Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. 3 On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. 9For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, 12 and [in a vision] he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay [his] hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites, 16 and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” 17 So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, 19 and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
In Acts 9:1-20, we encounter one of the most dramatic moments in salvation history: the conversion of Saul of Tarsus - the fervent persecutor of the early Church, who would become Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. The narrative unfolds with Saul still “breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord” (v. 1). His zeal, once a tool of persecution, is abruptly interrupted by the risen Christ Himself on the road to Damascus.
This theophany is not only a moment of divine intervention but also an invitation to a radical transformation. Saul, blinded by the light of Christ, hears the voice of Jesus: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (v. 4). The identification of Christ with His Church here is profound—Jesus does not say, “Why are you persecuting My followers,” but rather, “Me.” This echoes Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Christ’s Body is the Church (cf. 1 Cor. 12:27; Col. 1:24).
Saul’s fall to the ground recalls prophetic encounters with God’s glory in the Old Testament (e.g., Ezekiel 1:28; Daniel 10:9). His physical blindness becomes a metaphor for his deeper, spiritual blindness, which will be healed not by sight but by faith. For three days, he remains without sight or food, a period evocative of Christ’s three days in the tomb, suggesting a kind of death and rebirth.
Meanwhile, the Lord calls Ananias, a disciple in Damascus, to go and lay hands on Saul. Though understandably afraid—knowing Saul’s reputation—Ananias obeys, addressing Saul not as an enemy but as “brother” (v. 17). This act of grace and obedience is key: it illustrates how God’s mercy works not only in the one converted, but also through those willing to forgive and welcome.
When Ananias lays hands on him, “something like scales” fall from Saul’s eyes, and he regains his sight (v. 18). This healing is not just physical; it marks the beginning of his new life in Christ. He is baptized and immediately begins to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, declaring Him as “the Son of God” (v. 20)—a direct reversal of his former mission.
Saul had approved of Stephen’s execution by stoning (Acts 7:58; 8:1), an event that underscored his early opposition to the Church. He had also been a student of Gamaliel, a respected Pharisee known for advocating moderation and discernment (Acts 5:34-39; 22:3). Yet Saul initially rejected that path, embracing instead a violent campaign against the followers of Jesus.
His calling, however, mirrors that of Old Testament prophets—Isaiah’s vision (Isa. 6), Jeremiah’s divine election (Jer. 1:5), and the commissioning of Moses (Ex. 3). The Lord tells Ananias, “this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites” (Acts 9:15). Saul’s mission, like theirs, is divinely appointed and will include suffering (v. 16)—a reality Paul later embraces as a participation in the sufferings of Christ (cf. Col. 1:24; 2 Cor. 11:23–28).
The transformation of Saul reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy. Like Saul, we may carry blindness in various forms—prejudice, pride, fear—but Christ continues to call each of us by name. Saul's story teaches us that conversion is not merely a turning away from sin, but a commissioning to witness—to proclaim the truth of Christ with one’s life, even in the face of opposition. And just as Ananias had to overcome fear to embrace a former enemy, so too are we called to extend mercy—even when it requires courage, sacrifice, or forgiveness beyond what we think we are capable of. Jesus reminds us, “All things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
Almighty God, You turned Saul's fury into faith and his blindness into sight. Open our hearts to Your voice, that we too may rise and follow You with new eyes, new courage, and new love. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
O Lord, guide every heart that longs for Your presence
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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