Acts 9:1-16 (17-22)  (ESV)

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. ⁴And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” ⁷The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. ⁸Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So, they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. ¹⁰Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, ¹²and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” ¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

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Think about something that changed who you were and the direction of your life: a relationship, job, the death of someone close, or another event.  Perhaps it was not some big event, but some smaller experiences put together.  Saul’s life-defining moment came while he was traveling to Damascus to arrest anyone claiming that Jesus is Lord and Savior.  The answer to his question: “Who are you, Lord?” changed his life forever, “I am Jesus.”   

Consider the changes in Saul’s life.  He went from writing letters ordering the arrest of believers to writing letters that the church relies on as we wait for Jesus’ glorious return.  He went from causing suffering to the church, to suffering for Jesus.  From annihilating the church, to starting churches.  From being feared and hated by believers, to being welcomed as an apostle of Christ.  He went from thinking that being right with God depended on what he did, to solely depending on Christ for his righteousness in the sight of God.  We could go on, but when Saul, now better known as Saint Paul, met the resurrected, living, and glorified Jesus, everything changed. 

We may not have a dramatic experience like Paul’s life-changing event with blinding light and Jesus’ own voice speaking from heaven. But what happened to Paul also happens to us.  We may not see Jesus in His glorified resurrection body, but by the work of the Holy Spirit, we do meet Jesus, and He speaks to us in a way that changes the path of our lives.  Jesus comes to each one of us and says, “I am Jesus.  ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for [you, because you are in Me]’ (cf. Romans 8:1).  You are forgiven, and by your Baptism into My death and resurrection, you are welcomed into My church, to share eternity with your brothers and sisters and the whole host of heaven in the one true faith.”

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