Paul and Mary

Homily
Conversion of Paul, apostle
25 Jan 2010
Year for Priests
St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center

For some reason, I was comparing Paul and Mary in my mind. They are bookends of discipleship and apostleship. Mary is the most ready to receive Jesus and to follow Him and to be sent by Him. She is the best disciple and the apostle of all apostles. Paul is the opposite. The only thing he has in common with Mary is his fidelity to Judaism. But his fidelity to Judaism, unlike Mary's, does not open him up to the law of love inauguarated by Jesus. No, unlike Mary, Paul was not ready to receive Jesus. He was not ready to follow Him. He was not originally chosen, as were Mary and the other 11 apostles, to be sent by Christ at Pentecost. No, Paul is the worst of disciples and the least likely of apostles. Paul was the greatest persecutor of Christ.

But the same Christ chose both Mary and Paul. He chose Mary because of her readiness. He chose Mary because of her lowliness. He chose Paul because Paul was least ready, and most proud. He chose one before his birth to be the apostle of the apostles, he chose another after his ascension. Both Mary and Paul were chosen before they had a chance to meet Christ face to face. Paul never had the chance, and yet he outdid in missionary zeal the apostles who saw Jesus risen from the dead. In choosing both, Christ shows that He can choose anyone. We can not excuse ourselves from being chosen because we are not as sinless as Mary. We can not excuse ourselves from being chosen because we are too sinful like Paul. Christ can and does choose us, and we must believe that He is choosing us whether we are most ready or not ready at all. There are no excuses for us. We cannot tell God to wait, but we must beg him to call us as He called Mary and as He called Paul. The two could not have been more different when God called them. They both became the greatest of saints, because they believed that what was promised them would be fulfilled!