REMEMBER the film Quo Vadis... the great Hollywood blockbuster of the early 50s starring Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, and the unforgettable Peter Ustinov in the role of the evil Emperor Nero? That famous film was based on the late 19th century novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Who knows how many times you will have seen it on TV?
The story is set against the background of the early Christian Church in Rome and its persecution by Nero. Marcus Vinicius, a Roman military commander, returning from war, falls in love with Lygia, a devout Christian girl and the adopted daughter of a retired general. Lygia, though physically attracted to Marcus, does not wish to yield to his wishes because he is not a Christian. Furthermore, he wants her as a concubine, something that was unacceptable. Since Lygia is technically a hostage of Rome, Marcus persuades Nero to give her to him as a present for services rendered. Lygia, however, manages to fool them and escape.
One night, after finding her whereabouts, Marcus followed Lygia while she was going with a group of fellow Christians into the catacombs. Hiding in a dark corner, Marcus managed to hear the preaching of St. Peter and, from that moment on, his life began to change, gradually and almost imperceptibly. Despite the raging persecutions, Marcus eventually embraced the Christian faith, and his marriage with Lygia was blessed by St. Peter himself.
This is a good example of conversion – the turning away from things that are manifestly evil, such as violence, dishonesty, adultery… This, however, is only one kind of conversion. There is also a more common kind of conversion – the conversion to goodness. Here the change is not necessarily that drastic or radical. The change may be from a life that is completely selfish to a more loving and caring one. Unfortunately, this kind of change also entails some suffering. Who wants to be shaken out of a life of sensuality, comfort-seeking and self-indulgence? This is why many people find the idea of conversion rather disturbing, and are slow to embrace it. They see it as something negative or almost masochistic.
In actual fact conversion is something essentially positive. True, it does entail coming to terms with the hard fact that all is not well with ‘me’. But it also involves discovering something wonderful about ourselves, namely, that we have potentials we did not know we had. It means acquiring a new vision, taking a new direction, setting ourselves more worthy goals, and living by higher values. In short, conversion opens the way to a new life.
“Lent,” Pope Francis affirmed during his weekly address, “is a strong time of conversion,” and a time “to live our baptism with greater profundity.” Lent “is a time to recover the capacity to react before the reality of evil… a time to reflect on the mysteries of our faith, practice acts of penance and charity, and open our hearts more fully to God’s grace and to the needs of our brothers and sisters.”
Towards the end of the film Quo Vadis, St. Peter flees from likely crucifixion in Rome at the hands of the government, but along the road he meets the Risen Christ outside the city. Peter, surprised, asks the Lord, “Quo vadis, Domine?” (Where are you going, o Lord?) to which Jesus replies, “I am going to Rome to be crucified again.” Peter then understands that he is doing something wrong, and he manages to muster the courage to go back into the city to continue his ministry among the persecuted Christians. He is eventually martyred – crucified upside down.
We do not know if this episode is true or not, even if it is found in the apocryphal Acts of Peter. It is comforting, however, to entertain the idea that even Peter himself, one of the greatest of saints, stood in need of conversion in the last days of his life. After all, isn’t it true that the Christian life is a continuous process of conversion?
During this season of Lent, let us ask the Lord to help us not to be afraid to change what is necessary in our ourselves in order to be completely renewed by Him and, at Easter, feel young again in our discipleship.
I will keep you in my prayers.
Updated on October 06 2016