It was on this date in 1554 that Jesuit missionaries St. José de Anchieta and Manuel da Nóbrega founded the city of São Paulo in Brazil. They chose the name São Paulo because today is the traditional date for the celebration of the conversion of St. Paul, except when it falls on a Sunday.
Saint Ignatius Loyola, in his Spiritual Exercises, lists three times when a correct and good choice of a way of life may be made. The first time, he says, is “when God our Lord so moves and attracts the will that a devout soul without hesitation, or the possibility of hesitation, follows what has been manifested to it. St. Paul and St. Matthew acted thus in following Christ our Lord.”
In his conversion, St. Paul saw a bright light, and he heard the voice of Jesus talking to him. The light was so bright that St. Paul went blind temporarily, but his companions, who also saw the light, did not go blind. It seems that St. Paul was more sensitive to the light, which is why he was the only one to go blind.
To be a devout soul is to cultivate greater sensitivity to the light. This means avoiding light pollution, the bright lights that distract mind and dull the senses. It sometimes means dwelling in a kind of darkness, much like an astronomer in an observatory in a dark place. To find God’s light, to be moved by God without the possibility of hesitation, to be converted: this is a grace diligently sought after in Ignatian Spirituality.