From: Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
The Apostles Before the Sanhedrin
The Apostles Are Flogged
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Commentary:
29. The Apostles’ failure to obey the Sanhedrin is obviously not due to pride or
to their not knowing their place (as citizens they are subject to the Sanhedrin’s
authority); the Sanhedrin is imposing a ruling which would have them go against
God’s law and their own conscience.
The Apostles humbly and boldly remind their judges that obedience to God
comes first. They know that many members of the Sanhedrin are religious men,
good Jews who can understand their message; they try not so much to justify
themselves as to get the Sanhedrin to react: they are more concerned about
their judges’ spiritual health than about their own safety. St. John Chrysostom
comments: “God allowed the Apostles to be brought to trial so that their adver-
saries might be instructed, if they so desired. [...] The Apostles are not irritated
by the judges; they plead with them compassionately, with tears in their eyes,
and their only aim is to free them from error and from divine wrath” (”Hom. on
Acts”, 13). They are convinced that “those who fear God are in no danger, only
those who do not fear Him” (”ibid.”) and that it is worse to commit injustice than
to suffer it. We can see from the Apostles’ behavior how deep their convictions
run; grace and faith in Jesus Christ have given them high regard for the honor of
God. They have begun at last to love and serve God without counting the cost.
This is true of Christian maturity. “In that cry “serviam”! [I will serve!] you ex-
press your determination to `serve’ the Church of God most faithfully, even at
the cost of fortune, of reputation and of life” ([St] J. Escriva, “The Way”, 519).
The Church often prays to God to give its children this resilience: they need it
because there is always the danger of growing indifferent and of abandoning the
faith to some extent. “Lord, fill us with that spirit of courage which gave your
martyr Sebastian,” his feast’s liturgy says, “strength to offer his life in faithful
witness. Help us to learn from him to cherish your law and to obey you rather
than men” (”Roman Missal”).
A Christian should conform his behavior to God’s law: that law should be his
very life. He should obey and love God’s commandments as taught by the
Church, if he wishes to live a truly human life. The law of God is not something
burdensome: it is a way of freedom, as Sacred Scripture is at pains to point out:
“The Lord is my portion, I promise to keep Thy words. I entreat Thy favor with
all my heart; be gracious to me according to Thy promise. When I think of Thy
ways, I turn my feet to Thy testimonies; I hasten and do not delay to keep Thy
commandments. Though the cord of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget
Thy law. At midnight I rise to praise Thee, because of Thy righteous ordinances.
I am a companion of all who fear Thee, of those who keep Thy precepts. The
earth, O Lord, is full of Thy steadfast love; teach me Thy statutes” (Psalm
119:57-64).
Conscience, which teaches man in the depths of his heart, gradually shows
him what the law of God involves: “Man has in his heart a law inscribed by God.
His dignity lies in observing this law, and by it he will be judged (cf. Romans
2:15-16). His conscience is man’s most secret core, and his sanctuary.
There he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths. By conscience,
in a wonderful way, that law is made known. [...] The more a correct conscience
prevails, the more do persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to
be guided by the objective standards of moral conduct” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et
Spes”, 16).
Good and evil are facts of life. A person can identify them. There are such
things as good actions—and there are evil actions, which should always be avoi-
ded. The goodness or badness of human actions is not essentially dependent
on the circumstances, although sometimes these can affect it to some extent.
Like the eye, conscience is designed to enable a person to see, but it needs
light from outside (God’s law and the Church’s guidance) to discover religious
and moral truths and properly appreciate them. Without that help man simply
tires himself out in his search; he seeks only himself and forgets about good
and evil, and his conscience becomes darkened by sin and moral opportunism.
“With respect to conscience,” [Pope] Paul VI teaches, “an objection can arise:
Is conscience not enough on its own as the norm of our conduct? Do the Deca-
logues, the codes, imposed on us from outside, not undermine conscience [...]?
This is a delicate and very current problem. Here all we will say is that subjective
conscience is the first and immediate norm of our conduct, but is needs light, it
needs to see which standard it should follow, especially when the action in ques-
tion does not evidence its own moral exigencies. Conscience needs to be
instructed and trained about what is the best choice to make, by the authority of
a law” (”General Audience”, 28 March 1973).
A right conscience, which always goes hand in hand with moral prudence, will
help a Christian to obey the law like a good citizen and also to take a stand, per-
sonally or in association with others, against any unjust laws which may be pro-
posed or enacted. The State is not almighty in the sphere of law. It may not
order or permit anything it likes; therefore not everything legal is morally lawful
or just. Respect due to civil authority—which is part of the Gospel message and
has always been taught by the Church—should not prevent Christians and people
of good will from opposing legislators and rulers when they legislate and govern
in a way that is contrary to the law of God and therefore to the common good.
Obviously, this legitimate kind of resistance to authority should always involve
the use of lawful methods.
It is not enough for good Christians to profess PRIVATELY the teaching of the
Gospel and the Church regarding human life, the family, education, freedom, etc.
They should realize that these are subjects of crucial importance for the welfare
of their country, and they should strive, using all the usual means at their dispo-
sal, to see that the laws of the State are supportive of the common good. Pas-
sivity towards ideologies and stances that run counter to Christian values is
quite deplorable.
30. “Hanging Him on a tree”: this is reminiscent of Deuteronomy 21:23: if a
criminal is put to death “and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain
all night upon a tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man
is accursed by God.” This is a reference to crucifixion, a form of capital punish-
ment which originated in Persia; it was common throughout the East and was
later adopted by the Romans.
32. God sends the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him, and, in turn, the Apostles
obey the indications of the Spirit with complete docility.
If we are to obey the Holy Spirit and do what He asks us, we need to cultivate
Him and listen to what He says. “Get to know the Holy Spirit, the Great Stran-
ger, on whom depends your sanctification.
“Don’t forget that you are God’s temple. The Advocate is in the center of your
soul; listen to Him and be docile to His inspirations” ([St] J. Escriva, “The Way”,
57).
40-41. Most members of the Sanhedrin are unimpressed by Gamaliel’s argu-
ments; they simply decide to go as far as they safely can: they do not dare to
condemn the Apostles to death; but, in their stubborn opposition to the Gospel
message, they decree that they by put under the lash in the hope that this will
keep them quiet. However, it has just the opposite effect.
“It is true that Jeremiah was scourged for the word of God, and the Elijah and
other prophets were also threatened, but in this case the Apostles, as they did
earlier by their miracles, showed forth the power of God. He does not say that
they did not suffer, but that they rejoiced over having to suffer. This we can see
from the boldness afterwards: immediately after being beaten they went back
to preaching” (Chrysostom, “Hom. on Acts”, 14).
The Apostles must have remembered our Lord’s words, “Blessed are you when
men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely
on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for so men persecuted the prophets who
were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Revelation 5:11-14
The Sealed Scroll and the Lamb
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Commentary:
11-14. The host of angels around the throne act as a kind of guard of honor
proclaiming the sublime perfection of Christ the Lamb (v. 12); they list seven
attributes which all point to the fact that he has everything that belongs to the
Godhead.
After the song of the spiritual, invisible, creation, there follows the hymn of the
material, visible, world. This hymn (v. 14) differs from the previous one in that it
is also addressed to him who sits upon the throne. It thereby puts on the same
level God and the Lamb, whose Godhead is being proclaimed. This marks the
climax of the universal, cosmic praise that is rendered the Lamb. The emphatic
“Amen!” of the four living creatures, and the worship offered by the elders brings
this introductory vision to a close.
As in other passages of the book, mention is made of the role of the angels in
heaven, particularly the worship and praise they offer God before his throne (cf.
Rev 7:11), their role in putting God’s plans into operation (cf. 11:15; 16:17; 22:6,
etc.) and their intercession with God on behalf of mankind (cf. 8:4).
The Church has always encouraged special devotion to the angels (cf. “Lumen
Gentium”, 50). Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church clearly tells us
about the existence of angels and about their mission to guide and protect us;
cf. Exodus 23:20: “Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way
and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Give heed to him and harken
to his voice.” Echoing these words the Catechism of St Pius states that “by God’s
providence angels have been entrusted with the office of guarding the human race
and of accompanying every human being [...]. (God) not only deputes angels on
particular and private occasions, but also appoints them to take care of us from
our very births. He furthermore appoints them to watch over the salvation of every
member of the human race” (IV, 9). Devotion to one’s guardian angel, a part of
ordinary Christian practice, is something we learn as children and should keep
up during our adult lives: “Have confidence in your guardian Angel. Treat him as
a lifelong friend—that is what he is—and he will render you a thousand services in
the ordinary affairs of each day” ([St] J. Escriva, “The Way”, 562).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.