Conversion and conviction can happen in many surprising ways. Even cradle Catholics would experience conversion at different stages of their lives. A phrase from a homily or sharing can touch the heart of someone to return to God, sometimes the lyrics and music of a song can melt the hardest of hearts. And there are testimonies that it is a tragedy or calamity that prompts a person to return and discover God once more. This is the case of the gaoler in the Acts of the

Apostles today. He would have heard the message preached by Paul and Silas but it seemed to have no effect on him. Only after experiencing the earthquake did he come to the realisation of the power of God. Thankfully, there was no loss of life that led to this conversion. However, for some people, only after their experience of loss and fear do they come back to God.

As experiences would tell, even cradle Catholics need to experience conversion. Very often, a real life conversion experience will make our faith stronger. It doesn't mean that our life will be a bed of roses but the firmness of our conviction will be stronger than before. Jesus assures us that the Advocate will vindicate His word and deeds against the arrogant and ignorant world. In Him, we know we have a journey, a direction and destination to arrive at in life.