05.13.25 - Fatima | New Commandment | Book of Job |

Opening Prayer:                                                                            

Father in Heaven, we give You praise and glory. Thank You for Your Word. Thank you for walking with us and leading us, be it the new commandment given to us in Sunday’s reading or the final prophets we are reviewing today in the Old Testament.

Help us to understand and accept You as You continue to reveal Yourself to us wherever each of us is on our stairway of faith.   

And as you taught us to pray together…

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your 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 have trespassed against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen!

Upcoming major holy days:       Ascension – Thursday, May 29 – 40 days after Easter

Pentecost – Sunday, June 8 – 50 days after Easter (What is Shavuot?)

TODAY:     

·        Catholic Apologetic: What is glory?

·        Gospel reading for 5th Sunday of Easter (5/18), The New Commandment, John 13:31-35

·        Bible Timeline: Job, Esther, Judith, Tobit, Maccabees, Greeks, Romans, Herod, End of Old Testament

Quote of the Week: 

Pope St. Gregory the Great once compared the Bible to a smooth deep river in which a lamb may walk and an elephant may swim.

ITALY Pilgrimage – maps and pictures at the end of class, including the Conclave!

Our Lady of Fatima – Anniversary is today May 13.

In 1917 in Fatima, Portugal, a series of events known as Marian apparitions and the Miracle of the Sun occurred.

Apparitions:

The Virgin Mary appeared to 3 shepherd children, Lucia Santos, Francisco, and Jacinta Marto on May 13.  The final apparition was on Oct 13, 1917, which was accompanied by the Miracle of the Sun, a celestial event witnessed by thousands of people. Witnesses reported seeing the sun “dance” or “zig-zag” in the sky, emitting colorful light and seemingly moving toward the earth and then returning to its place. It had rained just before this, but right aftwards everyone (and the ground) was completely dry. This demonstration was to serve as a confirmation of the apparitions and the messages given by Mary. The Church has recognized this as a miracle. Fatima continues to inspire devotions and pilgrimages to this day.  (Most importantly, Patsy & I went to Our Lady of Fatima in grade school.)

Messages from Mary:

1)     She provided a vision of hell, a reminder to humans who more and more believe there is no such place. Hell is eternity without God and is a choice we make in this lifetime. In Hell, there is no faith, no hope, and no love, as these come from God.

2)     Mary said the end of WWI was at hand (the war ended in 2018). However, she said there was a worse war on the horizon and that Russia needed to be converted to Catholicism and consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

3)     A warning to the world if it did not repent and convert.   

Conclusion:  Mary’s prophecy is interpreted as a warning about the spread of atheism and immorality, the faltering of marriage and family, and the eternal consequences of rejecting God and God’s will to love and forgive.                              

Scripture gives us different forms and uses for the term glory, so it’s no wonder we have difficulty defining it.

Scripture often employs a visual description, such as found in Exodus 24:16: “And the glory of the Lord dwelt upon Mt. Sinai”; or in Luke 2:9, in the account of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. In these instances, which are often accompanied by an indescribable brilliance, the term serves as a type of witness that the created universe gives to the nature of its Creator.

Elsewhere, the use of glory signifies a manifestation of the truth, goodness, Divine Majesty, or some other attribute.  For instance, in John 1:14: “and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

In many of these, we find the idea that God’s Truth is working towards a union with man.

Origin

The origin of our biblical concept of glory comes from God’s infinity and omnipotence. Because of his infinity, He is the origin of all existence since He was before all things. Because of His omnipotence, He can give of Himself.

Therefore all things have their being/existence from God, and thus all things reflect some measure of His giving – you could say a measure of His glory – limited only by the nature of its being (rock, tree, animal…).

For example, a rock reflects its share in God’s glory. So do the moon and stars. Moving up the glory chain from the inorganic, we arrive at life, which has self-sustaining capabilities.

Moving up the life chain, we eventually arrive at life that is given a spiritual nature (humans in Gen 2:8), which endows life with higher awareness, intelligence, creativity, and free will. Each of these characteristics adds a greater measure of God’s own self, with still greater potential for much more, depending on one’s use of their freewill to expand their relationship (communion) with God.  

What about Human Glory?

Human glory is to be known and honored on account of one’s character, or qualities, or possessions, or position, or achievements, whether real or imaginary. The moral question for us is this:  Is our desire for worldly glory morally acceptable?

The good news is that the desire for such recognition is normal; but, as usual, the devil is in the details.

According to Thomas Aquinas, to desire that our own good (or excellence) be worthy of praise is not sinful in itself. Therefore, it is not sinful that we desire to see our good works approved by others, for even the Lord says:

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works" (Mt 5:16).

That said, although the desire of glory itself is not bad, a vain, or perverse desire for glory – which is called vainglory – is wrong. Vainglory ususally occurs when we exclude God from the process. Examples:

-         When one seeks renown for something that is not worthy;

-         When one seeks the esteem from those whose judgment lacks goodness or the desire to serve others;

-         When one desires glory before others without the reverence due to God.  

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Such was the case with the Pharisees, who “loved the glory of men more than the glory of God” (John 12:43).

What does it mean to glorify God?

“Glorifying God” is captured in humanity’s response to God. We can glorify God in every small thing we do, and in every big thing we do. For example, when humans express love of neighbor, they glorify God. When we choose honesty, humility, or generosity, we glorify God’s very nature and character, which is buried within humanity’s spiritual nature. God is trying to draw it out. When we praise God and pray to Him, we are also glorifying Him, because we are expressing our gratitude for His love and goodness which has been given to us.

Paul says in Corinthians: It is given to us, all alike, to catch the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, with faces unveiled; and so we become transfigured into the same likeness, borrowing glory from that glory, as the Spirit of the Lord enables us. – 2 Cor 3:18

As you might imagine, the greatest glorification of God or by God to another had to be Jesus. In fact, Jesus came here for this reason. Not only to show us what this looks like, but to accomplish the greatest glory of God ever, which was saving us from ourselves.

Hopefully, some of this helps us understand the reading for today!

John 13:31-35, The New Commandment

Context:

The Gospel of John does an exhaustive deep dive into Jesus’ dialogues at the Last Supper. Officially called the “Last Supper Discourse,” it occurs mainly in chapters 14-17 (but also includes our excerpt from the end of Ch.13). In this lengthy Last Supper Discourse, Jesus talks about his relationship with the Apostles, with us, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit. In today’s reading, Jesus summarizes his entire body of teaching in what he calls a “New Commandment”:

“Love one another even as I have loved you.”

John 13:31-35, The New Commandment

When Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.

If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.

My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews I now say to you: Where I am going you cannot come.

I give you a new commandment: that you love one another; as I have loved you, so you also should love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another.”

Exegesis – Study and Interpretation

How is Jesus glorified and how is God glorified in him?

God is glorified precisely when Jesus, out of his free will and love of humanity, accepts his suffering at the hands of evil men and conquers sin and death on behalf of mankind. In this way, Jesus shows us the dimensions of God’s love for the world and fulfillment of the divine plan to save mankind.

Jesus’ glorification is tied to the revelation of God’s presence and the divine salvation that occurs through him. He is glorified by demonstrating God’s perfect love and the total gift of self. This glory is consummated when he returns to the Father at his Ascension.

Jesus calls himself the “Son of Man.” What is the link between this title and Christ's glory? 

By the Son of God becoming human, Jesus truly becomes the "Son of Man." This title always refers back to the "Son of Man" reference in Daniel 7:13, which is a vision of the Son of Man coming in his glory before God the Father in his Ascension to the Father. 

Jesus will also refer to this vision of Daniel when he stands before the High Priest at His trial and says: "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory." – Mt 24:64, Mk 13:62, Lk 22:64.

What does Jesus mean by, “I shall be with you only a little longer. You will look for me … where I am going, you cannot come.” 

Jesus is referring to his immediate task at hand – the completion of his mission on earth – which is his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven that he had to undergo by himself.    

Finally, the Torah/Old Testament already gave the Jews the two great commandments to love God with all your mind, all your heart, and all your soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself. So, then, what is so unique about this new commandment Jesus gives them?

In Leviticus 19:18, love of neighbor is spelled out like this:  You will not exact vengeance on, or bear any sort of grudge against, the members of your race, but will love your neighbor as yourself."  You could say this was the first step to loving one’s neighbor, which Jews often only applied to their Jewish “neighbors.” Jesus now raises the game by asking his disciples to love not like humans do, but as he loves. Truly selfless, sacrificial love for all people. He is asking us to love others with his own heart – the heart of Christ.

Can anyone love like that?!

Hell no. Not alone, anyway, but then that’s the point. This is divine love that does not come from us, but from the Holy Spirit. We need only to continue walking that direction, and then Jesus will help us go further. This kind of love, which is not of this world, will always attract humans to God. It’s one of those “too good to be true” things, except that it is true.

Bible Timeline

~1050 BC to 930 BC:  The United Kingdom Period (King Saul, King David, King Solomon)

~610 BC to 540 BC: The Babylonian Exile 70 years

~515 BC to 70 AD: The Second Temple Period (Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Malachi, Maccabees).

The Prophets

These biblical prophets are classified into “major” and “minor” prophets, which is not based on their significance but on the length of their writings.

Major Prophets: There are four major prophets in the Old Testament:

1.     Isaiah

2.     Jeremiah

3.     Ezekiel

4.     Daniel

Minor Prophets: The minor prophets consist of twelve individuals, whose writings are shorter. They are:

 The Prophet Jeremiah captures the long-awaited expectations of Israel:

All the prophets knew that the covenants God made with Israel – particularly through Abraham, Moses, and David – failed due to the people’s infidelity, but Jeremiah dreams that one day, through Yahweh’s own direct intervention, a faithful Israel will emerge, a people who consider God’s ways not an external imposition but a joy (31:31-33).

Next:  Job, Esther, Judith, Tobit, Maccabees, Greeks, Romans, Herod, End of Old Testament

Book of Job

The Book of Job, named after its main character (Job), is an exquisite and dramatic treatment of the problem of the suffering of the innocent. The contents of the book – 42 chapters – together with its artistic structure and elegant style, places it among the literary masterpieces of all time. The Church includes this book not with the Prophets but with the other books of Wisdom in the Bible (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and Sirach).

The author of the book is unknown. It was probably written down sometime between the seventh and fifth centuries BC. The book’s literary pattern, speeches, prologue, and epilogue follow a studied plan, indicating that the purpose of the writing is for our edification. Because the lessons that the book teaches are not always obvious, we are likely to find different interpretations.

This literary composition is without any specific historical context. For that reason, most theologians consider the book to be a combination of allegorical and real events.

THE CHARACTERS.  The main character is Job, whom we are told is a righteous man. Apart from the prologue and epilogue, the book consists of a succession of speeches assigned to distinct persons. There are six speakers: Yahweh, Elihu, Job, and Job’s three friends, Eliphaz, Baldad, and Sophar.

The prologue (chaps. 1–2) provides the setting for Job’s testing. Satan appeals to the Lord, questioning of Job’s sincerity, and the Lord gives Satan permission to test Job.

Due to a series of thieving intruders and natural disasters, Job loses his herds of sheep, then his servants, then all ten of his children, and receives painful boils all over, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. Job rips his clothes and shaves his head in sorrow, yet he still praises God in his prayers.

Three friends of Job (Eliphaz, Baldad, and Sophar) come to console him. Job complains about his situation because he has done nothing wrong. Then a cycle of speeches from his friends begins. Each friend insists that Job’s plight can only be explained as punishment for personal wrongdoing and an invitation from God to repent. Job rejects their explanations and challenges God to respond. God is silent.   

A young bystander, Elihu, now delivers four speeches generally supportive of the views of the three friends. The difference is that he adds that God is also testing Job, but still that Job must have done something to warrant these horrific tragedies. Job passionately rejects Elihu’s claims.

Finally, in response to Job’s plea that he be allowed to see God and hear directly the reason for his suffering, the Lord answers him, not by explaining divine justice, but by cataloguing the wonders of creation. “Where were you when I created sun and the stars, and the wind and seas…?”

Job is content with God’s response, and in the epilogue (42:7–17), the Lord not only restores Job’s fortune, but multiplies it. This could be viewed as a glimpse of Heaven that awaits all who remain in the faith.

Meaning of the Book

1.     Job was a righteous man who endured immense suffering, demonstrating that good people can suffer without a clear or immediate explanation. Thus, Job’s story directly challenges the idea that suffering is always a consequence of wrongdoing. Justice has been suspended in our lifetimes for our sake.

2.     This uncertainty challenges the notion that we can always predict the outcome of our actions or that God always rewards righteousness and punishes sin in a predictable way.

3.     This disconnect between suffering and behavior increases our need for faith. We all want certainty, but if we had certainty, we would not need faith. For every certainty, humans move towards taking things for granted and complacency. Faith is our higher calling, an active pathway to Heaven.

4.     The act of Satan wanting to challenge Job’s sincerity and test his faith highlights the role of spiritual warfare going on all around us. We cannot forget that self-centeredness and evil are trying to control our futures. At the same time, our angels and the HS are trying to protect us.

5.     Despite his immense suffering, Job’s story ultimately reveals God’s faithfulness and His ability to restore. God restores Job’s fortunes and blesses him even more than before, demonstrating His enduring love and care. This offers hope and assurance that even in the face of profound loss, God works through all things for our good.

What are some of the reasons we may not be rewarded (or punished) when we think it is deserved?

·        We likely do not know most of the facts involving others, their needs, or their free wills, which God honors. We never know all the people who might be affected by every decision, nor the long term effects on ourselves.

·        God honors human free will. He doesn’t force goodness on people who reject Him. That alone may prevent God from helping others for whom we’ve prayed.    

·        We are being tested. If we were never tested, we would not grow.

·        Tough love is sometimes necessary, for our sakes and/or for others.

Closing Prayer                                                       

Job 42:1-3,5

Then Job replied to the Lord:

“I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 

You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my wisdom without knowledge?’

Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 

My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You.

Therefore I retract my words, and esteem myself in dust and ashes.”

Hail Mary

Full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed are 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.