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It’s Pentecost Sunday in Jerusalem, and the apostles have just been filled—and surprised, no doubt—by the Holy Spirit. A crowd forms, and everyone is trying to figure out what is going on. That’s when Peter steps up and offers an explanation. His preaching is passionate, joyful, and powerful. And at the core of his message is a proclamation that continues to be central to the message of the gospel: “God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36).
At these words, the people are cut to the heart, and ask what they should do. “Repent,” Peter tells them, “and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). And with that, the church was born.
This story from Acts shows us how closely linked the Sacrament of Reconciliation is to the cross. It shows us that at its heart, repentance involves our freely choosing to ask God to take away our sins—the sins that Jesus died for. Peter called the people to repent because he knew that sin had damaged everyone’s intimacy with God, and he knew that Jesus had come to restore us by dying for our sin. All we have to do is accept his cross as our way of forgiveness and reconciliation.
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