January 25, 2024 / 12:01 AM
Every January 25, the Catholic Church celebrates the miracle of the conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle of the Lord, whom we also call “apostle to the Gentiles” or “apostle to the nations” because he received directly from the risen Christ the mission of announcing the Gospel to all nations. Saint Paul, alongside Saint Peter, played a decisive role in the formation of the nascent Church of Jesus Christ.
Paul, of Jewish origin, had been a fierce persecutor of Christians. His zeal for the preservation of the Jewish Law had made him an enemy of anyone who proclaimed himself a disciple of the Lord. For him, Jesus had been an impostor, someone who proclaimed himself son of God and messiah without being one, a position that, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, evidenced “his inner reality, his blindness regarding the truth, the light that is Christ.” .
It will be “his definitive “yes” to Christ in baptism (which) opens his eyes again, and makes him really see.”