The Kerygma proclaimed: the heart of the Church’s first preaching

St. Peter preaching the Gospel in the Catacombs by Jan Styka (c. 1902)

By Marco Roman, PhD

Director of Communications

From the very beginning of the Church’s life, her mission has been clear: to proclaim Jesus Christ.

The Acts of the Apostles reveals that the earliest preaching of the Church was not a collection of abstract ideas or moral suggestions, but a bold, Spirit-filled proclamation—the kerygma—that Jesus Christ is Lord, crucified for our sins, raised for our salvation, and that, having ascended to the Father, He pours forth the gift and power of the Holy Spirit upon His Church. This proclamation stands at the center of all evangelization, both then and now.

At Pentecost, we witness the first great moment of this preaching. Filled with the Holy Spirit, St. Peter stands before the crowds and proclaims with clarity and conviction: “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32). He does not begin with speculation or philosophy, but with a concrete announcement of what God has done in Christ. The Catechism teaches: “The transmission of the Christian faith consists primarily in proclaiming Jesus Christ in order to lead others to faith in him” (CCC 425).

This is the essence of the kerygma: not merely teaching about Christ, but announcing Him as living Lord and Savior.

The structure of Peter’s preaching becomes the pattern for all apostolic proclamation.

First, there is the announcement of Jesus’ life and mission, attested by signs and wonders (cf. Acts 2:22). Second, the proclamation of His Passion and death, not as defeat, but as part of God’s saving plan (cf. Acts 2:23). Third, and most importantly, the witness to the Resurrection: “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death” (Acts 2:24). Finally, there is the call to conversion: “Repent, and be baptized … for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).

This unified proclamation—centered on Christ’s saving work and calling for a response of faith—is at the very heart of the Gospel itself: “The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners … the message of salvation offered to all men” (CCC 1846); and it is through the Resurrection that this saving work reaches its fulfillment, for “the Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith … it justifies us and brings about our filial adoption so that men become Christ’s brethren” (CCC 654).

This same pattern resounds throughout the Acts of the Apostles. In Solomon’s Portico, Peter proclaims: “You killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are all witnesses” (Acts 3:15).

Before the Sanhedrin, he declares with apostolic boldness: “There is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4:12). And in the house of Cornelius, the kerygma is again clearly announced: “They put him to death … but God raised him on the third day … and commanded us to preach to the people” (Acts 10:39-42). The content does not change. The message is not adapted to suit the moment. It remains Christ—crucified and risen—offered for the salvation of all.

What is equally striking is the boldness of this preaching. The apostles speak not as men relying on their own strength, but as witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit. Even in the face of persecution, they cannot remain silent: “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). The Catechism reminds us that this missionary impulse flows from the Spirit Himself: “The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of the whole of the Church’s mission” (CCC 852). Evangelization is not first our work—it is the work of God, in which we are invited to participate.

The effect of this preaching is immediate and transformative. At Pentecost, those who hear are “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37), leading to repentance, baptism and a new life in Christ. “So those who received his word were baptized … and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). The Catechism speaks of this response as true conversion: “Faith is a personal adherence of man to God … inseparable from a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed” (CCC 150). The kerygma does not leave people unchanged—it draws them into communion with Christ and His Church.

This dynamic remains alive in every age. Wherever the kerygma is proclaimed with clarity and fidelity, hearts are stirred, lives are changed, and the Church grows. In our own Diocese of Boise and throughout the world, we are witnessing a renewed openness—especially among the young—to the truth of the Gospel. They are searching not for ambiguity, but for clarity; not for compromise, but for the fullness of truth found in Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

The human person is created for the truth. It is the truth that confirms and elevates the dignity with which we are made. To live by the truth is to exalt that dignity, fulfilling the vocation for which we were created. This is why the kerygma continues to resonate so deeply: it is not imposed from the outside, but speaks to the deepest longing of the human heart.

The Acts of the Apostles reminds us that we must never lose confidence in this first proclamation. The kerygma is not one message among many—it is the foundation upon which all catechesis, sacramental life and Christian discipleship are built. As the Catechism teaches, “Catechesis is intrinsically linked with the whole of the Church’s life … its aim is to put people not only in touch, but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ” (CCC 426).

If we are to renew the Church in our time, we must return again and again to this beginning. With the Apostles and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we proclaim: Jesus Christ is Lord. He has died. He is risen. And in Him, we are offered new life as adopted sons and daughters of the Father.

This is the kerygma. This is the Church’s first preaching. And this is the message that continues to transform the world.