“He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'” – Acts of the Apostles 9:4-5

He knew. He knew for certain, Jesus,
that your followers were wrong,
and more than wrong, were spreading tales
that would do violence to souls.

He knew for certain, Jesus,
so he brought force to body and to soul.

He knew. He knew for certain, Jesus,
until a light his eyes could not endure
cast him from beast to ground,
his certainty undone to hear your voice.

He knew for certain, Jesus,
that he’d persecuted you.

He knew. He knew for certain, Jesus,
that he had heard your voice,
and knew your will and way:
certainty anew.

He knew for certain, Jesus,
so he proclaimed you.

May I, like he, receive a thorn in flesh
or soul to keep me from elation,
from certainty that could transform
glad proclamation to sad persecution.

A poem/prayer based on Acts 9:1-20, the Revised Common Lectionary Gospel Reading for Year C, Third Sunday of Easter.

The image is The Conversion on the Way to Damascus by Caravaggio (ca. 1600-1601), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15219516. This is one of my favorite paintings.