Two of Today’s Readings very clearly tell us to be Catholics. The first is from Isaiah 26: 1-6:
On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah:
“A strong city have we; (It is The Catholic Church)
he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. (He, His Saints, and Angels protect us.)
Open up the gates
to let in a nation that is just, (That nation includes all Catholics who worthily receive Communion and His Sacraments.)
one that keeps faith. (One that keeps faith, and does not invent man-made schisms for the sake of vanity.)
A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace;
in peace, for its trust in you.” (Obedient Catholics live in peace.)
Trust in the LORD forever! (Not man-made religions and denominations.)
For the LORD is an eternal Rock. (“Thou art Peter, and on this rock, I build My Church.”)
He humbles those in high places, (Those who try to save themselves cannot do so. Only God and His Church may save.)
and the lofty city he brings down; (The gods of Babylon cannot stop His justice.)
He tumbles it to the ground,
levels it with the dust.
It is trampled underfoot by the needy,
by the footsteps of the poor. (Each Babylon in every age is destroyed by those whom it ruins.)
Isaiah’s lesson is clear. If we remain good Catholics, we will live in peace and security. When we allow ourselves to be taken over by evil, our collapse is inevitable.
Today’s Gospel Reading provides a second warning to Protestants. It is from Mt. 2:21, 24-27 and is a very clear warning to those who stay away from Catholicism. Souls lost in man-made denominations have been ignoring this warning since Martin Luther first encouraged people to ignore the only Church founded by Jesus, Who said to its first Pope, “Thou art Peter, and on this rock, I build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Our duty as Catholics is clear. We must encourage those who left, avoid, ignore, shun, or hate The Catholic Church to remember the Words that Jesus spoke to those who followed Him.
Jesus said to His disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. (Those who disobey His “least commandments” can’t get in.)
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. (“If you do not eat My body and drink My Blood, you do not have life in you.”
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. (“Thou art Peter, and on this rock, I build My Church.” If we believe and obey, we may be saved.)
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand. (All churches made by man, “fools”, are on sand. Jesus founded His on rock.)
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” (When tested, religions begun by men collapse on top of them.)
It is absolutely amazing that those in man-made schisms can read the Bible they profess to take seriously and not become practicing Catholics, worthily receiving Communion and the Sacraments Jesus said were necessary. But, many see and do not understand.
Why don’t Bible-believing Protestants become Catholic? “It is hard to get a man to see the truth about something if his job depends on not seeing it.”
