Conversions due to prayer, suffering and death like Jesus’s

In last week’s Shalom I wrote how the Gospel writers Mark, Matthew and Luke narrate the conversion of the Roman centurion on Calvary. Of the 3 narratives, the more personal wording of St. Mark seem to tell us how and why conversion happened. “The centurion, who was standing in front of him, saw how he died and said, ‘Truly, this man was son of God'” (15:39). In the moment Jesus died, the centurion saw at least two signs that challenged his unbelief: Jesus Praying and Forgiving his torturers — him and his fellow soldiers! That was unbelievably impossible. Humanly speaking, yes, definitely… therefore, but this is not just human! That’s when the mysterious power of divine grace comes in to challenge unbelief!

The Acts of the Apostles tell us that the conversion of Saul (St.Paul) could also be caused by the prayer and forgiveness of St. Stephen as he was being stoned to death in the presence of the anti-christian leader Saul of Tarsus.

St. Paul, already a convert and engaged in preaching Jesus to others has often been made to suffer like Jesus. Many conversions resulted from his imitation of the Crucified Lord as narrated many times in the Acts of the Apostles.

A contemporary pastoral question. Why are the talks on mission today never or seldom mention the necessity of the Cross in the life of a missionary in imitation of Jesus? Instead the Cross is “weaponized” to hit back at the victimizer by prayerless/sufferingless postures called “a non-violent” approach to mission! Self-inflicted acts like hunger strike, or fasting to death, or self-immolation modernly branded “suicide encounter” are considered modern approaches in pastoral ministry.

I may be wrong. I am not saying they are not martyrs. Sure, there are exceptions, no doubt. Narratives of suffering and death of modern missionaries abound, but conversions caused by them? Hardly noticeable.

An interesting story, if true, of the remarkable conversions after his suffering and death by torture deserve a closer study and reflection. I am referring to St. Peter Chanel, a French Marist missionary, considered the protomartyr and patron of Oceania, murdered by natives of Wallis and Futura islands in the South Pacific. To be continued.