03.25.25 - Annunciation | Prodigal Son | Angels & Demons

Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics  4/22/25

Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM. This meeting is a lecture/Q&A format. It is free. 

Meetings on Meetup: www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy

Past classes are posted on our Catholic Catacombs Website:  www.CatholicCatacombs.org 

House rules/notes…

1. Our meetings/classes are on ZOOM every Tuesday, 7-8 PM. Sign up for Zoom notifications and to receive meeting reminders at www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy.  Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081  Password: 406952.  

2. 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! 

3. Questions. We encourage questions although we ask that you keep them on topic and brief. You can ask during the meeting, or in the chat box, or if you prefer you can email us through Meetup.com, or Ron directly: ron@hallagan.net. 

4. Recaps. Within a day or two after each meeting, we will post the edited meeting notes of our discussions on our website, www.catholiccatacombs.org. Taylor will notify everyone when this is posted and provide you with a link.

5. Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between Christian denominations and religions in general, and we seek to be respectful at all times. Protestants especially are our friends and brothers-in-Christ; in fact, I personally owe much 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, and apply the Bible and our Catholic faith to our everyday lives. 

7. “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 series captures Jesus better than any show I have ever seen. Highly recommended.  

8. Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying the rosary, etc. with other Catholics during the week?  Follow fellow member Jason Goldberg at https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/.  

9. Interested in meeting weekly over coffee to discuss how God is involved in your personal and professional life? Join Cursillo (cur-see-yo) Jim Ward (Jim.B.Ward@gmail.com) or Jennifer Pence (Jennifer.pence@gmail.com).    

Our Bible Study is a combination of Exegesis and Apologetics.

                            Study and interpretation of Scripture         A reasoned defense of the faith 

Format:  Each week of the month has a repeating theme, as noted below. 

   Wk 1:    Gospel Week – we study several Gospel stories. 

   Wk 2:    Bible Week – we are working our way through the Bible. We are studying the Prophets.  

  Wk 3:    Survey Topics Voted on by Members:       

x 1) Jesus’ Greatest Parables, x 2) Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, x 3) World Religions, x 4) Great Women in the Bible      x 5) Book of Revelation   x 6) Sacraments   7) Fathers of the Church, Heresies, Church Councils. 

     Wk 4:    Member Questions/Apologetics:

1. Class on Angels and Fallen Angels 

2. Adam & Eve, the Fall of Man, The Meaning of the Trees in the Garden of Eden

3. What happens to animals after they die. Will we see our pets?

4. Could you review of Plenary and Partial Indulgences again? 

5. Prison ministry/inmate discussions

Each meeting is (roughly) as follows:

• 15 min Catholic topic/catechesis

• 15 min Upcoming Gospel reading

• 30 min  Weekly topic/theme

            1 hour

Reader for the day… (if needed, Taylor will select)

Opening Prayer: 

Lord, we thank you for the blessing of reading your word together. 

We ask that your words about the Prodigal Son resonate with us personally and plant seeds of grace for our days ahead.

May your love and grace follow each of us as we return to our daily lives, enlightened and refreshed by You.

We ask all this in Your Name.

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. Amen.

Upcoming major holy days:   Lent began on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and goes through Holy Thursday, April 17. 

TODAY:

• Lenten Reflection: The Annunciation, Luke 1:26-38, March 25 (9 months before Christmas)

• Gospel Reading for 4th Sun of Lent (3/30) – The Prodigal Son, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

• Angels & Demons – Part III

Quote of the Day:    

Augustine tells of a vision of seeing a little boy at a beach scooping up the ocean with a thimble, one after the next, emptying it out on the sand. Then he sees an angel who tells him that this boy will have emptied out the entire ocean long before Augustine has exhausted what can be said about God.

Lenten Reflection

Annunciation, Luke 1:26–38

“May it be done to me according to your will.”

In the reading of the Annunciation (the Gospel reading for March 25), the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and announces that she will conceive the Messiah. Mary, understandably surprised, asks, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” to which the angel replies, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” 

The virginity of the mother of Christ is fitting for a number of reasons. First, it makes it clear as possible that God is involved in the coming of Jesus. Secondly – and always – human cooperation is required, but the Incarnation would not have happened without a most gracious, divine initiative. God always takes the initiative with us, and then our role is cooperation with His grace. 

Further, this event signals to us that the Incarnation is not only a revolution in the cosmic-spiritual order but an entirely new creation. Just as Adam, in the Genesis story, receives the newness of his humanity from the breath of God, so the New Adam (Christ) is made anew, and not in the ordinary way. 

Similarly, Mary becomes a new mother in the physical order, like Eve was of the older/fallen order. "Mary does not remain locked in her initial troubled state at the proximity of God in his angel, but she seeks to understand. She appears as a fearless woman, remaining composed even in the presence of something utterly unprecedented.

When one considers that Mary is the chosen child of God, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, and the mother of God’s incarnate Son, is it any wonder that the Church adores and honors her, and delights that she is crowned in Heaven? It is also inexplicable that non-Catholic Christians do not do the same. 

Why us the Annunciation on March 25? 

Exactly nine months before Jesus is born. 

The Prodigal Son, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

        Jesus dines with Matthew and other tax collectors       Jesus teaching parables in the Temple courtyard 

Context  

We are in the third year of Jesus’ ministry and also in Jerusalem for the third time. Jesus has been hanging out with bad people.  You see, sharing a meal with anyone was a traditional sign of friendship and Jesus was seen dining with taxpayers. He was also seen interacting with prostitutes and touching (healing) blind people and lepers. Therefore, to the Pharisees, Christ appeared to be accepting sinners, and they complained, “This man receives sinners and eats with them!” (Luke 15:2)  

In response to this, Jesus tells them several parables that get to the heart of the Gospel, which is “Good News.” God’s mercy and forgiveness are limitless.      

Today’s story of the Parable of the Prodigal Son has been called many things over the ages, such as the Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother, the Parable of the Merciful Father, and the Parable of the Two Sons. The names just show the many perspectives that are hidden within the story. In any event, it becomes Jesus’ most famous parable ever.  

Q:  What does “prodigal” mean? 

Prodigal comes from the Latin prodigalitas meaning wasteful extravagance in spending. We also get “prodigious” from this, which means lavish abundance, or extraordinary. These seem the opposite of each other but the connection is extravagance. The son in his extravagant in his wastefulness and the father in his extravagant in his love. 

Because it is the Logos/Son of God telling the parable, we must be attentive to its deeper meanings, such as how the different characters in the story represent, and what do the locations mean. 

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So to them Jesus addressed this parable:

“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’

So the father divided the property between them.

After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance in reckless and immoral living.

When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any.

Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’

So he got up and went back to his father.

While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. 

His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’

Then the celebration began.

Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.

The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him.

He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’

He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'"

Exegesis/Interpretation

By the time Jesus arrives on the scene, the rules for inheritance in Jewish culture had been established for over a thousand years.  The request (demand? “Give me”) from the younger son to receive his inheritance ahead of time would have shocked and disgusted his audience. 

The son may just as well have wished his father dead. Why?

Because that’s when inheritances were normally transacted – at the father’s death. Jesus’ audience would have seen the son’s request hugely disrespectful toward his father.

Yet, there was one thing that was worse than the son demanding his inheritance, and the father giving it to him. What was it?   

He left the land and his home. Verse 15:13 says, “Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and set off to a distant country.” The language implies that the son moved quickly and sold his inheritance, split the family farm, and got out of the village as quickly as possible. 

In those days, not only was land an extension of the family, it was part of the Promised Land. Where else would he go? The norm was that once you received your inheritance, you took possession of the land and continued to build your own family and then your children’s families. Instead, he did the unthinkable. He sold his father’s land and left town.

What is the meaning of “a distant country”? 

1. The secular world. A place and life where God isn’t. The young man leaves his father’s house for “greener pastures,” where he will soon violate every good principle he ever learned.   

2. Think of the Fall of Man. Humans chose to follow their own greatness rather than God’s, and left Eden. Sound familiar? The young man is us. 

How does the father granting the son’s request resemble the Fall of Man?

God gave us free will. He allows us to leave him! 

“… where he squandered his inheritance in reckless and immoral living.” 

God gives mankind free will, and mankind uses it to abandon God, sell his inheritance (salvation), and depart for a distant land of his own. How long did this last?  Worldly attractions often seem good in the beginning, don’t they?

“… When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need.”

The famine represents all human suffering in this world that accompanied the Fall. 

“So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed."  

Jews were not allowed to eat pork. There were NO Jewish pig farmers! The fact that the son not only lived with the pigs, but longed to eat their food would have thoroughly disgusted Jesus’ audience. Living among the pigs signifies a defilement of our both our inner and outer condition. Has anyone ever hit this low before? 

What is the difference between pain and suffering? 

While both pain and suffering involve unpleasant experiences, pain is a hurtful physical sensation while suffering is the interpretation of that pain and involves thoughts and judgments about it. Suffering is the human mental experience of pain that arises especially when pain is uncontrolled or persistent.  

The young man not only experiences the pain of hunger and isolation, he experiences suffering as he connects all the failed dots and mistakes from the beginning to the end, seeking the meaning of it all. 

Once again, we see that suffering without God has no meaning and condemns us to a pitiable life. It is not the knowledge we have about suffering but the knowledge that comes to us through suffering. Only suffering with God brings one hope, wisdom, friendship, and purpose. 

Metanoia/Repentance – change of mind and heart...

“I shall arise and go to my father and I shall say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’

How do you think the Jewish community will judge the prodigal son? 

They already would have cut him off forever. What we need to reflect on is whether we would treat a despicable outcast from our own times any differently.  

Who is the only one who welcomes the son back? 

The Father. When nobody else will take us back, the Father will. Even if we can’t forgive ourselves, God will.   

“While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.

The Father welcomes back the fallen son at the drop of a pin. So He also does with us. 

"Now the older son … became angry, and when he refused to enter the house…”

Notice how Jesus brings the story full circle. It started with the Pharisees complaining that Jesus eats with sinners. Is Jesus not acting in the place of the father in the story – God the Father – and showing everyone what God’s love looks like? 

So then who does the older brother represent? 

The Pharisees who are angry with Jesus’ acceptance of sinners.  

Lessons of the Prodigal Son

1. The youngest son represents who? The Fall of Man, our first parents, all of us. 

2. Was suffering necessary? If the son had not suffered, would he ever have come home? No. 

Suffering without God is meaningless. Only with God can suffering be transformed into something good. 

3. The extravagance of our waste and sin will never be greater than the extravagance of the Father’s love. 

4. Never underestimate the depth of Jesus’ comments. In this story, we are often both of the brothers at different times in our lives and in different situations. Never judge too quickly, and check in with the Holy Spirit often. 

5. What does the ring mean? God and man reunited. This is our home. 

Angels and Demons – Part I of III

Recap:  

• If you believe in the spiritual – that God is spiritual and that we have a spiritual nature – then it would be arrogant to think that we alone inhabit this realm with God. Angels are spiritual beings and they came before us. And if you believe in angels, then it’s logical to believe in fallen angels (just like there’s fallen humans), called devils or demons.

• Furthermore, there are 403 references to angels/fallen angels/demons/devils in the Bible (285 angels + 118 demons). Scripture and tradition tell us the number of angels is immense, and that about a third of them are fallen. 

• Jesus, himself, engages the devil in the desert after his Baptism in Matthew 4:1-11. Numerous of his miracles involved getting rid of demons. The Apostles and then the Church have performed exorcisms ever since.   

• The devil is allowed to enter into human affairs because humans invited him at the Fall of Man. 

• Whether we are speaking spiritually, metaphorically, or literally, the devil never looks like all the nasty depictions of him in the movies with red horns, forked tongue, and pitchfork. If he did, nobody would follow him. The devil comes to us as the sweet voice of reason, a handsome guy with a winsome smile, or a beautiful, alluring woman, and sometimes even presents himself as an angel. The devil’s true ugliness only shows up afterwards – after he has us in his grasp – often showing its ugliness in the consequences of our decisions.  

• We talked about all the reasons why angels and devils are intellectually far superior to humans. This has always been understood by Jews and Christians. As St. Moses the Strong stated so wisely back in the 4th century: 

“We fast, but the devil does not eat. We labor fervently, but the devil never sleeps. The only dimension which we can outperform Satan is by acquiring humility, for Satan has no humility.”

Angels and Demons III

Today 

1. Can angels/devils communicate with us? 

2. How did angels fall? 

3. Exorcisms

When did the fallen angels fall?

In the beginning, in Genesis 1:4, it says, “God separated the light from the darkness.” This could refer to those angels who had chosen their own greatness (darkness) over God (light). The reason for this thinking is because God doesn’t make material light (the sun, moon, and stars) until Genesis 1:16. 

Can angels and demons read our thoughts?

No, only God knows our thoughts. However, we can communicate mentally with angels just like our prayers. Think of “mental telepathy.” In the spiritual realm, vocal words are not necessary – they are a human/physical requirement.  Spiritual beings can communicate mind-to-mind. Humans will also likely be able to do this after this life. So, when we intentionally direct our communications to them, they can understand us. They can also send thoughts back but remember the one and only mission of angels is the salvation of our souls. 

As for bad angels/demons/the devil, the same holds true. Have you ever wondered where some of those unexpected selfish thoughts or temptations that popped into your head out of nowhere came from? Stop wondering. 

The thing to remember is that we have the choice to be receptive to them or not. A sin does not occur just because bad thoughts enter our minds. Sin begins when we allow them to remain and entertain them further. Our minds are powerful, but we have to train ourselves (it’s a spiritual skill) so that we can turn off bad thoughts rather than inviting them to stay. Remember the story of Eve in the Garden. She went to the tree that she knew was possible trouble. Then she admired what she saw and invited the conversation with the serpent to continue until she and her husband were taken in.  

Who can remember what the 6th day represents for the devil and us?

When God breathed his spirit into humans in Gen 2:8, we became both physical & spiritual beings. The spiritual is what makes us in His image and likeness. This was at the end of the 6th Day in the Creation Story. 

The 7th Day was the Day of the Lord that we were now invited to enter. Our spirits already give us one foot in the 7th Day, but because we choose not to follow God we could not fully enter into it. We now refer to this as Heaven. 

Unlike the fallen angels, although we fell from God’s grace, we are being given another chance – one mortal lifetime to choose again. 

What would the devil’s goal be in this story? 

To keep us in the 6th Day. To be in love with this world and own pursuits and hopefully never think about God and the 7th Day. 

What are some of the best strategies of the devil to keep us from the 7th Day? 

Distractions (too busy, social media, etc.), pursuit of worldly success/reputation, pursuit of immediate gratifications.

Support of all things that demean God or support for self-actualization religions.

Support for any institutional structures that restrict freedom of thought and religion.

The list is endless. The devil has all the marketing tools in the world, literally!

Exorcisms

An exorcist priest recently said that if he gave a talk on Jesus or the Gospels these days, 10 or 20 might show up. But if he gave a talk on Satan and demons, an auditorium would be standing room only.  

“Exorcism,” comes from exorcise – to call out evil spirits. 

Exorcisms are an apostolic tradition that started with Jesus himself removing evil spirits throughout his ministry. Jesus was the Exorcist, par excellence. This apostolic tradition was continued in the Church from the first century to the present day. 

Today, the Church in the US alone conducts over 10,000 exorcisms per year, and that is less than half the requests for exorcism that are made. There are trained priest exorcists in most diocese. When they are called for an evaluation, they take a secular psychologist and social worker with them to help make the determination. They do this because some people are just depressed or need psychological help, and the Church wants witnesses for the safety of everyone. 

Earlier we talked about our ability to communicate with angels and demons. Most cases of demonic possession occur because of this. When you intentionally communicate with demons, they can understand you, and you are on the brink of giving them permission to enter you. Demons need your permission (implied or otherwise) – it is a right of your free will. 

There are many different levels of possession. One could say on the low end are just sinful people who have allowed temptation to remain and fallen under its power/addiction. On the other end of the spectrum are some pretty wild and crazy stories, and they are still going on. Look up the Pints with Aquinas podcast and search Exorcisms. 

Note: Before Jesus came, Satan had the run of things to a far greater extent. Man had no hope of being saved until Jesus conquered sin and death on the cross. But man still has free will and must still choose for or against God, and so the devil remains as busy as ever.  

Closing Prayer: 

Guardian Angel Prayer

Angel of God

My guardian dear

To whom God’s love commits me here

Ever this day be at my side

To light and guard, to rule and guide. 

Amen.