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An Invitation to Conversion

At the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus immediately offers an invitation to follow him (1:14–15). If we want to answer the Lord’s invitation, we must convert. This means allowing our minds and hearts to be turned more fully toward Jesus and the ideal he has for our individual lives. The Latin verb convertere, from which we derive the word “conversion,” literally means “to turn around, to transform.” Christianity requires constant, daily turning to Jesus and becoming more like him. For this reason, conversion is not just a beginning point, it is the hallmark of the Christian life.

It is far too easy to think of conversion as a moment in our past life that changed everything but requires nothing (or at least very little) of us now. Real conversion, though — repenting of sin, and turning our minds and hearts fully toward God — is not a one-time event. It is a process: One that is essential to living as Christians, to becoming more like Jesus.

Many of us can look back at a specific point in our lives when we first encountered Jesus Christ and realized his plan for us. This has been true in my own life. When I found the fullness of Christianity, the Catholic faith, at the age of twenty-two, I thought I was all set. Was I ever wrong! More than fifteen years after I was received home into the Catholic Church, I realize that the Lord wants me to become more like him every day. And I am still so far from the ideal he has for me. The Lord is still working on me, converting me every single day.

This is true for all of us as Christian disciples. Every day we face countless temptations to turn back to our selfish, materially focused way of living. All of us have our own unique temptations and pet sins that God is still helping us work through. Faced with the difficulties and frustrations of daily life, it’s far too easy to turn inward and focus on ourselves. We must make a conscious effort to turn our mind and heart toward the King, our King, every day.

We become more like Jesus only over time and only if we consistently respond with a generous “yes” to the grace he offers to us. Every person who has encountered Jesus Christ, experienced initial conversion, and chosen to follow him needs to encounter him again and again. Every day our minds and hearts need to be turned more fully toward the Lord, and we need to access the grace he desires to give us.

To do this, we need to encounter Jesus each day. We need to come face to face with the Lord, who always gives his disciples an invitation to come closer, to take the next step. Even if we have had powerful experiences of God in the past, it doesn’t mean that he is done with us. God always has more to give us.

Don’t get me wrong: This is not easy. It takes effort to believe that ongoing conversion is necessary and possible. It takes a whole lot of patience before we see much measurable progress. Still, entering upon a life of conversion is eminently worth it. There is nothing more satisfying than to be in full communion with the King of the universe!

One of the best ways to encounter Jesus and continue living out conversion every day is by reading, studying, and praying with Scripture, especially the Gospels. This is why Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has said that familiarity with Scripture will be the key to a new spiritual springtime in the Church and the world. Reading the words of Jesus and pondering the stories he told allows us to respond as the first disciples did, by turning our lives over to him.

In fact, the more we study the Gospels, the more we see that Jesus is constantly calling us to conversion, not just once, but again and again. In fact, his whole public ministry is one big invitation to conversion! Sometimes the invitation is obvious, as in the call of Matthew (Levi), the tax collector (Mt 9:9–13; Mk 2:13–17; Lk 5:27–32). At other times, we must read and ponder more deeply. Jesus tells his disciples that he teaches in parables so people might “hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them” (Mt 13:15; see also Mk 4:12).

Jesus calls each of his potential disciples to conversion, and that call is for us too. Yes, the scriptural stories of in-person encounters with Jesus happened some two thousand years ago, and they were deeply personal. But they are recorded in Scripture for a reason. Entering into these stories allows us to turn more fully toward the Lord and advance in the life of discipleship, inviting the Lord to convert our hearts.

This book is an extended invitation to engage in lectio divina (divine reading). In lectio divina, a person asks God to allow the Scripture passage to be opened more fully, deeply, and even personally. In these pages, we will approach several Gospel passages, asking God to allow us to see them with new eyes and hear them with new ears. We will consider several individuals and the encounters with Jesus that changed their lives. I hope that these pages will offer you an opportunity to encounter Jesus, whether for the first time or in a new way, and to continue on the way of conversion in your own life.

It is also my hope that this book will be used in small groups and Bible studies. The reality is that our ongoing conversion happens within strong Christian community. Jesus never intended for us to walk this road of conversion and Christianity by ourselves. Christian disciples keep each other on the straight and narrow (sometimes hard) path. This book, therefore, includes questions at the end of each chapter for deeper discussion and understanding.

All of this leads us to know what the Bible means when it says that “the word of God is living and active” (Heb 4:12). Being immersed in the living word of God, individually and in community, gives us inspiration to follow Jesus more closely every day. I hope that by engaging in this study you will experience deeper conversion and a new zeal for the Christian life. And I hope that you will find a greater ability to share your story, your ongoing encounter with Jesus, with others.

Questions for Deeper Understanding and Reflection

1. What is your understanding of conversion? How does it apply to your life today?

2. Do you agree that conversion is the hallmark of the Christian life? Why or why not?

3. Aside from those listed, can you think of other episodes in the Gospel that make a clear call to conversion?

4. Describe a time when you encountered Jesus in a real way that has transformed you.