The 9th day of July in the year of Our Lord, 2024

Gospel

Matthew 9:32-38

32 And when they were gone out, behold they brought him a dumb man, possessed with a devil. 33 And after the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke, and the multitudes wondered, saying, Never was the like seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, By the prince of devils he casteth out devils. 35 And Jesus went about all the cities, and towns, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease, and every infirmity.

36 And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd. 37 Then he saith to his disciples, The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest.

This was the “sin against the holy Spirit”, the “unforgivable sin.” To attribute the power of God to the works of Satan and his demons is, especially when one has been instructed in religion to recognize the power of God, is a willful rejection of God. The sin is not unforgivable merely because it is so offensive to God, which it is, but it indicates a hardness of heart that will not repent or be converted. Such a person has willfully separated themselves from God.

The ancient Jews had the scriptures and words of the prophets that told them how to identify the Christ. However, when the Christ came, they rejected Him for doing the very things by which He was to be identified. They had come to worship the Law and their own opinions as opposed to God. They could not see God in their midst.

Today, we live in very similar times. Miracles still happen frequently in the Catholic Church. Certain miracles happen every moment of every day, such as when bread and wine is transformed into the spiritual body and blood of Christ. Similarly, the miraculous healings at Lourdes take place so frequently that many take them for granted. Jesus is the Living God in our Church and His power remains just as it was recorded in the Bible. Only now, He has thousands of priests acting in His stead and working His wonders. Occasionally a miracle is so stupendous as to be reported in the secular news, but millions of more familiar miracles happen each day.

Yet, most Protestants and a disturbing percentage of Catholics fail to recognize them. Many Catholics no longer believe in the Real Presence of our Lord in the Eucharist and even doubt the efficacy of Baptism. Many Protestants either deny the validity of Catholic miracles or attribute them to demons just as did the Jews who condemned our Lord. Such incredible events as the miracles at Fatima should have led to the conversion of the entire world. But, the Masonic Order and the communist leaning secular media prevented news of Fatima from reaching most non-Catholic people. While most were not at fault due to ignorance, many prominent Protestants did all within their power to prevent such miracles from being known and believed.

The words of our Lord are clear in an earlier passage in the same Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 7:

21 Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.

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Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings July-December, 2024 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3ZTXQB4

and

Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK

His new podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic