May all be among “the kind of people” whose “hearts are not too hardened” to get the “keys to The Kingdom of Heaven” that Jesus died to leave on earth.
~
Question 1: “What are the ‘Two Kinds of People’ that Catholics see in History?”
Answer: “Since Abraham, one kind of people try to obey God’s Commandments. Others do not. Genesis 17:3:9 is clear about God’s Covenant with one kind of people:
‘When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him: ‘My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations. No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations. I will render you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you.’”
~
Question 2: “Did that happen?”
Answer: “History is clear! The ‘children of Abraham’ became Twelve Tribes who became nations that spread from Ireland to The Philippines and later to The Americas!”
~
Question 3: “How do we tell the true descendants of Abraham?”
Answer: “The ‘children of Abraham’ are identified in every generation: ‘On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep My covenant throughout the ages.’ God’s ‘covenant’ includes: ‘Thou shall not kill.’ That echoes in This Catholic Understanding of That Commandment: ‘Life must be protected from conception until natural death.’ That Catholic Understanding is always rejected by people who are ‘hard-hearted’.”
~
Question 4: “What keeps people from meaningfully obeying That Commandment?”
Answer: “That disobedience is described in Today’s Psalm 95:8: ‘If today you hear His Voice, harden not your hearts.’ Those who have ‘hardened their hearts’ to Any Commandment of God keep themselves from sharing God’s Blessing to Abraham.”
~
Question 5: “Did He Who Fulfilled The Prophecies make that distinction clear?”
Answer: “John 8:51-59 tells us what Jesus said! ‘Jesus said to the Jews: ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps My word will never see death.’”
~
Question 6: “How did some of them react?”
Answer: “Some of them told Him ‘Now we are sure that you are possessed! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps My Word will never taste death.’ Then, they asked Jesus three important questions:
1. ‘Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
2. Or the prophets, who died?
3. Who do You make Yourself out to be?’”
~
Question 7: “How did Jesus answer Those Questions?”
Answer: ‘Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify Myself, My glory is worth nothing; but it is My Father who glorifies Me, of Whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ Then, Jesus introduced them to Who He Is! ‘You do not know Him, but I know Him. And if I should say that I do not know Him, I would be like you, a liar. But I do know Him and I keep His Word.’“
Then, Jesus told them of His Divine Nature! ‘Abraham your father rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was glad.”
~
Question 8: “How did some respond?
Answer: “They asked another question! ‘You are not yet fifty years old and You have seen Abraham?’”
~
Question 9: “How did Jesus answer?
Answer: “Jesus told them again that He was The Fulfillment of Abraham’s Covenant with God: ‘But I do know Him and I keep His Word. Abraham your father rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was glad.’
Then, Jesus introduced the world to The Holy Trinity and His Position Therein! ‘Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.’”
~
Question 10: “How did some of those who heard Him respond?”
Answer: “They did what those who reject God’s Living Word always do! ‘So they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid (He is always ‘hidden’ from those who hate Him!) and went out of The Temple area.’ (That specific word, ‘area’, is very meaningful to all who Think Clearly.)”
~
Question 11: “What does that symbolize?”
Answer: “When ‘Jesus went out of the Temple area’, He was telling all who meaningfully follow Him that The Church He Spoke Into Being is The Fulfillment of Abraham’s Covenant. For 2,000 years, The ‘obedient friends’ (John 15:14) of Jesus have lived in grateful obedience to His Church-Creating Word in God’s New Testament:
‘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.’
For 2,000 years, Catholics have had access to ‘the keys of The Kingdom of Heaven’! May all be blessed by not being too ‘hard-hearted’ to be among God’s ‘obedient friends’ who get those ‘keys’ for our immortal soul.”
~
. . . . . . . . . . . .
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