Share your encounter with Christ

During my 19th summer, I went on a retreat in Washington D. C. with my college friends. The retreat itself was not memorable, but my encounter with Christ was something I can never forget. On the last day of the retreat, we were at Mass in the crypt church of the Catholic University basilica. I had just knelt down after receiving communion, when a voice popped into my head asking me if I had ever really let Jesus into my heart. I seriously considered the question and realized that there were parts of my heart that were hardened towards Christ. So I asked Christ to come into every corner of my heart and at that instant, I felt an explosion from my heart that expanded to every part of my body. I knew at that moment Christ had touched me as He had Saul on the way to Damascus. I knew from that moment on, my life was His. I also knew that just as Paul had one more thing to do, I still had to tell someone about my encounter. I was joyous about my encounter but at the same time, I was afraid to tell anyone because they might think I was crazy. I did not come from a community where this type of experience was a common occurrence. My friend, who had organized a group of us to go on this retreat, drove me to the airport. She felt sad. We had had fun, but she felt that no one had really grown spiritually. I knew I had to share my story with her. I did and she was thrilled to hear that spiritual growth had happened on the retreat. I’m sure many people grew spiritually on the retreat but no one had openly shared their encounters. I was pleased to finally share my Christ encounter with another person. All stories of encountering Christ, no matter how big or small are important and meant to be shared. One never knows how Christ will use an encounter with Him to impact another human being. Telling the story can inspire, even help others to discover their own encounters. Sharing how Christ is present in my life, big and small, invites others to see Christ’s present in their own lives. A story, like a light in the house, should be set out for all to see and not placed under a bushel basket. If you want help discerning where you have encountered Christ or you want to practice telling your story, consider joining a small faith-sharing group in campus ministry. These can be a perfect place to encounter Christ because as scripture says, “Where two or three are gathered, I am in their midst.” Our God is a relational God, who wants to relate to us. We are wired for relationship and participating in a small group puts us into an intentional relationship with faith as a foundation. Faith sharing groups support participants in their faith and help to develop trust, allowing the sometimes fearful, doubtful, or insecure student a safe place to share his or her encounter. Never forget the Holy Spirit will help you to realize and share your encounters with Jesus. Recall the story of the upper room where the Apostles and followers of Jesus gathered in fear after Jesus was crucified. It was the encounter with Jesus, the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the support of the small community that sent them forth, from the upper room, to share their story. So what’s your story? Who will you tell?

Hunter Darrouzet, Campus Minister at Colorado Mesa University, CO