The Catholic Defender: Jesus gives His Authority to His Catholic Church
Jesus said to his Apostles: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household. "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward." When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
Jesus is clearly pointing to the first Commandment, "Thou shalt not have strange Gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. (Exodus 20:3-4)
We have made many gods through the importance and time we have given to other things not related to our holy Faith. We have allowed the spirit of compromise to enter into our lives.
Jesus is wanting us to give Him our very best in following him in all that we do. This life is but a pilgrimage as we are living in a strange land. We are not to be oblivious to what is going on around us, but in truth, we are to speak the truth.
Ephesians 5:11 states, "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them."
We are called to do the Spiritual works of mercy:
To instruct the ignorant;
To counsel the doubtful;
To admonish sinners;
To bear wrongs patiently;
To forgive offences willingly;
To comfort the afflicted;
To pray for the living and the dead.
The corporal works of mercy is as follows:
To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To harbour the harbourless;
To visit the sick;
To ransom the captive;
To bury the dead.
Let us be a miracle for someone who really needs one through being open to do God's Will when the opportunity comes our way. Jesus gives His Church the grace and the means to do His work.
