Jesus died in agony so that those who obey His Direct Order to a tax collector: “Follow Me.”, may also obey and live in unending joy.
~
Question 1: “How does God’s Catholic Church introduce us to One Psalm for those in every form of Willful Protestantism?”
Answer: “The Catholic Church used Isaiah 58:9-14 to make this introduction to Psalm 86:1-6:. The introduction begins with one magnificently long sentence. It includes two ‘Ifs’ that lead to two sin-overpowering ‘thens’:
‘Thus says The Lord: If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech, and If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted;
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; Then The Lord will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land.'”
~
Question 2: “Does that tell us that God will love and help us if we love and help our neighbor?”
Answer: “That is why The Church Spoken Into Being by This Word of Jesus (‘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.’) uses Isaiah’s Teaching to introduce us to This Psalm 86:1-6 and begins and ends by saying “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.”
‘Incline Your ear, O Lord; answer me, for I am afflicted and poor. Keep my life, for I am devoted to You; save Your servant who trusts in You. You are my God.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. Gladden the soul of Your servant,
for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon You.
Hearken, O Lord, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my pleading.’”
~
Question 3: “What does Today’s Reading do next?”
Answer: “It introduces us to Words from The Prophet Ezekiel, 33:11,
‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says The Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live.’ That introduces us to This Word from Jesus Christ, Himself, in Luke 5:27-32!
This is one of The Most Amazing Teachings in The Bible!‘
‘Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ And, leaving everything behind, Levi got up and followed Him.’ Levi obeyed a ‘Direct Order’ from Jesus.
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Question 4: “What makes that so ‘amazing’?”
Answer: “Levi was a rich, powerful ‘tax collector’! The power of Roman Legions, the most powerful military force on earth, empowered him and his workers to ‘collect taxes’ from whomever he wanted.
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Question 5: “How rich was Levi?”
Answer: “Levi was so rich that: ‘Then Levi gave a great banquet for Jesus in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others (who also profited from the power of the state) were at table with them.’ Catholics understand: there may have been a few hundred guests in that ‘large crowd’ for a very expensive ‘banquet’.”
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Question 6: “Many Pharisees and scribes used that ‘great banquet’ to criticize Jesus: ‘The Pharisees and their scribes complained to His disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’”
Answer: “‘Jesus said to them in reply, ‘Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.’ Jesus is telling us those kind of ‘sinners’ are actually ‘sick’.”
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Levi became the disciple, Matthew. That name means ‘Yahweh’s Gift’. The Word of Isaiah that connected Psalm 86 with Today’s “Direct Order” from Jesus began by saying ‘If you remove from your midst oppression’ you will be ‘saved’.”
May those with the power of Roman Legions behind them in every nation be blessed to love God and their neighbors more than becoming richer and more powerful by letting Jesus cure them of the ‘sickness’ that leads many to ‘oppress’ their neighbors.
May all be blessd to see that obeying The Command of Jesus to “Follow Me.” keeps us from being among those who are found at God’s Judgment to have aided and abetted the ‘oppression’ of our neighbors.
If Levi could become Matthew, a “Gift of Yahweh”, so can we!
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