Lec # 47- 3rd Sunday of Easter- April 19, 2015- Fr. Bresowar
My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is always good for us to be here together to celebrate this sacred liturgy.
There is nothing that gives our Lord greater glory then when we worship together in this holy sacrifice. His sacrifice!
That is a good thing, because often times during the week many of us spend much more of our time offending the Lord, and not glorifying Him.
Now don’t shut me out immediately. I’m not here to condemn you during this homily. However, I do want to speak of a topic which I think has gotten away from us in this culture. And that is the topic of fraternal correction.
Fraternal correction is the willingness to speak the Truth to those we love, even if that Truth causes a sting within. Because it is only in living in the Truth that we come to the Light of eternal life. It is actually wrong and sinful to allow our brother or sister, our friend or neighbor, to persist in error.
But because we live in a society which is oversensitive, everyone is afraid to speak up for fear of being accused of being politically incorrect. And if someone is bold enough to say the truth, especially if that truth offends an individual or a group, that person is often times dismissed or even called names like “bigot” or “racist.”
Because society wants to live without negative consequences, and because everyone desires to be treated the same, even if we are not the same, for example, men and women are not the same, they have different roles, marriage is not the same for everyone, feelings do not equal Truth, then society is quick to react negatively to anyone who proposes objectivity.
The problem comes when reality is ignored,objectivity is thrown out the window, and then come consequences for actions. Those are painful naturally, but even they are trying to be explained away, or pushed out.
It creates a big cycle of destruction, and we are living in it.
Enter St. Peter into today’s readings. Peter got up in front of the crowd of Jews called them out. He said, “You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.”
That’s a stinging rebuke! You killed the holy one of God, you put him to death, this is your fault. It’s true! Peter doesn’t mince words. He calls it like it is. In today’s age, Peter would have been dismissed or called horrible names for speaking the Truth. But it wouldn’t stop Him from doing that.
Now Peter doesn’t do this simply to condemn them, the saints don’t call out their fellow men simply for the sake of making them feel guilty.
Although feeling guilty is good! Because it means we know we are in the wrong!
God has a plan, the plan is not easy, you rejected the plan, you got divorced, you gave up on vocation, on your marriage, on your priesthood, you committed adultery, you became a slave to lust, to addiction, you value TV over family, or hobbies over vocation, you abuse your wife and children, you cheat your job, you drink too much, you use drugs, you are a slave to pleasure, you have no humility, you lack charity, you lack discipline in prayer, you killed Jesus.
That should make us feel horrible. And we all fall into these patterns in life, at certain times. Maybe not all, but some.
Society has dove head first into vice, so much so they hate God and any one who proposes that they might be wrong. We can’t fall into that pattern, we must not fall into that pattern.
Peter continues, “But my brothers and sisters, I know you acted out of ignorance.” God has brought to fulfillment as He said he would, therefore repent, believe and receive forgiveness of sins.
Fraternal correction must lead to repentance. Peter can fraternally correct, because he has already asked God to forgive Him of his denial.
Jesus Christ is the expiation for our sins. He came to offer forgiveness. He came to show us the way to the Father, the way to happiness, the way to eternal life. If we love Him, we will strive to keep his commands. Because whoever keeps his word, the Love of God is perfected in Him.
If Peter stopped his rebuked without giving hope for salvation, even to us who have killed our Lord with our actions so many times, then it wouldn’t be fraternal correction.
We must stay close to the sacraments, stay close to Christ. Repent and believe every day until the day we go home. Never take offense at being corrected when we are in error. In fact, we should rejoice in humility. Pride is our enemy.
It’s never too late to receive forgiveness even if we messed up the past. God is bigger than our sins, let us continue to seek him, and then go out and evangelize the Truth like St. Peter and the many saints since.
