For four thousand years, the descendants of Abraham have felt “superior” because God had blessed them. 2,000 years ago, they were faced with He Who Fulfilled the Prophecies and spoke One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church Into Being with His Church-Creating Word to His First Catholic Pope with His “Hidden Prophecy”:
“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.”
The first Catholics were Jewish. Many believed they were “superior” because The Prophesied Messiah had given them “the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven”!
Soon, people from other groups heard The Church-Creating Word of Jesus and became Catholics! Many Jewish Catholics still believed that being circumcised made them “superior”! That ancient vanity was hard to overcome until The First Catholic Pope heard the arguments on both sides in a meeting described in Acts 15:7-21 in this “Hidden Prophecy” that still identifies those who love being “superior” more than they love God and their neighbors!
“After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to the Apostles and Presbyters (Many still feel they are “superior” because they do not recognize they were The First Catholic Bishops and priests!), ‘My brothers, you are well aware that from early days, God made His choice among you that through my mouth, the Gentiles would hear the Word of the Gospel and believe.'” Peter thereby affirmed that Jesus had appointed him to be The First Catholic Pope. 2,000 years ago, no obedient Catholic ever argued with that “Hidden Prophecy”!
Then, Peter told the Jewish disciples among them:
“‘And God, Who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them The Holy Spirit, just as He did us. He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith He purifed their hearts.” Then Peter made it clear that no Catholic should feel “superior” to another by asking them, and all generations to follow: this simple question that is God’s Own Cure for “superiority”!
“‘Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
Peter’s answer is a “Hidden Prophecy” of those able to conquer the desire to feel “superior”! “On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of The Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.'”
None of them could deny that truth from The First Catholic Pope! “The whole assembly fell silent, and they listened while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them.”
James agreed: “My brothers, listen to me. Symeon has described how God first concerned Himself with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for His Name… The words of the Prophets agree with this, as it is written ‘After this I shall return and rebuild the fallen hut of David; from its ruins I shall rebuild it and raise it up again.” (Amos 9:11-12)
Those early Jewish Catholics respected The Prophets enough to realize that Jesus is The Prophesied Messiah, so they did not argue with James! It was decided that the only thing Jewish Catholics had to do was “stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God, but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols, unlawful marriage, the meat from strangled animals, and blood.”
That fulfilled the “Hidden Prophecies” in Today’s Psalm 96:1-3, 10 by predicting that The Catholic Church would “Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.” and that they would be blessed to “sing a new song, all you lands… announce His Salvation, day after day… Tell His Glory among the nations… and govern the peoples with equity.”!
Then, Jesus gives us a “Hidden Prophecy” telling us which Jewish and Gentile Catholics would get our souls into Heaven in John 10:27! “‘My sheep hear My voice’, says The Lord; ‘I know them, and they follow Me.'”
May all be blessed to understand the “Hidden Prophecies” in Today’s Gospel as well as Catholics do! “Jesus said to His disciples: ‘As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”
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Today’s Simple Rhyme: “God’s Blessed people in every land / Try to be as Catholic as they can!”
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