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1 Corinthians 15: 1-8
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more
than five hundred brothers and sisters at once,
most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the Apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.
The Word of the Lord.
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In our first reading, Paul proclaims what is among the earliest, most complete, professions of our Christian faith, stating that Christ died, was raised, then he appeared to his disciples.
Out of all of Christ’s appearances which Paul mentions, three are particularly interesting.
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First, his appearance to Peter.
Fear turned Peter into a coward the night Christ was arrested. As his Lord was being led off to be crucified, Peter kept his distance, then warmed his hands by a fire while Jesus stood trial. Finally, he denied knowing Jesus three times.
Then Peter runs off and cries his eyes out.
After his death and resurrection, Jesus appears to Peter to console him, revealing the heart of our Good Shepherd. Jesus teaches Peter – and us – that God isn’t out to punish us; rather, after making our own mistakes, he comes to console us.
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Then his appearance to James.
James, also known as the “brother” of Jesus – likely a cousin – is recorded in Mark’s Gospel as thinking the Lord was “out of his mind” while Jesus was preaching inside someone’s home, a sign the Lord was misunderstood, even by those closest to him (Mark 3:21).
As Jesus later says, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his native place.”
Perhaps the Lord appeared to James to calm his heart – much like Peter’s – bringing the gift of reconciliation to a member of his own family.
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Finally, he appears to Paul.
Paul was one of the leading persecutors of the early Church until the Lord’s appearance transformed his heart, reminding us that no one is beyond the grace of conversion.
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Such is our God: he consoles; reconciles; converts. Amen! Alleluia!
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Image credits: (1) Doubting Thomas, Caravaggio (2) The Resurrection, Van Dyck (3) The Catholic Talks