Tyrants hate faith, freedom, and families. They cannot destroy God’s faithful people. 2 Maccabees 6:18-31 tells of a Jewish scribe forced to eat pork. “Eleazor went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture”, but those in charge asked him to “just pretend to eat the forbidden food, and we will let you be treated kindly.”
That’s how politics works in every time and place! That’s why the Books of Maccabees were taken out of the Bibles of people ruled by anti-Catholics who did not want people to be more faithful to God than to them. “When Eleazar was about to die from being tortured by those who were now hostile toward him because he, unlike them, refused to lie.“, he said: “The Lord knows I could have escaped death by lying, but I suffer this terrible pain with joy in my soul because of my devotion to Him”.
Catholics around the world are still encouraged to lie and get along with rulers who love gain more than God. They hate anyone who wants to “leave in death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue, not only for the young but also for the whole nation.”
Today, Psalm 3:2-7 reminds us: “The Lord upholds me. ‘Many are my adversaries who rise up against me and say ‘There is no salvation in God.’ … but you, O LORD, are my shield … He answers me from His Holy Mountain … I fear not the crowds of people arrayed against me on every side.'”
Catholics find the same strength in 1 John 4:10, “God loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins. Alleluia!”
Then, we find the joy of being Catholic! In Luke 19:1-10, Jesus visited a heartless tax collector who was blessed to see God’s Truth in Him! The sight of He Who Fulfilled the Prophecies showed him how he could save the immortal soul he knew he had: “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over.”
He Who Fulfilled the Prophecies brings His Saving Grace to every remorseful sinner before Him! “Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.'”
The world still has many “houses” filled with people who would rather be “lost” than find and get “the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven” that Jesus died to leave to His First Catholic Pope!
“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: “Those who seek God’s truth and love / Are saved by the Grace of God above.”
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