December 11, 2021

For you this week:

• Reflection for Saturday: Modern-day prophets
• Inside the Ministry: I was tempted (a praise report)
  
• 30 Days to the Father’s Heart is available! Here’s the prophecy God gave me about it
  
• This week’s WordBytes faith-builder: A Prayer to Become God’s Instrument

Saturday December 11, 2021

Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Matthew 17:9a, 10-13
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121121.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2021-12-11

Saints Calendar:
gnm.org/saints-find/saints-calendar

“But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.” (From Saturday’s Gospel reading)

Reflection for Saturday: Modern-day prophets

In this Saturday’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of Elijah because the disciples were curious about an ancient Jewish expectation that Elijah would return to announce the arrival of the Messiah. Perhaps they wondered: Would Elijah come back from the dead? Or be reincarnated perhaps? Neither of these ideas were scriptural. And so Jesus explained the truth behind the prophecy.

It wasn’t about the person (Elijah) returning, but the purpose (Elijah’s role in salvation). As today’s first reading points out, Elijah’s purpose was to turn people’s hearts back to God, back to a right relationship (i.e., a true friendship) with God — which is exactly what John the Baptist did, as Jesus pointed out.

God is still sending out Elijahs and Johns today in the form of modern-day prophets. In fact, there are more of them than ever today. Who comes to your mind when you think of bold people who dare to speak the truth — loudly and clearly — despite risking their reputation? The call to repentance, restoration, and counter-cultural resistance is going out through these modern-day prophets.

If they make us uncomfortable, or if they contradict what we believe about any situation, we need to stop being so sure of ourselves. Next, we need to humbly ask the Holy Spirit what is motivating their adamant message. And then we need to ask Jesus what he wants us to know about it. Even if they are not speaking as a true prophet, what does God want us to learn from it?

Worldly false prophets are easy to identify because their messages contradict scripture, Divine Law, and the sacredness of life. Catholic false prophets are recognizable when they additionally contradict Church teachings, i.e., true Church teachings, not what moral relativists claim them to be.

What evils are disturbing you? God’s even more upset about them than you are. And therefore, you, too, are called to be a bold and daring prophet. It’s part of the divine package you received when you were baptized. None of us can righteously ignore this part of our Christian calling. And now the world needs us more than ever before.

A prophet, remember, is not a fortune teller; a true prophet is the mouth of God. A successful prophet is an empathetic prophet. Many of us (myself included) need to repent from letting cowardice close our mouths. Martyrdom has become a very real possibility for us today in one form or another. We must repent of our reluctance to be rejected and persecuted. Such repentance leads to supernatural joy, which the Holy Spirit gives us so that we can be strong and courageous like Elijah and John the Baptist.

Of course, there’s a time to be God’s voice and a time to be quiet. When we repent of cowardice, we are free to become aware of God’s timing. The Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak and the passion to speak them. Similarly, we need to repent from impatience, judgmentalism, or forcefulness so that we can be motivated only by love — love of God, love of his ways, and love for the person whose soul is in danger.

The prophetic message always involves an invitation to turn back to God, to repent from whatever works against unity with Christ, and to be reconciled with the earthly Body of Christ, which is the Church. What message is on your heart that others need to hear? If the message is motivated by love, God has placed it in you because he intends to speak up about it through you.

Inside the Ministry: I was tempted (a praise report)

Last Monday, for this column of the newsletter, I wrote about a temptation that was testing me. On Tuesday, God resolved the matter in an astounding way.

Here’s what I wrote on Monday:

Trust the Lord. That’s the underlying message of the stories we’ve been sending out to everyone who’s signed up for any elist or downloaded GNM resources. They are true stories about what happens when we trust the Lord in our giving. They’re shared with you to help you trust the Lord in deciding how much to give to your parish, to charities near you, and to other favorite charities, including Good News Ministries.

I think one of the reasons why you love GNM so much is because of the heart: I write about and speak about what I’ve learned from my own experiences and spiritual growth. I share my heart with your heart. And this includes what I’ve learned from trusting the Lord in getting enough support to accomplish what he wants GNM to do.

Since the founding of Good News Ministries in 1995, we’ve done nothing that was not supported by donors. We sell nothing. We make everything available to everyone at no cost. We don’t offer premium content as a reward for donations because we don’t want anyone to be excluded from what could help them grow in faith.

Fundraising is therefore an experience that stretches my trust in the Lord. Especially now. We should be closer to the much-needed US$40,000 by now. I hear the Tempter saying, “You’re going to have to lay off some of the staff. So start figuring out who. Start figuring out which ministry services you must stop.”

My reply: “Praise the Lord God Almighty! He will provide for whatever he asks us to do. Jesus leads, grace provides. We follow Jesus. We obey the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.”

Do you know that the Devil is afraid of Good News Ministries? (He’s also afraid of you because you, too, have Christ in you.) When we respond to temptations with truth and with the determination to stay in the Divine Will, the Devil runs for cover. The Devil cannot stand up to any modern-day prophets, no matter who they are or where they come from.

Think about your own situation: In what ways are you being tempted to give up on God or to do something that’s against God’s moral laws? Examine that temptation. There’s a connection between the temptation and some sort of breakthrough that you need. The Tempter is trying to distract you from this breakthrough.

In my situation, GNM needed a financial breakthrough. So here’s what happened on Tuesday: Less than 24 hours after I wrote about persevering in the truth (i.e., that God will provide for whatever he asks us to do), an email arrived from J.R., a member of the GNM family, promising to send $40,000!

Praise the Lord God Almighty!

What’s Jesus leading you to do? God’s grace will provide whatever you need to accomplish it.

That bountiful gift from J.R. will keep GNM going for several months. Is Jesus leading you to help keep GNM growing? You, too, are part of the GNM family. The team and I are delighted to serve you. Please pray for me. Please pray for those who can serve as God’s providers but are not yet doing so. And please listen to what the Holy Spirit is calling you to do for GNM’s growth in reaching more people. Add your support at gnm.org/donate. Thank you!

Prophetic outlook for my new book “30 Days to the Father’s Heart”

The Blessed Mother always directs us to Jesus. Who do you think Saint Joseph points to? God the Father! Now that the Year of Saint Joseph is over, we’re going to hear more and more about our Divine Abba-Daddy. He is coming to rescue his children and discipline the rebellious ones.

I didn’t know this when I started writing 30 Days to the Father’s Heart three years ago. Now it’s becoming clear that the timing of this book’s publication is serving a purpose that God himself assigned to it: He wants to heal your wrong images about him so that he can make his love better known to you. And he wants to do it now because of what’s happening in the world and what’s to come.

In 30 Days to the Father’s Heart, I can help you experience the wonderfulness of the Father’s heart so that your faith can be set free to reach its full potential. This book is an inspirational guide to healing that will enable you to experience God the Father as he truly is by identifying and overcoming the most common misconceptions that interfere with faith in God. It includes spiritual exercises that will help you heal from father wounds and to open you up to more of the Father’s love.

How to order it:

The book is ready! You can now buy it from anywhere in the world. Go to charispublishing.com/products/30-days-to-the-fathers-heart-terry-modica. Use the discount code “Heart” during checkout to receive a 20% discount. The discount expires on December 27 at midnight U.S. Eastern Time.

Note: The book will become available on Amazon in a couple of weeks at a higher price with no discount.

My prayer is that it will bless you beyond your deepest needs and greatest hopes.

This week’s recommended faith-builder:
A Prayer to Become God’s Instrument

To be God’s instrument as a prophet is the calling of every Christian. My “Prayer to Become God’s Instrument” comes from the e-book Knowing God’s Will and Doing it Well. It’s also available as a parish handout called The Four Stages of Apostleship, published by Catholic Digital Resources.

O, my heavenly Father,
I give all of my life to You
in the name of Your Son,
my Lord Jesus Christ,
and through the power of
Your Holy Spirit.

See the rest of this prayer at wordbytes.org/master-needs-you/prayer-to-become-gods-instrument.

WordBytes is a library of Catholic faith-building articles by Good News Ministries. Come on in and explore! Visit WordBytes.org today.

Explore our Catholic Video Library for Faith Growth

How do you want to grow your faith today? Try these Catholic videos by Good News Ministries!

• Footsteps to Heaven
• Guest Spots
• Terry & Ralph’s Good News for Today
• Quick Faith-builders with Terry Modica
• God’s Amazing Word for Miracles
• God’s Radical Love for Marriage
• Come Holy Spirit!
• Praying with Power
• How to Pray in the Power of the Holy Spirit
• Go Deeper into Holy Mass
• Take, Eat, Drink: Understanding the Catholic Mass
• How to Turn Your Crosses Into Resurrections
• The Apostolate of the Laity in the Church Crisis
• Personal Testimonies
• Prayer Meditations
• Meditations without Words

God bless you!

Every morning, I lift up in prayer everyone who helps Good News Ministries in any way (donors, volunteers, prayer supporters, etc.) and all the prayer requests posted on our site. What can I cover in prayer for you? Post your prayer request.

How else can the team and I serve you today? Visit our homepage.

Thank you for reading this newsletter.

Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica, Executive Director
Good News Ministries
gnm.org

Let’s connect in GNM’s community: See you there!

Keep your eyes on Jesus!
And when you have to look at others, see them through his eyes.