A Word from the Staff
by Joseph Nuzzi
President of RENEW International
June contains two solemnities that celebrate three of the greatest saints in Christianity: the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24 and the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul on June 29. These saints are three giants in the story of Christ and of our faith, and yet, at first glance, they seem to be very different from one another. What they share in common is something that we too share and must cultivate. They all had a profound encounter with Jesus.
John the Baptist encountered the Lord on the cusp of his ministry. As far as we know, John did not have the benefit of hearing Jesus preach or witnessing any of his miracles. Jesus had not entered public ministry yet. John was led to his encounter with Christ by the tradition of the prophets and by the Holy Spirit. He witnessed the Spirit descend upon Jesus and remain with him (Jn 1:33). John was led by a profound spiritual experience at Jesus' baptism that changed his life. He knew that he must make way, for the Messiah had arrived. John must decrease and Jesus must increase (Jn 3:30). John's encounter with the Lord was life changing, but it did not eliminate doubt. In a moment of weakness and probably fear, while in prison, John sent word to Jesus for confirmation. "Are you the one?" (Mt 11:3) His encounter with Christ changed him, but John's spiritual journey continued.
Peter had many encounters with the Lord. We don't know how long Jesus' public ministry was, but Peter was there for all of it. It seems that after Jesus was kicked out of Nazareth, he may have taken up residence in Peter's house in Capernaum (Mk 2:1). Peter ate with Jesus. He heard Jesus preach. He witnessed his greatest miracles. He was even chosen to be the "rock" on which Jesus was to found his Church (Mt 16:18). Yet Peter had his moment of weakness on Good Friday and even denied knowing Jesus. He had to encounter the Lord again, risen from the tomb, to be rehabilitated and called again to follow him (Jn 21:5-25).
Paul was different. Paul never met the Lord before the Resurrection. Paul only encountered the Lord the way we do: risen from the dead. Paul's encounter with the Lord was also life changing. His name changed, his vision changed, his understanding of God's salvation changed. Paul's meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus was not the only time he encountered the Lord (Acts 18:9-10). As he preached the Gospel, Paul continued to be guided and encouraged by Jesus.
The heart of the Christian faith is our encounter with Jesus himself. Our faith is not a series of propositions, nor a moral code, nor even an elaborate liturgical tradition. These all flow from what comes first: we meet Jesus himself. Like John and Peter and Paul whom we celebrate this month, we must let our encounter with the Lord transform us. And like these great saints, we too will have our moments of weakness, doubt, and misunderstanding. That is OK so long as we return to the Lord and allow him to reveal himself to us more deeply and set us back on our feet to follow him.
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