This brief article is a summary of Bishop Barron’s homily from this morning, and he is talking about the richness of today’s reading from Acts chapter 5 verses 27-33.
The reading begins with Peter and the apostles in front of the group of Jewish elders and the high priest, and they are being told to stop teaching in the name of Jesus, but they said “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts. 5:29). It’s very easy to be lured by the prospect of pleasing humans and the culture. But isn’t it more important to please God? The apostles were defending and proclaiming their faith, and not succumbing to their orders, so the Jewish assembly was infuriated and wanted to put them to death! In today’s culture, there’s a high chance that people won’t want to kill you for proclaiming your faith, but generally people will not want to hear about it and it won’t be easy to be popular among others.
Bishop Barron says that good preaching can have an edge of judgement. Peter and the apostles said “The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree” (Acts. 5:30). The wounds and death of Jesus is a clear sign that all is not right with us. Christian preaching is all about proclaiming Jesus, the climax of the story of Israel. The death of Jesus is a judgement on the world.
“God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts. 5:31). The risen Jesus is able to be our leader as he enters the realm of God, which makes him more present and more available to everyone in any space, since God is outside of space. The cross is judgement on the world, as a reminder of our sin, and it’s also the declaration of salvation. We killed God, and God returned in forgiving love which means our sins are forgiven. So there is nothing that we can do that God cannot forgive.
“We are witnesses of these things, as is the holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him. (Acts. 5:32). This didn’t start from a bunch of people sitting around and coming up with a wild myth. The apostles were there, and were witnesses to the life of Jesus. Christian teaching is in apostolic form, and this is why only Priests and deacons preach. It’s not for reasons of gaining power or sexism, it’s the fact that they are successors of those who the apostles have laid their hands on to have the authority to proclaim the apostolic faith. It’s not about making stories up or going to whoever has the coolest religious theory, then anyone could preach. It all goes back to people like Peter who were the direct witnesses. Good preaching comes from someone who is inhabited by the Holy Spirit, sent from Jesus, and not from someone who is sharing their private opinions on religion.
Listen to the whole homily from Daily Mass with Word on Fire