Are you Peter--or the Sanhedrin? (Sunday homily)

When we hear in the first reading, 
the Apostles are saying what the Lord sent them to say,
And they are met with hostility.

Let’s hit the obvious point: we’re still being told, 
“stop saying that stuff”--
and we face the same choice as Peter:
Do we obey God or men?

There are some pretty obvious connections:
We Catholics are getting lots of opportunities 
to feel like Peter these days. 

The mandate on what’s included in health care: 
do we obey government or conscience?
We’re being told to hush up about marriage;
And even moreso, the underlying question 
of what we believe about physical intimacy 
being meant for a man and a woman, 
but not meant for two men or two women.

Now, if I stop there, some folks are happy, others, not so much.
But I can’t stop there.

The Lord had some tough things to say about money; 
About truly serving the poor; about war and violence; 
and what he said about forgiveness:
turn the other cheek, forgive 70 times seven times.

At some point or the other, it’s not that we’re Peter, being brave; 
but that we’re the Sanhedrin saying, we don’t want to hear that!
Think about that.