As Lent approaches, we are reminded that this season offers us a new beginning. Pope Francis describes Lent as a “journey of spiritual renewal in the footsteps of Christ.” During this season, we are called to turn our hearts and minds back to God, to return to the Lord who offers us the gift of his merciful love. We are invited to deepen our spiritual life and re-examine the state of our souls. Lent is known as a season of conversion. But what does conversion mean and how can it be a lifelong journey?
Meaning of Conversion
Conversion is a dominant theme in the Bible. The Old Testament prophets, St. John the Baptist, and St. Peter frequently preach about the call to conversion. Jesus began his public ministry with the words, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). His first words were a call to conversion. For Jesus, we are all in need of repentance. We all need to recognize our failings and need to place our trust in God’s merciful love.
Conversion means changing the direction of your life and turning around to walk along the path of Christ. A conversion can be radical and sudden, characterized by an overwhelming experience which changes your life completely. However, conversion is not simply an isolated event. It is often a lifelong spiritual journey that is slow and difficult. It is first and foremost a conversion of heart. God first touches your heart and reveals to you his immense love. He invites you to recognize his faithfulness and your need for his forgiveness and mercy. It consists of turning away from evil and sinfulness and towards God’s loving embrace. It is an ongoing process. We need to continually open our hearts to receive God and allow him to transform us day by day.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes how we can practice conversion in our daily lives. It states:
1435 Conversion is accomplished in daily life by gestures of reconciliation, concern for the poor, the exercise and defense of justice and right,33 by the admission of faults to one’s brethren, fraternal correction, revision of life, examination of conscience, spiritual direction, acceptance of suffering, endurance of persecution for the sake of righteousness. Taking up one’s cross each day and following Jesus is the surest way of penance.34 (CCC 1435)
Conversion Stories
Conversion stories help us to better understand what it means to convert and what effect it has on our daily lives. These stories are always popular. Reading about the life-changing encounters people have with God is fascinating. Some stories are about everyday individuals whose lives have been touched profoundly by God. Their spiritual journeys show us how to grow in faith throughout our lives. Other stories are of well-known saints who experienced life-changing conversion.
The conversion of St. Augustine is certainly known for being dramatic, but it was also a slow and difficult process which lasted a lifetime. His early years were devoted to loose living yet he had a consistent desire to answer the fundamental questions of life. Over thirty years he slowly opened his heart and mind to the Christian faith. Yet it was the sudden and unexpected voice of a child calling to him in a garden which finally started his conversion, a conversion which lasted to the very end of his days. St. Augustine’s spiritual journey was both sudden and radical, but also slow and often painful.
The Bible is filled with stories of people whose lives were changed by their encounters with God. The conversion of St. Paul is perhaps the greatest and most dramatic of these stories. His life was radically changed by his encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus. Before his conversion, he was certain that his former way of life and his former beliefs were absolutely correct. His encounter with the Lord caused the direction of his life to change drastically. St. Paul went from persecuting the followers of Jesus to becoming a fierce defender and teacher of the Christian faith, even suffering for Christ to the point of death. His encounter with the Risen Lord transformed him and his life. He stated, “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). An encounter with Jesus has the power to transform and convert not only St. Paul, but also each of us, if we have faith in him.
One of the lesser known conversion stories in the Bible is that of Lydia of Thyatira. Lydia was a businesswoman who traded in purple dyes and fabrics, items which were valuable and costly at the time. She was originally from Thyatira, an industrial city situated in modern-day western Turkey, but later moved to Philippi, a city in ancient Macedonia in northeastern Greece. She was a pious woman who met St. Paul by the river at the place of prayer. Her conversion is described in the Acts of the Apostles:
On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us. (Acts of the Apostles 16:13-15)
God opened Lydia’s heart to St. Paul’s preaching of the gospel message. She listened to it attentively and responded with faith, being baptized along with all her household. Her conversion also inspired her to respond with generosity and to receive St. Paul and his companions into her home as her guests. Later, after Paul and Silas were released from prison, she again welcomed them into her home to receive encouragement (Acts 16:40). Her generosity demonstrates that conversion is a daily process. It consists in being always open to God and responding to the events and challenges of daily life with generosity, patience, and love.
Our Turn for Conversion
We are all called to conversion. Sometimes we may hope to receive a sudden, overwhelming experience of light and clarity as St. Augustine and St. Paul experienced. Some may even receive such a powerful experience. However, conversion is more than a single event, it is a lifelong journey. We need to open our hearts and minds and view the challenges each day brings as daily opportunities to follow Christ. Lent offers us the opportunity to reflect on the mysteries of our faith, to focus on penance, prayer, and conversion. During these 40 days, we can spend time in prayer and Scripture. We can speak to God in silence and open our hearts to listen to him. We are all called to recognize the different ways we have turned away from God and try to return to him with all our hearts. Let us all prepare ourselves this Lenten season to encounter the Risen Lord on Easter Sunday by opening our hearts to God’s transformative power and receiving him with a humble and open heart.
