Easter Sunday: From Pilgrimage to Resurrection
I was born on Palm Sunday, so that must count for something. It compelled my mom to christen me, Christopher.
I was brought up in the Catholic Church. Yes, weekly catechism taught me something. It laid a moral foundation and introduced me to a thick Bible that was difficult to carry while riding my Schwinn bike with faux motorcycle grips to learn about Christian principles.
We had to remain indoors on Good Friday afternoon.
The years would pass, and there was never a time without mass… just navigating life on my own terms.
A Life-Changing Pilgrimage and the Spirit’s Arrival
Twenty-plus years ago, a pilgrimage to Eastern Europe with my mom became a transcendental experience, changing my life forever. I witnessed my mom slain in the spirit at a charismatic Catholic mass in a remote region of Bosnia. It was unnerving yet powerful. The Holy Spirit had arrived, though He was always there.
But rituals without revelation only go so far.
A Call to Surrender and the Crucifixion of Self
A half-decade later, after becoming more acquainted with the Bible at a First Baptist church in California, I was led to Texas. It was Holy Week 2009. On a flight from San Antonio to San Jose, the Holy Spirit personally introduced Himself. In the air, He met me with a presence I couldn’t dismiss, reminding me that I had been living a carefree, burden-free life — or so I thought.
Tears flowed on that flight, jamming up my mind gears. Passengers stared. I didn’t care. And I couldn’t control the crying. This time, I confessed. I accepted. I obeyed the call to journey back to Texas, where surrender, yielding, and trials awaited me. My crucifixion was about to begin.
Resurrection and Redemption: Trust in God’s Blueprint
I encountered tragedy and relentless distress in the Lone Star state — the kind unknown to me. Nearly 15 years of it. Details will be spared, but there’s only one way to truly get through that.
I knew my faith had grown, but didn’t realize how strong until I loaded up my ride and headed northeast from the Chihuahuan Desert to Louisville. “You got this,” I thought I heard the Lord say.
Kentucky, my resurrection. A new chapter, another beginning... how God constructs answers to your prayers according to His blueprints. Not that life is perfect, obviously, but peace has enveloped my days. My trust in the Lord has increased exponentially.
I am blessed with joy. I am blessed in adversity. Blessed while walking in front of life’s firing line.
For me, Easter or Holy Week brings contemplation — a reflection of my journey: Hardship, struggle, sacrifice, and redemption, overseen by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Faith is not born from ease but derives from walking through fire — with trust, with God’s mercy and grace — and remaining intact while clutching hope.
About the Author:
Chris Adams
Journalist/Writer
TC Attender Since December 2023
