Jesus said, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off." We often think that our sins and pettiness and cruelty are just who we are and cannot change. But these are part of a false self. Jesus challenges us to find our better self, our true self, that can overcome sin with God's grace.
In the Book of Sirach, we hear that God's wisdom comes to us first as a stranger in fear and dread, testing us. But once we get to know it and it us, it brings us great comfort and joy.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of Paul, whose conversion was both based on his own experiences and choices, and made possible and fostered by the people around him. This was not unusual, and it seems that all conversions are both individual and communal.
In our Gospel today, Jesus calls the 12 apostles to be with him, to preach, and to cast out demons. Only demons are their enemies, not people who disagree with them or even oppose them. For these people, the apostles should give witness to their joy and friendship with Jesus to perhaps win them over. This is good advice for us today as well.
John, the apostle, shared with others about the Love of God he found in Christ so that his own joy would be complete. We have the same opportunity. Let us share with others what we have come to learn about Christ with those around around us, so that they might share in our joy and that our joy might be complete.
On this Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, we remember how he earned his crown of martyrdom, being stoned to death for proclaiming Christ. He died knowing he had a place in heaven and praying for those who were killing him. We too are called to wear the crown of glory with the Father, to share his life forever.
