Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics House rules/notes… 1. Online via Meetup/Zoom or In Person at St. John Neumann Catholic Church 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, VA 20191 https://saintjn.org/ 2. Meetup is www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy Zoom Meeting Logon info is the same every week: Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952 3. I will send out Meeting Recaps the same night as our sessions – these are unedited versions without pictures. An edited version with pictures will be posted on our website https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/recaps before the next meeting. Taylor will notify everyone at that time. 4. Questions encouraged. If you have questions about anything, you can ask in the chat box, email the Meetup group, or me at ron@hallagan.net. 5. Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between religions and Christian denominations, and we agree to be respectful at all times. Specifically, Protestants 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 with other Catholics during the week? Fellow member Jason Goldberg has started “Catholic Prayer, Fellowship, and Spirituality Meetup.” Sign up at: https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/. 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: https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/recaps 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 EXODUS, the 2nd book of Moses. Week 3: Survey Topics Voted on by Members:
x 1) Jesus’ Greatest Parables x 2) Hell, Purgatory, Heaven 3) Comparative Religions
4) Great Women in the Bible 5) Book of Revelation 6) Major Heresies and Church Councils
Week 4: Member Questions:
1. What are blessings? Is it possible to ask for too many?
2. Jesus says in John 14:28, “The Father is greater than I.” What does this mean? I thought they were one.
3. In Genesis and somewhere else, it says that God changed his mind. In another place, it says God repented that he made humans. I thought God was unchangeable. Can you explain this?
4. Please provide an intro or overview of the OT books.
5. What’s the difference between Charity and Love? What are the highest forms of charity?
6. Can you provide a brief review of the origin/meaning of the (12) statements in the Creed?
7. How many Gospels have the story of Jesus’ calming the storm? They seem different. Are they the same story?
8. Why does God seem full of vengeance or violence in the OT? Is this a misinterpretation?
9. Can we do a Christian Meditation one evening?
10. Is “recognition” a good thing? How does pride play into it? Glory and pride discussion
11. Angels – who are they, what do they do, and do we really have guardian angels?
Catholic Catacombs Website: https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website
Major upcoming holy days in the Liturgy of the Church:
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Aug 15)
Opening Prayer
Father of Mercy and Life
In this week’s lesson we seek to understand some of your comments and parables
written down by your servant, Matthew.
Matthew’s Gospel is written to the Jews
so we know it is rich in Old Testament parallels and fulfillment.
Thank you for helping us understand the how to connect the dots throughout salvation history.
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.
Week One is Gospel Week
Gospel basics…
1) The most influential book in the world is the Bible.
2) The most important books in the Bible are the Gospels.
3) The most influential book of the Gospels, especially in the first several centuries, is Matthew.
The Church’s Mass readings follow a 3-year cycle (Year A, Year B, and Year C, then it repeats):
Year A – Matthew Year B – Mark Year C – Luke
These three Gospels are called the “Synoptic Gospels” because they similarly recount the life of Jesus in roughly chronological order. As such, they are easy to compare. Synoptic is Greek, meaning like, similar, or to see together.
Q: What about the 4th Gospel, the Gospel of John?
The Gospel of John is the most theological and philosophical Gospel of the four, most likely written last. Clearly, John did not see the need to repeat many of the other Gospel accounts already in circulation, although several accounts show up in all four Gospels. John adds numerous accounts the others don’t have, e.g., Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, the Bread of Life discourse (Ch 6), the Last Supper Discourses (chapters 14-17), and the Jesus’s risen appearance to Thomas.
John and the Liturgical Calendar (the Mass): John’s Gospel is also used in the Church’s Mass readings, but not in rotation with the Synoptics. John’s accounts are interspersed throughout the year, mostly during the Christmas and Easter seasons.
Q: What does Gospel man?
‘Gospel’ is Greek for “good news.”
Q: Can you describe the “Good News” in three sentences or less?
The Good News is that God and His Kingdom do exist and because of that, human existence has meaning and goodness (they are not “shared illusions”), and this meaning and goodness applies to us collectively (via love) and individually (via free will). And, though free will enables humans to make horrible choices, God has nonetheless thrown open the doors of Heaven to us and paid for our entrance, if we would only try to enter through His love and forgiveness.
Next “Gospel Week,” we will discuss the dating and authors of the Gospels.
The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7 (continued)
Sermon on the Mount in “The Chosen”
Matthew 6
1-18 Concerning Almsgiving, Fasting, and Prayer
Jesus reaffirms these three traditional works of mercy long honored by Jews and Christians but warns against performing them for public esteem.
If you seek recognition here, then you have your reward already. If you don’t seek recognition here, your reward awaits you in Heaven, which is far superior to here. What is the lesson of this?
Humility.
Q: What season does Almsgiving, Fasting, and Prayer remind you of in Catholic life?
Lent is it is a form of Catholic virtue practice because all of life is a conversion process, just at different levels.
Almsgiving is conversion in relation to others. It was an obligation under the Sinai covenant and still is. It is
not only a part of loving our neighbor (mercy) but is considered a form of penitence for our sins.
Prayer is conversion in relation to God. Our relationship with God can only happen if we communicate.
Fasting is conversion in relation to oneself. If we don’t practice self-control, we will never learn any virtues.
Mt 6: 9-15 How to Pray – Jesus gives us the perfect prayer. It’s hard to overestimate the magnificence of this prayer. It contains all of our individual and collective salvation.
The Our Father (Mt 6:9-13) – its 7 petitions can be broken into two parts: the first glorifies God and the second petitions God about our greatest needs.
As with all proper forms of prayer, we start with raising our minds to God first before we talk about our own needs.
Jesus says, “Pray like this…”
Our Father in Heaven – Jesus comes to bring humans into a new relationship with God. As part of the New Covenant that he paid for with his blood, we are now part of God’s adopted family. He is our “Father” in every way.
Holy be Thy Name – Part of this relationship is recognizing who God is, because if we don’t keep that in front of us, we will lose sight of our destination. God is perfect, perfect love, perfect justice, mercy, and joy. He is all the things that humans desire or aspire to, and this includes Heaven and eternal life.
Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven
a) This statement is the key to understanding our path to true greatness. “God’s will” is love, justice, goodness, and truth. Our wills are made for this, too, but because of free will and the Fall, we are like children learning manners – we have to develop them. Learning to internalize and implement His will is our part of bringing His Will to Earth. When Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” he means he has brought the Kingdom to us, and therefore it starts here and now, not later.
b) This statement also refers to the end of times. Whether humans choose to pursue this path or not, God’s Will is going to happen on Earth at Judgment Day. Isaiah captured this beautifully:
Thus says the Lord: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. – Isaiah 55:10-11
Speaking of doing God’s will, how do we do our part? We do it by practicing honesty, humility, mercy, and love. But is that enough? Can we do this by ourselves? No.
Give us this day our daily (eternal) bread. Like the manna in the desert, we must learn to depend on God daily. Jesus makes this connection for us in John 6 – the bread/manna of eternal life is HIM. He wants to fill us, nourish us, strengthen us, and join with us to handle the crosses in our lives so we don’t lose our way.
What’s the main lesson, or roadblock, to spiritual progress? Usually, it is our own self-centeredness and the way we respond to others who are self-centered.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. This statement not only represents perfect justice, but Jesus is also teaching us how to be like God. First is the act of humbling ourselves to ask for forgiveness and second is the act of doing the same thing for our human brothers and sisters. These two acts yields spiritual growth in us which then produces wisdom.
What is our greatest challenge on this road?
Our personal temptations, which we must recognize are opportunities to develop virtues (or else leave them as vices). We all know we need help with this, and so we pray…
Lead us not into temptation. Believe it or not, “temptation” is what builds character and virtue. If we were never tempted, we would be silver-spoon-in-the-mouth weaklings. What this petition is saying is, “Lord, let us not be tempted beyond our strength, and help us learn to walk away from them more and more.”
And now, what about forces from outside of us? Aren’t we influenced by bad things from all around us? Of course, we are, the devil is happy and busy. Remember, evil followed humans into the world, and it will follow us to our last day. And so we pray:
Deliver us from evil. Not only all the time, every day, through all our trials and mistakes, but especially at the hour of our death!
In the end, we find ourselves back at the beginning – in the hands of our Father in Heaven.
Matthew 10:34 – Jesus says, “I have come not to bring peace but the sword” … and he goes on to talk about setting members within families against each other. He closes by saying, “If you love them (your family…) more than me, you are not worthy of me.” These are some pretty scary words. What does Jesus mean?
This passage will stop most people right in their tracks. Wasn’t Jesus’ whole mission about peace and reconciliation? So why the sword? How can Jesus be the Prince of Peace and also be preparing us for conflict?
First of all, let’s clarify one thing: this has nothing to do with not loving your family, or even loving them less. In fact, the endless ability to have access to the highest love – sacrificial love even when it hurts us dearly – comes from God. It is our putting God first that gives us an endless source of this love. This is why loving God above all things is the first of the commandments. Then we can love our family MORE.
Jesus is talking about something else. He knew before he came here that many would not accept him or his message. In fact, they would crucify him for it. He came anyway because that’s what love does.
Jesus didn’t fit their expectations or their comfort zones. He hung around with sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, and the ritually unclean (sick/deaf/dumb/lame) and criticized those in power. He knew that this would lead to division – even within families – and he wanted them to be forewarned about what would be facing. We have difficulty imagining this in our day because Christianity has been around for 2000 years, but in the beginning, it was not so. Following Jesus would not only make you an enemy of your own religious leaders and an enemy of the state. All the more amazing that Christianity grew so fast in this environment. Yet, this made Jesus’s coming all the more necessary.
The one religion that had prepared the way for him (Judaism) had become too rigid in their literal interpretations of Mosaic law and in their ritual requirements, even ignoring the poor, the sinners, and outcasts.
It is worth pointing out that most new religious or cult leaders try to win people over with fancy talk and promises of easy street, or even personal gratification (money...). Who would follow them if they didn’t? However, from the beginning God promised the opposite: that giving into all our material desires was giving into our Fall all over again – which leads to our spiritual death. From Day One, God called us to be better, higher, more just, more honest, more hard-working, and more merciful (like Him!) – and these would lead us to happiness.
Q: What about in our own circle of family and friends today? How do we handle our differences in faith?
I have some personal experience with this and had to learn the hard way.
We all want every person to come to know the Lord. But we must also expect at times to experience pushback, conflict, or even division when we try to share our faith. In such situations, it’s important not to let our witness turn into an attempt just to “convince” someone of the truth. Too often, conversations like these create deeper divisions than the unity and healing that we – and Jesus – long for. Instead, we can preach the Gospel with our actions – our loving behavior – and with prayer. Remember, we never convert. It’s an internal thing between each person and God the Holy Spirit. We just plant the seeds and pray over those seeds. Sometimes, we need to get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit do His thing.
St. Augustine in the 4th century was asked the same question. Here is his advice...
When our family says to you “Love us,” Augustine said to answer, “I will love you in Christ, not instead of Christ. You will be with me in him, but I will not be with you without him.”
Of course, Augustine was right since loving our family in Christ is the only way to truly love them. The love of God the only answer to the spiritual longing that we and our family members feel for each other, that this earth cannot satisfy.
No wonder Jesus said to be like children!
Closing Prayer
Thank you, Father…
For loving us into existence and for giving us another chance when we fell.
Thank you for coming here personally to walk in our shoes
And show us how to live and to love.
Thank you for opening the gates of Heaven to us
And for paying our way.
Thank you for leaving yourself behind in the Eucharist and Your Word
And for sending us the Holy Spirit to help us the rest of the way.
And thank you for your mother!
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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