As the stones rained down on Stephen, and as Saul stood watch by the coats, Stephen implored God, saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).
Some time later, as Saul traveled to Damascus, “breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1), the Lord Jesus appeared to him. Saul came to know Jesus, to know that He is the Son of God. Saul became Paul, and Paul spread the gospel throughout the Mediterranean world, even unto his death.
Saint Augustine wrote, “If Saint Stephen had not prayed, the Church would never have had Saint Paul.”
Why do our prayers work? Why are they efficacious in bringing others to salvation? Why does God, who does not need our help, nevertheless call us to share in His work of salvation?
The Scriptures will sometimes speak of God changing His mind. For example, in Exodus Moses pleads with God not destroy the Israelites after they build the golden calf. “So the Lord changed his mind about the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people” (Exodus 32:14). It’s not the case that God literally changes His mind. God is eternal and unchanging, perfectly good in everything He does. The inspired author of Exodus speaks of God changing His mind for two reasons: 1) God is so far above us, and His ways so far above our ways, that we can only understand Him imperfectly, often by way of analogy; 2) this particular analogy of God changing His mind helps us understand that our prayers make a meaningful difference for the salvation of others.
God doesn’t change His mind – He knows from all eternity what He intends to do in time – but (to use another analogy) He factors our prayers into the equation. He gives everyone sufficient grace to be saved, but some of those graces spring from our prayers. And our prayers spring from God’s grace, so the ultimate source of salvation is always God, praise be His Holy Name. Our prayers, our response to God’s grace, for the salvation of souls do matter. The Israelites were spared through the prayer of Moses. Saul was converted through the prayer of Stephen – what an extraordinary impact that one prayer had! And our prayers, in ways we may not see until we’re in Heaven, can lead to the conversion and salvation of souls now.
So why does God give us this role in salvation? Because through our works of mercy, in prayers, words and deeds, we are not only helping others to be saved, we are growing in personal sanctity so that in the fullness of time we will be able to be with the Holy Trinity in Heaven. God does not treat us like pets to be trained. We are His children, and He leads us, instructs us, and disciplines us as a loving Father does so we can complete the spiritual journey needed to behold the beatific vision – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in all of their glory.
Image: The Conversion of Saint Paul by Francisco Joao from Wikipedia Commons).
Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day for the salvation of souls.
