Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics Online via Meetup/Zoom or In Person at St. John Neumann Catholic Church 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, VA 20191 https://saintjn.org/ 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. I send out Meeting Recaps the same night as our sessions – they are unedited versions with no pictures. An edited version with pictures is posted on our website at https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/recaps by Taylor before the next meeting - she notifies everyone who signed up. 3. 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. 4. Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between religions and between Christian denominations, and 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! 5. 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. 6. Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying with other Catholics during the week? Fellow member Jason Goldberg has started just this at “Catholic Prayer, Fellowship, and Spirituality Meetup.” Sign up at: https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/ 7. “The Chosen” TV series. All of us seek a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is not always easy at first. It helps when we can relate to Him if we have seen and heard Him. The Chosen has captured the real Jesus as close as any show I have ever seen. Just watch the first two with Mary Magdalene and you will see what I mean. 8. RSVP Reminder: Please RSVP whether you are attending the meeting or just reading the Recap notes afterwards. The more RSVPs, the more Meetup will give us exposure, which will draw more people to us, which is our way of evangelizing! Please RSVP when you get the Meetup invite weekly. Our Bible Study Format: 5 min greeting/prayers, 10-15 min Catholic topic, 40-45 min on the main topic from weekly List below: Week 1: Feb 7 - Gospel Week: The Eight Beatitudes Week 2: Feb 14 – Bible Week (Gen àRev): We are in EXODUS, the 2nd book of Moses. Week 3: Feb 21 – Survey Topics Voted on by Members: We are currently beginning Christian Comparisons/World Religions.
Ö 1) Jesus’ Greatest Parables Ö 2) Hell, Purgatory, Heaven 3) Christian Comparisons/World Religions
4) Great Women in the Bible 5) World Religions 6) Book of Revelation 7) Major Heresies and Church Councils
Week 4: Feb 28 – Member Questions
1. The History of the Mass going back to Cain & Abel, all leading to the sublime meaning of the Eucharist.
2. Can you review origin and meaning of the 12 statements of belief in the Creed?
3. You said Gen 1-3 (Creation/The Fall of Man) is at least partly allegory. How do you think things actually happened? Deepest mysteries of the universe. Infinitudes.
4. “Who am I?” It seems we all ask this question at some point in our lives. Some ask it all the time. How do you answer this?
5. Are Charity and Love synonymous? How are they different? What are the 4 highest forms of Charity?
6. Why did Jesus have to die?
Opening Prayer
We thank you, Father, for loving us into existence
For taking us back after we turned our backs on you.
For coming here personally to walk in our shoes and open the gates to Heaven.
We thank you for sending us the Holy Spirit to live in us,
To be our advisor, our advocate, our Trinitarian GPS.
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.
Next major upcoming events in the Church
Lent – Wed, Feb 22 – Thurs April 6
Triduum – Friday, Apr 7–Sun Apr 9
Easter – April 9
Handout for newcomers and Week 4 Survey
Catholic Catacombs Website: https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/recaps
We covered Lent in some detail last week, which can be found on our website, if you are interested. Let’s just review the purpose:
Q: What is the purpose of Lent?
In[DH1] James’ letter (Jas 1:8), he says humans have split minds, or double minds, like two people inside us: the worldly one that always wants to satisfy the body or the ego, and the other divine one that seeks to do the right or good thing. Our worldly/physical desires would addict us to the things of this world if we made no effort to control them, so we should occasionally practice detaching ourselves from these things. It not only shows we are we that the divine one is are still in charge, but the strengthening of our wills will help us later when we need it most.
Why 40? The Biblical number 40 means purification or preparation. Jesus’ 40 days in the desert was both.
Q: How was it both purification and preparation?
Purification – Humanity. The reason Jesus came here was to undo the Fall of Man which that separated humans from God. In Genesis, the Fall of Man was triggered by falling to three temptations: desire for physical gratification, the desire of the eyes to possess, and pride (– in one’s own glory, to be like God, and/or to replace God with the things of this world). Jesus’ first task before beginning his ministry after being baptized by John the Baptist was to correct the mistakes of our first parents by saying “no” to each of these temptations instead of “yes.” to each of them.
Preparation – Jesus’ time in the desert was also preparation for his ministry, not only by fasting and praying for 40 days, but also overcoming Satan’s temptations personally. Jesus was basically throwing down the gauntlet to Satan, drawing a line in the sand, and saying, “I’ve come to take humanity back!”
Catholic Central created a 7.5 min Lent video that does a pretty good job explaining things.
https://youtu.be/QJBMw2pQZiA
Q: What are the antidotes/remedies to the 3 temptations?
The Three Pillars of Lent
Therefore, during Lent, we want to practice putting the worldly self on a short leash and lavish our time and attention on the spiritual self.
Suggestions:
PRAY: Daily Psalms, Life of a Saint, Daily Rosary, Daily Mass & Communion
FAST: Favorite food, alcohol, some unpleasant behavior (talking vs listening, timeliness, apologizing)
GIVE: Putting others first (daily life, giving food/money/time, visit the elderly, soup kitchen)
The possibilities are endless. Do anything. Do something.
Q: It’s time to “get your Lent on”! What are you doing to strengthen your will, soul, spirit, and self this Lent?
Topic Night: Comparative Religions
World Population 7.9 billion · Christians—2.7 billion followers (34%) · Muslims—1.9 billion (24%) · Hindus—1.2 billion (15.0%) · Non-religious people—1.1 billion (14%) · Buddhists—500 million (6%) · Indigenous religions—400 million (5%) · Jews – 15 million (.2%)
Christianity – 2.7 billion
denominations members %
Roman Catholicism 1 1 billion 360 million 51%
Protestantism 212* 900 million 34%
Eastern Orthodox/Byzantine 75 300 million 11%
Misc 50 100 million 4%
* The range of estimated Protestant denominations runs from a dozen of the most major churches all the way to 46,000, because there are so many individual churches that have branched out on their own. For example, there are 1650 different megachurches now. The latest new movements that are set to expand further are the Emerging Churches and the Home Churches. The following article gives a good overview. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/just-how-many-protestant-denominations-are-there
Q: It would be useful to review what all Christians agree upon. What are our shared beliefs?
1) The high view of Scripture: it is venerated, it is inspired by the HS, and it is inerrant.
2) The same belief in the Trinity – there is one essence of God in 3 distinct persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).
3) The Fall of Man due to sin.
4) God’s qualities: God is holy, just, truthful, merciful, righteous, perfect, and loving.
5) The Incarnation of Christ; and that Christ has two natures (human and divine).
6) The Virgin Birth of Christ by the HS.
7) The sinlessness of Christ.
8) That God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to save humanity, which he did through his suffering and death on the cross.
9) The church was built on Christ, the chief cornerstone.
10) The Resurrection of Christ which paid for our sins.
11) The Second Coming of Christ.
12) The Apostle’s Creed.
13) Heaven and Hell.
14) All the dead will rise again and there will be a New heaven and earth.
15) Angels are spiritual beings created by God. Satan and the devils are a fallen angels who rejected God through pride.
These sound like a lot and they are – that’s why we’re all Christians, but there are also some key differences that developed in the 164th[DH2] century AD in what became known as the Protestant Reformation. These difference are difficult to pin down exactly because there are so many Protestant denominations that hold varying views and many topics, such as whether or not baptism required; the sacraments – Catholics believe that Christ established seven, some Protestants like Lutherans and Anglicans believe in two (Baptism and Eucharist), but most don’t believe in any; some consider the Communion symbolic, some consider it spiritual, others don’t do communion at all.
Q: Where do Catholics and most Protestants differ primarily?
To begin with, Protestants believe in what is called “Salvation through the Five Solas.” (“sola” is Latin for only)
1) Sola Scriptura – The Bible is inerrant, infallible, and the Scriptures are the only source of Christian faith.
2) Sola Fide – Only by faith, not works, is one saved.
3) Solus Christus – only Christ can reconcile us to God.
4) Sola Gratia – Only by God’s grace is one reconciled to Him.
5) Soli Deo Gloria – all salvation is for God’s glory and honor, not to man. A required conclusion of the first four.
They sound good by themselves, and there are truths within each one. Compared to Catholicism, they are also much easier to follow. When I began making my own journey back to Christianity from atheism, I went to Protestantism first (Episcopalian and Presbyterian). In fact, I loved it! However, a study of the history of Christianity – especially the first 3-4 centuries – shows that the Solas do not really conform to the teachings of the early Christians or the Apostles.
There are other differences as well, but let’s tackle the Solas first.
1. Sola Scriptura – The Bible is inerrant, infallible, and the Scriptures are the only source of Christian faith. This also holds the Bible explains itself, so the reader doesn’t need any authority to interpret it.
Catholicism agrees with the Bible is inerrant/infallible but not the rest. “It is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore, both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence.” – Pope Paul VI, 1965. The reason for this is that “tradition” (what was passed on orally from the Apostles) was in place at the time of Christ, it is mentioned in Scripture, and there was no “Bible” until the third century, so it could not have been the sole source of faith during the first three centuries.
Catholicism from the 1st century held that Scripture needed authority first to determine first which books and how many belonged in the Bible (which Catholicism did at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325) and, second, how to interpret Scripture.
“So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.” (2 Thess. 2:15)
“No prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation.” (2 Peter 1:20)
“There are many more things Jesus did. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the world itself would have space.” Jn 21:25 . Jesus: "Behold, I am coming soon, and I bring with me the rewards I will give to each person according to their deeds." (Rev 22:12)
Finally, given the Sola Scriptura says that every matter of faith MUST come from Scripture, it should be noted that Sola Scripture cannot be found in the Bible.
2. Sola Fide – Only by faith, not works, is one saved.
Catholicism has always held that faith is absolutely necessary and that any good works must flow out of one’s faith. In other words, if you have no faith, good works can’t get you to Heaven. On the other hand, if you have faith in Christ, then you are expected to put that faith into action in order to give your faith meaning. Words alone are not enough. I.e., if one apologizes for one’s mistakes, what good is are the words of apology if the offensive behavior continues? None. Catholics believe that faith and works are two sides of the same coin, both required.
“While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” Jesus replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (Luke 11:27-28)
Jesus: “… for wisdom is vindicated by her works.” (Matthew 11:19)
“Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.” (John 5:29-30)
Jesus: "I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to their deeds." (Rev 22:12)
“Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Matt 5:15-16)
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17) He goes on to say even demons believe in God.
Finally, it should be noted that the “works” that St. Paul had issues with were “works of the law,”, not “works of charity,” which Jesus requires of us. St. Paul was specifically chosen by Jesus to tackle the thorny issue presented by the judaizers, who were early Christians (Jews) who had followed ceremonial laws (circumcision, dietary laws, etc.) as a means to salvation and expected gentile converts to maintain that tradition. This was a major issue in Acts and the early church that hindered the Universal church. Paul, a former Pharisee among Pharisees, was the greatest student of the greatest Rabbi in history, Gamaliel. Jesus chose Paul because he uniquely possessed the intellectual and exegetical genius to differentiate between works of the law (“For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law."—Romans, 3:28) and works of charity (“See how a person is justified by works [of charity] and not by faith alone.”—James, 2:24). Marin Luther knew this, which is why he inserted the word ‘alone’ in his German translation of Romans 3:28. The entire issue of faith vs. works revolves around an intentional confusion of outdated Jewish ceremonial laws with loving acts of charity towards your fellow man.
Lots of great dialogue and questions. Continued next week!
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank you for the blessing of exploring your teachings together.
We especially thank our Protestant brothers and sisters for their shared believe in You
For whatever our differences are, if the entire world were filled with Protestants and Catholics,
You could declare Heaven has already come here and now.
May your love and grace follow each of us as we return to our daily lives, refreshed and blessed by you.
We ask all this in your name.
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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