03.31.26 - Holy Week Easter Vigil and Eve the Woman
- tmaley
- 1 day ago
- 15 min read
Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics 3/31/26
Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM. This meeting is a lecture/Q&A format. It is free.
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All class notes-recaps are posted on our Catholic Catacombs Website: www.CatholicCatacombs.org
House Rules and Resources…
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!
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.
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/sisters-in-Christ; in fact, I owe much of my return to Christianity to them. Therefore, any critique of our brethren is in loving pursuit of apostolic truth.
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.
Dynamic Catholic. Interested in receiving daily inspirations to grow closer to God and the Catholic Church, not to speak of the many educational resources? Visit and sign up for Matthew Kelly’s powerful insights, quotes, and reflections at www.dynamiccatholic.com.
Word on Fire. Bishop Robert Barron has reached millions through his 10 min Sunday homilies, podcasts, educational series and certifications, bibles, and other lectures and apologetics. www.wordonfire.org
“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.
Cursillo. Interested in meeting weekly over coffee to discuss how God is involved in your personal and professional life? Join Cursillo (cur-see-yo). Initiation involves a 3-day retreat at Mission Hurst in Arlington. For men’s groups, contact Ron (ron@hallagan.net) and Jennifer Pence (Jennifer.pence@gmail.com) for women’s groups.
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/.
Bible Study Format
Our Bible Study is a combination of Exegesis and Apologetics.
Study and interpretation of Scripture A reasoned defense of the faith
Each meeting is (roughly) as follows:
min Apologetic Reflection
min Upcoming Gospel Reading
30 min Weekly topic/theme
1 hour
Week 1: Gospel Week – we study several Gospel stories, especially the tough ones.
Week 2: Bible Week – we are working our way through the Bible. We are studying the Prophets.
Week 3: Questions and Survey Topics chosen by Members:
1) Explanation of the Mass and Eucharist 2) The Dead Sea Scrolls 3) Catholicism related to modern cosmology? 4) The 7 Gifts/Fruits of the HS & 7 Deadly Sins 5) How do we experience the Love of God? 7) The Communion of Saints 8) Comparative Religions 9) Catholic vs Protestant beliefs
Week 4: Apologetics:
Gen 1-3 (Creation Story, Adam & Eve, the Fall of Man, The Meaning of the Trees)
Faith and Doubt (does doubt mean we are failing?)
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Taylor will send a link to everyone with today’s notes.
The class is recorded if you want to listen to it anytime.
I will ask for volunteer readers…
Mass or Confession anywhere, anytime: www.masstimes.org
Opening Prayer:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
We thank you for our existence so that we could have a relationship with You.
Thank you for the opportunity to know you, serve you, learn from you, and grow closer to you.
You are everything to me, Lord, and all that I am and all that I have belongs to you.
Major holy days: Holy Thursday, April 2, The Lord’s Supper
Good Friday, April 3, The Lord’s Passion
Holy Saturday, April 4, Jesus visits the Realm of the Dead
Easter Sunday, April 5
Today’s Agenda
Weekly Reflection – Holy Week … each day
Gospel reading for Easter Sunday Vigil, Matthew 28:1-10
The Fall of Man, cont’d: Genesis 3:20 – Woman becomes Eve
Quotes of the Week: C.S. Lewis gets it…
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these (other) things will be added to you" – Mt 6:33
You gotta like C.S. Lewis’ version of this:
“Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth thrown in. Aim at Earth and you will get neither.” - CS Lewis
Reflections on Holy Week…
Palm Sunday
Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey. People lay palms and clothing in his path into the city. The Temple elders panic. Evening – Jesus returns to stay in Bethany each of the next three nights.
Holy Monday
Jesus curses the fig tree on the way into Jerusalem. This foreshadows the fate of unfaithful Israel, despite its outward religious appearance. Jesus drives out merchants and money changers from the Temple courtyard, further angering the religious leaders.
Holy Tuesday
The chief priests, scribes, and elders question Jesus’ authority. He responds with parables that challenge their authority – The Parable of Two Sons, The Wicked Tenants, and The Wedding Banquet. He condemns their hypocrisy and denounces their legalism. Later on the Mount of Olives, Jesus prophesied the Temple’s destruction and his Second Coming.
Holy Wednesday (TayQuiz)
Often called “Spy Wednesday,” Judas meets secretly with the Temple leaders and agrees to betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.
Holy Thursday, April 2, The Lord’s Supper
Exegesis of the Last Supper, Holy Thursday
All the laws of the Old Testament are usually referred to as the “Mosaic Covenant.” This Covenant was initiated at the
Israelites’ first Passover in Egypt and consummated 50 days later on Mt. Sinai when they received the Ten Commandments, a day that the Jews call Pentecost (fifty days). The Jews have been celebrating Passover and Pentecost in Spring each year ever since then (~1400 BC). Our celebration of the New Passover begins at the Last Supper, is accomplished in the Resurrection, and concludes 50 days later on the Pentecost, when the HS comes.
What caused the Tenth Plague (death) to pass over the Israelites the night before their Exodus from Egypt?
The blood of the lamb put on their doorposts, which prefigured the blood of the Jesus Christ that causes us to pass over death. Remember what John said the first time he saw Jesus? “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Also, “freedom” for the Israelites was from earthly slavery. “Freedom” through Jesus is from our slavery to sin, which blocked us from Heaven.
Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection fulfilled over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament.
Jesus’ words, “This is my body…” and “This is my blood…” are difficult to understand for those unacquainted with Jewish
history. His sacrifice would replace all the twice-a-day sacrifices for the past 1400 years. God also shared those sacrifices with His people, just as Jesus shares His sacrifice with us, signifying God’s eternal fellowship with us.
Finally, Jesus’ words are miraculous and nothing less than Jesus’ “incarnation” of himself into the bread and wine. This transformed bread and wine into Jesus’ body and blood refers to his resurrected, glorified body, which is unlike anything we know in this material world. It is our Trinitarian nourishment, which pours grace into us during this life and prepares us for the life to come.
This Eucharistic miracle fulfilled and elevated both the Manna of the Old Testament as well as the “Bread of the Presence” at the Ark of the Covenant. The “Bread of the Presence” that sat in front of the Ark of the Covenant was symbolic, prefiguring the Bread of His Real Presence given to us at the Last Supper.
For the Catholic and Orthodox churches, Jesus changing the Bread & Wine into Himself was central for anyone who called themselves Christian since the time of the Last Supper to now. (Protestants broke from this sacrament in the 15th century, deciding then that it was symbolic.)
“Eucharist” is Greek, meaning “giving thanks” and is the completion of Jesus’ Incarnation. When Jesus said, “I will be with you until the end if time” (Mt. 28:20), he wasn’t speaking symbolically or even just spiritually; he was speaking sacramentally (spiritual and physical), just like his first Incarnation into Mary’s womb was sacramental. It was this Last Supper miracle that made his incarnation (his presence) permanently with us for all time.
Which Gospel writes about Jesus washing the apostles feet at the Last Supper?
Jesus washes the feet of the Apostles at the Last Supper (John 13:1-17)
Good Friday, April 3, The Lord’s Passion
Jesus is arrested, tried, scourged, and crucified…
What happened on “Good” Friday and why we call it that.
On Good Friday, humanity was at its worst, killing God who came to save them. Yet it turned out to be a perfect storm: the worst of humankind meets the perfect love of God. God’s love wins and somehow mankind is the beneficiary! It is the reason we call the Bread & Wine “Eucharist” – which means “giving thanks.”
In honor of Good Friday – the day Jesus was beaten, mocked, and crucified – we will read just one of the 300+ Messianic prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. This one is the “Suffering Servant” prophecy from Isaiah, written around 600 years prior.
In this passage, Isaiah is relating God's message to him about the future Messiah.
God said his servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even so, many were amazed at him—so marred was his look beyond human semblance and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man—so shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; for those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it.
Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but then God laid the guilt of us all upon him. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood.
But because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days. Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear....because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the transgressors; and he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for our offenses. -- Isaiah 52:13-15, 53:4-9,11-12
There is some strange but insanely good news stated in this passage. Counter-intuitively, God accepts the torture and death of Jesus (and Himself, they are one) as payment for humanity's past, present, and future sins committed against itself and against Him. This decision will satisfy the requirement for justice, which is how God can now offer all humans forgiveness just for-the-asking.
This amazing turn of events indicates the extent God was willing to go just to win us back. A faint analogy for this astounding degree of love might be a mother’s love for her infant. Indeed, many parents would lay down their lives to save their child; or, if a child later becomes estranged, how far might you be willing to go to get the child back? I know what my answer would be – to the ends of the earth.
God reaches out to us in this same exact way, for we are not only His creation but also his spiritual children.
BTW, for Jesus to complete the reversal of the Fall of Man, he had to love/forgive to the end of his life. And he did…
And this is why we call it Good Friday.
Holy Saturday, April 4, Jesus descends into Hell
View from the Tomb
Most Christians don’t pay a lot of attention to Holy Saturday. This is understandable given the importance of the Last Supper on Thursday, his passion and crucifixion on Friday, and his rising from the dead on Sunday! But we should also be aware that there are some cool parts of the faith accomplished on Holy Saturday.
In the Apostle’s Creed, in between Jesus’ death and his rising, it says, “Jesus descended into Hell.”
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ...
Not much to go on, right? Is this mentioned anywhere else?
This is not only handed on to us in the Apostle’s Creed, but references to it can also be found in John 5:28-29, 1 Peter 3:18-20, Ephesians 4:9, and Psalm 16:10.
Did Jesus really go to Hell?
Not Hell as we understand it (the place of the damned). The Hebrew word is “Sheol” which translates into Greek as “Hades,” both of which mean “the abode of the dead” – a kind of holding place (another reference: “Abraham’s bosom”). This seems to be the place that everyone but the damned went – where they had to wait for Jesus to save them. Everyone from Adam & Eve to Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets and all the Israelites in the history of the Old Testament who didn’t turn away from God would have been there.
Here is an example from John 5:28-29…
“Very truly I tell you, a time is coming … when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”
Are there any other reasons Jesus went to the Abode of the Dead besides to free those who longed for this day to come?
Yes, there are two points to discuss:
1) If part of Jesus’ mission as a human was to experience everything humans did, would this not include death? It should. Therefore, Jesus going to the abode of the dead would accomplish his human experience of death.
2) The goal of Jesus’ mission was to conquer death for humans. This part of Jesus’ mission begins when he released everyone from the Abode of the Dead.
The above-mentioned passages, along with the early Fathers of the Church, and the CCC all confirm that Jesus’ descent to the place of the dead occurred on Holy Saturday, the day of rest in the tomb, as Jesus’ soul acted and his body laid buried.
Of course, the big day for the rest of us who are still living comes on the next day, Easter Sunday. But we should not forget that for those millions who were freed on Holy Saturday, Jesus’ arrival had to have been quite a triumphant liberation. We should look forward to meeting them in the next life. They too are part of the Body of Christ.
Easter Sunday Vigil, April 5.
There are up to 7 different readings for Easter – all of them with Old Testament connections (typological), though we will only be reading the Gospel Reading for the Easter Vigil, Matthew 28:1-10. Matthew has the most chapters of all the Gospels – 28 in total. Since we are reading from chapter 28, that tells us that we are at the end of the Gospel.
As I have mentioned a few times, Matthew was Jewish and the audience he wrote to was Jewish. Consequently, he makes many allusions to the Old Covenant/Testament as his Jewish audience would immediately understand the connections. That is why when we study Matthew, we take a couple extra steps to point out these connections.
Today, we are only going to focus on just one part of our reading – the first part.
Matthew 28:1-10
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men.
Then the angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.”
Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce* this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Verse 1 says: After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
The women were coming to anoint Jesus’ dead body. They waited until the day after the Sabbath because no work was allowed on the Sabbath. Note also how women again figure prominently in Jesus’ Gospel stories.
What day of the week is the Sabbath, and where did it come from? TayQuiz
The Sabbath is the seventh/last day of the week and is a required Jewish day of rest. Sabbath translates as rest. It comes from Genesis 1 when God rested on the 7th Day after 6 days of creation. God did this for us, not for Himself. As Jesus said, “the Sabbath was created for man, not for God.” This is also why the Third Commandment says to rest on the 7th day. It does not mean “do nothing.” It means to not do worldly work and to focus on things that matter to your relationship with God. God knew that if man didn’t stop at least one day a week to commune and reflect with Him, He/God would be forgotten, which would be man’s eternal loss.
This 7th Day was God’s Day, and by making it a day of rest, God was inviting man into communion with Him. When God breathed His spirit into man (Gen 2:7), that gave us one foot in the 7th Day (prefiguring Heaven). However, we chose to go our own way, leading to the Fall. Eventually, God came to us to save us personally (Jesus), which will essentially mean starting over again – a kind of new creation for man.
After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning…
Since the 7th/last day was the Sabbath, if you back up seven days, which day did Creation begin on?
The “first day of the week” would be Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead (Easter Sunday).
That is why John said, “as the first day of the week was dawning.” Easter Sunday was the beginning of mankind’s new creation.
The Fall of Man is officially reversed for any and all humans who wish to follow Jesus back to the Father.
The Fall of Man
Genesis 3
Where we left off …
After God pronounced Adam and Eve’s self-inflicted judgments, we have just a few more verses to discuss.
20 The man gave his wife the name “Eve,” because she was the mother of all the living.
Eve did not have a proper name until now. Before this, she was called “woman” – the same word Jesus calls Mary several times, which makes sense since Mary is the new Eve. Eve comes from the Hebrew word meaning, “mother of all the living.” Receiving this name after the Fall tells us that the human race isn’t over yet!
When did Jesus call Mary “woman”?
Twice
1. Jesus’ first public miracle at the wedding at Cana. When Mary mentions the lack of wine to Jesus, he answers, “Woman, what has this to do with you and me?”
Jesus was not being disrespectful as the use of woman here was considered tender. Aside from all that, Jesus was elevating Mary beyond her natural role as mother to her role in Jesus’ divine mission, and as companion of the Redeemer. Just as Jesus is the new Adam, Mary is the new Eve who reversed Eve’s rejection of God by her “Yes” to the Angel Gabriel. Mary replaces Eve as the new “mother of the living.”
Some theologians suggest that Jesus’ question to Mary at Cana was a test of Mary’s faith. I’m not sure I see that. Nevertheless, recall that Mary was unfazed by Jesus’ question and tells the servants to, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Mary’s response may also have been a sign for Jesus to conduct his first miracle. Indeed, this is also viewed as the power of Mary’s intercessory prayer, for she was “interceding” for the wedding couple who were facing an embarrassing situation.
2. On the cross. Before Jesus died, he looked down at Mary and John and said, “Woman, behold your son…. And then to John, “Behold your mother.” (John 19:26-27).
Of course Jesus is looking out for his mother, especially since it was dangerous for a woman to be alone with no husband or son during those days. But it is his use of “woman” that stands out, which again positions Mary as not only the New Eve but the Mother of the Church, caring for all disciples.
Even technically-speaking, if Jesus is the Church, Mary would be the Mother of the Church.
In case you were wondering, “Adam” was not a proper name, either, until Genesis 4. In Gen 1-3, “adam” referred to “dirt” or “earth” (God made us of the earth), and we also see “ha-dam,” meaning man/humankind. This usage for man and woman also emphasizes their representative role for entire the human race.
Closing Prayer
Lord God
In your goodness have mercy on me.
Do not look on my sins, but take away all my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart and renew within me an upright spirit.
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