St. Paul was a pretty bad guy early on. We hear about it in our first reading today from Galatians 1. More in a moment. In our Gospel reading from Luke 10, we see the story of Martha and Mary.
“You heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it…They only kept hearing that ‘the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.'” Here St. Paul talks forthrightly about his past, assuring the Galatians that he is trustworthy.
We all have a past. Interestingly, mine was something like Paul’s. I spent years badmouthing Christianity and Christians. Funny how things change! Paul never tried to hide his past. He acknowledged it, put it behind him and praised God for the grace of repentance and change. When discussed properly, our sinful past can be a great witness to God’s grace and power. The key is to always communicate that God has turned our life around.
Father, we thank you for calling us. May we always speak of your power in our lives. Amen.
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