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Wednesday, August 28, 2019

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St. Augustine


1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Psalm 139:7-12
Matthew 23:27-32

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setting new records for evil

"You say, 'Had we lived in our forefathers' time we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.' " —Matthew 23:30

The "religious" people of Jesus' time insisted that they would not have committed the sins of their ancestors. We likewise don't believe we would ever again perpetrate the racism and slavery of our forefathers. We can't imagine ourselves staffing concentration camps and bombing civilian populations. We think we would never treat women like animals.

Jesus told the people of His time that they were in what psychologists call "denial." Jesus says the same thing to us. We would commit and are committing some of the worst sins of our ancestors. In fact, we are surpassing our ancestors in evil. Is racism really a thing of the past? The death toll in concentration camps is miniscule compared to the deaths due to surgical and chemical abortions. Who is more innocent than a pre-born baby? Yet they are so often murdered by chemical warfare. What is pornography? It is nothing less than treating women (as well as men and children) as animals or even objects. Repent!

Prayer:  Father, free me from sin. Make me holy no matter what.

Promise:  "You are witnesses, as is God Himself, of how upright, just, and irreproachable our conduct was toward you who are believers." —1 Thes 2:10

Praise:  St. Augustine's Confessions, the autobiography of his conversion, stands as a preeminent witness to God's grace. Written in the fourth century, it continues to be widely read today. He wrote: "Our hearts are restless, Lord, until they rest in you" (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 30).

Reference:  (For a related teaching on the Culture of Death, order, listen to, or download our CD 73-3 or DVD 73 on our website.)

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 15, 2019

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