Converted due to Christian Love

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The Lord Jesus Christ said that it is by loving one another that the world will know that we are Christians [see John 13:35]. Many of those who have been converted into the Faith were inspired by Christians who fulfilled the command of the Lord to love one another as the Lord loved us [see John 13:34; 15; 12-17], which was further concretely expressed as love of neighbors too.

One of those who became Christians because of the love that Christians had for one another and for their neighbors was St Pachomius, considered to be the Father of Cenobitic Monasticism and whose memorial we celebrate May 9.

His parents were pagan. At age twenty, he was conscripted into the army and was held in captivity along with others. Local Christians supplied them with food and cared for them. Such acts of kindness and love made a lasting impression on Pachomius that he vowed to learn more about Christianity when he finally gets free. So when he was finally free to fulfill his intention, he got converted and was baptized. More about his life here.

St Athanasius wanted to ordain him a priest but he escaped from him. He got St Athanasius's attention because St Pachomius also fought the Arian heresy defending the orthodox Faith. 

May we also show the world that we are Christians by our love so that many more would be inspired to belong to the Church. Perhaps there are more Pachomiuses out there who just need to see how we truly live out our Faith through the practice of Love.