Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22 / Mark 16:15-18
Almost everyone is interested in a conversion story and may even get inspired by a conversion story.
Usually what we hear about are the deep experiences leading to the conversion.
What we seldom hear about is the other side of the conversion story.
We seldom get to hear about the sinfulness or its details before the conversion experience. It is deemed too profane and maybe also scandalous.
But in the conversion story of St. Paul, he recounted, almost unabashedly, what he was doing before that experience on the road to Damascus.
And these are not minor sins, because even Jesus Himself had to tell the then Saul: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me!
But from then on, St. Paul moved on to become the apostle to the Gentiles.
From the history of the Church, we can also see that similar conversion pattern of the great saints who once were great sinners.
There is St. Peter who denied Jesus, and St. Augustine who even wrote about his past sinfulness in his book "Confessions".
But they experienced mercy and the conversion was deep.
So it is with those whom we might call the "sinners of today".
We need to pray for them that they too will experience the grace of conversion as St. Paul did.
And how can we ourselves not admit our sinfulness and the need for on-going conversion?
But the sinners of today can be the saints of tomorrow.