Facing the Lord: Galatians 1:11-19, especially vss. 15, 16: "...it pleased God...to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles...."
In the words of these verses, the Apostle Paul is referring to his conversion (Acts 9:1-8). Three centuries later, St. John Chrysostom described the Apostle's experience this way: "he was richly endowed with the Spirit...the revelation had enlightened his whole soul, and...he had Christ speaking within him." To come face to face with the living God is humbling, wondrous, and life-changing from within.
Throughout Holy Scripture, one finds many reports of men and women who faced the Lord, knew His wonder, and humbly found their lives changed. In St. Paul's case, the three Persons of the Life-giving Trinity were revealed in a face to face confrontation, enlightening his inner being which had been lost in the darkness of hatred and self-righteousness.
God came face to face with Saul of Tarsus and made an Apostle for Himself, for after receiving the Baptismal Mystery, St. Paul drew apart into Arabia, avoiding the centers of Christian activity and teaching. He had faced the Lord Jesus by the will of God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit, and he needed time to assimilate all that had changed within him.
It is fruitful to compare St. Paul's encounter with the Lord and the experiences of others who faced Christ. Some approached the Lord Jesus. Others, He sought out. In the case of the Twelve, the records do not describe how the Lord recruited each of them, but St. Mark says that He "called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out" (Mk. 3:13,14).
St. Paul says of himself that he was "as one born out of due time" (1 Cor.15:8), yet he shared the common apostolic experience of being called and appointed by the Lord. None of the other Apostles experienced so great a cataclysmic reversal of their lives as did St. Paul. Yet for each one, coming face to face with the Lord brought a whole new orientation. How does this happen? Very simply: each one faced the Lord Jesus and encountered the living God.
Consider what "facing the Lord" implies for each of us. St. Paul's conversion experience is especially important, for like all of us, he did not face the Lord Jesus in the flesh. The Twelve could speak of "That...which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life - the life was manifested, and we have seen..." (1 Jn. 1:1,2). They knew the Lord tangibly, including direct physical contact. St. Paul did not face Christ in this manner, nor do we.
The Apostle's encounter with the Lord was little determined by sensory impressions, although he did hear a voice and see a light (Acts 26:13,14). Primarily, the Lord spoke to Saul of Tarsus in his heart and soul (vs. 16). Hence, let us pray: "Illumine our hearts, O Master. Open the eyes of our mind. Implant in us Thy blessed commandments. Come and dwell in us and cleanse us."
Even those who knew the Lord "after the flesh" (2 Cor. 5:16) discovered in time that their "inner eyes" saw much more than did their physical eyes. As the Lord said to St. Peter, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven" (Mt. 16:17). Therefore, as we consider the lives of those who came face to face with Christ, let us admit freely that we too can face Him and meet the One Who is wondrous, humbling, and transforming. St. Paul teaches that, "He is not very far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27), so let us seek Him, cry out to Him, pray to Him, and wait upon Him, never forgetting that He took our flesh that we might face Him and cry to Him, "Lord, save me and renew me."
O Lord, appear to us sinners out of the multitude of Thy mercies and save our souls.