Inch by inch, Step by step

The story of the jailer and his family in our first reading is one of dramatic conversion. Encountering stories of conversion, from simple to dramatic, are perhaps cause to consider our own conversion experiences. Do you recall significant sacramental moments where your Baptism and Confirmation unfolded in real time, changing your perspective of life, and perhaps the course of your journey?

Those touchstone moments are to be remembered and renewed often in prayer, all the more fervently in our Easter celebration. It is these foundational experiences, rare as they are, that we draw strength from in our journey.

And while many Christians recall one such day they gave their life over to the Lord, perhaps drawing on the dramatic example of the jailer and his family in today’s reading, many more know Christian conversion as these few touchstone sacramental moments of great weight, followed by a simple, often unconscious renewal to once again “take up my cross” and recommit to this vocation each day.

It is in this way that our daily prayer and regular celebration of the Sacraments take their proper place. Regular personal and communal prayer yield a virtuous cycle where the Lord may more readily enter and act upon our will, drawing us more fully to join Him in discipleship.

This Easter, perhaps account for the touchstones of conversion in your life, where the Resurrected Christ was made known to you in special ways. We draw upon these to fuel our daily conversions, giving our life over to the Lord inch by inch, step by step.

—Matthew Couture, Provincial Assistant for Secondary and Pre-Secondary Education, Chicago-Detroit Province and Wisconsin Province