Homily 3rd Tuesday of Easter (Acts 7:51-81a) “Who was Saul?”

3rd Tuesday of Easter (Acts 7:51-81a) “Who was Saul?”

Why do we believe in God?  For many of us it may be because we have undergone a great conversion in our life.  We may also have seen a great transformation in the life of someone else.

I have a priest friend named Tony who came from a family that was riddled with the sickness of alcoholism. Tony went into the seminary as a youngster.  Perhaps, part of the reason for his vocation, was that he wanted to escape a home that was very dysfunctional.  He probably never would have been able to go to college if he had not entered the seminary.  Tony probably thought that he had escaped the sickness in his family.

Tony joined a religious order. He began his ministry.  He was a successful priest. He spent time as a missionary.  He taught in the seminary, but he was a person who drank a lot as well.

Tony had the courage to face his alcohol problem.  He went away for treatment with the support of his brothers.  He became a much different person. The members of his religious community respected him a lot because they knew the demons he had wrestled with. Tony found out who he truly was, that he was a beloved son of God, not just an addicted person. He served two terms as the superior of his religious congregation.  At the end of his life he is a kind gentle confessor.  He is patient with others because he has learned to be patient with himself.

When I think of Tony, I think of Saul who we meet in the first reading today.  The Saul we meet is young, he is rigid, he is self-righteous. Saul has all the answers.  He is not patient with deviations from orthodoxy.  We are told that Saul concurs with the stoning of Stephen. He must recognize that Stephen is a holy man, but that does not matter to Saul.  He would rather see Stephen dead than admit that his beliefs have any merit.

Saul needed to change.  And he does change in a most dramatic way.  His transformation comes out of the blue.  There was no reason to expect it. In the end he becomes the second founder of Christianity.  He is a real proof of power of the Christian faith.  Saul is transformed into a new man named Paul.

Questions for Reflection:

1. How has my faith in Jesus impacted my life?  When was my conversion experience? 

2. Have I seen someone completely changed by a religious event in their life?  Who was it?  What happened?  Has seeing what happened been an affirmation of my faith?

Dear Parishioners,

            We have had a second death in our parish from COVID 19.  Joyce Wales has died.  She was a resident of a local nursing home.  She is a reminder that elderly people are especially susceptible to this dreaded disease. It is hard on those who are living their last years of life to be threatened by COVID 19, but it is also hard for family members who can’t be by their bedside when they die.

            We are reminded by events like this that all human life is precious.  We all need to try to take care so that we do not spread COVID 19 to vulnerable people. We pray again, that the social distancing we are doing will lead us back to a time when a dying person could draw their last breath while receiving the sacraments of the church.  We also pray that people will once again die with those that they love gathered around their bedside.

            May the Blessed Mother and all the angels and saints watch over all of us today.

            Fr. Mark