Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022

“The Truth shall make you free” (Jn.8:32)

“When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, that he might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father.’ So that he is no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, an heir also through God” (Gal.4:4-7).

We are now free to know God, to love Him, and to serve Him. We are free to know Jesus Christ, God’s Divine Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. We are free to be happy for all eternity in Heaven.

The Israelites crossed over through the parted waters of the Red Sea into the desert. We cross through the waters of Baptism into the freedom of the children of God. The Israelites followed the pillar of fire; we are guided by the Light of Christ symbolized at Easter by the Paschal Candle.

True freedom is in knowing Jesus Christ, Who has come “to set at liberty the oppressed” (Lk.4:18). But it is all too easy to lose the faith and become slaves again. St. Paul warns us:

“Stand fast, and do not be caught again under the yoke of slavery” (Gal.5:1).

Our Lord Himself warns us:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. But the slave does not abide in the house forever; the son abides there forever. If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn.8:34-36).

The peoples of the world boast of their freedom, but they are not free. They are still slaves, still sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death (Mt.4:16). They are slaves of corrupt political systems, and of the lies and deceptions of the media. They are slaves of addictions, slaves of their passions, slaves of ignorance and sin, slaves of fear, slaves to war and the threat of war. Finally, they are slaves of the devil. This world offers no true freedom.

Very soon we will realize that what we thought of as freedom was not freedom at all. We learn a lesson as we look north and watch as Canada falls into the net of Communism. Looking back, we realize that this has been “in the works” for many years. Yes, it’s all in the family. But we can be sure that the USA will not be far behind.

We all need the Truth that makes us free! We all need Jesus Christ!

Much is made of the idea of freedom of religion, but recent events show that they mean freedom from religion. God’s laws have become irrelevant. The Supreme Court has now taken God’s place. Freedom of religion? God is completely ignored. So-called human rights have supplanted God’s rights.

Virtually everyone now believes that freedom of religion is a human right. This is because the so-called Second Vatican Council accepted the Masonic doctrine that freedom of religion means we can disobey God and make a mockery of His Commandments. How can they believe that God would recognize the false religions? God sent His Divine Son, Jesus Christ, who has taught us the truth, the truth that makes us free. All other religions are human creations or the work of the devil himself. They do not lead to salvation. In them the full truth is not to be found. We are not free to choose error. God frees us from error so that we may believe the truth.

The custodian and teacher of the True Religion is the Catholic Church, which collected the books of the Old and New Testaments and published them in the book called the Bible. The Christian sects which broke away from the Church are not authorized to teach the Bible. In fact, they make many serious errors and misguide those who follow them. It was Christ Himself Who founded the Catholic Church and sent His Apostles forth with the words:

“Go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned” (Mk.16:16).

What chance would you have of choosing the right religion among the thousands of religions all over the world – if, indeed, there is a right one? Are they all equally true? No wonder that many despair of finding the truth. As Pilate said to Jesus, “What is truth?” But he did not have the humility to recognize that Truth was staring him in the face.

The sad thing is that those who once had the light are returning to the darkness of the false religions, and the true Church of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, faces the greatest challenge in all of its history.

But the Lord has come to set us free! May everlasting thanks and praise be to God, for His Divine Son, Jesus Christ, has come to us as the Light of the World. He frees us from a million slaveries so that we may freely follow Him into eternal life.

In the Easter Preface we sing:

“It is fitting indeed and just, right and helpful to salvation for us always to praise You, O Lord, but more gloriously on this day above others when Christ our Pasch was sacrificed. For He is the true Lamb Who has taken away the sins of the world: Who by dying has destroyed our death; and by rising again has restored us to life.”

“Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is truly Risen! Alleluia!”