was the prized student of the esteemed Rabbi Gamaliel. Gamaliel, a highly regarded Pharisee, was also a member of the Sanhedrin, an assembly of elders appointed to adjudicate disputes in ancient Israel. Saul was also a Pharisee who fought for the beliefs of the Torah.
Saul apposed Jesus as a false Messiah and terrorized and imprisioned His followers as a threat to Judaism . Saul’s background makes for a perfect convergence where fate meets divine wisdom.
I can compare myself to St. Paul who discovered the truth on his journey. Filled with zeal, he tried to destroy every Christian in his path. On the road to Damascus, he met Jesus. In my ignorance, my search for truth led me down a winding road of self-absorbance. As a result I’d become a holier than thou know-it-all. If you did not believe as I did, in my mind there was little time for salvation and to turn your life to God.
My understanding of the fire of God was me taking a torch and burning all the dross. I was, after all, clearing a pathway to heaven. I was sorely wrong.
If you met me during this transition, I was going to use any sensationalized information to sway you into my beliefs.
This past Thursday, we when to dinner in Costa Mesa to celebrate our anniversary. This restaurant is located on Anton Boulevard and, as we made the turn, my mind was flooded with vivid memories of when I first became a Born-Again Christian.
The Demonic Hotel
I cannot recall the name of the pastor or the church that stated that a hotel in this area was demonic. Explicitly this was because Anton was the name of the high priest of the Satanic Temple and this hotel is surrounded by five black banks. In addition 666 was the address to the hotel! This was the onset of convincing others that almost everything had an attachment to the dark side, so they needed to follow the Light.
This hotel is surrounded by banks but does not have the dreaded numbers 666 for an address.
The Holy Pilot
Another rumored belief was that Delta Airlines always flew their planes with a Christian and a nonbeliever as co-pilots. This was in preparation for the Rapture of the Church. As the Christian pilot left the plane to meet his Maker, the nonbelieving co-pilot would guide the plane to a safe landing. I felt privileged to know this private information. To think that an American airline would go through this length was most impressive. I shared this information with only trusted individuals, including my son Mikos. This, too, proved to be false information.
The Truth
Not long ago Mikos reminded me of the Delta story. I answered, “I was a baby Christian, I’ve grown since then.” How could I have been so gullible? I was all over the board, attending different churches, listening to pastors, some of whom received their credentials from the Internet. Hungry for the truth, I devoured everything that was put on my spiritual plate.
Saving The World
When you have the mindset of a know-it-all, nothing and no one can stop the fast-moving train. Besides, I made it my job to tell the world in all boldness about Christ. Through all the whistle-stops and crude outreaches, with no real covering I was doomed and quickly fading into the persona of another Bible-beating bully.
God was with me the entire trip. He watched me fall on my face so many times. He must have had a good laugh, watching me go from one church meeting to the next, gleaning what worked for my resume.
The Lord taught me to re-examine the commitment I made in my conversion. He took me, a lump of discarded play dough, and made me who I am today: filled with fire and the zeal to minister to others in His love.
The Zeal
Having a complete understanding of zeal has brought me a new meaning of God’s mercy. In His mercy Jesus sees us all the same: we belong to one family. In His mercy God displays His compassion by teaching us that no one is greater than the other. He chooses to patiently wait for us to convert. And if you are truly seeking, the Lord will give you the desires of your heart.
Spiritual Direction
Jesus was St. Paul’s spiritual director. Before St. Paul could be guided into one of the greatest of all Christians, he needed to die to his old ways. Jesus caused St. Paul’s blindness in order to get his attention.
