Experience Him Anew

A Reflection on the First Reading for April 21st, 2019:
​Easter Sunday: The Resurrection of the Lord

Acts 10.34a, 37-43

Peter began to speak: “You know the message that spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

“We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the Prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

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To be “holy” means to be “set apart”, and so Holy Week is the time in our liturgical year that we reserve for a special purpose. We dedicate these days to contemplating the Mystery of Christ’s passion — yet, there are years where I find myself passing through this journey too quickly. I grew up Catholic, and because I am familiar with the readings and the message I risk “going through the motions” of the Triduum. These should be the most important days of my year, but instead of pondering the Mysteries in my heart I can get “stuck” in the mindset that I already “know the outcome”.

In the first reading on Easter morning we will hear Peter share the basics of the Gospel, a summary of all the events we will have reflected on during Holy Week, otherwise known as the kerygma. “Kerygma” (Greek origin) means “proclamation”, and Peter shares what we fundamentally believe to be true — because of Jesus’ life, passion, death, and resurrection, “everyone who believes in [Christ] receives forgiveness of sins through His name”. This is imperative, and it makes sense for Peter to share it with people who have not even heard of who Jesus is.

But how do I receive this word, as if for the first time, when I have personally heard this message proclaimed innumerable times? How do I stop myself from acting as if the “Good News” is “Old News”?

Well, I can’t do it on my own. Luckily, God usually places someone on my path to remind me that there is nothing He cannot make new. Most years, this reminder comes through the joyful witness of catechumens.
Upon meeting someone who has only recently heard and embraced the Gospel, it is hardly possible for the embers in my heart to not re-ignite beside their fire. Many people are unbelievably enthusiastic at this stage, and in Jesus’ time, most everyone had to have been a “new” convert. These early Christians (including Peter) must have been wildfire — no wonder thousands were converted in a day!

In North America, it is usually not that a catechumen has never heard that Jesus lived, died, and rose again — most people here know the basic beliefs of Christianity. Anyone who is entering the Church is likely not doing so because they “know the outcome” intellectually but they are committing because they have experienced Christ personally. They know Jesus because He has met them in an intimate encounter and drawn them to Himself. In other words, they have met the Kerygma — the Word of God proclaimed, who is the Person of Jesus Christ.

"They know Jesus because He has met them in an intimate encounter and drawn them to Himself. In other words, they have met the Kerygma — the Word of God proclaimed, who is the Person of Jesus Christ."

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It seems to me that the key to making Holy Week a fresh experience is asking the Holy Spirit to help us move beyond the surface of the words and the story we hear proclaimed from the ambo, and reveal Christ to our hearts again, as if for the first time. Be it through the people we meet, the music we sing, the readings themselves or loving gestures from our family — may Christ show Himself as Kerygma and may our hearts respond with the newness of life that He provides for us. ​

Kendra Chisholm

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