Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle. Before his conversion, Paul zealously persecuted followers of Jesus. Here in Reading 1 from Acts 22, Paul tells how Jesus first called him: "On that journey [to Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem in chains for punishment followers of Jesus] as I drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' I replied, 'Who are you, sir?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.'" It strikes me that Jesus was gentle and polite in speaking to one of his then worst enemies and humbly referred to himself as "Jesus the Nazorean" rather than "your Lord and God." This should put all of us at ease in approaching the Lord who spoke the truth when he said "I am meek and humble of heart" (Matthew 11).
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