The First Reading after Easter is from Mt 28:8-15. It is a powerful message to Protestants and more distant schismatics concerning bribers and bribes. It is about truth being hidden by payoffs.
“Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
That sets the scene. The truth is clear. Jesus is risen. But,
“. . . some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him (Those who renounce the truth of Jesus have huge monetary resources to tempt people away from truth.) and keep you out of trouble.”(Bribes hide truth at the highest levels of governments.)
Christ’s Resurrection, the greatest miracle of all time, was hidden by bribers and bribes.
Fifteen hundred years after bribers and bribes hid the Truth of The Resurrection, German governments gave money to Luther and subsequent schismatics to hide another Miracle of Christ, The Only Church He Founded.
Many rulers were elated to support the move away from The Only Church Jesus Founded. His Church was in their way. The Catholic Church had erased slavery from Europe. It stood for loving God and neighbor. The Church balanced the love of power dominating the centralizing governments of Europe and the unbalanced hated Her. Worse, The Church had a court system that those who loved power more than justice wanted to utterly erase.
From The Resurrection, to Luther to the ridiculous 43,000 schisms of our own time, those obedient to The Only Church He Founded will neither take nor pay bribes to hide His truth. Bribers and bribes cannot get souls into Heaven. We must neither pay nor take bribes to hide the truth. We must pray not fall among those who pay bribes or among the greater number of lost souls described by Matthew:
“The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.”
After Easter, a message to Protestants about bribers and bribes must be shared. It is our duty.
P.S. Great lies accompany Protestants and their schisms: “Catholics used to sell indulgences so people could bribe their way into Heaven.” That monstrous lie has separated many from the truth. The Catholic Church only recognizes sincere repentance as saving. The sincerity may be proven by offerings, but without sincere repentance and absolution, attempting to buy one’s way into Heaven only guarantees an eternity of even greater pain. Those lacking the knowledge and ability to understand that should realize that The Church’s standards are far, far higher than those of earthly bribers and bribes. Their even greater lie that still tempts all the vain is contained in that accusation. That, greater lie they embrace is that God is as corrupt as they.
