November 13, 2021

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For you this week: 

• Reflection for Saturday: The Catechism’s prophecy about today’s persecutions
• Inside the Ministry: Now taking pre-orders for “The Father’s Heart”
• Need a break from bad news? The best Facebook alternative
  
• Don’t miss this: Looking for ideas for Advent?
  
• This week’s WordBytes faith-builder: Why I am confident that
  God answers prayers

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Saturday November 13, 2021

Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9
Psalm 105:2-3, 36-37, 42-43
Luke 18:1-8
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111321.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2021-11-13

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

Your all-powerful word, from heaven’s royal throne
bounded, a fierce warrior, into the doomed land,
bearing the sharp sword of your inexorable decree….
For all creation, in its several kinds, was being made over anew,
… that your children might be preserved unharmed.
(From Saturday’s first reading)

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Reflection for Saturday:
The Catechism’s prophecy about today’s persecutions

Are you familiar with the Catechism’s prophecy about today’s persecutions? Last week I wrote that we are now living through a Great Awakening as more and more people realize that we must fight evil and choose holiness.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) has an interesting prophecy about this:

“Before Christ’s second coming, the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the ‘mystery of iniquity’ in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth.” (para. 675)

I’m pointing this out, not because I believe Christ’s second coming is imminent but because, these days, we’re experiencing persecution in all kinds of ways. The Catechism’s prophecy about today’s persecutions points to that reality. We’re now living in a time when we must stand firmly on the side of Christ and reject apostasy. As a result, if we’re faithful to the true teachings of the Church and in scripture, nearly all of us have family members who are rejecting us because of it.

We are joining Jesus on the Cross.

CCC paragraph #677 says: “The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection.” In other words, by going to the Cross with Christ, we will enter into an outstanding Resurrection.

CCC #677 continues with a prophecy that might pertain to our times, which is very exciting, but even if it doesn’t, it nonetheless describes what happens every time the Church is infiltrated by evil and then purged and renewed:

“The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven.”

We’ve been witnessing the unleashing of demonic strategies that sneaked up on us so gradually that, at first, most good Catholics saw no reason for alarm, let alone repentance. Then, when it became alarming, we felt powerless to stop it. Many of us closed our eyes to it while we said our prayers quietly. Now it’s become so blatant that it’s obvious that we’re in a war against evil.

We, the Church, are undergoing painful purification through persecution. However, the most destructive persecution is not the burning of churches and the killing of Christians; it’s a quiet cancer spreading through the body.

The world hates us for pointing the way to salvation. So, the enemies of God have been attempting to make us compromise with the spirit of the world. Where this has succeeded, our greatest weapon — the truth of the Gospel — has been pulled from our hands, and the vitality of the Church has been weakened. Vatican Council II made it easier for the Church to change the world, but we let the world change the Church. We’re blending in no matter how immoral the world is getting. And those of us who refuse to fall into this trap are increasing persecuted because our persecutors do not want to be challenged by our holiness.

Why has God allowed this cancer to rot the Church from within? Because no other trial will bring about as much renewal of the Church as this. It raises up a faithful remnant — the true believers who refuse to compromise with the world, the God-fearing ones who act and talk very differently than the world.

In fact, as we willingly go to the Cross by growing in holiness, we follow our Lord to Resurrection. We are renewed purer, humbler, stronger in faith, more enlightened, fully alive in the Holy Spirit — a much healthier Church.

The Catechism’s prophecy about today’s persecutions is not a reason to fear! Persecution always leads to a great multiplication of conversions.

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Inside the Ministry: Pre-order my new book “The Father’s Heart”

This is exciting! We’re now taking pledges (pre-orders without payment). The first 200 pledged orders will get 20% off the $18.50 retail price. What a life-changing Christmas gift this could be! Include extra copies in your order. Hurry before the 200 limit on the pre-order price is reached!

Go to tothefathersheart.com/pledge-your-purchase now.

The publisher (Charis Books) and I and a wonderful team of proofreaders from the Good News Ministries family are working hard to get this book out in time for Christmas gift-giving. The goal is the last week of November (or sooner).

Many thanks go to Mary Tellier at Charis; she’s typesetting it as a top priority. Also many thinks go to my wonderful proofreading team: John DeGennaro, Karen Mayhew, Tiffany Bryant, and my husband Ralph who is making sure everything makes sense.

The best Facebook alternative

With all the overload of bad stuff happening out there, we’ve got to distract ourselves with whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

Here’s a way to do that. Sign up for SmartCatholics. Our community there, called “Good News Faith Builders“, has grown from 41 at the start of the year to 275.

Join me in the Good News Ministries community @ where all of our daily faith-builders are posted. SmartCatholics also has a free “academy” that includes courses by Good News Ministries.

This is one of the ways we’re expanding outward and becoming more discoverable. Help us grow; invite your Catholic friends!

Special gift of St. Joseph for donors

While the publisher, my team of proofreaders, and I are working hard to get my new book out in time for Christmas gift-giving, I’m offering to our donors a sneak peek into one of the chapters. Day 26 of The Father’s Heart is about Saint Joseph as healer of the image of God’s Fatherhood.

The Year of Saint Joseph will end soon, December 8th. This chapter needs to be read now, before the year ends.

So, we’re rewarding donors with the gift of Saint Joseph. Everyone championing the mission of Good News Ministries before December 8th will have the opportunity to receive Chapter 26 as a stand-alone ebook.

See an excerpt @ tothefathersheart.com/chapters/day-26-saint-joseph-as-the-image-of-gods-fatherhood.

Sorry, this is only available to those who give financial support (please go to gnm.org/donate). Everyone else: Please pray for the book The Father’s Heart.

And watch for the announcement about how to pledge (pre-order without payment) — coming soon! The first 200 pledged orders will get 20% off the $18.50 price. Who do you want to give this to for Christmas?

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Extra: Looking for ideas for Advent?

Recently someone asked me:

“I am looking for either a book (or series of readings) with questions for discussion after each chapter, so my family can dialogue about it once a week during the season of Advent 2021. I’m looking for something that will bring more unification rather than division to our family. PLEASE advise Terry, as your daily faith builders are restoring my spirituality and my sanity, for which I am truly grateful!”

After replying, it occurred to me that you might want the same thing. So, I share it with you here:

It’s awesome what you want to do with your family. Is everyone Catholic? If so, I think my new book, My Soul Shall Be Healed, might be perfect. More info here: gnm.org/terry-modica-author/my-soul-shall-be-healed.

Or Holy Living, my downloadable bible study guide on the Sermon of the Mount: wordbytes.org/bible-study/holy-living-1.

If you want something specifically about Advent, you could print out my reflections for each Sunday of Advent, in advance, and make a family booklet out of them. Look up each one at gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?advancedSearch=Yes (use the Saturday date – vigil Mass – in your search).

And one more idea: my friend Bill Snyder (a GNM board member) has an Advent booklet called A Contemplative Las Posadas. There are no discussion questions here, but with it you’ll pray together and then simply discuss as a family what each part of Mary’s and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem means to you.

• Listen to Bill and I discuss it in breadboxmedia.podbean.com/e/footsteps-to-heaven-%e2%80%93-an-advent-novena.
• Order it from:
  patchworkheart.ecwid.com/A-Contemplative-Las-Posadas-p143956207.

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This week’s recommended faith-builder:
Why I am confident that God answers prayers

The key to success in prayer is revealed in the scripture: “We have this confidence in him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (1 John 5:14)

For more on this, visit wordbytes.org/food-for-faith/why-i-am-confident-that-god-answers.

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

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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.