But Jesus’ resurrection is so much more than a belief that we affirm every time we recite the Creed. At its heart, it’s a promise of encounter. It’s a promise that Jesus is now present to every person in every age. He is ready to touch and transform everyone who turns to him.

It’s that encounter with Jesus that we want to focus on this Easter season. We want to look at how encountering the Lord personally can change our lives. First, we’ll look at how St. Peter was filled with mercy after he experienced Jesus’ forgiveness. Next, we’ll look at how St. Stephen’s experience of the risen Christ convinced him of the promise of heaven. And finally, we’ll look at how the deacon Philip was transformed into an apostle of reconciliation and unity. In each of these, we’ll explore how we can meet the risen Lord and be changed by him as well.

Peter, a Model of Forgiveness. Let’s begin with Peter. Can you imagine how exciting the first Pentecost must have been for him? Not only was he “filled with the Holy Spirit,” but he also had the joy of seeing “about three thousand” people respond to his preaching about the risen Lord (Acts 2:4, 41). That must have been quite a dramatic scene!

As this was happening, however, another scene just might have been playing out in Peter’s heart. Remember, Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion had happened only fifty days earlier. Surely the memories of those traumatic events were still fresh in Peter’s mind. Also, he was still in Jerusalem, so it’s possible that some of the people he was addressing that day were part of the crowd that had cried out, “Crucify him!” at Jesus’ trial (Luke 23:21). Some may have been among the crowd that mocked Jesus as he hung on the cross (23:35-57). Who knows? Some might have even heard Peter denying having known Jesus (Luke 22:54-62)! Perhaps that’s why he told the crowd, “This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him” (Acts 2:23, emphasis added).

So picture Peter, as he’s baptizing these new believers, coming upon someone he remembers from those days. Imagine him blessing that person, washing away his sins, embracing him as a brother, and welcoming him into the Church. Now imagine him doing it a few more times. Imagine him forgiving each person and promising to love them, regardless of how they had treated Jesus or himself in the past.

Forgiving Our Enemies. Peter could be so openhearted toward people who rejected Christ because that’s how Jesus had treated him. When Jesus appeared to Peter and the other apostles at Easter, he could have condemned them. These men had seen him work so many wonders; they had heard him speak about the love of his Father; they had even received his healing and deliverance. And yet despite all this, their faith crumbled and they abandoned him at his arrest. Even Peter, the “rock,” went so far as to deny that he ever knew Jesus (Matthew 16:18).

But Jesus brought up none of that. He only said, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). He wanted to free them from their guilt and shame over having failed him. Then a week later, when he appeared again, he breathed his Holy Spirit into them and told them, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them” (20:23). He told them to be just as merciful toward other people as he had been toward them.

And that’s exactly what Peter did. His experience of unexpected, undeserved, and unreserved mercy from the risen Lord filled him with love—even for these former enemies and persecutors. It released him from fear and resentment and gave him the grace to treat them as his own brothers and sisters in Christ.

Founded on Forgiveness. Peter’s story teaches us three vital lessons. First, it shows us that to encounter the risen Lord is to encounter mercy. It’s to encounter Someone who we might fear will condemn us, only to discover a God who is more tenderness and compassion than reprimand and rejection. This was Peter’s great discovery. Jesus had saved him—and he did it through the power of his mercy. He saw the repentance and sorrow in Peter’s heart and, without even demanding an apology, forgave him, took him back, and invited him once more to “feed my sheep” (John 21:17).

Second, it shows us that this encounter with mercy from the risen Lord changes our hearts. It frees us from guilt and shame, of course, but it also releases us from fear and anger so that we can be merciful toward those around us. When the guards came to arrest Jesus, Peter chose violence and aggression (John 18:10). Later that evening, he chose deception and self-preservation when servants of the high priest identified him as a disciple (18:15-18, 25-27). But all that changed after he met Jesus on Easter. Having experienced the depths of Jesus’ mercy for him, he was able to offer mercy to everyone, no matter what role they may have played in Jesus’ death.

Finally, Peter’s story tells us that mercy is at the heart of the Church. It shows us that the Church is built on mercy, both the mercy of God and the mercy that his people show to others. On Pentecost, Peter could have been more selective about the people he chose to baptize. He could have chosen to baptize only those who had not treated Jesus so poorly. But Jesus had chosen him—a “sinful man”—to be the “rock” of his Church (Luke 5:8; Matthew 16:18). How could Peter do anything but welcome fellow sinners? How could the Church be anything but a gathering of sinful men and women whose hearts have been transformed by the same mercy that transformed Peter?

Pope Francis captured all three of these lessons in his homily for Pentecost in 2017:

We see the beginning of the Church, the glue that holds us together, the cement that binds the bricks of the house: forgiveness. Because forgiveness is gift to the highest degree; it is the greatest love of all. It preserves unity despite everything, prevents collapse, and consolidates and strengthens. Forgiveness sets our hearts free and enables us to start afresh. Forgiveness gives hope; without forgiveness, the Church is not built up.

Amazing Mercy. Jesus wants the sheer audacity of his mercy to amaze us. But beyond amazement, he wants our encounters with him—whether in prayer or in the Eucharist or in Confession or in another person’s act of love—to change us, just as it changed Peter. He wants them to soften our hearts and make us more merciful. That way, we can become like Peter: bold, joyful witnesses to a God whose love never ends.

Imagine yourself as one of Jesus’ disciples hiding in the Upper Room. You know that you have let the Lord down, and it weighs heavily on your conscience. Suddenly, Jesus appears. You notice that his hands and feet still bear the marks of his wounds. His face, which had been wracked with the pain of his crucifixion, is no longer creased and tear-stained. You don’t know if you should run away, beg him to forgive you, or kneel before him in awe. But the smile on his face and the gleam in his eye fill you with joy instead. Jesus is risen from the dead, and he has forgiven you!

Stay with that sense of joy for a few moments as you think of the people in your life. Is there someone you need to forgive? Maybe someone who has hurt you in the past, or someone you are having a hard time with right now? Imagine telling that person about your experience of Jesus’ mercy. Imagine telling him or her why you are so joyful. As you imagine this encounter, ask the Holy Spirit to help you to forgive that person.