Video recording posted soon!

Catholic Understanding & Biblical Defense Class 5/5/26

Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM (EST), 🖥️Zoom ID: 829 7355 9896  🗝️Passcode: 358319

Join to receive notifications and study notes on Meetup: www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy

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

House Rules and Catholic Resources…

1. 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!

2. 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.

3. 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.    

4. 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 faith to our everyday lives.

5. 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 

6. Hallow App. Daily prayers and reflections, especially for the high holyday seasons. www.alex@mail.hallow.com 

7. Catholic Answers – www.catholic.com. Best site for Catholic Apologetics there is.

8. Dynamic Catholic. Interested in daily inspirations to grow closer to God and the Church, not to speak of the many educational resources? Sign up for Matthew Kelly’s powerful insights, quotes, and reflections at www.dynamiccatholic.com.

9. “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.  

10. Cursillo. Interested in meeting with other men or women weekly over coffee to discuss God in your personal and professional life? Join Cursillo (cur-see-yo). Contact Jennifer Pence (Jennifer.pence@gmail.com) for more information.      

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

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:

15. min   Apologetic Reflection

16. 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 New Testament. 

Week 3:    Questions and Survey Topics chosen by Members:      

1. Prison Ministry Stories  2. Plenary Indulgences   3. Explanation of the Mass and Eucharist   4. Dead Sea Scrolls              5. Catholicism vs modern cosmology?   6. The 7 Gifts/Fruits of the HS, 7 Deadly Sins  7. How to experience the Love of God  8. The Communion of Saints  9. Comparative Religions   10. Catholic vs Protestant beliefs

     Week 4:    Apologetics:

1. Gen 1-3 (Creation Story, Adam & Eve, the Fall of Man, The Meaning of Eve/the Trees/Summary

2. Faith vs Doubt – does having doubts make us bad Christians?

• Don’t forget to RSVP.

• 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 occasionally ask for volunteer readers…

Opening Prayer         

Eucharistia (gratitude):  Thank you, Lord, I am grateful for your saving presence in my life.      

Kenosis (emptying self):  Lord, I will try to empty myself as you did, to be present to others.                      

Metanoia (change self): Today, every moment, Lord, I will turn my mind, my heart, and my world towards You. 

Maranatha (Come, Lord Jesus): Come, Lord Jesus, enter, and make your home with me.                  

And as Jesus 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. Amen.

Major holy days:                The Ascension of the Lord – Thurs, May 14 and Sun, May 17

Pentecost – Sunday, May 24

**Mass or Confession anywhere/anytime: www.masstimes.org

Today’s Agenda…

Reflection: The Word, John 1: In the Beginning was the Word…

Gospel Reading for the 6^th Sun of Easter (5/10) – The Promise of the Holy Spirit: John 14:15-21

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 – Philip in Samaria and the Sacrament of Confirmation

Prayer of the Week

In our fallen natures, the devil feeds our anxiety by adding fear to everything we don't see, don't know, and don't control. In this arena, the unknown and our egos conspire to pull our hearts and our peace downwards. The only remedy is to surrender every uncertainty, every worry, and every imponderable to the Lord.

Therefore, I will stop calculating to control and judge, park the Self, refuse all negative energy, bless my opponents, channel St. Joseph in my next, least desirable task, and ride the Holy Spirit’s sailboat into every sunset.

How could I not feel the joy of God's strategy to advance my happiness and holiness while seeking the good in everything? God knows what He is doing.

Reflection on John 1

The Gospel of John

I chose the opening verses (prologue) of the Gospel of John because we are reading so much of his Gospel during the Easter Season. It may help you to see how John actually starts out.

The Apostle John was one of the closest apostles to Jesus – and to Mary, as well. He is called St. John the Theologian – also the “philosopher apostle” – because of his deep dive into Jesus’ teachings and his long discourses on the nature of God, especially Jesus and the Holy Spirit. John was the last to write his Gospel and he does not mimic the other three “synoptic Gospels” as there was no need to repeat them. He clearly took great care to develop the first real theology of Jesus Christ. The opening verses in his first chapter capture this point.

John 1:1-3, 14a

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

In the opening words of this great prologue, John calls Jesus (the 2^nd Person of the Trinity) the “Word” and traces his origin backwards beyond time to where He was present with God the Father for all eternity.

Let’s read the first verse again:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

“In the beginning” reminds us of how Genesis began. In fact, the word “Genesis” comes from the Hebrew meaning “In the beginning.” John does this intentionally because Jesus gave humanity a new creation, a new beginning. The rest of the verse not only tells us that the Word (Jesus) was with God (separate) from the beginning, but that he also is God (One).

John calls Jesus the “Word of God.” Why? A better understanding comes from the Greek original translation, which is  “Logos.” Logos not only means word, but also Logic, Order, Reason. This makes sense given John’s second verse that says, “all things came to be through him.” In other words, the creation of the entire universe came to be through Logos, which also explains why these things make sense (logic/reason), why there is order, such as the laws of physics, and also why humans like order (made in his image). Since Logos is intricately connected to our material universe, it makes sense that He was the member of the Trinity to enter into our physical creation and become one of us.  

If we fast forward to Jesus’ Last Supper discourse in John 17,  this statement Jesus makes ties right in:

“Now, Father, glorify me with that glory I had with you before ever the world existed.” – John 17:5  

As we now know, God did not stay distant or abstract. He encountered Abraham, Moses, and the prophets, and then: 

…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

God stepped into our brokenness, not as a king commanding from on high, but the opposite… starting as a child in a manger, since he desired to be so completely one of us. Then, all his life, he embraced our frailty, he bore our burdens, and he walked our roads. The only “logical” explanation for this is to reveal His absolute love for us, and to save us from ourselves, so He can share the most incredible eternity with us that we cannot imagine. Because that’s what love does.

Was the “Word become flesh” – the incarnation, God’s presence among us – a single event 2000 years ago?

        No. This was the purpose of the Last Supper. The Incarnation continues in the Eucharist. And then when we receive the Eucharist, then the Word in incarnated in us – Jesus with us and in us! Trinitarian nourishment for the journey!    

And the Word became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us – John 1:14

The Promise of the Holy Spirit, John 14:15-21 

Context: The development of our understanding of the Triune God

Because the coming Pentecost is all about the Holy Spirit, we continue to read the Gospel of John after Jesus’ resurrection because of the emphasis on the Holy Spirit, which is greater and deeper than the other Gospels.  

The idea of the Holy Spirit being “a person” in the Triune God was slowly developing during Jesus’ ministry. Recall that the Old Covenant people did not have the revelation of the Trinitarian nature of God, although reflecting back we can now see both Jesus’ and the Holy Spirit’s presence.

In Hebrew the word ruah used in Genesis1:2  – meaning wind, breath, air, or soul/spirit – expressed the "Spirit" or "divine breath" of God. Does anyone recall the ruah – spirit of God – appearing in the Genesis? 

“Now the earth was a formless void, there was a darkness over the deep, with a divine ruah hovering over the waters.”

Our translation says, “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” – Gen 1:2 

We also note the following in Psalms 33:

By the LORD’s word the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their array. – Ps. 33:6

There are many such references that one wouldn’t know the deeper meaning of until Jesus and the Holy Spirit came to us. It was this ruah ("breath of God") that inspired the holy prophets in their writings. Ruah is translated into Greek as pneuma which is used to identify the Spirit, Paraclete, or Comforter – God the Holy Spirit.

***

This Sunday’s reading is a continuation of last week’s reading, taking place in the Upper Room on the night of the Last Supper. As we noted last week, at the end of the previous chapter (13), Jesus told his Apostles that he was going to die and that Peter was going to betray him 3 times. He then offers them encouragement by telling them he was going away to prepare a dwelling place for them in his Father’s House. Today, he is telling them about the sending of the Holy Spirit. Can you imagine having to wrap your brain around all of this for the first time?!

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

John 14:15-21 

Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Paraclete/Comforter/Counselor/Advocate) to be with you always – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees nor knows Him. But you do know Him, because He dwells with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.

In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me: because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Exegesis/Interpretation

What is a Paraclete? TayQuiz

        The first definition in the dictionary says:  an advocate, intercessor, or mediator.

The second definition provides this:  The Holy Spirit; the Comforter

It is from the Greek Parakletos (para=alongside + kalein=to call) 🡪 to call to one’s side, to aid, help, or comfort.

Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

This isn’t some strange, quid pro quo requirement to love Jesus. It’s deeper. How is our love evident in this action?

All Jesus’ commandments are various way of loving others, and as Jesus said several times, when we love

others then we love him. This makes his two phrases synonymous – to love him is to keep his commandments, and to keep his commandments is to love him!

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter/Counselor/Advocate) to be with you always – the Spirit of truth.

Why did Jesus say, “I will ask the Father”?

By reversing the Fall and taking on all our sins, Jesus now becomes our doorway to the Father, our “mediator.”  His asking the Father is both a sign of humility and an act of intercession.  

What is meant by “Spirit of truth”?

        It means the Holy Spirit will be different from Jesus in that the HS is pure spirit. However, this “Spirit” has the benefit of His presence being unlimited, being able to be with all of them everywhere at the same time.

And He will give you “another” Helper –

Another?  Jesus was the first Helper sent by the Father, and now they will get another helper – the Holy Spirit – to continue the work Jesus began in them.  

Helper:  The Holy Spirit is described in many ways – “Paraclete” means Helper (God once again humbling Himself, like when Jesus washed their feet), Counselor (residing in our consciences as our personal inner advisor), Comforter (in times of distress or grief), and Advocate (our defender, like our own personal lawyer). Could we possibly ask for more?

The world cannot receive (accept) Him because it neither sees nor knows Him.

What does this mean? TayQuiz

The "world" here refers to the system of human society that is opposed to God and His purposes. The Holy Spirit can be received only by those who have the spiritual faculty. It cannot be otherwise. The unbelieving world, caring only for things of the senses, has lost its spiritual perception. It has no eye to see and no heart to know spiritual things. Moreover, the knowledge of the Holy Spirit is not intellectual but relational and experiential, requiring a heart open to God's revelation.

But you do know Him, because He dwells with you, and will be in you.

With you implies an abiding comfort for God’s people, fulfilling Jesus’ promise to be with them for the rest of time.

Will be In you points to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, when the Spirit will dwell in believers permanently. This indwelling marks a new era in God’s relationship with His people, and it speaks to our inheritance and is a foretaste of eternal life.  

What “with us” and “in us” ultimately means is that the Holy Spirit is more than a house guest. He has taken up residence in us. Unlike a house guest, someone who lives in the home will naturally feel some responsibility to help with its upkeep. They might even have some good suggestions for how to improve our home. That would mean – of course with our cooperation – that Jesus through the HS will help renovate our home: our mind, heart, and soul. Think of what the priest says at the end of the Consecration:

Through Him, with Him, and in Him, in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory is Yours, forever and ever!

This indwelling of the Lord is not passive. He is an attentive occupant who knows the very structure of your heart—your priorities, your attachments, and your thoughts. He cares deeply about you. He delights in the parts that are working well, and he offers to help make improvements to the parts that don’t: i.e., the moments when our mouths have been running like a leaky faucet, or our self-control has crumbled like old plaster.

At times these internal repairs may feel like too much. But we are not to be overwhelmed; we are not working alone! Jesus is eager to work with us, although each project requires us to invite him to help and be part of it.

I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.

The term “orphans” suggests a state of abandonment and vulnerability, which the disciples might have felt with Jesus’ impending departure.

I am coming to you… Theologians have suggested three possible meanings: Jesus is returning for 40 days after his resurrection; Jesus is also coming to them in the Holy Spirit (they are One); and the Second Coming of Christ. Regardless, Jesus is coming in all three scenarios: immediately, permanently, and in the future!

In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me:         His death and then his resurrection.

…because I live, you also will live:   They will now have eternal life. 

On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

That day is the Pentecost, when the HS was given to believers. This statement not only emphasizes the intimate relationship between Jesus and the Father, but the unity we will now have with the Trinity through the Holy Spirit.

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me.

Jesus repeats what he said in the first verse: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Whenever Jesus repeats something, we need to pay double attention. God is love and His commandments are all about loving God and others. The path to greater understanding and relationship is to follow what he taught us. This is why we do Bible Study – to look for new or missed opportunities to grow in this way.

At the Ascension, Jesus brings his humanity – and therefore our humanity – with him into the Trinity.  

Some say the Angel Lucifer fell when he learned of this. Angels are higher than us, but not part of the Trinity.

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 – Philip Preaches in Samaria

The Sacrament of Confirmation

Context:

Our passage from the Acts of the Apostles is the first reading for this Sunday. Normally, first readings are from the Old Testament, but during the Easter Season we hear mostly readings from the Book of Acts because it is all about the early days of the Church, which Jesus’ death and resurrection kicks off.

Our reading in Acts 8 takes place right after the stoning of St. Stephen when a first-ever persecution of Jesus’ followers takes off in Jerusalem. The Jewish leadership thought killing Jesus would put an end to his threat, but it didn’t. Now this discipleship of Christ’s must end! Nevertheless, a number of “disciples” (not apostles) left Jerusalem and began spreading the Gospel all over Israel. Instead of suppressing Jesus’ message, the persecution caused more spreading of the Gospel.

Our story today takes place with the disciple Philip in Samaria. What happens becomes foundational to the establishment of the Sacrament of Confirmation. This is useful apologetics for those who claim that the Catholic Sacrament of Confirmation is unbiblical. It is biblical.  

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them.

With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city.

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

The fact that Philip went to Samaria shows the disciples’ boldness since the Samaritans were at dangerous odds with the Jews of Judea. But Jesus’ promise to the Samaritans (remember the Woman at the Well) was now being fulfilled.  

Why did Peter and John need to go to Samaria to help Philip out? Samaria is 40 miles from Jerusalem! TayQuiz  

        This Philip was not the Apostle Philip, but the deacon (Acts 6:2-5). Philip was able to baptize them, but he was unable to confer the Holy Spirit upon them. This required the “laying of hands” by apostolic authority. This authority continued via apostolic succession to their successors, the bishops, which occurs throughout the New Testament (Phil 1:1, 1 Tim 3:1-2, Titus 1:7, 1 Peter 2:25, Acts 1:20, Acts 20:28).  

Why do the baptized need to receive the Holy Spirit this way? Don’t they receive the Holy Spirit in their Baptism?

        Baptism indeed gives us the Holy Spirit, Sanctifying Grace, and a new Christian life. Confirmation completes our Baptism, strengthening us with a special outpouring of the Spirit (Pentecost) for courage, knowledge, and witness.  

Closing Prayer:

O God

Who by the light of the Holy Spirit

Did instruct the hearts of the faithful

Grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise

And ever enjoy His consolations.

Through Christ, Our Lord.