Decision Time

Decisions which every Christian faces are presented in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The Evangelist Luke tells of the decision of Peter and John to continue to preach the message of Jesus as the One who is raised to Life by the God of the Ancestors of the Jews in spite of the prohibition of the religious authorities, led by the Sanhedrin, who had power to have them executed. The decision to place the Will of God before the desires of the powerful continues to be a daily witness for many believers. The healing and forgiveness practiced in His Name by the Apostles is our mission too. The practice of these virtues is not always the direction chosen by those who hold power over our personal and financial security. The radical faith proclaimed by the psalmist that God hears the poor and rescues them from distress is support for the decision to do it His way. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the witness of the Father and the Son to the Divine nature of Jesus in the conclusion of the third chapter of the Gospel of John. Nicodemus, who has inquired of Jesus, is presented with the eternal life decision. John declares the beginning of eternal life when we decide to accept Jesus invitation to live Life within the Love relationship between Father and Son as we experience the life of the Spirit to continue to support our decision to follow Him.