Do we sometimes feel like we are guided by a higher authority that contradicts the law of the land? That is what the apostles profess to today before the Sanhedrin, that they are following a higher authority that dictates their consciences and that influences their actions. The Sanhedrin may have issued an edict that they refrain from preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but Peter and his companions declare that they must obey God and not man, so they must continue teaching the truth of Jesus Christ. We see situations like this play out in our modern world as well. We Catholics in modern America live in a land where capital punishment is practiced and condoned by our secular society, where abortion is a common practice and a way to get rid of an unwanted or inconvenient pregnancy. A few years ago, even our own Diocese sued the federal government along with other Dioceses and other Catholic institutions to protest that provisions in insurance plans that violate the Gospel of Life. By refusing to obey the authorities and by refusing to keep quiet, Peter and the others put their lives in danger. Even though they had just seen their Lord crucified, they felt compelled to speak out and to follow their conscience. They knew that God had raised up Jesus, but that human beings had killed him.
Standing up for what is right can be very challenging and very difficult. Yet, we are called to stand up for the Gospel, to stand up for our faith. We can easily become complacent in our faith, thinking we live in a seemingly safe place like the United States where we assume we will always have the freedom to practice our faith. But perhaps that is a false assumption.
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