CONVERSION: A PROCESS OF BECOMING

All three readings of this Sunday offer us an insightful view into what conversion means through the stories of three characters: Isaiah, Paul and Peter. They all acknowledged their states of unworthiness, their in touch with the divine power that transformed them, then their mission of being sent out. All this happens at the initiative of God as this conversion is an internal process ongoing and becoming for us.

Acknowledgement of one’s state of unworthiness. Prophet Isaiah acknowledged he is “a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips”, whereas Paul claimed to be “abnormally born”, as for Peter “depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Conversion starts with the realisation of who one really is before God, our wretchedness, vulnerability, and lowliness before the awesome presence of God. This is what Isaiah, Paul and Peter experienced when they are in touch with the divine presence.

Transformation. Conversion necessarily leads us to the next stage, inner transformation or purification. The ember taken from the alter of the most High touched the unclean lips of Isaiah and he became clean. Fire is the symbol of purification. Just as it transforms Isaiah, the hearts of Paul and Peter were burnt up with their zeal for the love of Christ and His mission. The lives of these men were never the same again after their encounter with the divine presence.

Sending. Conversion is never an inward turning process for the sake of one’s own interest. These men after acknowledging their unworthiness and being transformed by the divine power, they are called and sent forth. For Isaiah “here I am, send me”, Paul and Peter were made into the fishers of people, Paul is called to the gentile and Peter for the Jews. At the very heart of our Christian being, even at the very first sacrament of baptism that we receive, we are called and sent forth. Mission is our Christian nature. By her nature, the Church is missionary. We do not exist for our own sake but to participate in a bigger picture God has for us. We are called and sent for the salvation of God’s creation.

God takes initiative. All these stages happen because God takes initiative and it happens because we open ourselves and respond to His call. By God taking initiatives, it means God is the driving force behind all. While we acknowledge that we are nothing and left to our own devices, we are powerless and even self destructive, God chooses to enter into our own lives and into the history of humankind. God is the driving force, He is in control of the course of events. This is the reason why we believe in need of God’s grace. Taking Peter as an example, he realised the sinfulness in him had made him totally apart from God. Conversion therefore is a moment of grace, in which we allow God to take initiative in our lives, we open ourselves to this moment of grace that has the power to transform us, and make our lives never the same again, as it did to Isaiah and Jesus’ disciples.
Discipleship in following Jesus certainly entails this kind of conversion in us.

Conversion is not about religious proselytism. It is an inner and radical change initiated by God with the openness of human heart to this divine power so that life will be changed for the better and for good. Our discipleship is not a call once and for all, it requires our ongoing renewal with the grace of God.