Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, honoring the moment divine grace transformed a persecutor into one of Christianity’s greatest apostles. South of Rome, near the ancient Aqua Salvia springs, stands the Abbey of the Three Fountains (Tre Fontane), traditionally believed to be the site of Paul’s martyrdom. Early Christian tradition recounts that when Paul was beheaded here during Nero’s persecution, his head struck the ground three times and a spring flowed forth at each point — giving the abbey its name. Born in Tarsus around 8 A.D., Paul was a Roman citizen and once a fierce opponent of Christians. His dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus changed history. From then on, he traveled across the Roman world preaching the Gospel and building the early Church. Executed between 64 and 67 A.D., Paul’s legacy endures at Tre Fontane and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls — living witnesses to faith, conversion, and sacrifice nearly 2,000 years later.
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love
(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)
No comments:
Post a Comment