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Thursday, June 18, 2015

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2 Corinthians 11:1-11
Psalm 111:1-4, 7-8
Matthew 6:7-15

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to know jesus no matter what

"When someone comes preaching another Jesus than the One we preached, or when you receive a different spirit than the One you have received, or a gospel other than the gospel you accepted, you seem to endure it quite well." —2 Corinthians 11:4

To live the Christian life, we must know Jesus deeply and intimately. However, it is not easy to know Jesus. For example, Paul accused the Corinthian church of believing in "another Jesus" (2 Cor 11:4) — a false Jesus. Jesus warned: "Many will come attempting to impersonate Me. 'I am the Messiah!' they will claim, and they will deceive many" (Mt 24:5). In fact, at the end of the world, many baptized Christians will not believe in the true Jesus but in a false one. This will be "the mass apostasy" (2 Thes 2:3).

Despite formidable opposition to knowing Jesus, God the Father constantly and powerfully reveals His Son, Jesus (see Jn 12:28). Moreover, the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus (Jn 15:26) and proclaims "Jesus is Lord" (1 Cor 12:3). Therefore, if we let God have His way, we will know Jesus and have eternal life (Jn 17:3).

Prayer:  Father, as St. Jerome has taught, may I not be ignorant of the Scriptures and ignorant of Christ (see Catechism, 133).

Promise:  "If you forgive the faults of others, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours. If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive you." —Mt 6:14-15

Praise:  Senators Smith and Foster work tirelessly for justice for the unborn, as a service to God, the Lord of life.

Reference:  (To know Jesus, read the Bible daily. For encouragement, order any or all of these audio or video tapes: Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ, AV 82-1, V-82, How to Pray the Bible on audio AV 82-3 or on video V-82, How to Read the Bible on audio AV 46-3 or on video V-46, Principles of Bible Interpretation, audio AV 79-1, video V-79, Biblical Counseling, audio AV 13A-1, AV 13A-3, AV 13B-1 or on video starting with V-13A.)

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 18, 2014

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