Being a Catholic is not like being anyone. It is a gift
beyond compare. It is an gift of being offered life in the midst of death,
clarity in confusion, and peace in strife.
I have been reading the Fifth Chapter of Isaiah. In this
book, a list of the sins of the nation of Judah
Now, the Israelites did not have the great outpouring of
sanctifying grace which came with the Atonement and Redemption of Christ’s
Death on the Cross. They did, however, have the Law and the Prophets. God kept
His part of the covenant agreement, but the Israelites in Judah
How modern this book seems, when God calls down judgment on
the people for leaving the Law and for despising the “word of the Holy One of
Israel”. These threats of punishment were not mere warnings, but prophesies of
things to come.
In Book Six, Isaiah sees the Glory of God. He is cleansed of
his sin after making a confession, repenting of his own sins. The prophet is
then sent out to share this purification with others. But, God warns him that
the people will not listen. Yet, what follows in Book Seven is the beautiful
promise of the Savior.
“Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and
shall call his name Immanuel.” Immanuel, of course, means “God with us.” The deliverance of men and women from sin
will be this Savior’s victory.
When one sits down and reads these three books, one is
struck with the great mercy and love of God for His people. He not only calls
then to repentance and show then one, the prophet Isaiah, who has been cleansed
and is full of the Spirit of God, but promises complete and final freedom from
sin.
Sin, repentance, confession, grace, purification, eternal
life all shine forth in these books.
The Catholic Church teaches the efficacy of the sacraments,
and these passages are echoes of promises which only find a voice, fulfillment,
in the Catholic Church.
