Knocked Off The Horse

PHOTO:Bernard Gragnon Statue of Saint Paul,Damascus

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.
Mark 16,15

Today is the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. You may remember that, while on his way to Damascus to round up more Christians to take back to Jerusalem for punishment, Paul was knocked off his horse by a blinding light and confronted by the risen Lord: Why do you persecute me? The event and its aftermath changed Paul forever.

I have a friend who said he would like to have a “knocked off my horse” experience, something that would help him know with surety what direction to go in his life. Wouldn’t we all? With all due respect to Saint Paul, making a drastic life change would be easier to do if Jesus Christ flooded me with light and we had a heart to heart about what he wanted me to do. Of course, Paul needed courage and faith to follow his road which was fraught with conflict, persecution as well as success. His conversion and mission eventually led to his death.

Most of us do not have a “knocked off my horse” moment, but rather discern God’s presence and direction in our lives bit by bit. Here our path is similar to Paul’s.
However the Holy One communicates Grace to us, we must be open to receive it. A well-educated zealous Jew, Paul was receptive to Jesus’ message because he was a man of faith prayerfully committed to serving God. He was a sincere seeker of Truth and willing to suffer as he remained faithful to it.

We are called to be people of prayer, to expect to encounter God in our world and our lives. We are called to nurture an open heart and willing spirit. God may speak to us, as to Elijah, in a whisper, but we must not mistake a quiet process of growing closer to God with an absence of the Holy in our lives. Conversion is a constant part of life that requires discipline and prayerful presence to the moment.

We may not have a “knocked off the horse” moment, but we can be sure that God is always with us, revealing the Compassionate Love that will lead us to the Divine embrace.