Tonight
Gospel Readings: Mary and Martha, Jesus and Beelzebub, The Return of the Demons
10 Min Journeys through the Mass
House notes/rules…
1. The Zoom Meeting Logon information is the same every week: Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952
2. The notes/recaps from our meetings are posted on our Catholic Catacombs Light website https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/blog, usually within a day. Taylor will demonstrate.
3. See The Chosen. Knowing Jesus Christ means being able to better relate to God. Check it out: The Chosen at https://thechosen.link/1Y1R7.
4. Member relations. Protestants are our friends and brothers in Christ. I owe a part of my return to the faith to them. We have Protestants and former Protestants in our group and so let’s be loving and courteous when we are discussing doctrinal differences.
5. No politics. It would be easy to self-destruct; however, that’s not our goal. Our goal is to learn the Bible, explain the Catholic faith particularly as it comes from the Bible, and bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ in their daily lives.
6. Questions encouraged. If you have questions about anything, you can email the group via Meetup, or me directly at ron@hallagan.net.
Bible Study Format
Week 1: Oct 5 – Gospel Readings: Mary and Martha * Jesus and Be-elzebub * The Return of the Demons
Week 2: Oct 12 – Bible Narrative Exegesis from Genesis to Revelations: Tower of Babel (Gen 11) and The Call of Abraham (Gen 12)
Week 3: Oct 19 – Topic of Choice – Jesus’ Great Parables:
Week 4: Oct 26 – Open Mic – What are your faith obstacles, either in your personal or work life? Send other questions to Ron.
Bible Topics Survey Results 1. Jesus’ Greatest Parables 2. Hell, Purgatory, Heaven 3. Christian Comparisons 4. Great Women in the Bible 5. Why is there suffering in the world 6. Compare World Religions 7. Revelations
The Jewish faith was the faith of Jesus and so Jewish history is our history. It is useful to see the religious holidays religious Jews celebrate.
Next: Nov 28-Dec 6: Hanukah (from the book of Maccabees)
Opening Prayer 7:05-7:10
On this feast of All Souls, we remember all the “faithful departed.” This term might sound remote and impersonal but the death of a loved one is anything but remote. These are our spouses, our parents, our children, our friends.
These are our beloved dead!
That is why today is today’s commemoration is a gift, both for us and for our deceased loved ones.
All Souls’ Day reminds us that in baptism we become part of the Communion of Saints – along with the saints in Heaven and with those en route to Heaven (Purgatory).
Because of this Communion, we are not remote at all. Our spirits are connected as we are all part of the Body of Christ, and we further help them if they need it with our prayers, so we touch them in that way also!
Because of Jesus Christ and through him, we are eternally united and only the veil of this world separates us.
Because of this Communion, our love and prayers reach beyond the grave.
Because of this Communion, our prayers can help those who have gone before us and who are now being purified.
As we pray for them, may our own faith grow stronger.
Dear Lord, may your mercy and goodness pour down on upon all our human brothers and sisters who have died. We pray for their speedy journey as you prepare seats for them at your banquet table – family, friends, relatives, ancestors, coworkers – and a double portion to those who are most in need.
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.
10 Minute Journeys through the Mass: “The Source and Summit of Christian Life” – CCC #1324-27 9:10-9:20
1) The Sign of the Cross – we invite the Holy Trinity into ourselves and into our gathered community.
2) The Lord Be With You, And With Your Spirit – Jesus and the Holy Spirit are invited into, and interacting with us in the Mass.
3) Confiteor – in our preparation for our encounter with God, we confess our sins to Him and to each other.
Conclusion of the Confiteor
I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do – through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Q: To conclude the Confiteor, who are we praying to?
Who else, the Communion of Saints! This is our wider family, our eternal family.
Q: What is the difference between praying to the Communion of Saints and praying directly to Jesus/God?
Jesus Christ is our only “mediator” with God. It is through him that we have access to God and Heaven. Therefore, our prayers directly to him are called mediatory prayers.
Our prayers to the Communion of Saints – be it Mary, the Saints, our Guardian Angel, or our friends – are intercessory prayers. We are asking them to intercede/pray on our behalf.
Next on the 10 Minute Journeys through the Mass:
The Gloria
Martha & Mary Luke 10:38-42
Now it happened as they traveled that Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to his words.
But Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me alone to do all the serving? Tell her to help me!”
And Jesus said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. But there is need of only one thing and Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Q: Is it reasonable for Martha to ask this question of Jesus?
Yes, of course. The Torah taught the Jews to be hospitable to everyone, even strangers. She was focused on hospitality!
Q: Did Jesus’ response mean that what Martha was doing was bad, or wrong?
No! It was just that Mary had chosen the better thing. In fact, the repeating of her name (“Martha Martha”) suggests a special tenderness, which Jesus had done elsewhere (“Simon, Simon…” Luke 12:31 and “Saul, Saul…” Acts 9:4).
Q: What is unusual about Mary sitting at the Lord’s feet?
Sitting at the feet of teachers was how students became disciples. For instance, listen to St. Paul in Acts who learned from the famous rabbi, Gamaliel.
And Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus… and I learned at the feet of Gamaliel.” Acts 22:3
It is remarkable in 1st century Judaism that a woman would assume the posture of a disciple at the master’s feet. As we see throughout Jesus’ ministry, it reveals a characteristic, welcoming attitude of Jesus toward women.
Q: Why was Mary’s choice the “better part”?
Jesus came to bring eternal life/happiness to humanity. He was discussing what leads to eternal life. The “Gospel.”
Q: If Martha wasn’t doing anything “wrong,” what is Jesus’ message in this passage, since all Jesus’ messages are for us/everyone?
1) Human life has two components – spirit and body; contemplative/prayerful and action/behavior. Our goal is to marry these two. This is also how we bring God into our lives.
2) We are human beings first, and human doings second. Mary was being the first, Martha the second. Both are necessary, both are good.
3) We can only love in the present; when we are present. That is where we can appreciate things, change things, be sorry for things, forgive. When are we least present? When we are busy/distracted.
4) How does Faith and Works apply to this story?
Both are active. Faith not only informs works but allows God to be in the works. This is how faith becomes the verb it is supposed to be.
5) Was only Martha “doing” the hospitality?
Hospitality is centered upon whom? The guest. Who was the guest?
Jesus. What is Jesus doing?
Teaching. What is Mary doing?
Giving all her attention to her guest. Who is being more hospitable, Martha or Mary?
Summary
If God could speak one word that contained all knowledge and wisdom, would that not be amazing? But then that is exactly what He did. This is what the Apostle/Gospel writer John meant when he called Jesus the “Word of God.”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1:1,14
It shouldn’t surprise us, then, that every story about Jesus has multiple messages for us.
What is Jesus saying? It is important to realize that Mary and Martha are the same person – they are both us. We often can get so caught up in our work and family activities that we forget that God is central to our happiness and is the source of our strength and resilience. This is not a criticism of the Martha in us, just a reminder that the Martha in us gets her true life from the Mary in us.
Jesus and Beelzebub – Luke 11:14-23
Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon had left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebub that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that [I] drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Q: Who would have made such an accusation after Jesus helped this man?
A person(s) likely of rank and position sent from Jerusalem to watch and, if possible, to entrap. They could not deny what Jesus had done, so they tried to suggest some evil connection.
Q: Who is Beelzebub?
Beelzebub (pronounced be-EL-ze-bub) – also Beelzebul – was how the Jews referred to one of the gods of the Philistines. It translates as Lord of the Flies. It was an insult on top of an insult.
You will read in other sources (such as in Milton's Paradise Lost), he was one of the fallen angels, second only to Satan. Also, the “prince of the devils.”
Some believe the fallen angels who work for Satan often became the gods of the pagans.
Q: What did Jesus mean by this statement, “If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?”
If the illness was caused by Satan, and Jesus works for Satan, did he just act against his leader? (A divided kingdom?)
Q: What is the meaning of: “When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils.”?
The strong man is the devil; his palace is the world; his goods especially here are humans, particularly the poor/outcasts.
The stronger one that comes he is Jesus himself, who overcomes his adversary, takes from him all his armor, and rescues them from their tormentor.
The Return of the Unclean Spirit – Luke 11:24-26
“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first.”
Have you ever felt really good after overcoming some roadblock or difficult temptation? And then, soon afterwards, the roadblock or temptation unexpectedly returned and ran right over you like a Mack truck? This is what the passage is about. Your demons came back, the door was not guarded, and bam! they took you out.
When we make progress with some difficulty, we should not feel too good about ourselves but thank God for his help – and then gird yourselves – with the HS as your armor – for another attack. It takes effort, discipline, and God to turn bad habits into virtues, but it will happen if you persevere with the Lord.
Closing Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
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