"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses." (Acts 1:8)
The World Youth Day (WYD) represents an opportunity for transformation and personal conversion. I am reminded of Pope John Paul's message for the WYD in Cologne, Germany in 2005. Reflecting on the example of the Magi and their pilgrimage to visit the child Jesus, he spoke of the change resulting from their encounter with Christ:
“And they departed to their own country by another way” (Mt 2:12). The Gospel tells us that after their meeting with Christ, the Magi returned home “by another way”. This change of route can symbolize the conversion to which all those who encounter Jesus are called, in order to become the true worshippers that He desires (cf. Jn 4:23-24). This entails imitating the way He acted by becoming, as the apostle Paul writes, “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1).
The life of St. Paul, which the Church is celebrating in a special way during this Pauline Jubilee Year, epitomizes the transformational power of a personal encounter with Jesus. At the beginning of the ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, he is intent on carrying out murderous threats against members of the early church. On his way to Damascus, he undergoes a dramatic conversion through an encounter with the risen Christ. The scene is dramatically depicted in a famous painting by Caravaggio. On a visit to Rome on Easter Sunday earlier this year, I had an opportunity to ponder this masterpiece in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo and reflect on St. Paul’s conversion. It was a lifelong transformation from persecutor of Christians to apostle that culminated in the startling statement:
“…yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me” (Gal 2:20).
“And they departed to their own country by another way” (Mt 2:12). The Gospel tells us that after their meeting with Christ, the Magi returned home “by another way”. This change of route can symbolize the conversion to which all those who encounter Jesus are called, in order to become the true worshippers that He desires (cf. Jn 4:23-24). This entails imitating the way He acted by becoming, as the apostle Paul writes, “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1).
The life of St. Paul, which the Church is celebrating in a special way during this Pauline Jubilee Year, epitomizes the transformational power of a personal encounter with Jesus. At the beginning of the ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, he is intent on carrying out murderous threats against members of the early church. On his way to Damascus, he undergoes a dramatic conversion through an encounter with the risen Christ. The scene is dramatically depicted in a famous painting by Caravaggio. On a visit to Rome on Easter Sunday earlier this year, I had an opportunity to ponder this masterpiece in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo and reflect on St. Paul’s conversion. It was a lifelong transformation from persecutor of Christians to apostle that culminated in the startling statement:
“…yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me” (Gal 2:20).
In the same way, all are called to conversion. Those attending the WYD in Sydney a week from now will have an incredible opportunity to experience transformation resulting from an encounter with Christ, through prayer, celebration of the sacraments and Christian fellowship.
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