Coffee With God

Reflection: Mark 16:15-18

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the conversion of Saint Paul and today is also the last day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Gospel brings us the Mission Mandate of the Risen Christ for our reflection, prayer and action. Saul’s conversion story serves as an eye-opener for us today. Saul was a zealous Jew, so passionate about his faith and was willing to give everything for his religious convictions and traditions. This was indeed something good and admirable. The Old Testament stories hail people of such faith. The only trouble with Saul was his sense of religious fanaticism to the extent that anyone who differs from the Jewish faith and practices does not deserve to live. It is not difficult to find ‘Sauls’ in our Church and communities today, not in any bad sense at all. They are so passionate about certain convictions and practices and hold fast to their belief that they are the custodians of truth. Over the centuries, the Church has developed a Catechism that is based on the Sacred Scripture, the Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church. This is intended to help the faithful to grow in love for the Lord and the Church. But when we scrupulously stick to the rules and regulations, without concerns for charity and justice, our catechism and liturgy become counterproductive and drive people away from Jesus, instead of drawing them closer to him. I remember a beautiful piece of advice from a professor in Liturgy. He said, “Liturgy without charity is a sin”, Truth without love becomes brutality. Feast of the Conversion of Saul into Paul reminds us to do away with our own bits of fanaticisms. It calls for a conversion from our stiff-necked behaviour, conversion from our religious fanaticism. We need the light of Christ to illumine our eyes of faith, to accept the differences in the other and to love them with all their disparities. Can the Christians in different denominations come around one table to pray, praise and share the Word of God, and together profess our faith in the one Lord? Every believer of Christ shares in the Mission of Christ: to go out to the whole world and to announce the good news to every creature. The Good News is “Jesus is near”. He was killed, but he rose from the dead and he lives with us every day, every moment. This is the good news that we carry to people: “You are not alone, the Lord is with you!” Let our lives be a sign for our brothers and sisters for the presence of God in their lives.