Conversion

A person who returns to the Catholic Church after having been away for any number of years is considered to be a “revert. A person who becomes a Catholic having been from another faith tradition is commonly referred to as a “convert”. Those who have been Catholics all their lives are called “cradle Catholics”. All three of these; revert, convert and cradle Catholic, will continue to be on a path of conversion because it is a continual process of Christ working through us to bring us in closer relationship to Him.

In the life of the church, we recently celebrated the conversion of St. Paul in Acts 22:3-16. This story continues to offer to many the hope of salvation through such a conversion as experienced by St. Paul. Being blinded by a light, having Christ speak to us, saving us from our sinful ways by following him and having our lives completely changed by this conversion experience has been told over and over again down through the ages by individuals seeking a closer relationship with God. There have been many paintings of Paul’s experience but one I viewed with interest was in the January edition of the Magnificat, a spiritual guide for each day of the year. This painting is by a renowned 16 century artist, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. It is called “The Conversion of Saint Paul” (above photo) and is in the Odescalchi Balbi Collection in Rome, Italy. Having recently viewed a Caravaggio art display in our home town, I have come to appreciate the magnificent way in which this artist was able to paint many of the famous gospel stories. His paintings reflect the “dramatic use of light and shadow that leaves a deep impression on the viewer” and this is definitely apparent in this particular painting of Saint Paul on the Road to Damascus. The author of this article about the painting goes on to say “for the play of light and darkness is a visual meditation on the forces of sin and grace in the human heart”. (Jem Sullivan, Ph.D, author and contributor to the Magnificat).

My own “conversion” story took many years. I had been raised Catholic by parents who they themselves went through a conversion from a Protestant faith to the Catholic faith when I was very young. It would be through my own conversion back into the church 45 years later that would make me fully appreciate how it is one comes to be converted. Mr. Sullivan goes on to say “Conversion, as a work of God’s grace in the human heart, is a radical reorientation of the whole of life, a turning away from all that keeps us from God.” I did not feel as if I had turned away from God but probably more importantly I had turned away from Him in having left the faith of my childhood. I had left the Catholic faith to marry into the Methodist tradition through my husband. For many years I was quite happy in this faith and we raised two lovely children in this church as well. But as most of us who revert, come to realize something is missing and choose to return to the wonderful faith that for some reason has lain dormant and reemerges once we realize “God’s grace is in our human heart” and the Holy Spirit begins to bring us back “home”.

As I read recently, the Catechism of the Church (CCC 1432) says “The Human Heart is heavy and hardened. God must give man a new heart. Conversion is first of all a work of the grace of God who makes our hearts return to him.” I had never really thought of conversion as an ongoing process. I always felt that once one was converted, then the rest was the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit within a person perfecting them in that grace of God until at which time they would be sanctified with him in heaven, which is true. But as depicted in the Caravaggio painting and as Mr. Sullivan points out: “Christian conversion is always a living encounter with the person of Jesus Christ”. I view this painting and so enjoy the “source of light” which is none other than Christ himself and is as the writer says “…coming into history and into our lives (to) dispel the darkness of human sin, alienation, and loneliness apart from God.”

I always view stories of converts and reverts as refreshing reminders of all that is good about the Catholic Church. It is unfortunate that some “cradle Catholics” have a diminished view of their faith maybe because they are not continually challenged as to what they really believe. I recently read in a meditation about how we tend to package Jesus into our preconceived notion of how he really is when in reality, “the real Jesus, through the community of the Church, and its scripture, tradition, and teaching will correct me in love and truth.” If he calls me to continual conversion, he must be Jesus”. In my recent experience in returning to the church, I have been amazed at how much “cradle Catholics” do not really understand or fully appreciate all that the church offers. Perhaps this is where the church has somehow failed in encouraging the ongoing call to “continual conversion” through the rediscovery of just how beautiful this faith tradition of ours is and continues to be.

St. Paul’s conversion story continues to resonate with me as a reminder of where I have been and where I am going. In true Caravaggio form, I have learned to appreciate the “light” and understand the “dark”. It is out of this I have come to an understanding of the “person of Jesus Christ” and the continued fullness of all the Catholic faith has to offer.

Written by a follower of SDM