Praise be Jesus and Mary. As we reflect on the amazing conversion of St. Paul,
you know, let us also consider the elements of conversion in general. You know, it's always
easier to look at someone else's conversion story but, you know, what about our own? We're
called to daily conversion and, you know, what steps do we need to take in order to
turn our lives, you know, over to Our Lady and ultimately to Our Lord?
Amen.
St. John the Evangelist gives us a very simple program to follow in the first of his three
letters that are found in the New Testament. The first step consists in a personal encounter
with the Lord.
St. Maximilian Kolbe tells us,
The surest and quickest way to do this is to go through Our Lady. As we familiarize ourselves with
the Gospels, we notice how conversion and then discipleship begin with a personal encounter with
the Lord.
You know, some,
some people respond to the call and others, we notice in the Gospel, sadly walk away.
The second step is easier said than done, but it's essential. We must break with sin.
Discipleship and sin don't mix.
You know, we have to take personal sin very seriously. If we, if we don't make use of frequent confession, then we don't take sin very seriously.
Conversion means that we are continually turning away from sin and turning towards God.
and in our struggle against sin.
You know, we can't fool around.
We must be diligent.
Here's what St. John tells us.
You know, if we say that we have no sin in us,
we are deceiving ourselves and refusing to admit the truth.
But if we acknowledge our sins,
then God, who is faithful and just,
will forgive our sins and purify us from everything that is wrong.
To say that we have never sinned is to call God a liar
and to show that his word is not in us.
Now, of course, our personal struggle with sin is difficult.
It may even be dramatic at times,
which shouldn't come to a surprise to anyone.
The spiritual life is always a personal battle.
But, you know, if we wish to have a very serious spiritual life,
then we're going to make use of frequent confession
and frequent communication.
There are basically two principal obstacles
that serious Catholics deal with today.
And the first major obstacle
is when people deny certain aspects
of Catholic Church teaching on faith and morals.
Unresolved and unconfessed,
you see, is the fact that we are living in a state of mortal sin.
We've been told that the state of mortal sin
simply hardens the heart.
You know, the blindness is further complicated
and compounded by the reception of Holy Communion
in the state of mortal sin.
And Saint Paul talks about the reception of sacrilegious communion.
He says,
Our Lord tells us in the book of Revelation,
I know all about you, how you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were one or the other.
But because you are neither, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth.
The
the
third step
in our conversion experience is detachment from the world.
Christians enjoy the beauty of the world,
but we should see things of this world as stepping stones to our ultimate destiny,
which is eternal life in heaven.
We must always be on guard against the danger of materialism,
we must always live our lives with a clear hierarchy of values,
God, family, and neighbor.
Everything else must be subordinate to these essential values.
Finally, the fourth step in our conversion experience,
is to live to its ultimate consequence the theological virtue of charity.
Saint John tells us,
Anyone who says, I love God, and hates his brother, is a liar.
Since a man who does not love the brother that he can see,
cannot love the God whom he has never seen.
So if we take our,
our daily conversion seriously,
we're going to have to examine our conscience every day,
and see if we're putting these four steps of Saint John into practice.
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