Homily: Third Friday of Ordinary Time
Third Friday of Ordinary Time (Acts 9:1-20) “You Can Call Me Paul”
When we first read the New Testament, we may not realize that St. Paul was called Saul before he was called Paul. Saul was his original Hebrew name. Paul was a Greek or Latin name. This could have meant that he had a Hebrew mother and a Roman father. We do know that he was a Roman citizen.
Whenever there is a name change in the Scriptures it also can denote a change in the person’s faith life. We can think of the apostle Peter whose name changed from Cephas to Peter. We remember Abraham whose name changed from Abram to Abraham. There are several of the apostles who had different names in different languages. This can make identifying them a difficult process.
When I was going to Seminary and living on the same campus as the Benedictines I would watch as men would enter the community. It was the custom for novices to receive a religious name. Usually, it was not their choice, but it was the choice of the Abbot to name the person. Some of the names sounded odd to me. Names like Methodius or Flavian were not names that I would have picked.
The new name was a sign that an old way of life was being left behind and new way of life was beginning. The person, was in a sense being reborn, taking on a different identity.
Paul’s life changed radically. We read in Acts today how he persecuted Christians. He helped the religious authorities capture Christians and he even helped to execute Christians. But then came his religious conversion. He was blinded and had to be led around by the hand. Jesus spoke to him. He called him to follow. Paul was Baptized. He then saw things clearly.
We carry extra names in our life. Maybe it is a middle name. Perhaps it is a Confirmation name of our choosing. Hopefully, we remember that our lives changed forever when we received these names, and that Jesus calls us each by name.
Reflection Questions:
- What are the names I carry? What is the origin of each of those names?
- Do I know of anyone who has had a conversion like Paul? How does the change that I saw inspire me?
Dear Parishioners,
The presentation we had last Sunday concerning our new gathering space is now on the WEB page. I invite you to review this information. We want everyone to be fully informed about what is happening.
This is an exciting time in the history of our parish. We hope to have a groundbreaking during the summer. A lot of parish members have made a lot of sacrifice so that we might reach this point. By this time next year, we hope to have construction completed.
May Our Lady of Peace watch over our world today.
Fr. Mark