Catholics have a new understanding about early Protestants:  “Taking Sirach out of their Bibles keeps many from Heaven.”

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Question 1:  “Why do Catholics think reading The Book of Sirach helps many get into Heaven?”

Answer:  “Look at Sirach 17:1-15! Few places in The Bible put so much reality in a few, short sentences!

1.   ‘God from the earth created man, and in His own image He made him.’
2.  ‘He makes man return to earth again, and endows him with a strength of his own.’
3.  ‘Limited days of life He gives him, with power over all things else on earth.’
4. ‘He puts the fear of Him in all flesh, and gives him rule over beasts and birds.’
5. ‘He created for them counsel, and a tongue and eyes and ears, and an inventive heart, and filled them with the discipline of understanding.’”

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Question 2:  “No one can argue with any Word of That!  What else does Sirach make clear about the gifts God has given us?”

Answer:   Catholics see that we must move closer to God to gain His approval for our soul at His Judgment.

6.  ‘He created in them knowledge of The Spirit;  With Wisdom He fills their heart; good and evil He shows them.’
7.  ‘He put the fear of Himself upon their hearts, and showed them His mighty works, that they might glory in the wonder of His deeds and praise His holy name.’
8.  ‘He has set before them knowledge, a law of life as their inheritance; An everlasting covenant He has made with them, His justice and his judgments He has revealed to them.’
9.  ‘His majestic glory their eyes beheld, His glorious voice their ears heard.’

Then:

10.  ‘He says to them, “Avoid all evil”;  to each of them He gives precepts about his fellow men.’
11.  ‘Their ways are ever known to Hm, they cannot be hidden from His eyes.’
12. ‘Over every nation he places a ruler, but God’s own portion is Israel.’

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Question 3:  “How does that help Catholics as our souls move closer to God’s Judgment?”

Answer:  “Today’s Reading concludes by letting us know that God knows about all our thoughts, words, and deeds:  ‘All their actions are clear as the sun to Him, his eyes are ever upon their ways.’”

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Question 4:  “What gives us the best chance of getting our immortal soul into Heaven?”

Answer:  “We know that Jesus died to leave the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven’ to His First Catholic Pope.  May we all ask God to let us think clearly enough about the ‘everlasting covenant’ prophesied by Sirach to be Catholic and get these ‘keys’ for our immortal souls;

‘And I say unto you thou art Peter and on this rock I build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it  I give you the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven.’”

Catholics agree with Sirach, and are among those described by He Who Fulfilled Sirach’s Prophecy in Mark 10:13-17, ‘Amen,  I say to you, whoever does not accept The Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.’”

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Today’s Simple Rhyme:  “May my soul be blessed to receive / God’s Catholic, Sacramental ‘keys’ / to Heaven!”

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