ST Paul- the Murder, the Blind, the Evangelist, the Saint, Tues. ,4/14

True or False?
• Paul received the Holy Spirit in Pentecost along with all other Apostles.
• Paul is among the 12 original Apostles chosen by Jesus
• Paul was responsible for the death of the 1st Christian Martyr.
• Paul was renamed from Saul after his conversion.
• Paul fall off a horse during his conversion.
• St Paul and St Peter always agreed on evangelization.

Before the conversion (Acts 7:54-8:3, 9:1-2)
• What type of personality Saul had?
• What do you think Saul’s motivation was?
-CCC 576

Encounter with Jesus (Act 9:3-9)
• Knowing what you know about Saul’s personality, what do you think it was like for him to be led by the hand to Damascus, unable to see?
• Most of us expect to experience joy, not humiliation and darkness, when Jesus draws near. Why do you suppose it happens like this sometimes?

Encounter with Church (Act 9:10-19a)
• What was the reaction of Ananias to the Lord’s directive to him?
• What’s Paul’s life mission? What, in Saul’s background, would equip him to fulfill such a mission?
• What will Paul do for Jesus’ name?
-Rom. 8:16-17, CCC1505
• When Ananias enters the house and speaks to Saul, how do we know that he was able to overcome the fear of Saul he felt initially? How did Ananias know that he could help Paul?
• How did Saul get away with murder?
-CCC 1263, CCC 1424
• When did Paul receive the Holy Sprit?
-CCC 1266
• How many days were Paul blind? Surely Paul’s total conversion could all have been accomplished right at the beginning, when he saw the Lord. Why do you suppose it happened this way instead?
A life Re-directed (Acts 9:19b-30)
• How did the apostles first react to him?
• Who broke the ice?
• Do you see any of the old Saul in the new?

Advanced Questions
• In the conversion of Saul, there were 3 Christians. What kind of roles they played? What do they indict about the function of the church?
• How shall we deal with the ones persecuting us?