Saint Onesimus

There is something profoundly human about Saint Onesimus. He does not enter Scripture as a hero, but as someone on the run—from obligation, from authority, perhaps even from himself. His story begins in brokenness, yet it is precisely there that grace finds him.

Onesimus’ conversion reminds us that God does not wait for us to be ready. The Lord meets us in our confusion, in our fear, and even in our avoidance. Onesimus encounters Christ not in a temple or synagogue, but in the presence of Saint Paul, while still carrying the weight of his unresolved past.

What changes Onesimus is not force, but love. Paul does not command him to return; he forms his heart. And once Onesimus knows he is loved—not as property, not as a problem, but as a brother—he finds the courage to do what once seemed impossible: to go back and seek reconciliation.

Saint Onesimus shows us that true freedom is not escape. True freedom is the strength to stand honestly before God and others, trusting that mercy is stronger than our failures.

His life also challenges how we see one another. Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus “no longer as a slave, but as a beloved brother.” The Gospel always disrupts our categories. It asks us to see dignity where the world sees labels, and potential where the past suggests limits.

Saint Onesimus did nothing extraordinary by worldly standards. He simply allowed grace to change his direction—and that was enough to change his destiny.

A Daily Reflection Question:
Am I measuring my worth by productivity or by faithfulness?