A Life-long Journey of Conversion
Jesus tells the parable of the two sons (Mat 21:28-32) to remind us that what God wants is a repentant and humble soul that will do the Father’s will. The Pharisees and Scribes are so absorbed in keeping the law that they lose sight of the very being who has come to save them; they fail to open their hearts to Jesus. On the contrary, the tax collectors and prostitutes are so aware of their short comings that they seek to have an encounter with Christ.
All too often we become like the younger son who says yes but never end up doing the will of God. We end up giving lip service and yet our heart is far away from Christ.
Fr. Dom spoke of his experiences during pilgrimages, when it is so easy to get lost in the crowd and one has to get away from the crowd to get a good perspective of the direction. Similarly in our lives, we need to get away from the busyness of our lives to see if we on the right direction towards Jesus. We need to examine our lives and have clarity- we need the right perspective.
For conversion to take place Fr. Dom said one should have an open mind- a desire to change. The story of Zacchaeus conversion, a tax collector shows us that how Zacchaeus stole away from the crowd to get a better glimpse of Jesus. Deep down in his heart, he wanted to change and repent. Zacchaeus’s intentions were so genuine that his encounter with Jesus led to his conversion.
St Vincent De Paul tells us that conversion is a life long journey- it does not happen once and warns us of the “dangers of doing too much that we don’t end up doing what God wants”. He entered priesthood with the intention to escape poverty but along the way he encountered Christ and since then he began his mission with the poor. He says, “What usually deceives us is the appearance of good according to human reason, which never or rarely attains the divine”.
“Conversion and discernment are two sides of the same coin of the vocation of discipleship”.
St. Vincent De Paul
So whether we are in the phase of a “Pharisee and Scribe” lost in our busyness or the crowd, that we have forgotten Christ in our hearts or a “tax collector and a prostitute” mired in sin, all we need to do is get away to be with the Lord- seek him in prayer, examine our conscience, repent and the Lord will take care of the rest. We are all works in progress and our journey of conversion should draw us closer to Jesus. – SR
The quotes of St. Vincent De Paul are taken from the following article:
Udovic, Edward R. C.M., Ph.D. (2014) “Conversion and Discernment According to Vincent de Paul,”
Vincentian Heritage Journal: Vol. 32 : Iss. 1 , Article 1.
Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol32/iss1/1