There are defining moments in our lives that cause us to shift our way thinking and being, moments when we recognise that our former way of living no longer fits. We realise we need to step up and witness to something new that we have come to understand about ourselves and our world.
It may be catalysed by a death or a birth; perhaps by a deep disappointment or disillusionment about the way things have been; a new friendship or falling in love or in an especially powerful moment of prayer. That moment changes us and stirs in us capacities that we may not previously have been able to access. It may be that we recognise a strength or conviction in ourselves that we did not
realise was so strong.
In the readings today, there are two very significant ‘defining’ or ‘turning point’ moments. The Jews who listened to Peter preaching on that Pentecost day suddenly had their whole way of seeing the world turned on its head. The text tells us that ‘They were cut to the heart’ when they heard what he had to say. They believed that the Jesus whom they had crucified was indeed the long awaited
Messiah. They now wanted to be baptised so as to live and witness to what they now came to believe. They could never be the same again.
Mary of Magdala has her own defining moment when she goes to the tomb distraught in the early hours of the morning. When she encounters Jesus speaking her name she suddenly understands beyond doubt that Jesus, her dear friend and teacher, is risen. All is not lost. The love she had for Jesus is expanded into an awareness of the bigger reality of his resurrected presence. She is gifted with a
new mission, a deep sense of purpose. She is to go and witness to what she now knows to be true. She is the ‘apostle to the apostles.’ Her life will also never be the same again.
As you look back over your own life, there may also be experiences that fundamentally shifted how you see yourself and the world. There are moments that have fired you with enthusiasm and commitment. This is a key way in which God speaks to us. This time of resurrection is a good time to ask God to enflame us with a deep conviction about what it means to believe that Jesus is
risen.
That conviction impels us to live differently. It moves us to action and to engagement with others. It cannot just be an intellectual belief though. A defining moment always impacts us at the level too of our emotions, our guts are stirred. It transforms us into more than we previously were.
What are some of the defining moments of your own life and how did they change you?
Have a conversation with Mary Magdalene about her defining moment and what it meant for her.
