Today I must vent a little. All of the sudden, the Conclave assembled to elect our new Holy Father is all over the media. All of the sudden, Catholics matter and are very newsworthy. Hmmm . . . how ironic. Last month when Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI retired, every news station had something to say. One night as I was cooking dinner, Jay was flipping through channels and landed on coverage of our Holy Father's decision to retire. As soon as the segment was over, they went straight into a story about a Catholic priest in trouble. Really? I was so disgusted. But then, it's the standard nowadays. There has always been persecution . . . the most prominent being Christ. The more I think about this, the more normal it all seems. If people insisted on murdering the Son of God, what makes me think anyone is free of inhumane behavior or attacks? So, how do we handle all the criticism and insanity? We do just as Jesus did. Pick up our cross and continue in perseverance with the end goal in mind . . . heaven.
The Gospel from 12Mar2013 (John 5:1-16) demonstrates the insanity Jesus encountered is no different than the liberal media of today:
There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.
Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” He answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’“ They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there. After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well. Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.
In Volume Four, Jesus the King tells us to ignore our persecutors as He did and serve God above all else:
Lay apostles, persecution is the norm, so why are we surprised when we see it occur on the evening news? It's wrong, yes. It's inhumane at times, yes. View your persecutions with Jesus in mind. The next time you are chastised, take it on the chin for Christ, no matter how harsh the reality is. See it for what it is . . . harassment because of our beliefs. And, fear within the persecutor because his actions may be contrary to a belief system they refuse to follow due to sin they are not willing to give up. Think about it the next time you feel judged. And respond as Christ did.
Thank you, Lord, for bravery in persecutions. Without You, I am nothing. With You, I am humble. Give me the courage I need to make it home to heaven.
God bless,
Bonnie
The Gospel from 12Mar2013 (John 5:1-16) demonstrates the insanity Jesus encountered is no different than the liberal media of today:
There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.
Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” He answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’“ They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there. After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well. Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.
In Volume Four, Jesus the King tells us to ignore our persecutors as He did and serve God above all else:
"You, children, have seen how I lived through scripture and through the revelations I have made through many servants across the ages. What chance was there that I would have permanently rejected God? There was no chance of that, of course. My fears were groundless. And yet, I had to spend time with My fear and examine My fear so that I could come to that conclusion. Once I had come to the conclusion that I was going to serve God, and through that service to God save humanity, there was nothing left to fear. My future was decided. My path was lit up and I followed that path. From the time of My arrest I felt no uncertainty. Those holy souls who witnessed My passion would tell you that I did not rail against My fate. I did not curse God. I did not even curse humanity or My persecutors. I was the lamb. My sacrifice was perfect, both physically and mentally. Dearest brothers and sisters, whom I call as friends, you have the perfect example in Me. Follow My lead and look closely at your fears. When you have done this you will see that there is no good reason to spend time with fear and your time is much better spent consoling others, spreading My peace and Good News, and praising God, with Whom you are destined to spend eternity. Every breath of praise, every sentence of praise, every song of praise you utter will surround you with an oxygen-like substance in heaven. You will breathe in all of your prayers and you will exult in every earthly acceptance of suffering or hardship. Your prayers and obedience give God glory, this is true. But your earthly prayers and obedience also give you glory in eternity."
Lay apostles, persecution is the norm, so why are we surprised when we see it occur on the evening news? It's wrong, yes. It's inhumane at times, yes. View your persecutions with Jesus in mind. The next time you are chastised, take it on the chin for Christ, no matter how harsh the reality is. See it for what it is . . . harassment because of our beliefs. And, fear within the persecutor because his actions may be contrary to a belief system they refuse to follow due to sin they are not willing to give up. Think about it the next time you feel judged. And respond as Christ did.
Thank you, Lord, for bravery in persecutions. Without You, I am nothing. With You, I am humble. Give me the courage I need to make it home to heaven.
God bless,
Bonnie
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