06.16.26 - Fear Not & Mass Explained

Watch the class recording here

Catholic Understanding & Biblical Defense Class 6/16/26

Each meeting is (roughly) as follows:

15   min   Apologetic Reflection

15   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

Lord, in your great generosity, heal all our weaknesses so we may serve you all the better.

May we receive the Bread of angels, the King of kings  and Lord of lords, with the purity and faith …

Nourishment and grace that will bring us to salvation.

As Jesus taught us to pray… together

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:             Sts. Peter & Paul (June 29)

            The Assumption of Mary (August 15)

www.masstimes.org   Mass or Confession anywhere/anytime in the world!

TODAY: 

·        Reflection:  The Age of the Holy Spirit III

·        Reading for 12^th Sunday in Ord Time (6/21), Fear Not, Matthew 10:26-33

·        Member Topic:  The Mass Explained Part III – The Liturgy of the Eucharist

Apologetic Quote of the Week: 

"Without God, all morality is an exercise of power." – Frederick Nietzsche, world’s most famous atheist.

The statement means that without God, human morality is simply a social construct where "right" and "wrong" can be defined by each individual, but their “group enforcement” is by whomever happens to hold the most cultural, social, or physical power.

Under this scenario, if an individual decides that murder, stealing, or rape are okay, then he is not wrong, because there is nothing higher than human opinion. But whatever group has the power of enforcement at any given time ultimately controls what is allowable and what is not. Truth, right, or wrong do not play a factor; they don’t exist.   

This assessment came from the premier atheist thinker of our age, Nietzsche. Even he recognized this truth.

Reflection III – Age of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit affirms Jesus not just once, not twice, but always. That’s His role, from inspiring the Old Testament writers to prepare for the coming of Christ to guiding the Apostles after Pentecost so they could preach the Good News of the Kingdom, to taking up permanent residence in all believers so that we have a Trinitarian friend for the rest of our journey. The Holy Spirit is with us until the end of the Age. We are in the Age of the Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit is amazing when you consider that He is the infinite become intimate.  Intimacy with God – that’s what the Holy Spirit brings to our lives. Modern theologians have described the Holy Spirit as the believer’s “Permanent Roommate.”

This “roommate” begs an important consideration:  Even though the Holy Spirit is in us, our free will can keep Him locked in the closet – unless we invite him out every day to participate in our lives. How do we do that? All of us humans talk to ourselves constantly, consciously or unconsciously; but talking to ourselves (our egos) is like talking to the mirror. Instead, start using the Holy Spirit as your sounding board, your inner friend, your therapist, and your advisor. In the beginning, the ego mirror will put itself back in front of you out of sheer habit, but habits will change with repetition.    

It is commonly held that there are 5 signs of the HS:

1.     Bold speech

2.     Expels evil spirits

3.     Joy

4.     Intellectual curiosity about the faith

5.     Love

Love is the main attribute of the Holy Spirit because, remember, He is the love of the Trinity, the love that flows between the Father and the Son. All God’s wisdom and grace is carried to humans via this river of love. Since before the Fall of Man, God desired us to be part of this river of love, part of His Triune Love, for all eternity. Thank you, Lord, for giving us Pentecost! 

Fear Not, Matthew 10:26-33

Context  

Remember, Matthew writes to a Jewish audience, so he will often have connections and allusions to the Old Testament. Here is another example: the Gospel of Matthew is known for having 5 major Jesus discourses. Scholars often view this as a deliberate echo of the five books of the Torah, because Jesus is the new Moses, who was author of the Torah.  

Here are the Five Major Discourses:

1.     The Sermon on the Mount (5-7)

2.     The Missionary Discourse (10) – The Commissioning of the Twelve

3.     The Parabolic Discourse (13) – Parables on the Kingdom

4.     The Discourse on the Church (18) – The New Covenant Church

5.     The Olivet Discourse (24-25) – Jesus calls about the Jewish hypocrites and weeps over Jerusalem’s future.

Since our reading is from Chapter 10, we are in the second discourse. The previous reading was about Jesus sending out the twelve with specific instructions and how do deal with persecution. Now he will help them with their fear.

Since I mentioned Old Testament echoes, the sending out of the 12 Apostles and telling them not to fear hearkens back to Moses once again. At the end of their 40 years in the desert, Moses sends Joshua and the 12 tribes (600,000) into the Promised Land, which is filled with all kinds of unknown enemies. They will be “sheep among wolves.” Moses instructs Joshua and the people not to be afraid, just as Jesus does in our reading today.

In the previous passage, Jesus warned that people will treat them at times as harshly as he was treated, or worse. Now he tells them, “fear not!” Then Jesus makes several statements that we will have to figure out, such as “Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,” comparing us to sparrows, and killing the body vs the soul. Let’s dig in…     

Whom to Fear…

Matthew 10:26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve:

"Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Alas, even all the hairs of your head are counted. So then do not be afraid, for you are worth more than many sparrows.

Whoever acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."

Matthew 10:26-33

Exegesis (Study/Interpretation/Explanation)

What does Jesus mean by his first statement: “Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known”?  

Jesus is telling the disciples they are not to keep what they have been taught to themselves. The message of the Good News of the Kingdom is intended to be a public proclamation and not the secret of a few.

Nothing has happened yet, so why would the Apostles be fearful?

       Three likely reasons… 

          Fear of failure: Up till now, Jesus preached. He always knew what to say. How could they do what he did?

          Fear of rejection: They knew some communities might reject them entirely. What would they do then?

          Fear of death: This would also be in the back of their minds. There were lots of crazy people out there.

Other human beings can destroy one's impermanent body, but who has the power to determine eternal life or eternal death in Gehenna (Hell)?

Only God has power over life and death eternally. Do not fear other men, nor Satan, but have the reverential,

awesome fear of God that leads to a righteous life.

            Our “soul” is the real us, the real self. The body is a temporary vehicle to practice love and forgiveness and get us to Heaven, whereupon we will get an upgrade.   

Why does Jesus mention sparrows of all things?   TayQuiz

Sparrows were the cheapest food that one could buy at the market and were eaten by the poor. In other words, sparrows were worth hardly anything in material terms, and yet even the death of a sparrow is not missed by God.

            His point is that if God cares for the sparrows He created, then imagine how much He will care about humans?

What is Jesus’ message here?

Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.

First, Jesus’ message is that entrance to Heaven is only through him – he is our portal to Heaven. To acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord before others is a condition of discipleship.

His statement that ‘he will deny those who deny him’ underscores the reciprocal nature of our relationship with God. Therefore, the choice is ours. We bring our own judgment upon ourselves.

This not only includes belief in God, but our demonstration of that belief in how we behave, meaning we will each be judged by our individual faith and works. Faith is always first and foremost – for by the Cross our sins are forgiven and sanctifying grace is given to us – but without putting that faith into action, our faith is empty (James 2:17).   

Conclusion

Jesus says not to fear those who can kill the body but not the soul. Through the power of his being, he has linked us to God, the creative source of all existence. And because of this link to God, we are safe not only from those who might kill the body but from any evil spirits as well.Humans are generally good at defending themselves against assaults on the body. However, this commitment means that our perspective should not only include bodily assaults, but the quality of our soul. Our soul is assaulted every day in this material world – what do we do to protect our souls, and strengthen them so we remain unflinching. The more we train ourselves to live out of our divine center, the more we can breathe the air of real spiritual freedom.

The Catholic Mass Explained - Part III

Sources: “The Mass Explained” (Dr. Brant Petri), “Catholic Mass 101” (Fr. Mike Schmitz), “Rediscover Catholicism” (Matt Kelly)

The Catholic Mass is the Last Supper, the New Passover Meal

The Mass can be defined into FOUR parts:

Part I.  Introductory Rites:  Entrance, Procession, Penitential Rite, Gloria, Opening Prayer

Part II. Liturgy of the Word:  Scripture Readings, The Homily, The Profession of Faith, General Intercessions

Part III.  Liturgy of the Eucharist: Offertory, Eucharistic Prayer, Consecration, Lord’s Prayer, Sign of Peace, Communion

Part IV.  Closing Rites: Final Blessing, The Dismissal

We covered Part I on April 21, Part II on May 19, and we will cover Part III tonight.

Part III. Liturgy of the Eucharist:

A.    Offertory (Presentation of Gifts, Collection)

B.     Eucharistic Prayer

C.     Consecration

D.    Lord’s Prayer

E.     Sign of Peace

F.     Communion

A.    Offertory (Presentation of Gifts, Collection)

Some of us treat the Offertory as though it was a commercial break in the Mass. Not so! The Offertory is the moment in the Mass where we bring forth the gifts. In the early Church, people would bring their own bread and wine to the gathering, which be used in the consecration. They would also take up collections for the needy (orphans and widows, the sick, prisoners, etc.).  We also take up a collection to pay not only for the bread and wine that is provided but to support of the Church and all the ministries and charities she supports. We are all called to offer material gifts, but we are also called to bring our own needs to the Offertory.

What needs?

We are called to bring the people in our lives, our circumstances, our worries, even our entire selves, and place them on the altar. Why? Jesus offered his entire self on the altar, did He not? And so we are called to offer our own hearts and lives on the altar along with Him.  We are sharing in this sacrifice. It is the beginning of our “communion.”

Remember, Jesus transformed His “circumstances” on the cross into good (our forgiveness and salvation) and so He can help transform our own circumstances, too. But only if we join with Him.

Then the priest takes the bread and the wine and places them on the altar in preparation for the consecration.

The priest then recites a prayer over the gifts, which originates from the ancient Jewish dinner blessings and would have been a prayer used by Jesus. Over the bread he says:

"Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life."

Then he pours the wine into the cup along with adding a little water.

Why add water to the wine?

Think of Christ’s humanity as the water and his divinity as the wine, coming together. It is also connected to the blood and water that flowed from Jesus’ side after he was pierced on the cross. This water signifies the grace of Baptism that would henceforth bring believers into the family of God.

Then the priest says over the wine:

"Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink."

What is the significance of the words, “fruit of the earth/vine and work of human hands”? TayQuiz

            It is a sign of the good that comes out of man’s cooperation with God.

God’s creation (the goodness of earth and vine) + human cooperation (human labor) are then offered back to God in thanksgiving and made into Christ’s Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins. Can you see the continuous flow of participation and cooperation?

You may have noticed that the priest washes his hands at this point. At the Passover Meal, the one who leads the meal  would always wash their hands before offering up the meal. Jesus would have done the same, and so the priest.  

As we move towards the Consecration, it is good to be reminded that every one of us is a type of priest. When God chose Israel in Exodus he said, “And unto me you shall be a kingdom of priests…” (Ex 19:6).  Jesus not only expanded that kingdom to all nations but he elevated the priesthood – as well as our role in it – because we are all now part of God’s kingdom, and we have the Holy Spirit in us. That is why the priest says next:

Pray my brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.

Our response:

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of His Name, for our good and the good of all His holy Church.

So we are not to be merely spectators but called to participate in Jesus’ sacrifice and give glory to God the Father.

Eucharistic Prayer

The Priest says, “The Lord be with you!” This is the 3^rd time we’ve heard this but things have escalated each time.  “It is truly right and just...”  This shows that we recognize that God deserves all praise and glory for what He did for us; not because we deserved it but because He was loving and merciful in hope that we might learn to emulate His kind of love.  

We sing the Sanctus (“Holy, Holy, Holy”) before the consecration signifying that the Church here is joined to heaven – we praise God alongside the angel, preparing to receive and proclaim the mystery that is fulfilled in the consecration. 

I mentioned angels. Where does the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) come from?

       Two places, both involving the angels; Isaiah and Revelation:

I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they hovered. One cried out to the other: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” – Isaiah 6:3

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” – Rev 4:8

In other words, when we sing the Holy, holy, holy, we are joining heaven and earth in singing with the angels.

The Sanctus

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. 

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Why do we kneel? TayQuiz

As a sign of humility and worship.

What is the meaning of worship?

            Worship is showing what is of the highest “worth” to us in our lives.

Closing Prayer

A Communion Prayer

Thank you, O Lord, for my existence so that I could have a relationship with You.

Although I did nothing to deserve this, it has become the foundation of my being.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to know You, to serve You, to learn from You, and become closer to You.

Thank you for Your infinite kindness, forgiveness, and wisdom.

You are everything to me, and all that I am, and all that I have, belongs to You.

Maranatha

Come Lord Jesus, enter and make Your home in me!