Cut to the Heart

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:
The Fourth Sunday of Easter

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Acts
2.14a, 36b-41

When the day of Pentecost had come, Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd. “Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Now when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other Apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”

And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day were added about three thousand souls.

If you follow the ebbs and flows of the Old Testament, you may notice a pattern. God’s people are gathered, then scattered, then gathered again, then scattered. At the time of Jesus, things were tense – not at their worst, but not good either. Politically, the Roman Empire was in power and, while it was tolerant of non-Roman religions, it was deeply skeptical of the Jewish worship of only one God. There were pauses in violence, but no true peace. The Israelites believed that God wanted to empower a leader who would govern both politically and spiritually, gathering them once and for all. There was a deep ache and profound desire for this saviour to arrive. 

This historical context is essential for understanding just what Peter says when he preaches in this Sunday’s First Reading: “Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Peter is saying to the people of Jerusalem: “Your saviour came, and you missed it.” The people who hear him are heartbroken. They fear it’s too late. They ask: “What should we do?” 

This is where the distinction between guilt and shame becomes crucial. Both start with a realization that we’ve sinned, that our sin has hurt us and the people we love, that we’ve separated ourselves from God just as He was trying to reach out to us. But the next step is what separates guilt from shame – do we believe we can be forgiven? 

Shame tells us that our sin defines us. Shame says we’ll never be the same again. Shame says it’s too late. When shame wins, we feel despair. Guilt tells us that we’ve gone down the wrong path too but, in contrast to shame, it inspires us to repent – a word that literally means to turn around. Guilt empowers us to fix it and try again. Guilt can be overwhelming at times, and it is clear that the crowd Peter was preaching to was overwhelmed – but, still, they wanted to believe that it wasn’t the end. 

Peter’s preaching made it clear to the crowd: It’s not too late. If you’re ready to repent, God will forgive you and the Holy Spirit will be with you. That day, three thousand people said no to shame and yes to grace. 

This was a one-time event in history, but it is repeated every day. Many of us struggle with shame, and this reading is a reminder that our shame is not of God. If my faith journey was mapped out, it wouldn’t be a straight line down a narrow path; instead, it would have many wanderings off into the wilderness. But, if you were to follow the footprints, each wandering would end with a 180-degree turn back toward God. 

If you feel thoroughly lost, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great place to ask of God, “What should I do?” This is the Good News: there is always a way back to Him. 



Jenna Young

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