Acts 26:9-21

‘Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

’With this in mind, I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, when at midday along the road, your Excellency, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.” I asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you. I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” ‘After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

Galatians 1:11-24

For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother. In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only heard it said, ‘The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they glorified God because of me.

Psalm 67

¹ God be gracious to us and bless us *
 and make his face to shine upon us,
² That your way may be known upon earth, *
 your saving power among all nations.
³ Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
 let all the peoples praise you.
⁴ O let the nations rejoice and be glad, *
 for you will judge the peoples righteously
   and govern the nations upon earth.
⁵ Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
 let all the peoples praise you.
⁶ Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, *
 and God, our own God, will bless us.
⁷ God will bless us, *
 and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Matthew 10:16-22

‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Psalm 117

Psalm 19

¹ The heavens are telling the glory of God *
 and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
² One day pours out its song to another *
 and one night unfolds knowledge to another.
³ They have neither speech nor language *
 and their voices are not heard,
⁴ Yet their sound has gone out into all lands *
 and their words to the ends of the world.
⁵ In them has he set a tabernacle for the sun, *
 that comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber
   and rejoices as a champion to run his course.
⁶ It goes forth from the end of the heavens
   and runs to the very end again, *
 and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Antiphon: Jesus said: Get up, go into the city, and you will be told what to do.

Antiphon: My grace is sufficient for you; my power is made perfect in weakness.

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; *
 the testimony of the Lord is sure
   and gives wisdom to the simple.
⁸ The statutes of the Lord are right and rejoice the heart; *
 the commandment of the Lord is pure
   and gives light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; *
 the judgements of the Lord are true
   and righteous altogether.
¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold,
   more than much fine gold, *
 sweeter also than honey,
   dripping from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them also is your servant taught *
 and in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² Who can tell how often they offend? *
 O cleanse me from my secret faults!
¹³ Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins
   lest they get dominion over me; *
 so shall I be undefiled,
   and innocent of great offence.
¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
   be acceptable in your sight, *
 O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

Antiphon: My grace is sufficient for you; my power is made perfect in weakness.

Philippians 3:4b-11

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:  circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;  as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.  Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.  More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,  if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.  Second Canticle
Benedictus

Antiphon: Go at once, Ananias, and ask for a man named Saul; for behold, he prays.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Antiphon: Go at once, Ananias, and ask for a man named Saul; for behold, he prays.

Collect: O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns withyou and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


Personal Prayers and Thanksgivings

Our Father…

Closing Prayer:
God our Father, you taught the gospel to all the world through the preaching of Paul your apostle. May we who celebrate his conversion to the faith follow him in bearing witness to your truth. Amen.