We are sorry that people without authority are upsetting and confusing you.

Authority is core to the life and survival of the Church.

"This is the letter they took along with them:
“From: The apostles, elders and brothers at Jerusalem.

“To: The Gentile brothers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. Greetings!"

"We heard that some men from our church went to you and said things that confused and upset you. Mind you, they had no authority from us; we didn’t send them. We have agreed unanimously to pick representatives and send them to you with our good friends Barnabas and Paul. We picked men we knew you could trust, Judas and Silas—they’ve looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our Master Jesus Christ. We’ve sent them to confirm in a face-to-face meeting with you what we’ve written." (Acts 15: 24 -  27 MSG)

It is the will of Jesus Christ that the Church be constituted to function under proper authority: "Apostles and Elders."

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If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.

If you have decided to follow Jesus, be prepared for trials.

"Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’   If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.  If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.   They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me."
(John 15: 20 -  21 NIV)

“Get up and prepare for action.
Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.
Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.
You will stand against the whole land — the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.
They will fight you, but they will fail.
For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 1: 17 - 19 NLT)

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I will bear witness to You in the world O Jesus!

"You did not choose me; I chose you. And I ·gave you this work: [appointed you]to go and produce fruit, fruit that will ·last[remain; abide]. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name."  (John 15: 16 EXB)

"I will bear witness to You in the world O Lord.  I will spread the knowledge of Your name among my brothers and sisters.  (Psalm 17: 50 ; 21:23 RM)

Happy Feast Day St Catherine of Sienna, Virgin and Doctor of the Church.

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My sheep hear my voice and they follow Me.

"Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
   just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
   and remain in his love.

“I have told you this so that
   my joy might be in you and
   your joy might be complete.”  (John 15: 9-11 RM)

What are the commandments of Jesus?  Principally, the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes.

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If you remain in me, you will bear much fruit.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.2He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit."  (John 15: 1-2 NABRE)

"Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.5I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."  (John 15: 4 - 5 NABRE)

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.8By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."  (John 15: 7 - 8 NABRE).

Receive My Peace and Live in My Peace.

"Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]"   (John 14:27 AMP)

"Let the peace ·that Christ gives [of Christ] ·control [rule; arbitrate] your ·thinking [hearts], because you were all called together in one body [the church as the body of Christ] to have peace. Always be thankful."
(Colossians 3:15 EXB)

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Jesus give us a child-like mind and spirit.

"Clothe yourselves with humility
in your dealings with one another, for:  God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.

So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
"that he may exalt you in due time.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you."  (1Peter 5: 5-6  NABRE)

Be sober and vigilant through prayer and the word of God.

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BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW!

"I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the  human  race.  He will dwell with them and they will be his people  and God himself will always be with them [as their God].  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.”

"The one who sat on the throne  said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then he said, “Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true.”   (Revelation 21: 3 - 5 NABRE)

Lord Jesus, make our hearts new, so that we can love as You loved us.

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If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples.

"‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’”
(Acts 13:47 NLT)

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."    (John 14:13-14 NIV)

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Why are your hearts troubled and confused?

"DO NOT let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me."
(John 14:1 AMP)

"My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?"
(John 14:2 NIV)

"And He said to them, Why are you disturbed and troubled, and why do such doubts and questionings arise in your hearts?" (Luke 24:38 AMP)

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If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.

"If you know these things, blessed and happy and to be envied are you if you practice them [if you act accordingly and really do them]."
(John 13:17 AMP)

We are changed/transformed not by what we know but by what we do every day.

"Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny."

It is true that our character will become your destiny.  Scripture admonishes us to be extremely careful about the thought we allow into our mind.

"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
(John 13:17 NIV)

Your life can be transformed totally by 5 minutes of prayer and 10 minutes with the word of God.  If you do it every day.  God Never Fails!

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Yes Lord, I will bear witness to You in the world.

"I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord, and have appointed you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last."
(Cf. John 15: 16, 19 RM)

"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”   So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off."   (Acts 13:2-3 NIV)

"I will bear witness to You in the world O Lord. I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers and sisters."  (Cf. Ps 18 (17): 50; 22 (21): 23  RM)

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My Lord and My God!

"Jesus answered them, I have told you so, yet you do not believe Me [you do not trust Me and rely on Me]. The very works that I do by the power of My Father and in My Father’s name bear witness concerning Me [they are My credentials and evidence in support of Me]."  (John 10:25 AMP)

"But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep.  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."  (John 10:26-27 NLT)

"The Father and I are one.”
(John 10:30 NLT)

Jesus the Christ is true God and true Man.  Not 50% God and 50 % Man.  But 100% God and 100% Man.  This is a great mystery.  We believe even though we do not understand.

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The Narrowgate leads to a rich and satisfying life.

The Thief and the Good Shepherd.
The Broadway and the Narrowgate.

"Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."
(John 10:9-10 NLT)

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."  (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV)

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Have you washed your robe in the Blood of the Lamb?

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands."
(Revelation 7:9 NLT)

"These are they who have come out of the great tribulation (persecution), and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
(Revelation 7:14 AMP)

"‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat..... ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”   (Revelation 7:16-17 NIV)

Have you washed your robe in the Blood of the Lamb?

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Your word Lord, are Spirit and life.

"The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life."
(John 6:63 NLT)

The Holy Spirit gives us life through the Eucharist.  The Eucharist is the Real Flesh, the Real Blood, the Real Presence of Jesus the Christ.

"When His disciples heard this, many of them said, This is a hard and difficult and strange saying (an offensive and unbearable message). Who can stand to hear it? [Who can be expected to listen to such teaching?]"  (John 6:60 AMP)

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Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me and I in him.

 “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” 

 "Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats  my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day." 

"For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him."  (John 6: 52 -  56 NABRE)

The Eucharist is the medicine of immortality.  (St Ignatius of Antioch)

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For those who honor my Sacred Heart, I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life."  (John 6: 47 NABRE)

"Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ."  (John 17: 3 NABRE)

Eternal life is knowing God and knowing how He works.
Eternal life is knowing that Jesus is true God and true Man.
Eternal life is belief in Jesus as Savior and Redeemer of all mankind.
Eternal life is a gift of Jesus.
Eternal life begins here and now.

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Those who love their life in world will lose it.

"Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.   A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. 

(Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.)  But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison."
(Acts 8:1-3 NLT)

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit."  (John 12: 24 NABRE)

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I am the Bread of Life ; whoever comes to me will never hunger.

"Then they said to Him, Lord, give us this bread always (all the time)!"
(John 6:34 AMP)

"Jesus replied, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more (at any time).
(John 6:35 NIV)

"It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."
(Matt 4:4 MSG)

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