Friends,
     Our readings today speak of Courage, Conviction and Faith.  Peter and John were empowered to heal because of the Resurrection.  They were able to stand before the crowds of people and proclaim Jesus as their Lord.  That took great courage and conviction.
     This same courage and conviction belongs to you and me as a result of the Resurrection.   The Lord alone gives us the strength and courage to live our lives joyfully, peacefully and in hope especially during these troubled times.  You and I must believe this.  The Lord will never let us down.  These are times that we need to pray more often and pick up our Bibles and read a passage or two from the Scriptures.  I always suggest to people to read the Letter of James from the New Testament.  It’s very practical and inspiring!  
     We will get through this; we will overcome; we will come together again and worship in our beautiful Church.  In the meantime, please watch our Mass each Sunday on our website www.stspeterpaulandstursula.org.  Let’s continue to pray for one another.  If you have anyone you would like special prayers for, please email me at FLRoma@aol.com.
Enjoy this beautiful day!
God Bless,
Father John

     In this reading from the Acts, Peter and John are put into custody because of their good deed in curing the man who was crippled.  The Sadducees and other officials bring in Peter and John and ask in whose name did they cure?  
     Most of us would be shaking in our boots but Peter and John, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly proclaim that this could be done only in the name of Jesus.  He was the one whom you wrongly crucified and there is no salvation through anyone else.  Those are powerful words.  Imagine two insignificant people, Peter and John, are standing before Annas and Caiaphas and loads of other officials who could very easily put them away for a long period yet they boldly and fearlessly tell the truth.  This healing was done by Jesus and there is no salvation except through Him.  What courage.  What conviction.  What great faith.  
     This Jesus is as our RP tells us : the stone rejected by the builders which has become the cornerstone.  Jesus is the cornerstone, the basis of our faith.  He is the one who empowered Peter and John to heal the crippled man.  He is the one who empowers you and me to do things that humanly speaking we could not do on our own.  Jesus enables us to love when hating is easier; to forgive when we prefer to hold grudges; to give when we prefer to receive.  
     This Jesus is the one in the Gospel who tells the disciples exactly where to cast their nets and in doing so, they catch an enormous number of fish.  Following what Christ tells us will give us untold peace and happiness.  
     As we enter more deeply into the Easter season, may we tap into the spirit of the Risen Lord that is within each of us.  May we boldly and fearlessly proclaim the Lord with conviction in our lives- in our words and in our actions.