Action movie heroes are highly over-rated. Daily readings 04/05/2013

Daily readings, 04/05/2013


"He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved." Acts 4:11-12


Peter is being questioned by the power brokers of the time, and 'filled with the Holy Spirit', he boldly proclaims that Jesus is the name by which he performed a miracle, and that Jesus is the gate to salvation. He could have been executed on the spot, I imagine. Look what they had just done to Jesus. So from Peter we learn the lesson that we are to be bold and proclaim God's truth. This is sometimes very heroic and often necessary to convey Christ's message.


His words also show us how counter-cultural Jesus' message is today. In a world where the hero is most often portrayed by a slightly flawed muscle man with a huge arsenal of weapons who wins the day through car chases and spectacular explosions, that is not the kind of hero that truly protects our lives. Salvation doesn't even come to us through Peter, the bold speaker, or through Paul, the former soldier. Our salvation, our share in eternal life comes to us through Jesus. He never carried a weapon, he never blew anything up. He won the ultimate battle through mercy, compassion, humility, service, and self-sacrifice.



God bless,
P.D.O.