Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study house rules/notes… 1. Meetup is https://meetu.ps/c/4mYPW/F6KR3/a, Zoom Meeting Logon information is the same every week: Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952 2. Questions encouraged. If you have questions about anything, you can email the group via Meetup, or me directly at ron@hallagan.net. 3. The unedited recaps from our meetings will be posted on Meetup immediately after our meeting, and a final edited version 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. We will be discussing differences between religions and even between Christian denominations, but we agree to use respectful words and tones in doing so. Specifically, Protestants are our friends and brothers in Christ, and personally I owe 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 members develop a closer relationship with Jesus Christ in their 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 Sat/month for 2 hours (12-2 or 2-4) serving Catholic prisoners at the Fairfax County Jail. Ask Ron or Gina for details. "I was in prison and you visited me." - Matt 25:36 Bible Study Format: 5 min prayer, 15 min Catholic topic, 40 min main topic from the weeks listed below Week 1: May 3 – Gospel Week: Week after Pentecost is Holy Trinity Sunday, so let’s make the whole hour about the Trinity! Week 2: May 10 – Bible Gen-2-Rev: Gen23-29 – Sarah and Abraham die; Isaac and Rebekah; Jacob and Esau, Jacob and Rachel Week 3: May 17 – Topic of Choice: Purgatory I
Topics Survey Results 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
Week 4: May 24 – Ascension and Purgatory II Week 5: May 31 – Pentecost and Open Mic
Upcoming Catholic Holy Days
Easter Sunday – was April 17 – the most important day in Christianity for, as Paul said, if Jesus had not resurrected from the dead, then all of this was for nothing.
Ascension – Thursday, May 26 – 40 days after Easter
Pentecost – Sunday, June 5 – 50 days after Easter, 10 days after Ascension
Movie – The Shack – highly recommended
Opening Prayer
Sunday Pentecost “Collect” and Open Mic prayer…
O God, who by the mystery of today’s great feast
sanctify your whole Church in every people and nation,
pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy Spirit
across the face of the earth
and, with the divine grace that was at work when the Gospel was first proclaimed,
fill now once more the hearts of believers.
As we move from your Pentecost to Open Mic, Lord,
Be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
Fill our hearts with your love, fill our words and conversations with truth and grace.
While the Holy Spirit moves among us.
Glory be to the Father
And to the Son
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.
Amen!
Q: What Jewish holy day does Pentecost land on, and what’s the connection?
The Jewish Pentecost – called Shavuot. Fifty days after the first Passover, when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai.
Q: How are the Jews instructed to celebrate it?
In the Books of Exodus (23:16) and Numbers (28:26) this holiday is designated as Festival of the Harvest and Festival of “First Fruits,” which refer to the same things. Not to be confusing, but these days it is also called the Festival of Weeks, because part of the festival is counting the “seven” weeks after each Passover.
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops.” —Proverbs 3:9
Q: What is meant by first fruits of the harvest?
The concept of first fruits is rooted in Biblical times when people lived in an agrarian society. Harvest time was significant because that was when the hard work the farmers had poured into their crops all year began to pay off. They were literally reaping what they sowed.
God called his people to bring the first yield—the first fruits—from their harvest to him as an offering. This was to demonstrate the Israelites’ obedience and reverence for God. It also showed that they trusted God to provide enough crops to feed their family.
There were plenty of rules associated with making first fruit sacrifices. They had to be brought to the temple priests. No other crops could be harvested until after the first fruits were presented.
Q: Name some first fruits.
Spring Season locally: apricots, artichokes, avocado, carrots, rhubarb, strawberries…
Ancient Israel: wheat, barley, figs, dates, pomegranates, grapes in the form of wine, and olives in the form of oil
I share the next thing with you so you can see another connection beyond what the Jews knew at the time:
The Hebrew word for first fruit is bikkurim—literally translated as “promise to come.” The Israelites saw these first fruits as an investment in their future. God told them that if they brought their first fruits to him, he would bless all that came afterward.
Q: Can you see how “first fruits” – promise to come – can be substituted with the word foreshadow? Here are 3 such foreshadowings:
The first Passover was the "first fruits" (promise to come) of the Jesus himself at the last Passover (Last Supper). The first Passover meant that death would "pass over" the Hebrew homes in Egypt if they had put the blood of the lamb on the wooden beams over the doors to their homes. Recall that John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the "Lamb of God." His blood on the wooden beam of the cross would likewise enable us to "pass over" death, but this time permanently.
Second, the Ten Commandments were the first fruits (promise to come) of the Word of God coming in person, Jesus Christ.
Third, the Israelites were the first fruits (promise to come) of God's salvation coming to all nations, the remaining "harvest."
Let’s see if Jesus can help tie this together…
Q: What does Jesus say to his disciples about “the harvest?”
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” – Mt 9:35-38
Jesus is telling his disciples that it is time for the Gospel to be given to the world. The wait is over, and the harvest is ready. For the last three years (and the 40 days after his Resurrection) he has been preparing his disciples for this moment. He says to them at his Ascension (and to us):
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
Jesus is taking the training wheels off his disciples – not only them but for all disciples going forward. His confidence and trust in us, despite all our weaknesses, is astonishing. He wants to incorporate us – actually entrust to us – his mission of the redemption of the world.
BUT, we will not be alone!
Context: So far we met God the Father in Genesis, the God of Abraham, Moses, and David, the One God of the Ten Commandments. Then we met the 2nd Person of the Trinity, the Logos, the Mind/Word of God, we know the universe was created through him, we know He became a man, Jesus Christ, and that he came to show us love, give us forgiveness, and invite us to Heaven. Now we get to meet the 3rd Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ final time on earth, he almost seemed excited about sending Him. A new age was about to be ushered in.
Acts: 2:1-11
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”
Q: What time of day did this happen?
About 9 am, the time when the gates of the Temple open for the morning prayer service and sacrifices of the feast day of Pentecost. Large groups of people would have been on their way to the Temple.
Q: How does the new Pentecost parallel the old Pentecost?
The OT/Jewish Pentecost celebrated the giving of God’s commandments to the Israelites on stone tablets. The New Pentecost, as prophesied, was putting the laws of God into the hearts of man via the Holy Spirit.
Q: We have discussed how the Holy Spirit is the unity of the Trinity, but what exactly does that mean? What about unity?
Consider if everyone was the same. Would there even be the need to be discussing “unity”?
Q: If all of us were truly the same – clones – how would love work?
It wouldn’t work. We would all think and act the same – what’s to love?
If all of us were the same, unity and love would be irrelevant, if not unrecognizable.
For love and unity to be meaningful, there has to be differences.
Q: What do we see when we look around the world, or the universe?
Nothing is the same. Everything is unique. Total diversity between things and between species; and even within species. No two humans who ever lived are the same. We see this diversity all throughout creation.
This is the wonder of God and His creation.
With such endless differences, perhaps we are getting a glimpse of the wonder of the Holy Spirit, whose role in the Trinity is “unity.” The very meaning of the term originates with Him. His role, it seems, is the unity of all diversity, while at the same time retaining all the diversity! Can we even imagine such a task? Can we even maintain unity in our families? It takes work. What about in our communities? What about at our jobs?
As Paul says, these divisions can be overcome in Christ only. And it is the Holy Spirit who helps us make that happen. He is the unity of the Trinity, and He brings unity to us, he brings Christ to us.
Q: He is also the author of Baptism. What does that have to do with unity?
Because we are being baptized into the Body of Christ. “The Body of Christ” is the beginning of the unity of human beings!
After our class, Jim mentioned that he thinks of the Acts of the Apostles as the “Gospel of the Holy Spirit.” Jim is right! It is stunning when you realize how big a player the HS is throughout Acts.
It his letter to the Corinthians, Paul expounds on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which is remarkable given his history and training as a “Pharisee’s Pharisee.” Here he makes reference to the diversity of Christians just within Christianity, which the Holy Spirit brings together in the Body of Christ:
Q: What do the Pentecost and Tower of Babel have in common?
In the days following Noah, humans began another expansion of violence and evil. It culminated in their building a tower towards the heavens to make a name for themselves, similar to Adam and Eve’s decision that caused the Fall of Man. Their words and plans did not lead them along a path that brings them to God. So God came down and gave them different languages so they couldn’t conspire so easily against Him, which was a gift since it prevented their own self-destruction long enough for God to find Abraham.
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit reverses the circumstances at Babel. When the Apostles speak, foreign languages are no longer an obstacle to the Gospel’s message of love and unity.
For our conclusion, let’s read what the Psalmist wrote many centuries earlier:
“When you send forth your Spirit, they are created and you renew the face of the earth.” – Psalm 104:30
Q: The question was asked about John Paul’s statement that not everyone who failed to accept Jesus Christ as their savior would be excluded from salvation.
That is correct. If one didn’t know about Jesus and the Gospel and led a good life according to their conscience, then it is possible to be saved. That judgment is God’s alone.
On the other hand, if someone knew of Jesus and the Gospel message and decided to reject it, then that person would be excluding himself/herself from salvation. That is a self-judgment. We all have free-will, and God is merely granting their wish.
Q: A question was asked about the Indian Navahos.
All major or credible religions seek to find the path to enlightenment – the path to God. That’s because God breathed his Spirit into all human beings so, as his spiritual offspring, we desire the qualities or attributes of God, which are perfection, love, justice, freedom, etc. For example, the eastern religions often seek purity of spirit by ridding oneself of desire. This is understandable. Since the destructive choices made by humans play out in the physical arena, one can easily conclude that either the physical world is evil or our “desires” are bad.
If the physical world is evil and the spiritual is good, then we have Gnosticism. This is based on a false dualism – a Good Force vs. and Evil Force. However, we know that evil is not a “force” or an entity as such, but rather a deprivation of love and good.
If human desire leads to bad things, then we can understand why some religions teach people how to rid themselves of desire. However, Christ teaches that desire by itself is not bad, but rather only bad when we make selfish/harmful choices. There are just as many good desires as there are bad. Our job, then, since we have free-will, is to learn how to manage our free-will and not fall prey to selfish and destructive desires.
Closing Prayer
Holy Spirit, powerful Consoler and Advisor, sacred Bond of the Father and the Son, Descend into our hearts and establish in them Your loving dominion. We believe that when you dwell in us, You also prepare a dwelling for us with the Father and the Son. May our lives faithfully imitate the life and virtues of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him, with the Father, and You, Divine Spirit, be honor and glory forever.
Hail Mary…
Amen
Comments