Witnesses of the Risen One

Today we celebrate the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle.  Saul is on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them in chains to prison to be punished for following Jesus. On the way to Damascus when, nearing the city, Saul is knocked off his horse and hears a voice saying to him:  "'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'"  Saul asks:  "Who are you, sir?"  The voice responds: "I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting!"  Saul asks: "What should I do,sir?"  Jesus responds:  "Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do."  

Do you and I realize that the way we treat another person is how we are treating Jesus the Nazorean?  Do we realize, in fact, that we are Jesus in the world!  First of all, if we realized that other persons are Jesus, we certainly would, I believe,  treat them with respect and love; and, second of all, knowing that we, too, are Jesus in the world would we not then do as Jesus did: reach out to the poor, the oppressed, say healing words to the sick and crippled, the troubled and distressed?  Would we not, then, seek ways to bring light into the darkness of another person's life, hope into areas of hopelessness, love where there is hatred and forgiveness to those whom we have hurt or who may  have hurt us?

Like Saul, baptized Paul, the Lord says to us through others:  "Get up and go (to wherever we are being called) and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do."  And, also like Saul, we often need others to restore our sight, as Ananias did for Saul at God's bidding.  Sight restored, we will be able to recognize what God is asking of us and how we, too, are called to be His witnesses in the world around us.