St. Paul’s sinner-to-saint experience is arguably the most unique and powerful conversion story of all time. Paul indeed went from “foremost sinner” to “Apostle to the Gentiles” in a single “flash,” but the reality is, it did not happen instantaneously. Something prepared Paul for that moment of grace when he would accept Jesus as his Lord, decisively and forevermore. So what was it that prepared Paul? Actually, it was not so much a “what,” but rather, a “who.”
At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law and was zealous for God. (Acts 22:3)
It is true, Paul was well-instructed in the faith and in the ancestral law, but it was the man who had instructed him that made all the difference in his life: his teacher, Gamaliel. So what was so special about Gamaliel’s instruction that made such a difference in Paul’s life, tilling the soil that would allow him to go from persecutor to believer in a single instant? Scripture does not specify, but we can certainly garner a few clues by examining the only details Scripture reveals to us about this person Gamaliel:
[The Sanhedrin] became infuriated and wanted to put [the Apostles] to death. But a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up, ordered the men to be put outside for a short time, and said to them, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you are about to do to these men . . . [For] if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” They were persuaded by him. (Acts 5:33-39)
First, we are told that Gamaliel was “respected by all the people.” Now respect doesn’t simply come by way of one’s authority. An authority figure may elicit fear or silent grumbling or anger or perhaps even likability . . . but there is only one way to earn respect from “all the people,” and that is, if that leader genuinely loves, cares for, and serves all people—without preference and with detachment. There is something generally universally agreed upon by those from all walks of life when it comes to a person whose mission it is to love.
And so it is with Gamaliel. If he is respected by “all” the people, it would have been primarily because of the love he must certainly have offered to all people. It was his love of God and neighbor that would have kept his heart open and pliable, thereby prompting him to stop to ponder his circumstances—even while everyone else around him was getting caught up in a frenzy of accusation and anger and jealous rage over these followers of Christ. At this point, it is not that Gamaliel is inclined to follow these Apostles himself; it’s just that the love in his heart enables him to recognize the love in theirs. There is a unity of spirits that he would not have been able to quite put his finger on or explain; all he knows is that “something” is telling him to stop his fellow Pharisees in their conspiring. To slow down. That something, as it turns out, is the Holy Spirit. And this respected teacher, addressing his colleagues with the Holy Spirit speaking in him and through him, is able to persuade them to put off their intended nefarious plan.
So, even though so little is written about Gamaliel, Scripture reveals a lot about what kind of man he was, just in this short passage. This was the man who taught Paul everything he knew about faith, about God, while he learned “at [his] feet.” Paul grew to become a zealous defender of the faith, not because Gamaliel had taught Paul to be self-righteous, but because Gamaliel would have taught Paul to love God! It was the love in Paul’s heart that kept him so whole-heartedly open to conversion when the time came! Without the love of God that his teacher, Gamaliel, had been cultivating in Paul’s heart by his meticulous instruction, it is entirely possible that Paul would never have seen the error of his ways, despite the blinding light and the mysterious, undeniable voice in the heavens.
And so this tells us a couple of really important things. First, we have to remember that our faith is primarily about the love and mercy of Christ. That is its foundation and basis. Without love in our hearts, everything else we believe falls apart. It is the reason we offer the sign of peace at Mass before receiving the Eucharist, and the reason Jesus told his disciples: “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:23-24). Without love, our “Communion” with the Lord and with each other is a lie. It is hypocrisy. It is an oxymoron, and it doesn’t even make sense.
Of course, that does not mean that just because we struggle with unforgiveness or resentment, we are unworthy of going to Mass. On the contrary, we need Jesus all the more! It’s just that Jesus does not want us to remain willfully ignorant and blind to our weakness and sinfulness. He wants us to acknowledge it in humility. Then, he simply asks us to persevere in trying. As long as we do not ever stop trying, in the Lord’s eyes, it is as good as done.
But there is a second lesson we learn from the relationship between Paul and Gamaliel. Friends, there is a “Saul” in all of our lives just waiting to become a “Paul.” And to them, we are their Gamaliel. Perhaps it is one of our children, an extended family member, a neighbor, a coworker, or even an actual student, just like Paul was for Gamaliel. Whoever it is, let us learn from the example of Gamaliel, who did not just teach the “ancestral laws” with all the six hundred thirteen memorized rules and regulations. Those were important; but Gamaliel would have instinctively known that Paul would never truly hunger and thirst for God’s will made plain in those laws, if he did not learn to love Him first. So let us teach our own “students” to love God by loving them ourselves.
Our job is to prepare them for the day God’s merciful, shocking, and decisive grace comes showering down into their lives! They must be prepared to receive it, for without their acceptance of it, no miracle will ever be sufficient enough to convert their hearts.
Let us see in them the saint they have the potential to become, even if they are acting a little too much like “pre-Paul” Saul right now. And like Gamaliel, let us encourage them to ponder before reacting, that they might discern what is truly the will of God. Let us be a good example to them ourselves, as Gamaliel certainly would have been to Paul.
Author’s Note: Excerpt from The Safe Haven: Scriptural Reflections for the Heart and Home, Ordinary Time (Weeks 1-7). To purchase, visit Amazon or The Catholic Company, where all other volumes currently in print are also available.
Image from Meisterdrucke
