Lutheran holidays - Conversion of Paul the Apostle

On January 25, adherents of Lutheranism (or in simpler words, Protestants) celebrate the Day of the Conversion of the Apostle Paul On this day, a significant and turning point event in the life of the Apostle Paul is remembered What happened in Damascus changed his whole life and made him a great disciple of Christ This holiday is of great importance for believers because it shows how great the power of the Word of God is Paradoxically, the main purpose of Paul's trip to Damascus was the final break with the then sect of Christians He even had official letters of recommendation for his mission Paul left Jerusalem through the Northern Gate, near which was the tomb of St Stephen The death of Stephen further pushed Saul (born the Apostle Paul) to persecute those who believed that Jesus was the true son of God The city of Damascus was 250 km from Jerusalem Saul had to travel this road for eight days, traveling in a caravan across the Judean plateau As soon as he crossed the city boundary formed by a ring of trees, a miracle happened He suddenly fell to the ground, lost his balance and heard the voice of Jesus calling Paul by his name in his native language At that same moment, Saul experienced his conversion, recognizing Jesus and deciding not only to stop persecuting Christians, but also to embark on the path of followers of Christ It is worth noting that Paul comes from a family of Pharisees and accepted the traditional training of Pharisaic piety Damascus was a source of strength for Paul in his apostolic work Whenever he felt tired or frustrated with his mission, his thoughts always returned to the incident in Damascus Paul reminded himself that Jesus was alive and he had met him personally Paul's sacramental conversion reminds us that Christ seeks us and wants us to lay aside our own worries and completely allow God to lead us through life's journey The celebration reminds us that each of us must find a similar moment of conversion in our lives The holiday once again shows the world that nothing is impossible for God Practicing Lutherans greatly honor this day, proclaiming glory to the Creator