In today’s First Reading Paul recalls the years immediately following his conversion on the road to Damascus, a conversion where all his fundamental convictions regarding God’s will for him were put to the test. The first thing Paul did was leave Judea and head into the wide expanse of deserts known as Arabia, and in that desert he realized that he was called to be more than just a disciple of Our Lord; he had a special encounter that made him Our Lord’s apostle in a way not quite like the Twelve.
He only met the apostles years later, as he also recounts to the Galatians. In other letters he’d already face criticism about being a second-class apostle, but he knew what Our Lord was asking of him and set out to do it, conferring with the other apostles years later. It didn’t matter, because the same Gospel the Twelve had received from Our Lord was given to Paul to spread among the gentiles, including the Galatians, who were now being encouraged incorrectly to adopt Judaic practices that Paul had not taught them.
How do you handle life-shattering events? Do you turn up the volume or top off the whiskey, or do you seek the solitude and silence to hear Our Lord’s voice more clearly and process what he is asking you to do with your life? It’s never to late to close the door, shut down the laptop, and simply have a conversation with Our Lord.
Readings: Galatians 1:13–24; Psalm 139:1b–3, 13–15; Luke 10:38–42. See also 16th Week in Ordinary Time, Sunday, Cycle C, St. Martha, 27th Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday.
