Called to Conversion

“Jesus calls to conversion.” (CCC Art. 1427)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) goes on to tell us that we “must be converted anew every day.” (Art. 2360) And yet this message seems to be suppressed a lot today. In an effort to be “pastoral,” as Pope Francis would put it, the message the Church seems to be saying is not only “come as you are” but there’s no need for you to change. Many of our Church leaders, in an effort to be welcoming have muddled the message. They try to excuse it by saying that “Jesus ate and drank with sinners.”

We hear them say “all are welcome, no exceptions.” “Come as you are.” Pope Francis in his opening message to the crowd at World Youth Day 2023 noted that Jesus never turned anyone away and that all are welcome in the Church. Pope Francis told the crowd that “we as the Church are the community of those who are called; we are not the community of the best, no, we are all sinners, but we are called as we are.” What is missing is the need for conversion, to change. In fact, it appears to be not merely hidden or ignored, but suppressed.

However the call to conversion is the primary message of Jesus from the outset of his ministry. “Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:15) Even leading up to Jesus’s ministry, John the Baptist, was “preaching a baptism of repentance, for the forgiveness of sins.” (Lk 3:3) Jesus left no doubt about the need for conversion when he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Lk 5:31-32, emphasis added)

The Magi also experienced a conversion of sorts. “Of course, the wise men went home by a different route; no one meets Christ and remains the same.” Fulton J. Sheen

The message of conversion appears throughout the Bible as well as the Catechism. Why then is it ignored or withheld by our leaders and Catholic educators? Conversion is a healing process. It works to repair the division between God and sinful man.

Several passages in the Old Testament talk about returning to God. For God rewards those who turn to him and do his will; not necessarily in this life, but in the life to come – which should be our target – our home in heaven. The Church often refers to itself as “a pilgrim people.” Remember, we are in the world, but not of the world. Unfortunately, many Catholics, including clergy, are too much of this world. “It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in;’ aim at earth and you will get neither.” (italics added) C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

The Lord said, “Do I find pleasure in the death of the wicked oracle of the Lord God?  Do I not rejoice when they turn from their evil way and live?” (Ez 18:23) Isaiah and Jeremiah often called Israel to repentance: “Return, faithless Israel, says the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, says the LORD; I will not be angry for ever.” (Jer. 3:12)

Some of Jesus’s best known and oft quoted stories (even by non-Christians) are conversion stories. Think of the parable of the prodigal son. That was a story of conversion; the son who fell from the father repented and returned to enjoy once again the love of the father, a feast, the fatted calf and so on.

Peter’s denial of Jesus and subsequent repentance was an act of conversion. One of the best-known conversion stories in the New Testament is that of Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul, an educated young Jew and a Pharisee, was actively persecuting the believers of “The Way” (the early Christians) for persecution and imprisonment.  While on such a mission to Damascus, “Suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ And he said, ‘who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;’” (Acts 9:3-10) Blinded, he had to be led to the city at which point the Lord came to Ananias and told him to take Saul in and Saul was baptized. After this, Saul became Paul and one of the greatest evangelists of all time.

Without the message of conversion we get watered down homilies and even omission of key lessons in the readings. When was the last time you heard a homily about the intrinsic evil of abortion and the need to protect life at all stages? When was the last time you heard a homily about the four last things (Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell)? Or even the realities of Hell.

Many prelates suggest or hope that hell is empty – contrary to what Jesus taught. Some of the gospel readings, especially the shortened versions, leave out the punch line. A parable about the kingdom in Matthew is an example. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; ... men sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. ... So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire ...” (Mt 13:47-50, emphasis added) This key lesson was left out of the gospel reading that day.

The Acts of the Apostles is full of conversion stories. I once met a man who told me that when he was seeking to find God or meaning in his life someone told him to read the Acts of the Apostles, which became the basis for his conversion.

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to the upper room, where Mary and the apostles were, with a great wind and tongues of fire. After being filled with the Holy Spirit they, too, and especially Peter, experienced a rebirth of faith and preached repentance and conversion and three thousand souls were added to the believers that day. (Acts 2:17-40)

Today we are dealing with lukewarm Catholicism making the fight against atheism and socialism (related issues) difficult. Pope Benedict XVI, as Cardinal Ratzinger, noted, “It is not Christians who oppose the world, but rather the world which opposes itself to them when the truth about God, about Christ and about man is proclaimed. The world waxes indignant when sin and grace are called by their names.” (The Ratzinger Report, 1985)

Ask yourself, how is Jesus calling you to conversion today?

“Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rom 12:2)