April 6 - Friday of Easter Week

­­+ Today’s readings are wonderful! They have to do with the true identity of Jesus. They both answer the basic and fundamental question regarding Jesus: “Who are you?” Who in the world are you? Who in heaven’s Name are you? Has anyone ever ask you that fundamental question? Were you able to tell them a trustworthy and reliable answer!

In the first reading we have St. Peter telling the upper echelon of Jewish leaders in Jerusalem that it was in the Name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom they crucified that the man, from yesterdays reading, the crippled man was healed – because Jesus Name is now all powerful, with his very Healing Person, He, being the stone rejected by you, the builders, but who has become the very lynch-pin and cornerstone of the building – the building being the entire Universe and its restoration and salvation.

Then Peter goes on to say that there is no salvation through anyone else, and that there is no other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved. This is a point blank groundbreaking benchmark statement that just has no other explanation other than what it says.

My friends, with the situation our country is in now, politically, with its global ramifications: it would seem that now would be an excellent time to stop beating around the bush – and to start “bringing in the sheep, bringing all of them, all of the world into the one sheepfold” for the gathering time of all humanity might be closer than a lot might think!

It’s time for the Scripture toting religions of the world to end the selective reading and interpreting with what is undesirable and offensive to their prejudiced and limiting perspective. For example: Unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you shall have no life within you: and this would be eternal life. And he means it! He means it! He means! Literally, yet sacramentally in the validly consecrated and transubstantiated elements of a validly ordained Priest in the apostolic line of succession.

And of equal importance: to the Apostles on Easter Sunday Night – after breathing on them to receive the Holy Spirit he said: “Now, whose sins you will forgive (for example in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance) they will be forgiven, and those you deem not quite ready for absolution it is permissible to retain their sins until they are ready!

When politically correct, worldly instruments of standardization stop being applied to religion – then everyone might get on and remain on the same page.

There will come a time, and sooner rather than later, when putting eggs (Easter ones at that) in the wrong basket, or keeping them their may cost the farm, cost eternal life, eternal salvation. And who would want to gamble on losing that bet?

The is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it – because we buy into all that it stands for and represents, and not just what we think is religiously politically correct! Amen.