Acts 14:5-18 begins with a “Hidden Prophecy” predicting that leaders and members of the religions they approve will unite against The One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church Spoken Into Being by The Church-Creating Word of He Who Fulfilled the Prophecies:
“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.”
St. Paul tells of the unity of anti-Catholics of three cities in South-Central Turkey where three groups, “leaders, Gentiles, and Jews”, united against the Catholics:
“There was an attempt in Iconium by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their leaders, to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas. They realized it, and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside, where they continued to proclaim the Good News.”
Another “Hidden Prophecy”! In all those three cities and the “surrounding countryside”, Paul could see the one man who was blessed with the “faith” that would heal him: “At Lystra, there was a crippled man, lame from birth, who had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him and saw that he had the faith to be healed, and called out in a loud voice, ‘Stand up straight on your feet.’“
Paul was right about that “0ne man’s faith”! “He jumped up and began to walk about!”
That blessed miracle showed everyone the healing power that God had given His first Catholic Bishops and priests! “When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they cried out in Lacaonian, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form!’ They called Barnabas ‘Zeus’ and Paul ‘Hermes’, because he was the chief speaker.”
They did not yet recognize that it was Christ Who had “come down to us in human form” and provided the healing. St. Paul made that clear in the “Hidden Prophecy” that Christ’s priests would not use the healing ability God had given them for personal gain:
So, “The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, ‘Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings.'”
Rather than asking for money, Paul told them: “We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.”
Then Paul gave all the “Gentiles” on earth this “Hidden Prophecy” of the best news they ever heard! “In past generations He allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways; yet, in bestowing His goodness, He did not leave Himself without witness, for He gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts'”!
Everyone can see another “Hidden Prophecy” foretelling those who would use various religious marketing plans for personal gain. For the next 2,000 years, “leaders” would use Arius, Luther, Calvin, and countless other “approved Protestants” to keep people from Being Catholic for the next 2,000 years! “Even with those words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.”
Catholics see that Paul and Barnabas had fulfilled the “Hidden Prophecy” in Today’s Psalm 115:1-4, 15, 16, “Not to us, O Lord, but to Your Name give the glory.”!
Today’s “Alleluia” is another “Hidden Prophecy” that every Catholic is blessed to understand: “The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you.”
Like the “crippled man at Lystra”, Catholics are blessed with “the faith” to live by the “reminder” that Christ only Spoke One Church Into Being by saying, “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.”!
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Today’s Simple Rhyme: “May all / hear Paul’s call / to Be Catholic!”
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