Encountering Christ in the Gospels—The Unfamiliar Christ

Two years ago, I experienced the Risen Christ in a new and unexpected way at an outdoor Catholic shrine halfway around the world from home.

The shrine was the last stop on a day-long pilgrimage throughout Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The pilgrimage occurred on the third day of a gathering of 100 Jesuit educators from around the world. We were brought together to discuss what it means to educate for faith in the 21st century. After two days of getting to know each other and the opportunities and challenges of educating for faith in our various contexts, this pilgrimage was an opportunity for us to interact with and learn about the various religious practices (both historical and current) of the country.

Our journey began at the site of 10th-century Hindu temples, where we walked around not only exploring the temples themselves but also encountering other groups of pilgrims who had come far and wide to experience the wonders of this place. We then traveled to a mosque situated in the middle of an Islamic neighborhood and learned about the various facets of their worship from the Imam. Finally, our journey concluded at a 100-year-old Catholic shrine.

Throughout the journey leading up to the shrine, I experienced a familiar Christ present again and again in my Ignatian colleagues. Each of my colleagues was rooted in the same spiritual tradition as I was, and so as we walked together, rode together, and spoke with one another, the Christ I knew was right there in and among us. The Risen Christ I recognized was present through their words and actions and loving curiosity about the new people we were encountering on our journey. It was the familiar Risen Christ that I had come to know through the Spiritual Exercises: the one who loved each and every one of us as we are, no matter what.

But when we got off the bus at our final stop and I stood before a statue of the Risen Christ—a statue that had before it a long line of pilgrims waiting for their moment to kneel and kiss its feet—I was struck by the unfamiliarity of the Risen Christ before me. This Risen Christ was dressed in a sarong with traces of the batik patterns I had seen in every storefront near our hotel. His feet were bare, and he had a crown upon his head. His eyes were distinct as well, reflecting back to me the eyes of all the kind and loving Indonesian people I had encountered throughout my stay.

This Risen Christ was new and unfamiliar to me, and yet this was just the Risen Christ I needed to encounter at that moment.

I learned quite tangibly that day that though God became human in a distinct male body with the features of a first-century Nazarene, the Risen Christ was not limited by this earthly body. The Risen Christ can instead reach us where we are, as we are. There are no limits to how or when the Risen Christ appears. At times, we may, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, not even recognize the Risen Christ walking with us. That day, I felt my heart burning within me as I gazed upon this new and unfamiliar image before me, and that sensation continued as I began to see the Risen Christ alive and moving in the kind and loving people of Indonesia. Ever since, I have experienced the Risen Christ alive and moving time and again in each new and diverse person I encounter. This new heartfelt knowledge of the Risen Christ present in others has also helped me believe that others could see the Risen Christ in me—in my words and in my actions—if I let them. It has inspired me to more intentionally consider how I am being Christ’s hands and feet in this world.

There is a distinction though that I find very important to remind myself of often: Though I can see myself in the Risen Christ, I cannot become the Risen Christ or replace the Risen Christ. And there is no need for me to do so. The world needs me to be myself, the unique human being created by God for a unique and special purpose. I am a unique vehicle through which others experience the Risen Christ’s magnanimous love.

Standing before the statue of the Risen Christ as a Javanese King among pilgrims from all over the world allowed me to see the presence of the Risen Christ in the wide diversity of this planet. It reminded me to be open to experiencing that piece of the Risen Christ in every single new person I encounter so that I may deepen my knowledge of God and how God is loving every piece of this world at each and every moment in time.

Going Deeper

• Spend time in prayer with Luke 24: 13-25. When has your heart been burning within you in an unexpected place or during an unexpected encounter?

• Explore another encounter of meeting the Risen Christ in a reflection of Paul on the road to Damascus.

• Meditate with this poem by Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins, reminding us that “Christ plays in 10000 places…”

• Consider the following questions:

  • What is your image of Christ?
  • Has this always been your image of Christ or has it changed over time?
  • How does Christ meet you personally in this particular image?
  • Can you imagine the Risen Christ appearing to others differently, to meet them personally, as the Risen Christ has met you?
  • What does it feel like to imagine that the Risen Christ looks different to different people? How does this challenge or expand your understanding?
  • Consider the feelings you have when you gaze at your image of Christ. When else have you experienced that same feeling while gazing at something or someone? Could Christ be present there too?

Photo by Gretchen Crowder.

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Gretchen Crowder

Gretchen Crowder has served as a campus minister and Ignatian educator for the Jesuit Dallas community for the last fifteen years and counting. She is also a freelance writer and speaker. She has a B.S. in mathematics and a M.Ed. from the University of Notre Dame as well as an M.T.S. from the University of Dallas. She resides in Dallas, TX with her husband, three boys, and an ever-growing number of pets.