11.11.2025 | God & Laughter | Jesus Predicts Destruction | Maccabees Part II

Follow along with video recap here.

Catholic Understanding & Biblical Defense Class 11/11/25

Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM (EST). This meeting is a lecture/Q&A format. It is free. 

Meetings on Meetup: www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy

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

House rules/notes…

1. Our meetings/classes are on ZOOM every Tuesday, 7-8 PM. Sign up on Meetup at www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy

to receive Zoom reminders and meeting recaps afterwards.  Zoom ID: 829 7355 9896  Password: 358319.  

2. 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! 

3. 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. 

4. Recaps. Within a day or two after each meeting, we will post the edited meeting notes of our discussions on our website, www.catholiccatacombs.org. Taylor will notify everyone when this is posted and provide you with a link.

5. 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-in-Christ; in fact, I personally owe much of my return to the faith to them! 

6. 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. 

7. “The Chosen” TV series.  All of us seek a relationship with Jesus Christ and it can help if we have seen and heard Him. The Chosen series captures Jesus better than any show I have ever seen. Season 4 is underway. Highly recommended.  

8. 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/.  

9. 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.  

Format:  Each week of the month has a repeating theme, as shown below.

    Wk 1:    Gospel Week – we study several Gospel stories, especially the tough ones.     

    Wk 2:    Bible Week – we are working our way through the Bible. We are studying the Prophets.  

    Wk 3:    Questions and Survey Topics chosen by Members:       

1) Apparitions and modern miracles   2) What happens to pets after they die? 3) Prison ministry stories  4) Could you review of Plenary and Partial Indulgences again? 

        Wk 4:    Apologetics:

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

2. Faith and Doubt

3. Deeper meanings of the Mass    

Each meeting is (roughly) as follows:

• 15 min Apologetics/Catholic Reflection

• 15 min Upcoming Gospel reading

• 30 min  Weekly topic/theme

            1 hour

Our Bible Study is a combination of Exegesis and Apologetics.

                           Study and interpretation of Scripture          A reasoned defense of the faith 

Taylor will send a link to everyone with today’s notes.

The class is also recorded if you want to listen to it anytime.

Reader for the day…

Opening Prayer: 

    O LORD

Thank you for your promise that where two or three of us are gathered in your name, You are there. 

Lord, we might have five or ten times that tonight, so please multiply our graces accordingly!

Open our minds and hearts tonight so that we may know Your Word and inherit Your Wisdom.

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 day:   Dec 8, the Immaculate Conception 

Mass Times or Confession anywhere: www.masstimes.org

Quotes – guess the author:

“These days, we can bear neither our diseases nor their remedies!” – The ancient Roman historian Titus Livy, 15 AD.

“There will come a time when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, 'You are mad, because you are not like us.” – St. Anthony, 350 AD.

"Mary is the noblest gem in Christianity after Christ. She is wisdom and holiness personified. We can never honor Mary enough." - Martin Luther, the first reformer of the Protestant Reformation 

TODAY:

• Reflection – Cleansing of the Temple part 2; Does God have a sense of humor? 

• Gospel Reading for 33rd Sun, 11/16: Destruction of the Temple, Signs and Persecutions Foretold– Luke 21:5-19

• Bible Timeline:  Intro to 1 & 2 Maccabees and the Maccabean Revolt 

Follow Up on Cleansing of the Temple

Last week, we reviewed Jesus’ Cleansing of the Temple in Luke. However, we focused on the final passages since that was the connection to Ezekiel’s vision of the water of Paradise coming out of the side of the Temple, which connects us to the water of eternal life (Baptism) coming out of the side of Christ on the cross. 

I was asked about the first half of the reading which we had glossed over, and I wanted to follow up on that, since this passage has so much to offer. 

First, it is useful to note that the area of the Temple that was being used as a marketplace was called the “Court of the Gentiles.” 

What was the purpose of the Court of the Gentiles?

The Court of the Gentiles was the outermost enclosure of the Jerusalem Temple, designed as a space where non-Jews could approach and pray to the God of Israel without entering the inner sacred courts reserved for Jews. Surrounded by galleries and warnings prohibiting Gentiles from advancing further, it fulfilled Isaiah's vision of the Temple as "a house of prayer for all nations," allowing pagans to join in worship from afar. 

Israel (Jerusalem) was on the road connecting Egypt and Asia/Europe, which exposed tens of thousands of travelers to the unique worship of Yahweh, the One God who created the entire universe. This outer court’s universal access to the outside world foretold of the time when the entire world be invited to participate in Salvation History.  

Jesus’ act of “cleansing the Temple” was not an end in itself, but a means to an end. What would the end or purpose this act? 

This powerful scene is about much more than cleansing a building; it’s about restoring the place of worship and the proper relationship between God and His people. Jesus was returning this space to the people, space where Heaven comes to meet Earth, a sacramental place. 

As is so often the case, what other deeper message might Jesus intend for us, given he was about to transform the whole meaning of “Temple”?  

Not only does Jesus become the Temple, but through our Baptism, we are, too.  

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? 

– 1 Corinthians 6:19 

What does our temple look like? 

Is ours full of money-changers?! Even our “Court of the Gentiles” – where people who don’t believe come in contact with us – should be welcoming, right? Jesus will help us with cleansing our temples – it’s one of the reasons he came here. That is why he offers us forgiveness-for-the-asking. He calls all of us to examine behavior – our temple grounds: do we have a place of prayer and reverence? Are our lives centered on God? How often do we allow distractions, worries, or the world’s marketplace to clutter our lives and keep us from encountering the Lord?  Christ’s “zeal for his Father’s house” challenges us to ask what should be cleared out or reordered so that God is able to dwell more fully in us, with us?

Reflection: Laughter  

Does God have a sense of humor? 

Most of us know that there are different forms of laughter and playfulness in the animal kingdom. Because we have animal natures, we naturally have that also, but like everything else – intellect, creativity, etc. – our spiritual natures elevate our humor ability to greater heights; but in both good and bad ways because of our free will. 

Laughter is best when it is spontaneous and stems from genuine joy. It is also beneficial for social bonding, helpful as a coping mechanism, and can add greatly to communications in general. Often the best humor is when we learn to laugh at ourselves.

Laughter is easily used negatively – i.e., to laugh at the misfortunes of another – such that Plato treated it as a negative human trait that requires self-control. He was the first to tie it to a person’s sense of superiority. 

The Russian philosopher, Mikhail Bakhtin, said in the last century “It was the victory of laughter over fear that most impressed medieval man.” Bakhtin was tapping into much needed laughter as he was living/coping in the era of Stalin. 

But why did Bakhtin say medieval man was able to laugh at fear?  

Laughter’s victory reaches its zenith in Christian culture because faith in Christ allows us to laugh in the face of death! 

“Where, O Death, is thy victory? Where, O Hades, is thy sting?” – 1 Cor. 15:55.

Others may laugh at death—mockingly, nervously, nihilistically—but theirs is a laugh of despair. The Christian laughs in joy, because this world cannot hold us.  

Thus, God views laughter and humor as a legitimate, even necessary, expression of the Christian joy that the Holy Spirit imparts. When rooted in gratitude, humility, and love, humor becomes a means of witnessing the Gospel and strengthening community. 

When Christ was resurrected, one might well imagine the first sound to issue from his lips was joyous laughter. 

Gospel Reading: Destruction of the Temple, Signs and Persecutions Foretold – Luke 21:5-19

Context

Our reading begins with the awe of Jesus’ disciples as they admire the grandeur of the temple. Jesus responds by shifting their focus, warning that even the most magnificent structures are temporary, destined to crumble. His words remind us of the fleeting nature of worldly things and call us to place our trust in things eternal: Jesus/God’s kingdom.

Jesus speaks of challenges – wars, natural disasters, and persecutions – which have all happened and are continuing. These signs can fill us with fear, but his message is not to terrify but to remind us to prepare. He assures us that these trials are not the end but rather times to deepen our faith. God calls us to rely on His strength, not our own, and to remain confident in His love even amidst chaos.

Luke 21:5-19

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,

Jesus said, "All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."

Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"

He answered, "See that you are not deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."

Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.

"Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the  synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. 

By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

Exegesis (Interpretation/Explanation)

What judgment does Jesus pronounce on the Jews who reject their Messiah in the discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem? 

In the following passages in Matthew 23:23-36, Jesus says that Jerusalem was guilty of murdering God’s prophets, and that all the abuses against God’s agents down through salvation history will culminate in “this generation.” 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Likewise, you appear righteous on the outside, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

You serpents, you brood of vipers, how can you flee from the judgment of Gehenna (Hell)?

Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and sages and teachers; some of them you will kill and crucify, others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that there may come upon you all the righteous blood shed upon earth, from the righteous blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barekiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

Amen, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

“This generation” refers to the people who were alive at that time, sometimes also considered to be a period of 40 years. In fact, the destruction of Jerusalem occurred 40 years after Jesus’s ascension (70 AD). 

“All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

The Roman-Jewish historian, Josephus, described the Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of Jerusalem in the The Jewish Wars, written in 75 AD. In it, he reports the appearance of many false prophets claiming to be the Messiah who led the people astray (The Jewish Wars, 285-309). According to Josephus, about 1 million Jews died and another 100,000 were captured and enslaved. Jerusalem was basically leveled. 

This also led to further estrangement between Christians and Jews since Christians held that the destruction was divine judgment foretold by Jesus for rejecting the Messiah. The Jews acknowledged they had strayed from the Torah especially in the decades leading up to 70 AD, but they held that God’s judgment (the destruction of Jerusalem) was due to their own waywardness, not because of Jesus.  

Bishop and historian Eusebius records in the 4th century that the Christians recognized the signs Jesus gave them, and, also warned in a revelation, the faithful left Jerusalem just before the Jewish Revolt and traveled across the Jordan River into Perea, saving all the members of the Christian faith community. Indeed, there are not any records of Christians perishing during the Jewish Revolt.

For your reference, Jewish persecution of Christians began immediately after Jesus’ Ascension (30-33 AD). St. Paul was saved several times from Jewish crowds by the Romans. The Romans had been fairly ambivalent about Christians since they didn’t seem much of a threat at the beginning. However, as Christianity spread fast, so did their persecution under Emperor Nero starting in the 60s. 

In the last verse in our reading above, Jesus says, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives." Once again, this is Jesus’ message then and now: always be prepared. Maintain your relationship with God, and you will not have to worry. 

Bible Timeline

Maccabean Revolt

167 BC-142 BC

                               10,000-50,000 BC      3000 BC             2000 BC                   1400 BC        1000 BC             30 AD

Timeline

Empires                                                                                         Hellenistic Period

Babylonian Empire                     Persian Empire                           Greek Conquest       Seleucid Rule                      Roman Empire

626-539 BC                              539-330 BC                                    330 BC                   200 BC                        63BC🡪 476AD

Israel

   610 BC                538 BC 515 BC           440 BC                                   175-147 BC          110-63 BC           63 BC

Jerusalem falls       Exile ends        2nd Temple    Last prophet                           Maccabean Revolt      Israel                Roman

Babylonian Exile    Jews return       is rebuilt        Malachi                           1&2 Maccabean        Independence      control begins      to Jerusalem

Israel Independence Periods

     500 years     370 years         77 years       

  1100 – 900 BC  900-722 BC                900-600 BC          330-63 BC                   63 BC-70 AD           1948-present

  United Kingdom    Northern Kingdom   Southern Kingdom  Hasmonaean Dynasty           Israel   

Saul, David, Solomon    Maccabees🡪 Herod       Roman Client

 (semi-autonomous)

“Palestine”

   Minus 30 years (198-168BC Seleucid control)

1 & 2 Maccabees

Today: 

• Recap of Maccabees

• The Martyrdom of a Mother and her 7 Children. 

• Victory and establishment of the Dedication/Hannukah

Recap of Maccabees…

Alexander the Great conquered the Persians around 330 BC and this ushered in Greek culture (language, customs, science, philosophy, and the arts) from Egypt and the Middle East to Eastern Asia, and all of Europe. This was a period of Hellenization. 

What is Hellenization? 

Hellenization was the spread of Greek culture, language, and ideas to non-Greek regions; but it was not only “spreading” but also “blending” its ways with local traditions, creating a synthesis. The Hellenistic period is generally thought to cover the time after Alexander the Great for the next 300 years, even continuing on in the Roman Empire at the time of Christ. Greek became the common language throughout the land and also why the Gospels were written in Greek. 

After Alexander the Great died in 323 BC, the empire was divided up among his generals. Hellenization was underway everywhere, including in Israel, although they were able to resist Greek religious (pagan) practices and maintain their own worship. 

Two generations later (198 BC), a Greek general named Seleucus took control of Israel and surrounding regions, calling the areas under his rule the “Seleucid kingdom.” His son, the infamous Antiochus IV, took over in 175 BC and decided it was time to bring Israel to its knees – no more religious resistance! Antiochus forced religious Hellenization on Israel, including outlawing circumcision and Sabbath observances, desecrating the Temple by offering a pig on an altar to Zeus, and establishing an altar to Zeus inside the Temple, a move that became known as the "Abomination of Desolation." 

Key reminder: Maccabees 1 & 2 are about Israel’s rebellion against the Seleucids in the second century BC. 

Maccabean Revolt, 167 BC to 160 BC

During the period of oppression, some of the Jews succumbed and gave into the pressure of the Seleucids, forsaking the Torah and the covenant, while others, led by the Maccabees, revolted against them, eventually taking back the Temple after seven years of fierce fighting. Many laid down their lives in battle or in martyrdom, offering themselves as a witness and sacrifice that cried out to heaven for God’s mercy. 

What was the “Feast of the Dedication” (Hanukkah)?

Once the Jews were victorious, they cleansed the Temple and rededicated it to God’s service, which also involved a miraculous event. The entire event – the dedication of the Temple and the miracle – are celebrated today and called the “Feast of the Dedication,” better known to us as Hanukkah, in December. Hanukkah is Hebrew for “consecration.” 

What was the Hanukkah miracle?

The lampstand (menorah) in the Holy Place had to remain lit throughout the dedication/first celebration for a period of eight days. Once the dedication process began, they realized that they only had enough oil for one day! They had to send priests to neighboring towns to gather enough oil to complete the celebration. There was a degree of panic since the dedication was already underway. Miraculously, the lamps remained lit for the eight required days even though the priests did not return with the new oil until after that. This 8-day miracle is part of the Dedication/Hanukkah celebration!

The Martyrdom of the Mother and her 7 sons in 2 Maccabees 7.

King Antiochus, intent on forcing the Jews to eat swine’s flesh, arrested a mother and her seven sons. When the first brother spoke, he declared that they would rather die than betray the law of their ancestors. Enraged, the king ordered large iron pans heated, then cut off the spokesman’s tongue, scalped him and mutilated his hands and feet, and forced him into the fire while he still breathed. 

Each brother, one after another, endured the same torments—having their heads torn, tongues cut, limbs severed – yet each answered, “No, I will not eat,” trusting that God would raise them again. 

Their mother was forced to watch the gruesome deaths of her sons, and yet she still encouraged each one of them in the language of their ancestors, urging them to accept death for the sake of God’s law and promising that the Creator would restore their lives. 

After the seventh brother’s martyrdom, the mother herself was slain, bearing her children’s deaths with serene hope in the resurrection. 

The whole episode, recorded in 2 Maccabees 7, became a celebrated example of steadfast faith and fortitude in the face of persecution. It also testifies to the early Jewish belief in our ultimate bodily resurrection. 

Next month: Maccabees finale! – Prayers for the Dead (Purgatory), the Birth of the Essenes, and Herod the Great. 

Closing Prayer

O God

Who from living and chosen stones prepare an eternal dwelling for your majesty

Increase in your Church the spirit of grace you have bestowed

So that by the new growth your faithful people may build up the heavenly Jerusalem.

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.