Jeremiah 18:18-20 tells us about a Period of pre-Catholic Protestantism that began when self-serving people in Jerusalem sought to avoid the Prophet God gave them. In the decades before they were punished by being deported to Babylon in 586 BC, “The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said, ‘Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah. It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests, nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the Prophets.'”
Catholics are blessed to understand History well enough see that some Protestants always attack God’s faithful followers: “And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue; let us carefully note his every word.”
In every age, God’s Faithful Followers know their place in History is to be attacked by those who use faith in God to serve themselves. Jeremiah explains: “Heed me, O LORD, and listen to what my adversaries say. Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life? The answer to that question is always “Yes!”
Every Period of Protestantism in the last 2,000 years has been met by Faithful Believers who want to be able to tell God at our Judgment, “Remember that I stood before You to speak on their behalf, to turn Your wrath away from them.”
Catholics are blessed to encourage our beloved neighbors to live by The Church-Creating Word of He Who Fulfilled the Prophets to His First Catholic Pope: “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.”
Today, Psalm 31:5-6, 14-16 predicts how God will reward Catholics for being blessed with the Seven Catholic Sacraments! “Save me, O Lord, in Your kindness. You will free me from the snare they set for me, for You are my Refuge… Into Your hands I commend my spirit; You will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God… I hear the whispers of the crowd, that frighten me from every side as they consult together against me, plotting to take my life… But my trust is in You, O LORD… In Your hands is my destiny; rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.”
Today’s Verse from John 8:12 predicts Who Catholics see and what we are blessed to do: “‘I am the light of the world’, says the Lord; ‘whoever follows Me will have the light of life.'”
Jesus explains in Mt 20:17-28 that His Fate is to go to Jerusalem, where Jeremiah had lived and suffered 600 years earlier, “and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and He will be raised on the third day.”
We see that God gave Him the Holy Work “not to be served, but to serve, and to give His Life as a ransom for many.”
May all be blessed to see that and be “ransomed” by Being as Catholic as we can!
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Today’s Simple Rhyme: “Believe and obey, / Or in Babylon stay. / Forever.”
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