The fate of all who hate and hurt neighbors is clear in 1 Kings 21:17-29. God sent The Prophet Elijah to tell the thieving murderer, Ahab: “When one of Ahab’s line dies in the city, dogs will devour him; when one of them dies in the field, the birds of the sky will devour him.”
That “Unhidden Prophecy” predicts the fate of all who hurt, loot, and kill their neighbors. “Because you have given yourself up to doing evil in the LORD’S sight, I am bringing evil upon you; I will destroy you and will cut off every male in Ahab’s line… because of how you have provoked Me by leading Israel into sin.”
Ahab was smarter than many sinners! “When Ahab heard those words, he tore his garments and put on sackcoth over his bare flesh. He fasted, slept in the sackcloth, and went about subdued.”
God saw him and said, “Since he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his time. I will bring evil upon his house during the reign of his son.” The fate God promised to Ahab’s “son” is a “Hidden Prophecy” that foretells the future of every ruler and person who loves themselves more than God and neighbors.
For 2,000 years, billions of people have been blessed to love God enough to be grateful for The Catholic Sacrament of Confession and Absolution. That Blessed Sacrament is also predicted in Psalm 51:3-6, 11, & 28:
“Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned… in the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my offense… thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me… For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always… Against You only have I sinned…Turn away Your face from my sins, and blot out my guilt…”
Today’s “Alleluia” from John 13:24 gives Catholics the blessing to have this Gift from Him! “I have given you a new commandment; ‘love one another as I have loved you.'” Catholics see that “one another” is an all-inclusive description of every person on earth!
Then, He Who Fulfilled The Messianic Prophecies told us that we must do more than “love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”!
“But, I say to you: ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Heavenly Father, for He makes his sun rise on the bad and the good and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust'”
Then, Jesus predicts what those among “You are My friends if you obey My Commands” enough to be “children of Your Heavenly Father” would realize! “‘For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And, if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not pagans do the same?”
Catholics see that our “enemy” is any vanity that keeps us from loving our “enemies” as ourselves. We who are blessed to “Be Catholic!” are called to be so obedient to Him that we even love the “tax collectors” and “pagans” who spend their lives trying to destroy us.
The importance of God’s Mercy is made clearer to Catholics by St. Faustina’s Diary, #1146. She tells us what Jesus told her to share: “Write, ‘Before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My holy Mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My Mercy must pass through The Door of My Justice.”
May all be blessed to plead for God’s Mercy while we have time on earth to do so. It is the only hope anyone has, even those let earthly interests keep them from openly choosing to “Be Catholic!”
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Today’s Simple Rhyme: “Catholics live / to forgive.”
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