Jeremiah 7:1-11
Psalm 84:3-6, 8, 11
Matthew 13:24-30
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"DECEITFUL WORDS" FOR CATHOLICS (Jer 7:8)
"But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss!" —Jeremiah 7:8
Some Catholics are still trusting in “deceitful words” today:
- “It’s OK to live with your girlfriend and still receive Holy Communion at Mass each week. You’re a Catholic, and you’ll go to heaven. No one goes to hell anymore.”
- “Is it really a sin to use artificial birth control? All your Catholic friends do it. Look, the music minister and lector had vasectomies. Why should you go to Confession for that?”
- “So you got pulled over for a few DUI violations. Don’t worry, you’re not an alcoholic. Look, your parish sells plenty of alcohol at its festival; it must be OK.”
Jeremiah cut through the deceitful words and spoke truth to the Israelites. He bluntly said they could not continue to sin and expect to hide behind their membership in the Temple (Jer 7:4). He prophesied to them, and to us today, that we cannot come to stand before God in His house and then go out to “commit all these [sins] again” (Jer 7:10). Similarly, Jesus warned against presuming we are safe because of our standing in the Church (Lk 18:9ff). Presumption is a sin against hope in God where a person is “hoping to obtain His forgiveness without conversion” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2091, 2092).
We are always welcome in God’s house with humble, contrite, and repentant hearts (Ps 51:19). Jesus never rejects anyone who comes to Him (Jn 6:37), but He tells each of us to sin no more (Jn 8:11). Resist the deceitful words of our culture. Repent today!
Prayer: Father, show me all areas of my life in which I am deceived. Give me the grace to repent quickly and permanently.
Promise: "Happy the men whose strength You are!" —Ps 84:6
Praise: St. Bridget's father set apart all Fridays for special acts of penance among the family. He instilled in his daughter a lifelong love for the Passion of Jesus Christ.
(This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
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