Yesterday (Jan 25th) was the feast of the conversion of St Paul. He is a key figure in the New Testament. We know his original name was Saul, his family were tent makers and he was brought up according to strict doctrine of the Pharisees. Significantly he was a bitter opponent of Jesus and was determined to make life extremely difficult for his followers and early Christianity. There have been many significant turnaround stories throughout history and Paul stands high in the list.

He was a bully, a dictator and a persecutor. He was mean, hard, cruel and ruthless particularly to the early Christians. But significantly he put his past behind, did a massive u turn and became famous for his missionary work and the spreading of the Gospel.

We may not do such a dramatic turnaround in our lives but we can certainly leave some of our past behind. Many carry heavy burdens from the past. People can carry with them anger, resentment, hurt and other stuff from the past. There comes a point in everyone’s life when it is important and necessary to let go of stuff. The most important step in leaving some of this stuff behind, is to take that first step forward. Once we’ve taken it we will know it was the right step and the next one will be much easier. When we constantly dwell on past wrongs we give way to bitterness. Bitterness eats away our energy levels and long term cannot be good for us. St Paul could have remained a bitter, angry and lonely person. But he turned his life around. Like Paul, the call is to leave the past behind and look on today as new beginning.