Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study House rules/notes… 1. Meetup is www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy Zoom Meeting Logon info is the same every week: Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952 2. Questions encouraged. If you have questions about anything, you can ask in the chat, email the Meetup group, or me directly at ron@hallagan.net. 3. The unedited recaps from our meetings will be posted on Meetup immediately after our meeting. The final edited recap will be posted on our Catholic Catacombs Light website https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/blog, a week later. You will be notified via Meetup of both. 4. See The Chosen. Knowing Jesus Christ means being able to better relate to God. Check it out: The Chosen at https://thechosen.link/1Y1R7. 5. Respectfulness. As we will occasionally discuss differences between religions and or between Christian denominations, we agree to use respectful words and tones. Specifically, Protestants are our friends and brothers in Christ; I personally owe a part of my return to the faith to them. 6. No politics. It would be easy for us to self-destruct; however, that’s not our goal. Our goal is to learn the Bible, explain the Catholic faith, and help each other develop a closer relationship with the Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit in our daily lives. 7. Catholic Prayer, Fellowship, and Spirituality Meetup led by fellow member Jason Goldberg: https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/ 8. Prison fellowship – opportunities to volunteer one Saturday per month for 2 hours (12-2 or 2-4) serving Catholic prisoners at the Fairfax County Jail. Ask Ron (ron@hallagan.net) or Gina (gmasterson99@gmail.com) for details. Why? "I was in prison and you visited me." – Matt 25:36 RSVP Request: We only have 3-5 people RSVPing most weeks, even when 10-12 show up. A higher RSVP in MeetUp shows that the Bible Study is a popular place to go! Please RSVP for the class, even if you only plan to read the Recaps. Bible Study Format: 5 min prayer, 15 min Catholic topic, 40 min main topic from the weeks listed below Week 1: July 5 – Gospel Week: Stop judging? (Mt7:1-5); Left behind? (Mt: 24:37-41); The Meaning of 70 (Luke 10:1-12,16-20) Week 2: July 12 – Bible Week (Gen àRev): The Story of Joseph I (Gen 37, 39-42) Week 3: July 19 – Survey Topic of Choice: Purgatory III Final à Heaven I
Ö 1) Jesus’ Great Parables 2) Hell, Purgatory, Heaven 3) Christian Comparisons 4) Great Women in the Bible 5) Why is there suffering? 6) World Religions 7) Book of Revelation 8) Major Councils/Crusades/Inquisitions
Week 4: July 26 – Open Mic: Pending questions: what is grace? What is justice?
Upcoming Catholic Holy Days
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mon, August 15
Opening Prayer
Lord, we meet tonight because you gave us faith and reason
And by studying Your Word we put these two gifts together to enrich our understanding and our relationship.
Please guide us to a better understanding of Your truth.
Bless all our members, their lives, their health, their work, their families and friends.
We pray especially for the world and all those suffering today, especially the innocent and undeserving.
And as you taught us to pray...
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your 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 have trespassed against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Gospel Reading #1 – Stop Judging
Context: Jesus is delivering his famous “Sermon on the Mount,” which is the foundation for Jesus’ taking OT teachings to the next level: heart before practice, intention before action, internal before external. It includes the 8 Beatitudes, how to pray (the “Our Father”), and much more. Tonight’s instructions are on judgment.
Matthew 7:1-5
Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.
Q: Does Jesus not want to discern right from wrong?
Of course he does. His whole life was spent showing us how to make good, right, loving choices. How can one make such choices without differentiating between good and bad?
Q: Then what is he telling us?
The key is in his second statement, “You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
He is warning us about humanity’s tendency to judge others and not ourselves; about judging others even while we are guilty of the same/similar thing.
Q: Why should we take Jesus’ warning seriously?
Because either we work on this or else we will receive the exact same judgment as we dish out to others. How’s that for perfect justice? I don’t recommend it.
Jesus is offering therapy, or a cure, for our condition. If we are just willing to work on improving in this area, not only will he help us but he will forgive our shortfalls. It’s a good deal. And because this process takes some humility, we will get wisdom thrown in as a freebie. Humility is the only doorway to wisdom.
Perhaps we should back up a bit, as it’s always good to know the source, or cause, of one’s sickness.
Recall the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. Taking the fruit of this tree against God’s warning was a reflection of our desire to “possess” this knowledge of good and evil for ourselves. Why is this a bad thing?
Along with our spiritual nature, God gives us access to a higher love, higher knowledge, and higher truth. Seeking to own these things for ourselves is like a dog being given access to a water sprinkler and then thinking he discovered it all on his own and thus owns it, water and all. Similarly, our discoveries in science – from gravity to space flight to black holes – were always there from the beginning of time, just waiting for us to “find" them. When we think we own that which comes from God, we are engaging in a very primitive form of rebellion. The proper relationship with this knowledge – which will expedite our access to even greater knowledge – is simply humble gratitude and awe toward the Creator along our way.
Desiring to own any knowledge is silly enough, but desiring to own the “knowledge of good and evil” is quite another thing. In this material world where survival of the fittest (physical or intellectual) rules, seeking control of good and evil – or right and wrong – is not typically for our own enlightenment but for our competitive advantage over others – for the purpose of guaranteeing superiority and retaining control. When we pretend to own right and wrong, then we have no choice but to judge others by our own standards, our own personal morality. In this way, we seek intellectual control of our own world.
If you doubt this unfortunate reality, remember our discussion about justice: all humans desire justice fiercely, desperately – but for everyone else, not for ourselves. If we are in trouble, we have no compunction about trying to get out of it; of hoping against all odds for a lucky break; of avoiding getting caught or of paying the fine or penalty; we’ll even pray to God and the saints for intervention against the possible imposition, or inconvenience, of justice. We are like Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden after eating from the tree. And when we get caught, just like they did, we are willing to blame everyone but ourselves. Honesty becomes a complete stranger. When the going gets tough, humans are natural born hypocrites.
Jesus is trying to get us to look under the hood and offer us a solution. And there’s a huge benefit to seeing things God’s way, if we are willing to try.
Take love. From a materialist standpoint, love is both relative (up to me, my personal gratification, my interpretation) and finite (just like every other resource in our material existence). But when we tap into love from God, it is not only an endless recourse but it operates completely the opposite to our worldly laws; i.e., the more love we give away, the more love we have to give – and the more love we will get back from others.
But if we use this world’s approach to control love or wield it to our own will, we will lose it! If we try to ration love, it refuses to go along with the plan: rather, it slips between our fingers and we end up with no love at all. We must be willing to give it away freely, not conditionally, in order to have more and/or get more.
The same principle applies to all God’s characteristics, be it love, knowledge, truth, justice, forgiveness, etc. The more we try to wield ownership over them, the more we cut ourselves off from their source and start a downward spiritual journey, all the while the world and Satan are giving us a standing ovation for worldly prowess.
Alternatively, remaining connected to God while we are engaging all of these things is like shooting them up intravenously.
Back to the cure.
So of course Jesus expects us to discern right from wrong, but first and foremost this discernment must be for self-reflection and self-instruction. Given that we have endless room for self-improvement, we get to develop humility in the process, which again opens the door to more of God’s wisdom.
Q: Why is self-reflection and self-improvement so hard?
Self-reflection is hard because of our ego and pride. Our ego doesn’t not like to be corrected and self-reflection is corrective action. That’s why this is called a spiritual exercise. It may be tough but we can’t improve unless we are open to our faults.
Self-improvement is hard because we are creatures of habit. Habits are like beaten-down pathways in the brain for easy thought-traveling. We don’t have to think to execute a habit – it’s automatic because the pathway is already there. Habits are useful because it frees up our minds to deal with more important matters. However, changing them is hard.
Think of a path in a jungle – would you prefer to walk through the thick, overgrown brush, or take the path that is already there? When we try to create a new habit, it’s like we are using a machete to cut through the thick brush and create a new path for our neurons to travel. Our neurons resist, as if saying, “No, you idiot, the path is over here!” But the more we practice thinking the new way, the more a path is formed and our thoughts get accustomed to going that way. In time, you have a new habit. Psychologists have estimated that it takes on average 19 repetitions of the new way before it begins taking hold (note: that is an average, meaning some things may take less and some may take more). It may be so hard to remember at first that we may need to set reminders for ourselves, but the fact is that it can be done. If you don’t believe so, then that only means you have chosen to be a willing slave to your bad habits.
Q: After we have taken the log out of our own eye, if judging and instructing others is still necessary, are we to judge “the person” or “the behavior”?
1. Behavior, of course. Discussing behaviors helps de-personalize our comments and makes the discussion easier to have.
2. We should also ask ourselves, “Is our judging and instruction for the purpose of building up, or tearing down?”
- Remember, love always builds up. Always.
- Remember, Satan’s way is always dividing and tearing down. Always.
3. Only God judges people. Don’t play God. Rather than condemn others – even in passing – pray for them. Here’s an example:
“Dear Lord, I am praying for this SOB so he/she can be healed. And heal me, too, in case I’m the problem. Thank you, Amen!”
Just replacing our million little judgments every year with this little prayer will change our lives completely – and forever.
Gospel Reading #2
Left Behind?
Do you want to be left behind?
For those familiar with Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series, you’re probably thinking, “Heck no, I don’t want to be left behind!”
However, you may want to consider. Perhaps you do!
This question is prompted by Jesus’ teaching about his coming at the end of time, which, in the passage below, he compares to the days of Noah.
Matthew 24:37-42
For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Some Christians think Jesus is saying that at the end of time, he is going to secretly snatch believers up to himself (“one is taken”)—hence the term “rapture”—and leave behind (“one is left”) the wicked to experience the final push of evil brought about by the Antichrist, after which Jesus will come and establish the new heaven and new earth.
However, this “pre-tribulation rapture” idea was developed in the early/mid 1800s by a man named John Nelson Darby, an early leader of a Fundamentalist movement that became known as Dispensationalism. This view has influenced the thinking of not only many Fundamentalist Christians, but unfortunately some Catholics. I guess even Catholics don’t want to be left behind!
Q: What is the Catholic position?
Note again in the passage that Jesus compares his coming to “the days of Noah.”
Who is swept away, or taken away, in the Flood? The wicked.
Noah and his family, the righteous ones, are the ones left behind to experience a new creation (starting over).
Rather than the righteous being taken away and the wicked being left behind, it’s the opposite: the righteous are left behind, and the wicked are taken away to experience perfect justice (exactly what they chose in this life), minus the forgiveness they never asked for.
So, the next time you get asked, “Do you want to be left behind?” get ready for a look of confusion when you answer, “Absolutely, how about you?”
Gospel Reading #3
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy – Luke 10:1-12, 16-20
After this the Lord appointed seventy* others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
*Some older manuscripts say 72.
Sending out 70 disciples is a clear sign that Jesus’ teachings, and discipleship, have reached a new level. This would also indicate that this event was later in Jesus’ three year ministry.
Indeed, it was later. Luke chapters 9-19 are all about Jesus' final trip to Jerusalem. Our reading is from chapter ten.
Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem, Luke Chs 9-19.
Q: What is the first significance of the number 70 in the Bible?
In Exodus 12:37, it says over 600,000 enslaved Israelites escaped Egypt under Moses. Moses was overwhelmed at the issues he had to deal with for so many people, so his father-in-law, Jethro, recommended he select 70 of the wisest leaders from the people to help with communications and resolving the various conflicts among them. Moses prayed and God blessed this arrangement, and the 70 were “given the spirit” by God to perform this service. Since then, 70 as a number has meant both leadership and assistance with spiritual transformation, which is what the 40 years in the desert was all about.
Q: What other significance can we find about the number 70?
During the Hellenistic Empire (323BC to 31 BC) started by Alexander the Great, not only did the Greeks import their advanced science and culture into conquered countries but they often encouraged and even incorporated the best of the conquered cultures as well. Israel was a part of this Hellenistic empire and cultural exchange (“Hellenization”) for most of this period.
Around 250 BC, Alexandria, Egypt had become one of the most thriving cultural and educational centers ever, with the largest “library” in the empire. It was here that the Greeks, intrigued by the Hebrew bible, arranged to have it translated into Greek. To accomplish this, Israel sent 70 rabbis to Alexandria to undertake the translation (once again, some say 72 representing 6 from each of the 12 Tribes).
Legend has it that each of the 70 rabbis translated Hebrew Scripture independently so that they could compare them at the end, and that they completed this in 70 days. This translation became known as the “Septuagint” (Greek for 70). It was the Greek version of the Hebrew Old Testament.
The Septuagint was being used during the time of Jesus since by that time Greek had become the common language used across the empire. This is also why the New Testament was written in Greek – everyone spoke it.
The Septuagint out-survived its Hebrew counterparts, most of which disappeared when Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.
The Septuagint became the “Old Testament” of the early Christians. It was finally combined with the New Testament books by the Catholic Church in AD 382 to form what we now call the “Bible” – 46 books OT + 27 books NT = 73 books total).
Q: There is one more very significant fact about the number 70. Who recalls what the Sanhedrin was?
The Sanhedrin was the supreme religious body of Israel during the Roman occupation, made up of mostly elites (Sadducees and Pharisees). They had judicial authority over all religious matters, although they could not inflict capital punishment. As with Jesus, only the Roman prefect/overseer (i.e., Pontius Pilate) could authorize executions.
Q: How many members were there in the Sanhedrin?
71 elders, resembling the time of Moses, plus the chief priest (like Moses).
The Sanhedrin
As you can see, 70 is not an insignificant number.
Now let’s return to Jesus choosing and sending 70 disciples to teach and prepare the towns for his coming en route to Jerusalem.
Q: Does anyone think for one minute that any of this was lost on the Jewish Sanhedrin?
Just like Jesus chose 12 Apostles to represent/replace the 12 Tribes of Israel, now he chooses 70 disciples, in the spirit of Moses, to replace the Temple leadership – the Sanhedrin.
Q: And why is Jesus doing this?
Because the time of the Gentiles had come.
“I will bless those who bless you (Abraham)… and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” – Gen 12:3
“I know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all nations...” – Isaiah 66:18
"For this is what the Lord has commanded us: I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" – Acts 13:47
Q: On his way to Jersulaem, Jesus upsets his disciples several times by telling them that he will need to suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes (the SANHEDRIN), and must be killed and then raised on the third day (Lk 9:22). We know they didn’t understand all this yet but can you see how is Jesus teeing up his own demise? He is setting the trap for himself!
“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” – John 10:18
Q: In the quote just above, how can we reconcile Jesus laying his life down “willingly,” and yet it is the “command” of his Father?
The decision to kill Jesus wasn’t God’s, nor Jesus’. It was mankind’s. The “command” had to do with accepting a brutal death at the hands of humans because it was for our sake; because God agreed to accept this as payment for our sins. As a result, forgiveness is freely offered to all humans who want it, which is how we gain access to heaven. Jesus does this “willingly” to show us that it is his choice, but then also his Father’s command is his own, because he and the Father are one.
“I and the Father are one.” – John 10:30
Q: Does this mean that everyone who accepts Jesus’ forgiveness is in some way the cause of his death?
Yes.
Q: What kind of God does this?
Anyone who loves their kids knows the answer to this. Love does this. Nothing else. So, don’t feel guilty, feel loved.
Jesus gave Jerusalem one generation to get on board while the Church got underway after Pentecost. Many did and many did not – particularly the Temple leadership – and so The Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed, as Jesus predicted, in 70 AD. That is also when the Sanhedrin fell.
“Truly I tell you, there shall not be one stone here left upon another that shall not be torn down.” – Matthew 24:2
Q: What did Jesus mean by giving his disciples the power to "tread on serpents and scorpions"?
Biblical language meaning evil spiritual powers (Satan and his demons). Ref: Psalm 91:13. Jesus’ point was that "nothing shall by any means hurt you," – for they are already saved, which is what Jesus means by saying, “their names are written in God's Book of Life.”
Q: What did Jesus mean by, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from the sky?”
Some think this meant he was present at the time of the fall of the angels, and that is true enough. But the primary meaning is that the dethronement of Satan was underway.
Q: Do you recall the prophecy God makes when Adam & Eve are being exiled from the Garden? He said the the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent, but that the serpent will strke his heel (Gen 3:15). Do you see this playing out?
Mary is the woman, Jesus is the seed of the woman. The serpent will indeed strike his heel as Jesus is about to be put to death. But in that very act he crushes the head of the serpent.
Closing Prayer
Prayer of St. Richard
Thanks be to thee
my Lord Jesus Christ for all the benefits thou hast given me for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother may I know thee more clearly love thee more dearly and follow thee more nearly
day by day.
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed are 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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