House rules/notes…
1. 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).
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.
3. 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 on our website before the next class at www.catholiccatacombs.org. Taylor will notify everyone at that time and provide a link.
4. 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.
5. 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!
6. 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.
7. 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!
8. “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.
9. 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 min Catholic topic, 15 min Gospel, 30 min main topic.
Week 1: Gospel Week
Week 2: Bible Week (Gen to Rev): We are in The Book of 1 Samuel.
Week 3: Survey Topics Voted on by Members:
x 1) Great Women in the Bible 2) Book of Revelation 3) Fathers, Heresies, and Church Councils
Week 4: Apologetics and Member Requests:
1. How do I live my Christian faith at work when my faith is not accepted there?
2. What should our response be to those who ask us about priestly sex abuse?
3. What about the atheist who leads a good life? Can I be a person be good apart from God?
4. Miracles since the NT
5. Was King David good or bad? Was Emperor Constantine good or bad? Was he a Christian? What is a prophet?
6. Why does God allow suffering?
7. What is Tradition? Is Tradition equal to Scripture in importance? (2Thes2:15)
Each meeting: 5 min greet/prayer, 10 min Catholic topic, 15 min Gospel, 30 min weekly topic.
Reader?
Today
Catholic Topic: “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, On Earth as it is in Heaven”
Gospel Reading for June 30 - Mk 5:21-43; Jarius’ Daughter and Woman with a Hemorrhage
What is “conscience?” To answer this we must also define our soul, free will, and our passions, and how these relate to each other.
Upcoming major holy days:
August 15 – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Opening Prayer
Prayer for Nigeria
Lord, please send your blessings to the country of Nigeria and it’s thousands of Christian captives. Their only infraction in the world is their belief in You. Please wake the nations up to intervene and help these people; we pray turn the hearts of the aggressors around and bring peace where there is none. Through Jesus Christ, we pray.
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. Amen.
Quote of the Week:
“The earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.” – Isaiah 11:9
Q: What petition in the Our Father does this quote match?
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Apologetics and Exegesis Terms
Exegesis is the study and interpretation of the Word of God. It is what we do every week. We are all exegetes now!
Catholic Apologetics– apologetics means to defend a belief, so Catholic Apologetics is the art of defending the Catholic faith using reason, tradition, and Scripture.
Today: Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
First, notice the imperative of Christ’s wording: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Does this sound tentative, iffy, maybe? Or does this sound certain, definitive?
Jesus is making it crystal clear that the Kingdom is coming, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Regardless of whether we like it or not or are ready or not, it’s coming! He compared it to the surprise of death itself – it will come like a thief in the night, meaning we need to be careful not to be caught unawares, as there will be no time for fixing our lives then. Our choices matter now, today, every day. Never say tomorrow.
At the same time, “Thy Kingdom Come” doesn’t sound final. What’s taking it so long?
Indeed, the coming of the Kingdom is “in process,” but this is for our benefit. God, in effect, is holding the doors open to the end of our days, which is good news. Suppose the end came immediately, right now – would we be ready? Would our family and friends? God is trying to attract as many people as possible and even including paying our entry fee, which is forgiveness-for-the-asking.
Make no mistake, Jesus already opened Heaven to humans – that part of the Kingdom is a done deal. All that remains is human free will. Spiritually speaking, we are back in Adam & Eve’s shoes and now we get to choose for ourselves.
“Thy Will be done” – what exactly does this mean?
We are claiming God’s Will as our life’s goal. God’s Will is love, justice, forgiveness, honesty, and charity towards all. We do God’s will when we seek after these and are willing to stand up for them. God’s will is to teach our children these things. These characteristics of God’s are not just ideas to acknowledge and set aside; they are action words, verbs.
To practice God’s will is our “apprenticeship” for Heaven. As we learned from Joshua, in everything we do we should try to “Lead with the Lord.” Every time Joshua did, he won. Every time the Jews led with their own bravado/ego/ selves, they lost … everything. “Lead with the Lord (LwtL).” I put LwtL on my daily planner to remind myself constantly.
“On earth as it is in Heaven” – what does this mean?
Earth/humans are unfinished. God’s perfect goodness (the Kingdom) already exists, but it craves our cooperation.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Gospel Reading for Sunday, June 30 - Mk 5:21-43; Jarius’ Daughter and Woman with a Hemorrhage
Context: Last week, we read about the Apostles crossing the Sea of Galilee and getting hit by a death storm while Jesus slept in the back of the boat. We now know better – Jesus is only asleep when we don’t call upon him.
That closes out chapter 4. Chapter 5 begins when they reached the other side (Gerasene) and run into the demon-possessed man in the caves, but that isn’t what the reading is for Sunday, so we will cover that next week. This Sunday’s reading is after this when they head back to Capernaum.
Once again, Mark sandwiches a story within a story: first, the daughter of a synagogue official named Jarius is deathly ill and Jarius comes to Jesus for help. While Jesus is on the way to Jarius’ house, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years is so desperate to seek Jesus’ healing (she was considered unclean), she sneaks through the crowds and touches his garment. After this incident, Jesus continues to Jarius’ house, though everyone says the daughter has died.
You might note these common denominators in the two stories: look for desperation, humility, faith, and the no. 12.
Gospel Reading: Mk 5:21-43 7:15
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live." Jesus went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She thought, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?" But his disciples said to Jesus, "You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'"
Jesus looked around to see who had touched him. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."
While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?" Jesus disregarded the message and said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, "Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep." And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out.
He took along the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.
What was a synagogue?
A “gathering place” or place of assembly for teaching and worship (the word church has the same meaning – a gathering place for worship). The “Temple in Jerusalem” was not exactly down the street for most people in Israel, so they established “synagogues” in most of the towns, particularly for the Sabbath but also for teaching children. BTW, the three required annual pilgrimages to the Temple were Passover in the spring (Easter), Shavuot at the beginning of summer (Pentecost), and Sukkot in the fall (Feast of the Tabernacles [tents] after escaping slavery in Egypt).
The synagogues in those days were usually funded by wealthy Jewish individuals and it could be their homes, or the courtyards in the homes, or even in separate buildings in larger towns like Capernaum. An “official of the synagogue” would be a very prominent member of the community, so his reverence for Jesus was a welcome surprise.
Notice that Jairus asks Jesus to "lay his hands" on his daughter. Where did this “laying of hands” come from?
This was a practice that reflected the belief that God's healing could be transmitted by the power of touch. The "laying on of hands" was a practice recorded in the Bible since the time of Exodus, and signifies a transfer of power. In the NT, we frequently see the laying of hands by Jesus when healing people. The laying of hands was also associated with receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14, 1Tim 5:22), which is continued in the Church, especially in the Sacraments of Confirmation and Ordination.
The Woman…
The Catholic Commentary “Agape” suggests the woman had a condition that may have been caused by fibrous tumors in the uterus. How would such a condition of continuous bleeding impact this woman’s life?
For 12 years she would have been in a continual state of being “ritually unclean.” Anyone and anything she touched would also immediately become unclean. All this time she was in this state of ritual impurity, she would not have been able to attend her synagogue or Temple worship and her condition would have impacted her association with her friends and family. She would not have been able to even take her meals with them. Twelve years. It also sounds like she spent all her money on doctors who were unable to help her, which means she likely had nothing left – no money, no dignity, no interaction with her community.
This is why the woman had to sneak through the crowds to get to Jesus as she would have been condemned, shamed, and kicked out of town. It was a risk, but she was desperate, and she believed that Jesus could help her.
Upon touching Jesus’ garment, she felt her healing immediately.
The power of the “unclean” always traveled to the clean, making it unclean. That’s how sickness happens in this world. Therefore, the expectation was that Jesus would have become unclean. What happened instead?
The reverse happened. The path of Jesus’ healing flowed to from him to her, and she was made clean.
Jesus asked who touched her. Did he not know? Think of last week when Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat – did he not know what was going on?
Of course, he knew.
Who recalls God asking Adam and Eve where they were after they ate from the tree? God knew, it was a spiritual inquiry, an opportunity for them to humble themselves and be honest about what happened. This time, “the woman” immediately comes forward and is honest with Jesus. Jesus calls her “daughter,” which she was… to God.
What were the qualities that the woman had that enabled her healing?
Honesty, humility, and faith. The woman is not only healed, but she has her life back. And she has Jesus in it.
Jarius’ daughter…
When Jesus arrived at Jairus' house, He only allowed Peter, James, John and the child's parents to come into the child's room. Counting the child, how many people were in the room?
There were 7. Seven represents spiritual fulfillment/perfection.
Jesus says the little girl is only asleep. Really? Do you think this is true?
His statement is a prefigurement of what he came to accomplish for us. Once we have faith, our death is only like falling asleep. Death should never be feared again.
Jesus tells them not to share the true nature of his miracle. Why?
Jesus tells them this because opposition to Him is continuing to grow and His mission is not complete. He will decide when his time has come for completion.
What is the significance of the official's daughter being 12 years old and the woman bleeding for 12 years?
12 is the number of Israel. It comes from the 12 tribes of Israel, which are descendants of the 12 sons of Jacob (whose name God change to “Israel”). Jesus came to gather again the 12 tribes of Israel for the Kingdom.
Finally, Jesus shows that he came not only for faithful Jews in good religious standing but equally for the outcasts.
Conscience, free will, soul, passions… 7:30
When God breathed his spirit into man (Gen 2:7), we were elevated to “physical-spiritual” beings, in God’s image and likeness. This new nature gave us several new abilities/characteristics: a spiritual mind, free will, and an immortal soul.
A spiritual mind/intellect that can negotiate time, abstraction, and creativity, and includes a spiritual desire for meaning, purpose, love, truth, justice, and knowledge (all of which end in God, for they are His attributes), and a spiritual awareness of our own existence and the existence of a higher reality/higher being.
“Consider the mind of man, as distinguished from all the lower animals, the capacity to look back to the indefinite past and forward to the distant future, the impulse to project itself in imagination beyond the limits of space and time, to rise to the conception of endless duration. There is an ever-increasing yearning for knowledge, a craving for an ever-fuller possession of truth, which expands and grows with every advance of science. There is the character of unfinishedness in our mental life and development—the contrast between the capabilities of the human intellect and its present destiny, between the immensity of man's outlook and the limitations of his actual horizon, between the splendor of his ideals and the insignificance of his attainments, which all demand a future existence unless the human mind is to be a wasteful failure.” – Marshall, https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/immortality.
Free will – the ability to make moral choices about good and evil, right and wrong, love and hatred, greed and generosity, arrogance and humility. It is the power to override our lower animal instincts for the good of others. Some people think freedom means doing anything we wish, but often that is simply succumbing to our lower animal instincts (food, sex, immediate gratification…), which are forms of slavery. Freedom involves rising above our animal natures; it is where meaning, purpose, and spiritual fulfilment can be found.
An immortal soul. The fear of death is painfully conspicuous in man, especially given that if there is no meaning to our existence, then we should realize it’s just a fact of life. Rather, this extreme fear exists to get our attention because there is meaning to what happens at death, and we have the opportunity to manage what happens next.
The spiritual characteristics described above have been combined in different ways for different reasons over the centuries. For example, if we consider the term “conscience,” where would this go in the list above?
Our conscience is the arena where good and evil duel it out in our minds, and where we make our choices. This is why Benedict XVI says our conscience contains our freewill (#2) plus the spiritual desire for goodness in #1. He says that when God breathed consciences into us, they came with the knowledge and desire for good, so that these are always present. But these are also skills that need to be nurtured. Similar to growing a garden or learning carpentry or how to play the piano, these gift-skills must be developed by practicing mind/will over matter. Moreover, we are not alone. The more we involve God, the more wisdom comes our way for discerning the truth of things and the more grace (strength) to control our disordered desires.
Pope John Paul II says that conscience is the "most secret core and sanctuary of a man, where he is alone with God." Of course, this presumes you have invited God to be active in your life; otherwise, your debates about what to do will be lonesome arguments with yourself. You have left Christ sleeping in the back of the boat, even during your storms.
A term we haven’t defined yet is our soul. What is our soul?
Our soul is what God breathed into us. Our soul is the composite of who we are – our minds, our memories, our goodness, our faults, our accomplishments, our human record of life. When the body dies, the soul – who we are – does not die but moves onto the next life while it awaits it’s glorified body.
Passions
Although our present age regards itself as sensitive to emotions, they don’t carry much weight theologically or spiritually. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has nine very brief paragraphs on the emotions:
The passions are natural components of the human psyche; they form the passageway and ensure the connection between the life of the senses and the life of the mind. Passions are a fundamental part of the human experience.
Passions are morally neutral. The Church teaches that "in themselves passions are neither good nor evil." They are morally qualified only to the extent that they effectively engage reason and will. Passions can be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices.
Passions must be properly governed by reason and will.
Unbridled passions can lead to sin. Unless restrained, passions will carry a man beyond the bounds of duty and honesty and plunge him into sinful excesses.
Strong feelings are not decisive for the morality or the holiness of persons; they are simply the inexhaustible reservoir of images and affections in which the moral life is expressed. Passions are morally good when they contribute to a good action, and evil in the opposite case.” (1768)
In summary, the Church does not view passions as inherently bad, but rather as morally neutral forces that must be properly ordered and governed by the will and reason for life to flourish as it was intended. Passions are a natural part of the human experience, but they require the guidance of the will and intellect to direct them towards the good.
Interestingly, the Greeks pursuit of similar knowledge through philosophy was impressive. Socrates died for what he believed rather than spout the pagan beliefs of his time. Later, his prize student, Plato (4th century BC), concluded that humans were basically shallow and could only strive to be good and just, but never really come close. In the end, most do it for show. He said the only true just man would never be tolerated anyway, because he makes the rest of men look bad, so he would have to be killed:
ὁ δίκαιος μαστιγώσεται, στρεβλώσεται, δεδήσεται, ἐκκαυθήσεται τὠφθαλμώ, τελευτῶν πάντα κακὰ παθὼν ἀνασχινδυλευθήσεται καὶ γνώσεται ὅτι οὐκ εἶναι δίκαιον ἀλλὰ δοκεῖν δεῖ ἐθέλειν.
The just man will have to endure the lash, the rack, chains, the branding-iron in his eyes, and finally, after every extremity of suffering, he will be crucified, and so will learn his lesson that not to be just, but to seem just, is what we ought to desire. (Rep. 2.361e–362a)
In time, Plato also tackled the complex issue of how human intellect, the will, and the passions interacted.
With the proper control of the passions, man could go anywhere he wanted.
If he did not control the passions, they would take him over a cliff.
Four hundred years later came Christianity, and this topic was taken up by the early Fathers of the Church. St. Augustine also admired the work of the Greeks and sought to complete what was missing on the chariot.
He noted that controlling the will is still a very tough thing, and furthermore, how could the intellect always discern the truth of goodness? Augustine said the only thing missing to complete the chariot was the love of God in our lives.
Note again that the “soul” is the whole person.
Closing Prayer
Our Lord Jesus Christ, I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord, in your great generosity, heal my sickness … May I receive the Bread of angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords … with the purity and faith … that will help to bring me to salvation.
Hail Mary…
Full of grace, the Lord is with thee
blessed are thou amongst 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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