obey God rather than men

Acts 5:27-33; Ps 34 The Lord hears the cry of the poor; John 3:31-36

We have been following the unfolding of the early church since the celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. All week we have been witnesses of Peter's action as he leads the crew, the apostles on their mission to proclaim the message to the end of the earth.

Around every turn and bend as the story unfolds the one thing that has been common is violence toward them.

Even after they heal the cripple and are released from jail mysteriously, the leadership reacts violently to their stance on Christ.

Every time Peter stands up to testify there are those who receive the message and their are those who are infuriated, "they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.".

What gives?


Strange how the good news of the resurrection brings such hostility and animosity, the very thing the death and resurrection of Christ was suppose to overcome and transform.

Even St. Paul speaks of the blood of the cross that has for e down the wall of hostility, that by which God was reconciling the world to himself.


Why does the cat of reconciliation bring such hostility and opposition?

What is there in the human palate that has an aversion to the truth?

Perhaps is the fact the truth is demanding. perhaps it is because the the truth is personal. The truth once recognized has to be dealt with, so rather than deal with it, it is pushed away and avoided or even depicted as something other than truth itself.

We see this all the time in today's media. How often does the media turn things around and twist the truth?

For instance abortion is labeled prochoice. What a spin!

Or currently the HHS mandate insist that the having free access to birth control pills is about reproductive health.

Recently Mrs Gates, the billionaire's wife, who claims to be catholic, " argued that contraception has been mistakenly associated with population control, abortion, forced sterilization, and mortal sin and insisted they are “side issues” that “have attached themselves to the core idea that men and women should be able to decide when to have a child."

The church doesn't say that men and women do not have the right to decide when to have children. Of course men and when have the right to regulate births according to the plan God has created and written in the human body.

The pill isn't about regulation of births as it is about sex with out responsibility, with out consequence. Here is the ugly lie that so many weave in our society.

The church, like Peter, stands up and says should we not obey God rather then man. Should we not obey how God has created us male and female and use the gift of our sexuality for his glory.

OF course birth control is about abortion,especially if it can cause abortion of a fetus in utero and the decision to have children is a beautiful thing that the Church is fighting for at each every turn.

Besides, how can mortal sin, be a side issue?

Ultimately the question is "do we certify that God is trustworthy."

Can we trust him who created us? Can we trust him who redeemed us? Can we trust him who founded the church to guide us?