In Acts 11:21-26 & 13:1-3, we see the early Catholic Structure was led by The First Catholic Pope in Jerusalem. “In those days, a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The news about them reached the ears of The Church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the Grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to The Lord in firmness of heart, because he was a good man, filled with The Holy Spirit and faith.”
Barnabas realized he needed help. “Then, he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch, where the disciples were first called ‘Christians’.”
They did so well that “… the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” That “work” was to encourage both Jews and Gentiles, first in Turkey and Greece, then all over the world, to be among the Catholic “Christians”.
That fulfilled the “Hidden Prophecy” of Psalm 98: 1-6, “The Lord has revealed to the nations His saving power” when he had Paul and Barnabas begin to “sing to The Lord a new song, for He has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for Him… He has made His presence known.” That is a “Hidden Prophecy” of Catholic Sacraments. Now, every person on earth knows that “all the ends of the earth have seen the Salvation by our God.” May all be blessed to live by what everyone has “seen” and be as Catholic as we can!
All this comes true in the short sentence of Today’s “Alleluia” from John 13:34, “I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.”
In Today’s Gospel, fromMatthew 5:20-26, Jesus gives us His “Unhidden Prophecy” about whose souls would be admitted into Heaven: “Jesus said to His disciples: ‘I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Then, Jesus tells us “whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to Judgment… and whoever says ‘You fool.’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna… be reconciled with your brother… settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him… Otherwise, your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison… and you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
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Today’s Simple Rhyme: “Confession and Absolution / are Catholic solutions / to all the sins we commit.”
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