Watch Tuesday's class recording here.

Catholic Understanding & Biblical Defense Class 7/7/26

Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM (EST), 🖥️Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081  🗝️Passcode: 406952

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.

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       

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 Assumption of Mary (August 15)

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

Today’s Agenda…

Reflection:  Lies and Beliefs

Gospel Reading for 15^th Sun in Ord Time 7/12:  Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:1-23

Topic:  Mass, Concluding Rites

Lies

“Truth belongs to everyone. A lie belongs to no one.”

This profound statement highlights that truth is an objective, shared reality open to everyone, while a lie is an isolated invention engineered by its creator, which nobody wishes to own once it is exposed. Moreover, to maintain a lie, the speaker must constantly track their own fabrications, creating a subjective, isolating burden on themselves. How sad! 

Because of our fallen natures, lies tend to be more attractive and get us better attention. This is a reminder that evil and selfish things come easy – they take little or no effort. Conversely, truth and goodness take effort and courage. But beware of the paradox! Selfishness and evil may come easily, but the enjoyment is brief and the long-term is often filled with pain and trouble. Conversely, goodness and truth are harder in the short-term, but they brings wisdom, self-respect, and peace in the long-term. God seems to be teaching us that delayed gratification is better than immediate gratification.

We will conclude with another famous quote: 

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”

Who said this?

Mark Twain or Winston Churchill or Thomas Jefferson (they are unsure).  

Belief Quiz

1.     The belief that gods or spirituality of any kind do not exist.

Deism           Theism            Atheism           Agnosticism        Pantheism        Polytheism

2.     The belief in the existence of God or gods, especially the belief in one God who is creator of the universe and is actively engaged in some way, intervening in it and sustaining a personal relationship with his creatures.

Deism           Theism            Atheism           Agnosticism        Pantheism        Polytheism

3.     The belief in a supreme being/creator who does not intervene in the universe, or who is indifferent to it.

Deism           Theism            Atheism           Agnosticism        Pantheism        Polytheism

4.     The belief that God may, or may not, exist – we either don’t know or can’t know. 

Deism           Theism            Atheism           Agnosticism        Pantheism        Polytheism

5.     The belief that God and the universe (nature) are one. God is not personal nor has a personality.

6.             

Deism           Theism            Atheism           Agnosticism        Pantheism        Polytheism

     6.  The belief in multiple gods. 

7.             

Deism           Theism            Atheism           Agnosticism        Pantheism        Polytheism

Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:1-23

Context:

Recall that the Gospel of Matthew has five main discourses of Jesus. The first is the Sermon on the Mount in Chapters 5-7. The second, which we finished last week, was the Missionary Discourse in Chapter 10. Today we are reading the Parables Discourse, Chapter 13. These parables are important enough that the Church will spend the next three Sundays on them.

Perhaps we should review what a parable is.

Parable comes from the Hebrew word mashal meaning proverb, riddle, or allegory. Jesus’ parables can be any combination of these but most common to his stories is the ‘riddle’ component. He’s not just telling simple stories with moral-like comparisons, but there’s often something unexpected, bizarre, or ridiculous that occurs. When this happens, that is usually the key to a hidden truth in his message.

The first parable is the most famous and is our Gospel reading for this Sunday – the Parable of the Sower and the Seed – which has to do with the Kingdom of God.

We also hear that Jesus “went out of the house and sat down by the sea” and that large crowds gathered around him.

1)     Because Jesus is the Word of God, and it is written in Scripture, Jesus is speaking to the whole world across all time.

2)     It says he “sat down” to teach. This was the way of the ancient teacher and judge when they taught.

Jesus speaks of the sower sowing far and wide, some of the seeds landing on the path, where the birds eat it up; some falling on rocky ground, where it is scorched by the sun; some sown among thorns, where the life is choked off; and some sown on rich soil, where it bears fruit thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.

Although this is a long reading, the explanation will be easier because Jesus does provides most of the answers.

Matthew 13:1-23

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. 

And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A farmer (sower) went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. 

Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. 

Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. 

But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. 

He who has ears, let him hear."

Exegesis/Interpretation

It says Jesus spoke to them in parables. Where was this prophesied in the OT?

Psalm 78:2 – “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”

Who is the farmer/sower?

            Jesus is the farmer/sower. This role will be given to the apostles and ultimately to all Christians.  

What is the seed?

The Word of God. The seed’s potential to grow and bear fruit depends on the condition of the soil.

What does the soil represent?

The soil represents the hearts of those who hear the Word, which includes Jesus’ entire audience in the Gospel reading and thereafter all the people of the earth.

Some seed fell on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns. What would Jesus’ audience have thought about this farmer?

            They would have thought the farmer was somewhere between extremely careless and out of his mind.

            However, remember what we said about Jesus saying things that seem to make no sense? They are intentional, meaning it is likely a clue to a deeper meaning in the story.  

What does this “careless” behavior of the farmer mean?

            Jesus is not discriminating; he is giving the Word of God to everyone. Everyone is invited to follow him; everyone is invited to Heaven. The invitation goes to the good and the bad, the deep and the shallow, the strong and the weak.

Some seed fell on the path and the birds came and ate it up. What does this mean?

            The path was hard from everyone walking on it. It represents the person who follows the same path everyone else takes and thus has little time for reflection, or for God. Birds in the Bible often refer to scavenger birds who eat dead or dying animals (or people); here, they are feeding on the spiritually dying or dead. These birds can also refer to the devil who is happy to see those on this path “preoccupied with life” and snatch away the seed before it can find deeper roots.  

Some seed fell on rocky ground. It sprang up quickly but when the sun came out it withered. What does this represent?

            Rocky ground has some soil and so it symbolizes hearts that initially receive the Word with joy, but it lacks depth. This symbolizes a superficial engagement with God such that when difficulty comes their way, faith falls away. Note how many people slowly (or suddenly) lose interest in Church and stop going. Perhaps they feel that it does nothing for them, when in reality it is they who should at least try to prepare their own soil. God will not only help but even do the heavy lifting, if only He is asked.

Some seed fell among the thorns which then grew up and choked it. What does this mean?

            Thorns are used paradoxically here. The cares, riches, and pleasures of this life can be thorns for our spirituality. Note it says that when the thorns grew up they choked the seed.  This tells us that the thorns are not immediately apparent in the beginning – which causes one to think everything is fine; but the thorny branches continue to take over and entangle us. Faith slowly dies of worldly asphyxiation.       

Some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit 30, 60, or 100-fold. What does this represent?

            Good soil represents those who hear the Word and understand it – which means we are true apprentices putting into action prayer, love of neighbor, forgiveness, etc., leading to spiritual growth and fruitfulness.

Jesus’ 30-60-100-fold yield would have also stunned the audience. What would have been a normal yield?

            A good yield in Jesus’ time would have been 10-fold, meaning that a single seed could yield 10 edible seeds or fruit. 30x/60x/100x-fold would have been miraculous. And that is the point! When we speak and live the Word of God, we are not acting alone. God adds grace and increases our love, and the fruit we produce is far more than what we put into it.

Note: Don’t be discouraged if earlier in your life (or recently) you had traveled rocky ground or thorny paths. I sure did – I think I had all of them. God will start fresh with you the moment you open your door to Him. From that moment on, you are yoked to Him on the highway to Heaven.

What does Jesus mean by, “He who has ears, let him hear”?

            The phrase calls attention to the importance of spiritual understanding over mere physical hearing. In biblical times, having “ears” symbolized the ability to understand and discern spiritual truths.

            Hearing had another implication in those days – obedience. The original meaning of obedience was “to listen” (Latin, obedire). Think of an apprentice. As soon as the apprentice understands a new skill, they start using that skill immediately. Acting on their new knowledge was proof of understanding what they heard and saw. So, “ears” not only means true understanding but also putting that understanding into practice, which is the same as “to obey.”  The point of this was that often the Pharisees did not put their spiritual knowledge into action; they often preached good things, but failed to lift a finger themselves.

Reading continued…  why parables??

10 The disciples approached him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 

He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. For to anyone who has, more will be given them and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 

This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them. 

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.  Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Jesus says he speaks in parables because the mysteries of the kingdom were granted to the Apostles but not to the others. Why?

            One of the reasons the apostles were chosen was because they were average, everyday people, which showed that God came for everyone and the truth could be understood by everyone. That didn’t preclude them from needing to learn – you will notice that Jesus still had to finish explaining the parable in the end. What he meant was that they were on the right spiritual path and understanding would continue to grow in them and not be blocked. Parables are like diamonds with a thousand faces. The center of the diamond is the truth, which doesn’t change. But as we grow spiritually, we see the truth from a new face – a new perspective; so the parable continues to teach us over time.  

            As for the others to whom Jesus says the mysteries were not granted, he is referring to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians who were certain of their knowledge and resistant to any change in their lives. It was their “hardness of hearts” that blocked Jesus’ message. The New Covenant message – faith, the cross, forgiveness, and salvation – was new wine that needed new wineskins.  

Where else in the Old Testament did the “hardness of hearts” block God’s Word?       

Two places:

1)     The example Jesus cites in Isaiah. The priests and leaders of Israel had closed their eyes and ears to God’s message and wanted Isaiah dead because he was convicting their consciences. Their hearts were hardened.  

2)     The Pharoah’s hardness of heart, resulting in the plagues, which finally triggered the freedom of the Israelites.

Reading continued… Jesus explains the parables to the apostles:

18 "Hear then the parable of the sower.

The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart.

The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. 

The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. 

But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

Conclusion

In today's Gospel, we are confronted with a profound truth about the workings of the human heart and the mysterious ways in which God reveals Himself. Jesus speaks in parables – not to obscure, but to invite us into a deeper search, to awaken in us a hunger for meaning and transformation. The parables are not just riddles meant to confuse, but windows opening onto the landscape of the Kingdom of Heaven. And only those with open hearts and receptive spirits can see out this window.

One last thing…

There is a caution here about spiritual complacency. In verse 12, Jesus says, “To anyone who has, more will be given… from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”  God’s gifts – the grace to see, to hear, to understand – are indeed gifts but they are dynamic. They grow as we cherish and act upon them, but they fade if we turn away or close ourselves off in indifference. There are those in the crowd who hear Jesus’ words, but they do not hear in a way that leads to understanding or conversion. Their hearts have grown dull, their eyes deliberately averted.

Which of the Seven Deadly Sins is this?

            Sloth.

The Catholic Mass Explained - Part IV

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

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

Part IV. Closing Rites

A.   Purification of the Vessels

B.   Final Blessing

C.    The Dismissal

After Communion

Purification of the Vessels

Not sure how many of you saw the Passion of the Christ, but after Jesus was scourged and taken away, Mary doesn’t leave. She takes cloths and tries to clean up as much of Jesus’ blood off the stone courtyard as she can.

It is with this sense of care and respect that priest cleans/purifies the vessels that held the body and blood of Christ, since we know that every particle or drop is enough to save the world.

What do we do during these moments? Well, just as Mary had Jesus inside her womb, the Christ who saves the world is now currently in YOU; so you can pray and contemplate that, and rejoice in what God has done for you. ‘

If you are looking for a prayer to say, say the same one that Mary says to Elizabeth in Luke 1: 

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. My spirit rejoices God my savior. (Luke 1:46)

Final Blessing and Dismissal

Priest:  Let us pray.  May the working of this heavenly gift, Oh Lord, we pray, take possession of our mind and bodies so that its effects, and not our own desires, may always prevail in us, through Christ, our Lord.

Priest:  The Lord be with you. 

Once again, each time this is said, we are in a higher place than the last one, now transformed as we head out into the world, carrying Christ and the Holy Spirit with us because that is where Jesus needs to go. The world needs hope; the world needs light. If we don’t bring these to the world after Mass, who will? This is what the Mass is for and it is why “Mass” means “to send out.”

Us:  And with your spirit. 

Priest:  May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Go in peace to glorify the Lord by your life.

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 become truly wise

And ever enjoy His consolations.

Through Christ, Our Lord. 

Come Holy Spirit

Fill the hearts of the faithful

And kindle in them the fire of Your love.

Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created

And You shall renew the face of the Earth.

Amen.