so compare ourselves to celebrate the sacredness i persecuted this way to death binding both men and women and delivering them to prison even the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify on my for from them i even received letters to the brothers and set out for damascus to bring back to jerusalem in chains the punishment those there as well on that j as i drew near to damascus about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shine around me i fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me soul saw why  light but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me i asked what shall i do so the lord answered me get up and go into damascus there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do since i could see nothing because of the brightness of the light i was led by my hand by my companion and to damascus a devout observer of the law and highly spoken off by all the jews who lived there came to me and stood there and said so all my brother regain your sight at that very moment i regained my sight and saw him then he said the god of our ancestors designated you to know his will to see the righteous work and to hear the sound of his voice for you will be his witness before all to what you have seen and heard now why delay get up and have yourself baptized and you jesus appeared to the eleven he said to them go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature whoever believes and is baptized will be saved whoever does not believe will be condemned the company those who believe in my name they will drive out demons they will speak new languages they will pick up serpents with their hands and if they drink any deadly thing not harm them they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover the gospel of the lord if so all lived in our days we would look upon him as a great enemy of the faith a great persecutor a great denier of somebody that would just be ready to spit at any of us for our faith because we were doing something that he found to be repugnant something that he found to be against everything that he stood for his life was all about  and so if it happened in the st century we would be certainly has his tics europe as the enemy of the church the enemy of the faith the enemy of ourselves and i think for most of us that would be something that we would say how can that ever change is the way he is he hates us as all of these terrible things to us how could that ever change well that's exactly the way things were in the story of the acts of the apostles that we heard today it was this great enemies is very forceful and and cunning and resourceful person who knew every in and out so that he could get these followers of the way the new way of going to god but it all changed in the flash of a light being knocked off his high horse as the expression goes all of a sudden everything changed and so all eventually became paul the great preacher of the gospel the one who is the enemy of christ who became one of the greatest perhaps the greatest proponent of what christianity is all about what jesus is all about eventually what the church is all about so today we rejoice in that great power of god that can change some one hundred and eighty degrees from what they were like before especially what was in his heart is what was in his heart was very dark but it was turned around by god's power today's wonderful dave for us to pray for ourselves that that power of god was so effective with saul a continue to be effective with other people in our times in our families and in ourselves st paul was converted and that changed the whole history of what the church was to be to become because he became the greatest preacher of all the name of the father of the son and of the holy spirit  lips but in their hearts we pray to the lord little at hand can you pray for american military personnel throughout the world especially those who are in harm's way and those who are in afghanistan we pray to the lord  pray for vocations to the priesthood to religious life to the deactivated to leadership in our catholic church that god may raise a generous and happy and holy men and women to service people we pray to the that each of us add our own particular intention offer you fruit of the vine and work of human hands will become our spiritual drink bless  always and everywhere to give you thanks lord holy father almighty and eternal god for you the eternal shepherd united desert your flock through the blessid apostles watch over it in protected always so that the similar way when supper resented it took the child was once more giving thanks he gave it to his disciples saying take this all of you and drink from it but this is the cellists of my blood the blood of the new an eternal covenant which will be poor and out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins do this in memory of me humbly we pray that her taking of the body and blood of christ we may be gathered into one by the holy spirit remember lord your church spread throughout the world bring her to the fullness of charity together with him in his resurrection remember also our brothers and sisters who are fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy welcome them into the light of your face