Yes, he was speaking about members of religious communities, but certainly the same could be said of those who consider themselves religious: those who take their Catholicism seriously and live good and holy lives.
Lives that, St. Bernard was saying, could be better … and holier.
That’s what conversion is. For some, it’s getting out of the pornography business. For others, it’s moving away from those favorite little vices that, over the years, have held us back from the person God is calling us to be.
As you may know, the word “convert” comes from the Latin meaning to turn (vertere) together with (con or cum). We’re facing one way, we’re heading down a path in this direction, but — with someone else — we turn in a new, and better, direction. We head down a new, and better, path. Or, more accurately, we do that with Someone else. We turn with the One who continually calls us to conversion because we continually need it.
Here’s another way to look at it. You’ve probably heard the expression “a heart of stone.” Mortal sin piled on mortal sin over years and years has turned the big-time sinner’s heart to stone.
But what’s the small-time sinner’s heart like? Perhaps like a lump of modeling clay that’s been left out and untouched for too long. It’s hard and brittle. It crumbles easily and can’t be formed, or transformed, into anything.
What is conversion? A modern dictionary says it’s this: “to change (something) into a different form or so that it can be used in a different way.”
To change a heart. To change a mind. To change a soul. A heart that loves more. A mind that longs for greater knowledge of, and intimacy, with its Creator. A soul that seeks holiness by, day after day, seeking God’s will and striving to live it.
What Does Conversion Require?
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts.… Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
— James 4:8, 10
What does conversion require? The short answer is: God and you.
You can’t do it without Him. And He won’t do it without you. (You always have free will.)
But that short answer doesn’t mean it’s a simple answer.
Conversion requires prayer … and prayer requires conversion. It isn’t a “one-and-done” proposition. It’s a daily process. More than that, it can be multiple decisions and actions within one day. Day after day till death. Why? Because it’s answering God’s constant call for us to change our mind and our heart: a lifetime of His inviting you and me to become a saint.
How do we do that? First, to use a common and contemporary expression, “Ya gotta want it!” There are no “accidental saints.”
There’s no doubt, St. Faustina had that deep, deep desire.
She told Our Lord: “You know that from my earliest years I have wanted to become a great saint; that is to say, I have wanted to love You with a love so great that there would be no soul who has hitherto loved You so” (1372).
The comforting, and disturbing, truth is that we have everything St. Faustina had in order for us to become saints too. God offers the grace to do just that. We have “only” to take Him up on His offer and use His freely given gift.
You and I can become a saint. And there’s a bonus! In the same way, we can avoid purgatory too.
There’s no magical formula, but there is a mystical one: we can seek the grace of conversion through prayer — and, through prayer, we can better and better live that grace. But as we all know, prayer can be far from easy. It demands time and effort. And a deeper conversion, a stronger conversion, often means more time. More effort. It calls for an increasing surrender to God and an abandonment of selfishness, which is the core of sin and an impediment to prayer.
“Impossible!” you might say. But apparently not. Others have done it. The Church has a whole canon — a list — of those she has declared saints, and there are countless other souls in heaven whose names we don’t know and won’t know until we join them there.
But no saint started out as a saint. Each person converted his or her life, day by day. Many, if not most, began that journey with “baby steps.” That’s more good news because we can do the same. And that’s all God asks. For today.
Step, step, misstep. Step, step, fall. Step, step … step.
Over time, with effort and grace, our steps become surer, our stride becomes longer, and our endurance increases.
And as we grow closer to God, the closer still we want to be. We become better aware of our imperfections — those nagging missteps and falls — and we want to eliminate them. Saints weren’t being falsely modest when they declared themselves to be sinners. Sometimes big-time sinners. And yet, again with time and effort, with the grace of God and the choices they made, they grew in holiness. But as they did so, they came to realize that they needed to become even more deeply converted if they wanted to better do God’s will for them — and to better answer His call, His invitation, to follow the unique and incredible path He was using to lead them home to Him for all eternity.
Conforming to God’s Ways
It wasn’t just through deepening prayer that St. Faustina sought the will of God, but also through living in conformity to God’s ways. If our prayers are converting us, then we may well be surprised to realize that, as with St. Faustina’s prayers, they’re starting to bear spiritual fruit, including:
• Greater acts of generosity
• Mercy
• Patience
• Humble service
• Faith
• Having a devotion to Our Lady, following her example and putting ourselves under the mantle of her protection (by praying the Rosary)
• Frequenting the sacraments (Mass and Reconciliation)
• Living a Christian life in conformity with the Gospel
• Doing works of charity
• Forgiving our enemies
How Does St. Faustina View Conversion?
Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer, and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.
— Ephesians 6:18
St. Faustina’s main mission was helping Jesus save sinners, helping the dying, and releasing souls in purgatory. Her compassion for sinners was her life, as she made atonement for them and incessantly pleaded for God to show His mercy on them.
She had no doubt He would. “And fear nothing, dear soul, whoever you are,” she wrote. “The greater the sinner, the greater his right to Your mercy, O Lord. O incomprehensible Goodness! God is the first to stoop to the sinner” (598).
Clearly, St. Faustina understood that conversion applies to everyone, no matter how low we may go, no matter what heights our souls may attain. There’s always room for improvement because there’s always room for more grace, for deeper conversion, and for growing closer to perfection itself: that is, for closer to God.
An Eternal Life-Changing Prayer for Others
“Today Jesus said to me, I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer:
‘O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus