Day 37

When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe, and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54 (From the Gospel of Vespers on Good Friday Afternoon)

When you read the lives of the saints of the Church, you are exposed to a variety of people who devoted their lives to Christ and their belief in Him, many even giving their lives in death or martyrdom. These people range from ones who believed in Christ for their entire lives to those who lived very different lives, but came to Christ.

Today’s reflection talks about one such person; Longinus, the centurion at the crucifixion of Christ. You can learn all about him in Fr. Stavros’ reflection today. Another that we talked about not too long ago was the penitent thief. There are thousands and thousands of saints in the Church. Many are remembered only by the event that caused their sainthood.

But there is something that they all have in common. These are the three lessons that Fr. Stavros mentions in his reflection. We can see the fullness of these lesson in the person of St. Paul the Apostle:

  1. Even a sinful person can become a saint. Saint Paul, before his conversion, was named Saul and was known for his zealous persecution of Christians. In fact, he held the coats of the men who stoned St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. He eventually became one of the most powerful and influential devotees of Christ
  2. Each genuine Christian will have one (or more) conversion moment(s). St. Paul’s was on the road to Damascus when Jesus spoke to him and struck him blind until he was baptized.
  3. That conversion moment was seized and acted upon. St. Paul seized his moment by spreading Christianity far and wide in the known world. Many of his letters of ministry to communities are included in the New Testament. Eventually, he gave his life for his faith in Christ.

These lessons are meant for each and every one of us. They remind us that God is always willing to accept our repentance and take us back. They teach us that we all either have had or will have a “conversion’ moment, something that will erase all doubt that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

The last lesson, and perhaps the most important, is that we must seize those “conversion” moments and act on them. That moment won’t necessarily be one like St. Paul’s, but they do happen to all of us. Perhaps it’s an overwhelming moment during prayer or worship. Maybe it’s forgiving someone and the purity that comes from that. Whatever it is, we must recognize it, seize it and let it guide us in our journey to salvation.

We are all called to be saints.

In Christ

Fr. David