AM+DG
Jesus to Mankind Crusade of Prayer on Thursday 22 April, 2021
Prayer Theme: Protection (groups A and C)
Bible: Baruch 1: 1-22
Book of Truth: 29 March, 2012
Reflection on the readings:
The Israelites were in captivity in Babylon and things were not going well. They recognized God’s Hand in all that was happening to them and collectively owned their sin. They recognized that “we did not listen to the voice of the LORD, our God, in all the words of the prophets he sent us,” (verse 21) and also that “each of us has followed the inclinations of our wicked hearts, served other gods, and done evil in the sight of the LORD, our God.” They had sinned against the Lord and repeatedly it mentions that they did not listen to Him. If they had listened to Him, they would have been better able to “follow the precepts the LORD set before us” and obey Him.
Those that listened to this declaration, which accepted full responsibility before God for all that was happening to them, responded also with their whole heart, because they knew it to be true! Their response was to weep, to fast, to pray and to send offerings of money in order to make reparation through the (then prescribed) offerings for sin, such as burnt offerings on the altar of God. They sent this to the priests to make these offerings on their behalf. they did not even ask to be freed from captivity but to kept in peace and protection, under King Nebuchadnezzer, for whom they prayed. They recognize that evil clings to them, as God said it would and that they must pray for their earthly ruler, even though they are in exile.
To accept suffering and carry the cross is the path of a true Christian; Jesus burned the path for us to follow. But most importantly, as the Book of Truth reading explains, He has paid the price for us, through laying down His Life for us as The Perfect Sacrifice and only acceptable atonement to the Father, given for ALL sins. Jesus suffered immensely and the details revealed in this passage are given as a special insight in to His Passion. They were shared with Maria, as a gift, after she made a great sacrifice for The Lord to save souls. These details were given that we may not ever doubt or deny the extent of His Love or the ability of Jesus’ suffering and death to atone for our sins. He reminds us that this is for all sinners, not just us, as He desires the Salvation of all. He says, ” I died for ALL sins, including those committed today. I want and I need to save, even those who deny Me, even today.” That implies great responsibility because many deny Jesus’ Sacrifice took place, have forgotten it or do not understand the extent of His Suffering and what it can do. Just like at the time of His Crucifixion, many do not acknowledge Him as the Messiah.
His appeal is that we are not to let His Crucifixion go to waste.
The Israelites acknowledged their sins before God, prayed for forgiveness and offered whatever sacrifices they could, for themselves and others. But we… we have the Most Perfect Sacrifice of all time, and we know Its Power. We must honour and offer up Jesus’ Sacrifice, through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (which is the prescribed and only perfect way) and through the worthy reception of Holy Communion- not just for ourselves but as often as we can, for the Salvation and forgiveness of all peoples. If we do not, we let His Suffering and Crucifixion ‘go to waste’.
I pray that you may be sufficiently recollected to listen to the Words of Our God and Saviour, and not to fear them or reject them in your heart. Pray and listen with an open heart. I pray they may touch you deeply, so that you may respond in the way He asks.
Bible Reading
Baruch 1: 1-22
Now these are the words of the scroll which Baruch, son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, son of Zedekiah, son of Hasadiah, son of Hilkiah, wrote in Babylon,
2 in the fifth year, on the seventh day of the month, at the time the Chaldeans took Jerusalem and destroyed it with fire.
3 Baruch read the words of this scroll in the hearing of Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the people who came to the reading:
4 the nobles, kings’ sons, elders, and all the people, small and great—all who lived in Babylon by the river Sud.
5 They wept, fasted, and prayed before the Lord, 6 and collected such funds as each could afford. 7.These they sent to Jerusalem, to Jehoiakim the priest, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, and to the priests and the whole people who were with him in Jerusalem.
8 At the same time he received the vessels of the house of the LORD that had been removed from the temple, to restore them to the land of Judah, on the tenth of Sivan. These silver vessels Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, had had made 9 after Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, carried off as captives Jeconiah and the princes, the skilled workers, the nobles, and the people of the land from Jerusalem, and brought them to Babylon.
10 The message was: “We send you funds, with which you are to procure burnt offerings, sin offerings, and frankincense, and to prepare grain offerings; offer these on the altar of the LORD our God,
11 and pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and of Belshazzar, his son, that their lifetimes may be as the days of the heavens above the earth. 12 Pray that the LORD may give us strength, and light to our eyes, that we may live under the protective shadow of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and of Belshazzar, his son, to serve them many days, and find favor in their sight.
13 Pray for us to the LORD, our God, for we have sinned against the LORD, our God. Even to this day the wrath of the LORD and his anger have not turned away from us.
14 On the feast day and during the days of assembly, read aloud in the house of the LORD this scroll that we send you:
15 “To the Lord our God belongs justice; to us, people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, to be shamefaced, as on this day—
16 to us, our kings, rulers, priests, and prophets, and our ancestors.
17 We have sinned in the LORD’s sight
18 and disobeyed him. We have not listened to the voice of the LORD, our God, so as to follow the precepts the LORD set before us.
19 From the day the LORD led our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until the present day, we have been disobedient to the LORD, our God, and neglected to listen to his voice.
20 Even today, evils cling to us, the curse the LORD pronounced to Moses, his servant, at the time he led our ancestors out of the land of Egypt to give us a land flowing with milk and honey.
21For we did not listen to the voice of the LORD, our God, in all the words of the prophets he sent us,
22 but each of us has followed the inclinations of our wicked hearts, served other gods, and done evil in the sight of the LORD, our God.
Reading from the Book of Truth
Jesus reveals details of His Crucifixion
My dearly beloved daughter, My time for more suffering will come about, as My Passion on the Cross, will be commemorated.
No man understands the extent of My suffering, during My Crucifixion or the way in which I was scourged.
My scourging was the worst. I was beaten savagely – by ten men and every inch of My Body was slashed.
The Flesh on My Back was torn and My Shoulder Blades were visible.
I could barely stand and one Eye was bruised and crushed.
I could only see through My left Eye.
By the time they took Me before Pontius Pilate and placed the Crown of Thorns on My Head I could barely stand up.
They then stripped Me bare before placing a short red garment over My Head and then placed a palm branch in My right Hand.
Each thorn was like a needle, so sharp was it. One of these thorns also pierced My right Eye, which left Me barely able to see.
I lost so much Blood that I vomited and was so dizzy that when I began My ascent to Calvary I could not hold the Cross.
I fell so many times, that it took hours before I reached the top of the hill.
I was scourged and whipped each step of the way.
My Body was bloody all over and covered with a thick sweat produced by a scorching sun.
I fainted a few times.
Much as this was painful and agonizing, the most frightening of all was the hatred shown to Me, not just by the adults along the way, but by young children who kicked Me because they were following their parents’ example.
The screams that poured out from their mouths and the hatred was nothing compared to the fear they had of Me.
Because, behind it all, they were still not sure whether or not I was, in fact, the Messiah, they were awaiting for so long.
It was easier, therefore, to hate Me, denounce Me, rather than accept Me, for that would have meant that they would have had to change their ways.
My most agonising moment was when I lay on the ground on My Side, having been kicked in the back again and saw My beloved Mother looking at Me.
She was heartbroken and had to be held up by two of My disciples.
I could only see her through the one remaining Eye and I could not bear to watch her torment.
The jeers, screams and roars from the crowds of hundreds could be felt from the ground I lay on and it took six hundred soldiers to organise and supervise the Crucifixion of Myself and six others.
I was the main focus of their attention and the others did not suffer like I did.
When My Wrists, at the base of My Thumbs, were nailed to the Cross I could no longer feel.
My Body was so battered and bruised that I had gone into shock.
My Shoulders were dislocated and My Arms were torn out of their sockets.
The worst physical damage was inflicted on My Body, before I was nailed to the Cross.
I let out no scream.
No protest.
Only a whisper.
This infuriated My executioners who wanted a reaction to satisfy their lusts.
I never engaged with them, for to do so would have meant that I would have had to engage with Satan and his demons, who infested their souls.
This is why their viciousness towards Me was so intense.
I was hanging on the Cross for five hours.
The sun was scorching and without clouds to help reduce the burning of My Skin.
As soon as I took My last breath, My Father sent forth black clouds, as well as thunder and lightning.
The storm that took place was of such a frightening magnitude and so sudden, that My spectators were left in no doubt, at that stage, that I was, indeed, the Saviour, that had been sent by God the Father.
I reveal this to you, My daughter, as a Gift to you in return for the huge act of suffering you have offered Me.
Tell My children that I do not regret My Passion on the Cross.
What I do regret is that My Sacrifice has been forgotten and that so many deny that My Crucifixion took place.
Many have no idea as to what I had to suffer, as many of My apostles did not witness My climb to Calvary.
What hurts Me today is that so many deny Me still.
My appeal to you, My followers, is do not allow My Crucifixion to go to waste.
I died for ALL sins, including those committed today.
I want and I need to save, even those who deny Me, even today.
Your beloved Saviour
Jesus Christ
RemnantDisciplesJtM 
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