Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics
Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM
This meeting is a lecture/Q&A format. It is free.
House rules/notes…
Our meeting/classes are In-Person at St. John Neumann Catholic Church 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, VA 20191 https://saintjn.org/ (usually held downstairs in Room 5), or ONLINE via Zoom (see #2).
To sign up for Zoom notifications and to receive the Meeting Recaps, go to www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy and join us! The Zoom Logon is the same every week: Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952.
After each meeting, I send out Meeting Recaps of what we discussed. Please remember these recaps are unedited and without the pictures. The edited version with pictures will be posted before the next class on the Website – www.CatholicCatacombs.org. Taylor will notify everyone at that time and provide a link.
Questions encouraged. If you have questions, we ask that you keep them on topic and brief. You can ask in the chat box during the class, or email through Meetup.com, or email me at ron@hallagan.net afterwards.
Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between religions and between Christian denominations, and we agree to be respectful at all times. Protestants especially are our friends and brothers-in-Christ; in fact, I personally owe part of my return to the faith to them!
No politics. It would be easy for us to self-destruct, but that’s not our goal. Our goal is to learn/understand/apply the Bible and our Catholic faith.
Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying the rosary, etc. with other Catholics during the week? Follow fellow member Jason Goldberg at https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/. Daily/weekly prayer is saintly!
“The Chosen” TV series. All of us seek a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is not always easy. It can help if we have seen and heard Him. The Chosen captures Jesus better than any show I have ever seen. Highly recommended.
RSVP Reminder: Please RSVP whether you are attending the meeting or just reading the Recaps afterwards. The more RSVPs, the more Meetup will give exposure to “Catholic Bible Study” – a good thing!
Catholic Catacombs Website: www.CatholicCatacombs.org
Bible Study Format: Each week of the month has a repeating topic, as noted below.
Each meeting: 5 min greet, prayer, 10-15 min Catholic topic, 40-45 min main topic.
Week 1: Gospel Week
Week 2: Bible Week (Gen to Rev): We are in The Book of JUDGES.
Week 3: Survey Topics Voted on by Members:
x 1) Jesus’ Greatest Parables x 2) Hell, Purgatory, Heaven x 3) Comparative Religions
4) Great Women in the Bible 5) Book of Revelation 6) Fathers, Heresies, and Church Councils
Week 4: Member Questions:
Angels & Demons – who are they, what do they do? Do we really have guardian angels? What about devils/demons? Please explain exorcisms. Do they happen, are they real?
What is “conscience?”
How do I live my Christian faith at work when my faith is not accepted there?
What should our response be to those who ask us about priestly sex abuse?
What about the atheist who leads a good life? Can I be a person be good apart from God?
Miracles since the NT
What’s the difference between Charity and Love? What are the highest forms of charity?
How can I get more excited by the Mass? How can you have a Mass said for someone and what are its effects?
Was King David good or bad? Was Emperor Constantine good or bad? Was he even Christian?
Why does God allow suffering?
What do you think a day in the life of God is like to Him?
What is a prophet? What is Tradition? Is Tradition equal to Scripture in importance?
We will review a different apologetics or exegesis term each week...
Typology – The study of Old Testament events that are completed or fulfilled in the New Testament.
“The Old Testament is revealed in the New; the New Testament is hidden in the Old.” – St. Augustine
Apologetics and Exegesis Terms
Apologetics – to defend a belief.
Catholic Apologetics– to defend the Catholic faith using reason, tradition, & Scripture.
Exegesis – the study and interpretation of Scripture (it’s what we do here every week; you are all exegetes).
Eschatology (Greek, eschaton=last/end): the study of the End Times: the Second Coming of Christ (called Advent in
Latin, Parousia in Greek), Judgement Day, Heaven & Hell. In exegesis, you will hear Parousia more than Advent.
Bible = The OT = The Torah (Pentateuch, Books of Moses), the Prophets, the Writings (Wisdom, Novellas)
The NT = The Gospels and the Epistles (Epistles: New Test Letters (Paul), Catholic Letters, and Revelation).
Best Bibles – The Didache Bible, Ignatius Edition; Ignatius RSV 2nd Catholic edition; Augustine Bible; Douay Rheims (Jerome). Starters: Bible Basics for Catholics-Ave Maria press.
Church – Greek kyriakon house of the Lord: building for Christian worship; the whole body of Christian believers.
Ark of the Covenant: a) The golden chest holding the 10 Commandments; b) Mary’s womb holding the Word of God
Tabernacle - the portable sanctuary used by the Israelites in the wilderness during Exodus the from Egypt and then in the Temple in Jerusalem by Solomon (and again later by Herod). Latin tabernaculum – tent; temporary dwelling place.
Temple – Latin templum - space set aside for sacrifice/worship; replaced the Tabernacle; the Temple in Jerusalem.
Synagogue – Jewish house of worship often w/facilities for religious instruction. Greek synagogue: assembly/gathering.
Church Authority – The Church is the only authority given by Jesus Christ to interpret the Word of God: "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven" (Mt 18:18-20). Otherwise, there could be a different interpretation for every Scriptural passage for every person who ever read them, resulting in division vs unity (which is why there are 17+ Eastern Orthodox churches and 10,000 Protestant churches). Catholic Church teachings are nothing more than the Church’s interpretation of that which has already been revealed by God, either through Scripture or what has been handed on from Apostolic Tradition. This body of the Church’s interpretation is called the “Magisterium” and it is not superior to the Word of God, but its servant. The Church cannot make up anything outside what has been handed to it, but rather guards and teaches it (CCC#86, 890). In fact, the Church believes that Divine Revelation ended with the Apostles.
Church Doctrine refers to all of the official teachings of the Church. There are several levels of teachings:
“Theological Opinions” are teachings that express a pope’s views in a subject but are not doctrine/not binding.
Doctrine: Those that the Church teaches authoritatively but not infallibly. Elements within these can change.
“Ex cathedra” means when the pope “speaks from the chair of Peter.” Infallible doctrine, indirect revelation.
Dogma: Those teachings which the Church has infallibly taught to be divinely revealed. (Jesus is the
Heresy is the rejection of dogma. If someone rejects a teaching belonging to the first or second categories of doctrine, it may be sinful, but it does not rise to the level of heresy.
Epiphany – Epiphany means a sudden appearance, revelation, or manifestation from above. In Christianity, it refers to the revelation of Jesus Christ as Savior of the World to the gentiles (Magi) 12 days after Christmas.
Theophany means the appearance of God, such as Yahweh to Moses on Mt. Sinai, or at the Transfiguration. Note “phany” in both words, from the Greek phainein = to appear. [Theo=God + phany=appear]
Eucharist –the Lord’s Supper. The bread & wine become Jesus’ body/blood. From Greek eucharistia = thanksgiving.
Mass – the celebration of the Last Supper/Eucharist. “Mass” is from the Latin missa meaning “to send (out).”
Evangelize – to make the Kingdom of God present in our world.
Forgiveness – letting go of past harm to God or others; it presumes repentance, which presumes changes in behavior
Mercy – withholding harsh treatment or judgment that is justified.
Humility – the quality of being continually open to God and others, a requirement for gaining wisdom; the opposite of arrogance (full of oneself). As C.S. Lewis said, “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less often.”
Repentance – to turn away from a Self-centered life and towards a God-centered life; each time we sin and turn to God for forgiveness; repentance presumes heartfelt regret for sin and heartfelt desire to do better with God’s help.
God as Father/He/Him – scriptural tradition (God is not a gender); God does set the gold standard for fatherhood.
Man – generic for mankind, humanity.
Deism – belief in a supreme being/creator who does not intervene in the universe, or who is indifferent to it.
Theism – belief in the existence of God or gods, especially the believe in one God who is creator of the universe and is actively engaged in some way, intervening in it and sustaining a personal relationship with his creatures.
Atheism – the belief that gods or spirituality of any kind do not exist.
Agnosticism – the belief that God may, or may not, exist – we just can’t know. … polytheism and pantheism
Preternatural – means “outside the natural”; refers to a unique state of grace Adam & Eve were in before the Fall.
The “World” – as used in the Bible, this term pertains to the nonreligious/secular world, or our temporary, material lives. In fact, the word “secular” (Latin seaecularis) = worldly/temporal. Biblically, “this world" often has a negative meaning, i.e., “The fall of man resulted from our choosing this world over God.” This physical world is not bad as God made all things good. But figuratively speaking, it refers to materialism, selfishness, and greed, i.e., “worldly temptations.”
“A lie travels all the way around the globe while the truth is still putting on its shoes.” – Mark Twain
Add: Patristics, Tradition, Revelation, Concupiscence, Octave, Love, Justice, Righteous, Patience, Kingdom, Righteous, Hyperbole, Soteriology, Apostolic Succession
Opening Prayer
LORD
As we read about the Daily Bread of Life and the Ashes of our fallen natures,
We thank you for helping us understand where we are on the path of salvation history.
May our increased knowledge of Your ways increase the fire of our faith!
And as you taught us to pray…
Our Father
Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily Bread
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us all. Amen.
Major holy days in the Liturgy of the Church
February 14: Ash Wednesday is tomorrow!
Feb 14 – Mar 28: Lent – Our 40 days in the desert ends on at the Last Supper (Holy Thursday).
Quote of the Week:
"The message of the cross is absurd to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the miraculous power of God." – 1 Cor 1:18
Today
Give us this day our daily bread
Lent; Gospel Reading for Ash Wednesday 2/14 (tomorrow!) Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Bible Timeline: Judges (Gideon, Samson); intro 1 Samuel and The Monarchy
Last week we discussed that the Lord’s Prayer was given to us by Jesus personally as a road map to Heaven. It includes 7 petitions. The first 3 petitions focus on God/Heaven; the last 3 petitions are for our improvement and protection.
For the rest of Lent, we will be discussing the “hinge” petition (petition #4), which is the super grace-link between the first 3 and last 3 petitions: the link between God and us, between Heaven and Earth.
Jesus gave us a prayer that repeats the incarnation of God into our lives – from the first half of the prayer (Him) into the second half of the prayer (Us) – though petition #4. Jesus IS petition #4. This is the love par excellence petition.
Your fathers ate manna in the desert and died. The bread I give you comes from Heaven, and whoever eats of it will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” – John 6:58-59
This petition cuts across every aspect of our existence, from our physical survival – and helping those in need as Jesus reminds us in the Sermon on the Mount and his many parables of the poor, such as the Parable of the Rich Man – to our spiritual survival and Trinitarian nourishment (grace) that he instituted at the Last Supper, which we now call the Mass. This Bread Jesus speaks of has since taken the Greek name “Eucharist,” meaning “thanksgiving and gratitude” for what God has done for us. This hinge petition in the Lord’s Prayer is the radical, central requirement for Christian salvation, for understanding God’s love for us, and is the highest of the 7 Sacraments because we are receiving Christ himself.
“Give us this day” is an expression of trust, which is why Jesus compared it to the daily manna in the desert. The Israelites had to learn to depend on the arrival of manna each day because relationship starts with interdependence.
“Our daily bread” – “daily” is not redundant with ‘this day.’ This Greek word, epiousios – supersubstantial or supernatural – has two meanings: 1) daily 🡪 unending = forever; and 2) necessary sustenance for life.
What “life”? The “bread” we pray for is for both our physical and spiritual lives, although for humans these two are inseparable. Our physical lives are needed for us to practice our spiritual lives, including all that we learn from our relationship with God. As we grow in this process, so does our participation with the communion of saints and Body of Christ in expanding God’s Kingdom on earth. This spiritual growth reaches into Heaven and prepares the way for us.
Next week, we will review more fully what Jesus says about “eating this bread” in John 6.
LENT is about spiritual conditioning that helps us master our own lives and about practicing the Kingdom of God.
Q: What are ashes for?
Recall that in Gen 2:7 it says humans were first formed out of the dust/dirt/clay of the earth, which tells us our physical nature is a part of this earth. That part even fits with evolutionary science. But then something else happens next. God breathes his spirit (the translation of נִשְׁמַ֣ת niš·maṯ also states “divine inspiration”) into man, which gives man a higher/spiritual nature. This higher nature is what makes us in the image and likeness of God. Nevertheless, we still have our physical natures. We are a physical-spiritual hybrid! Our humbler beginnings before God breathed into us was of the dust/dirt of the earth.
God reminds us of these humble beginnings after we chose ourselves over God in the Fall, when He says, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread until the day you return to the ground from which you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Gen 3:19). This dust is what we refer to as ashes.
Fortunately, this was not the end as God also promised humans a way out, saying the seed of the Woman (a Messiah/Savior) will crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15). In other words, everyone will be given another chance to reject the serpent’s offer, which appealed highly to our pride and ego, “You will be like God!”- Gen 3:5.
In the meantime, our lower natures hold sway over us and so we must learn how manage our free will and choose well, which begins by choosing to reconnect with God and make Him a part of our journey, like it was before the Fall.
On Ash Wednesday, the Church puts ashes on our foreheads to remind us of our Fall and what can still happen to us if we put ourselves above God.
Q: If you are paying attention in Church, you will hear that Lent is about “prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.” Why these three things?
Because these three things respond directly to the three temptations of Satan, not only with our first human parents but also to Jesus in the desert. These three temptations are inordinate physical desires, possessions, and pride.
Satan’s temptations Our opposite response
Physical desire Fasting/abstinence
Possessions Almsgiving
Pride Prayer
Q: What were the temptations of Adam & Eve in Eden and Jesus in the desert?
“Eve saw that the apple was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and the promise to become wise (like God). So she took the fruit and ate, and she gave some to her husband, and he ate. And their eyes were opened.” – Gen 3:6-8
As we delve into this further, we must keep in mind that these temptations may look different for everyone, since no two human beings have the same weaknesses and desires. But the general categories still apply. As the Apostle John states in 1 John 2:16:
“For everything in the world — the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father but from the world. – 1 John 2:16
Let’s break these down!
Desires of the flesh – physical gratification beyond what is good for us or what God’s will for us is.
Adam/Eve – “the forbidden fruit was good for food”
Jesus – “turn these stones into bread”
Desires of the eyes – to desire to possess what we see, beyond what is reasonable or what God’s will for us is.
Adam/Eve – the forbidden fruit was a delight to the eyes!
Jesus – Satan showed him the kingdoms of the world and offered them to him
(3) Pride of life – pride of one’s self as the cause of one’s accomplishments and intelligence; personal glory; displacing God with Self or other idols such as fame, money, power, nature, etc.
Adam/Eve – Satan’s promise of wisdom – they will be like God!
Jesus – Throw yourself down and let your angels save you!
Q: What is the meaning of the word “worship”?
Whatever are your highest priorities in life. That which you spend the majority of your time and attention on. Now apply this to today’s secular culture. The devil is still in business, and business is booming!
Turn these stones into bread! Let your angels catch you! I give you the kingdoms of the world!
Q: Before Jesus rejected the three temptations of Satan, he fasted for 40 days. Why?
To show that that it is important to keep our worldly desires under OUR control, or else they will control us. Moderation is good, but practice and self-discipline are necessary to keep us in control and prevent excesses. Self-discipline is a virtue, a spiritual strength, and as such it requires occasional practice. This is another function of LENT.
Q: What should we do for Lent?
Follow Jesus’ lead and the message in 1 John. Pick one thing in each of the three categories of Satan’s favorite temptations, and when you commit to them, do them with intention.
Prayer – Ask yourself how you can develop your relationship with Jesus. Don’t kill yourself by overcommitting to pray the rosary 10 times a day or attempting to read the whole Bible in a month, unless you think that’s what God is calling you to do. How about 15 min/day reading or listening to a Gospel passage? Or one Psalm a day, or one Lenten reflection a day, and then sit with Jesus and meditate for another 10 minutes on how it relates to your life? Fifteen minutes a day with Jesus is huge from a spiritual growth perspective.
Fasting – Actually, the Church only asks that we fast on two days: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the day Jesus is crucified. And it really isn’t completely a fast – it’s two small meals or one medium sized meal for the day; also, to give up meat on Fridays. I try to do more than that, but the point isn’t how hard it is but the intention we give it when we give our hearts to Christ. Also, fasting doesn’t have to be food. You can give up alcohol, social media, texting, TV, or swearing, or some combination of these. Ask yourself, what is most keeping you from being present to the Lord?
Almsgiving – The first two were about you, internally. Almsgiving is about others. Ask how God can use you during these 40 days to bless others? Yes, it can be about money, but not necessarily. Sometimes, your time is more valuable. When my kids were little, we used to take them to the retirement home on the other side of town to visit the elderly, because many of them never have visitors, not even family! Can you imagine being on the receiving end of an act of love like that? I’ve also heard of people who decided to sit down and write a short note of gratitude every day to someone. If you do give money, don’t just give a few coins from your surplus; Jesus says to give out of your need – and then do it throughout the 40 days.
Is this convenient? No. But what you are doing is spending 40 days in the desert with the Lord. Just decide something – anything – to get you started and then be intentional about it. You can worry about upping the ante next year.
No matter what you choose to do, how much do you want to bet that you will be a better, happier person after 40 days?
Gospel Reading for Ash Wednesday 2/14 (tomorrow) Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
Yes, Jesus says if you are boastful, you lose any credit in Heaven, but I wouldn’t worry too much about that, since I don’t think we any have boastful people in our group! Besides, it’s hard to be prideful about giving up coffee or beer for Lent when some of the saints in the past gave up all food for all 40 days. Just be present to the Lord and you will be celebrated by throngs of angels in the heavenly realm!
Wash your face!
Closing Prayer
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.
In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
But in the future, he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”
(Isaiah 9:1–2)
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
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