The wicked are allowed to do wicked

We all have a choice to listen and obey, or not

There is enough grace sufficient for them to turn

If they do not repent their destiny is to be destroyed forevermore 

Psalm 92:7

When the wicked sprouted up like grass

And all who did injustice flourished,

It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.

God Reigns

God is Majestic 

He has established the world

God’s Throne is established from eternity

Fear nothing except not being with Him

Psalm 93:1-2

The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;

The LORD has clothed and encircled Himself with strength.

Indeed, the world is firmly established; it will not be moved.

Your throne is established from of old;

You are from eternity.

Human thoughts are not his ways

We must train in his word

Psalm 94:11

The LORD knows human thoughts,

That they are mere breath.

Discipline is love

The law heals our hearts

Obeying the law grants relief from grief

Do not fight the discipline 

The wicked will be destroyed 

Choose the path of healing not destruction 

Psalm 94:12-13

Blessed is the man whom You discipline, LORD,

And whom You teach from Your Law,

So that You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,

Until a pit is dug for the wicked.

If God chooses to use his saints to use his name for healing and intercession, who are you to say he cannot. 

Maybe letting others pray for you is humbling. 

Do not put God in a box, he can do as he pleases. 

The saint is not the one with the power to heal

It is not their power or godliness

It is the Faith in His Name

It is the Name of Jesus that heals

It is the Faith that comes through Jesus 

Acts 3:12, 16

But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why are you staring at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? 

And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Repent and return to God

Your sins will be wiped away

You will be able to be in His presence

He will refresh your soul in his presence

Jesus will be sent to you

Jesus is appointed for you (all blessings are in him)

You must listen to Jesus

If you do not listen to Jesus you will be utterly destroyed 

All people will be blessed through him. 

God raised up from the dead Jesus for you!

He sent Jesus to bless you by turning you from your own wicked ways. 

The blessings are not about this life (For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.)

If you are asking for these blessings you are missing the point! It is about becoming a new person. (Turned away from evil and becoming Holy) living in communion in his presence. You must listen and obey (belief is not enough-obedience is proof of belief and love)

Acts 3:19-26

Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouths of His holy prophets from ancient times. Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR COUNTRYMEN; TO HIM YOU SHALL LISTEN regarding everything He says to you. And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and his successors onward, have also announced these days. It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God ordained with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’ God raised up His Servant for you first, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

I John 2:16

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Lessons from Acts 2

God has poured out the Holy Spirit on all man

Acts 2:17

‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,

‘THAT I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;

God delivers Jesus by his predetermined plan

God knew he would be crucified by godless man

It was part of the plan

God orchestrates events, even those involving sin, to achieve His ultimate plan of redemption.

Acts 2:23

this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

Since Jesus is Exalted by doing Gods will in loving obedience 

He is rewarded by sitting at Gods right hand

Jesus received the Holy Spirit from God

Jesus has poured it out on the disciples 

The pouring out of the Holy Spirit in the disciples is what people see and hear. 

Acts 2:33

Therefore, since He has been exalted at the right hand of God, and has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear.

To the Chosen Israel:

It is Certain God has made Jesus LORD and CHRIST

The man who was crucified

Acts 2:36

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Repent

Be baptized 

Receive the Name of Jesus

Your sins will be forgiven 

Receive the gift of Holy Spirit

Acts 2:38

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The world is perverse. 

We must be saved from the perversity. 

Acts 2:40

And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on urging them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

Must receive the word

Must choose to be baptized

Soul will be saved. 

Acts 2:41

So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

Devotion to Apostles teaching (Word and Tradition)

Fellowship

Eucharist

Prayer

Acts 2:42

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Leviticus 19:18

You shall not take vengeance, 

nor hold any grudge 

against the sons of your people, 

but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; 

I am the LORD.

True love of God consists in 

adhering perfectly to his holy will, 

not wanting to do or be anything in this life 

but what the Lord wishes, 

to the point that we become “a living will of God.”

only God, the one holy One, can make us holy, only he knows what is really profitable for our sanctification. The only path that infallibly leads to holiness is the one God has marked out with his providence. Therefore the first and indispensable condition for not working in vain is for the soul to abandon itself completely to the will of God, letting itself be led by him with entire docility.

And together with your light give me the strength to follow it, my God; it is not enough to love you and to know your will, one must have the courage to serve you and to do what you want. .

Not all who say “Lord, Lord” will be saved, but only those who obey God’s will – shocks us. Is this not the God of compassion and mercy? And yet on his lips we hear “Depart from me you evildoers.”

Jesus was hoping that we will learn to measure our discipleship not by feelings, not by other people’s opinions, not by our achievements, but by authentic virtue, by obedience to God’s will as manifest in the Ten Commandments, the teaching of the Church, and our consciences. 

Jesus: Remain in my love and your house will be firmly rooted in the rock of the Church. Remain in me through prayer, remain in me through the sacraments, remain in me through fidelity to my Father’s will. I do not promise an easy life, with perfect weather and tasks that are always pleasing. I promise the storms and struggles that will batter the foundations of your faith; they are part of my plan. Never turn from me – remain in my Church – remain in my love. And let me remain in you.

How to deal with evil done:

We live out our internal thoughts. 

People do evil based on their own internal thoughts

People are not treating you evil based on or because of you

We must believe that we all have worth because God says we are made in his image. 

We must choose to accept that they are believing wrong thoughts and feel pity for them and forgive them knowing we are infinitely loved by God. 

They are too but are believing lies and therefore acting out of the lie they believe. 

We must keep believing that God allows these trials to show we need to keep close to his truths or we can also start to live by the lies we start to internalize and become evil too. 

Pray for them to be enlightened and pray for us to not fall into the same trap. The devil orchestrates to try and get you to dwell on the evil and retaliation but God orchestrated it for forgiveness and prayer. This is the healing from God. 

We can name the evil and agree the person did it but response is Our choice.  Interpretation on how to deal with it determines our growth or fall. 

God is just

He is Hard and unmoving place to hide

There is no malice in God

He is safety if you respond correctly 

God does not punish because he is angry-he punishes because of the devil we do. 

It is right and just we are punished for our wrong 

It is a grace if we are not

He chooses based on what is best for the soul

Some need light punishment and compassion to change 

Some need hard in your face confrontation to change 

Your response is what you choose with either punishment 

But He is always choosing what is best for you. 

You can accept or reject

Psalm 92:15

To declare that the LORD is just;

He is my rock, and there is no malice in Him.

We don’t get to know certain things

God has set things by his own authority 

Power will come to help you deal with whatever comes

The power is to be an obedient faithful witness to Christ and His teachings 

Acts 1:7-8

But He said to them, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

God knows the plans He has for all people 

You have chosen each individual for a certain purpose 

You can turn aside from his plan and be damned because you want your own way

Only those who obey his will will be saved

Acts1:24-25

And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all people, show which one of these two You have chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

The believer believes and doubts at the same time, but God rejoices when we raise doubts and ask Him questions. Many times things don't happen the way we imagined them, events happen that we don't understand, the most clear-cut certainties fall apart, and when everything is going well, suddenly it seems that the world is turning against us. 

In these situations, we have to be sincere with God and ask him questions, share with him our confusion, and express our doubts. 

This is the way faith works.

SILVIO JOSÉ BÁEZ, O.C.D.