First Reading: Galatians 1:13-24

¹³ For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it;
¹⁴ and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.
¹⁵ But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace,
¹⁶ was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood,
¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus.
¹⁸ Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days.
¹⁹ But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.
²⁰ (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!)
²¹ Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cili’cia.
²² And I was still not known by sight to the churches of Christ in Judea;
²³ they only heard it said, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
²⁴ And they glorified God because of me.