Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics

Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM

This meeting-class is FREE.

House rules/notes…

1.     Our meeting/classes are In-Person at St. John Neumann Catholic Church 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, VA 20191 https://saintjn.org/  (usually held downstairs in Room 5), or ONLINE via Zoom (see #2).

2.     To sign up for Zoom notifications and to receive the Meeting Recaps, go to www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy and join us! The Zoom Logon is the same every week:  Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081  Password: 406952.  

3.     After each meeting, I send out Meeting Recaps of what we discussed. These recaps are unedited and without the pictures. The edited version with pictures will be posted before the next class on the Website –  https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website. Taylor will notify everyone and provide a link.

4.     Questions highly encouraged. If you have questions about anything during the class, please feel welcome to unmute or write them in the chat box during the class–all we ask is that in-class questions stay on topic. For any questions not related to a class’ material, we encourage you to message one of us through Meetup, or email me directly at ron@hallagan.net.

5.     Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between religions and between Christian denominations, and we agree to be respectful at all times. Protestants especially are our friends and brothers-in-Christ. I personally owe part 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/apply the Bible and our Catholic faith.

7.     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/.

8.     “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 captures Jesus better than any show I have ever seen. Highly recommended. 

9.     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!

Catholic Catacombs Website:  https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website

Bible Study Format:   Each week of the month has a repeating topic, as noted below.

Each meeting: 5 min greet, prayer, 10-15 min Catholic topic, 40-45 min main topic. 

Week 1:  Gospel Week:   

Week 2:  Bible Week (Gen to Rev):  We are in EXODUS, the 2nd book of Moses. 

Week 3:  Survey Topics Voted on by Members:       

x 1) Jesus’ Greatest Parables       x 2) Hell, Purgatory, Heaven        x 3) Comparative Religions  

    4) Great Women in the Bible      5) Book of Revelation             6) Major Heresies and Church Councils

Week 4: Member Questions:

1.    What is glory? What is identity?  What does it mean to “put on Christ”?

2.    Can we do a Christian Meditation one evening?

3.    Can you provide a brief review of the origin/meaning of the (12) statements in the Creed?

4.    Angels – who are they, what do they do? Do we really have guardian angels? What about devils/demons?

5.     Please explain exorcisms. Do they happen, are they real?

6.    What should our response be to those who ask us about priestly sex abuse?

7.    What about the atheist who leads a good life? Can I be a person be good apart from God?

8.    Miracles since the NT

9.    What’s the difference between Charity and Love? What are the highest forms of charity?

10.How can I get more excited by the Mass?

Major holy days in the Liturgy of the Church:   Dec 3 to Dec 24:  Advent

Dec 8:  Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Opening Prayer

LORD

As we embark on the book of Joshua tonight,

We thank you for helping us understand salvation history unfold.  

Help us to see the meaning for Your first chosen people, and the meaning for us,

As your Covenant expands from tribe of Abraham to the nation of Israel.

And as you 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.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us all.  Amen.

Today

1.    Gospel reading – The Parable of the Talents

2.    Joshua & Judges – Intro and Overview of Joshua 

Quote of the Week:

“History is the terrible story of man trying to find something other than God to make him happy.” – C.S. Lewis

We will review a different apologetics or exegesis term each week...

Apologetics and Exegesis Terms

Apologetics – to defend a belief.

    Catholic Apologetics– to defend the Catholic faith using reason, tradition, & Scripture.

    Exegesis – the study and interpretation of Scripture (it’s what we do here every week; you are all exegetes).

    Eschatology (Greek, eschaton=last/end): the study of the End Times – the Second Coming of Christ (also called

        Parousia), Judgement Day, Heaven and Hell.    

Bible = The OT = The Torah (Pentateuch, Books of Moses), the Prophets, the Writings (Wisdom, Novellas)

 The NT = The Gospels and the Epistles (Epistles: New Test Letters (Paul), Catholic Letters, and Revelation). 

Best Bibles – The Didache Bible, Ignatius Edition; Ignatius RSV 2nd Catholic edition; Augustine Bible; Douay    Rheims (Jerome). Starters: Bible Basics for Catholics-Ave Maria press.

Church – Greek kyriakon house of the Lord:  building for Christian worship; the whole body of Christian believers.

Ark of the Covenant:  a) The golden chest holding the 10 Commandments; b) Mary’s womb holding the Word of God

Tabernacle - the portable sanctuary used by the Israelites in the wilderness during Exodus the from Egypt and then in the Temple in Jerusalem by Solomon (and again later by Herod).  Latin tabernaculum – tent; temporary dwelling place.

Temple – Latin templum - space set aside for sacrifice/worship; replaced the Tabernacle; the Temple in Jerusalem.

Synagogue – Jewish house of worship often w/facilities for religious instruction. Greek synagogue: assembly/gathering. 

Church Authority – The Church is the only authority given by Jesus Christ to interpret the Word of God:  "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven" (Mt 18:18-20). Otherwise, there could be a different interpretation for every Scriptural passage for every person who ever read them, resulting in division vs unity (which is why there are 10,000 different Protestant churches and 17+ Eastern Orthodox churches). Catholic Church teachings are nothing more than the Church’s interpretation of that which has already been revealed by God, either through Scripture or what has been handed on from Apostolic Tradition. This body of the Church’s interpretation is called the “Magisterium” and it is not superior to the Word of God, but its servant. The Church cannot make up anything outside what has been handed to it, but rather guards and teaches it (CCC#86, 890). The Church believes that Divine Revelation ended with the Apostles. 

Doctrine refers to all of the official teachings of the Church. They fall into three categories:

1)           

a.     Those that the Church teaches authoritatively but not infallibly. Elements within these can change.

b.    Those which the Church teaches infallibly. 

c.     Dogma: Those teachings which the Church has infallibly taught to be divinely revealed. 

     “Theological Opinions” are teachings that express a pope’s views in a subject but are not doctrine/not binding. Encyclicals fall into this category. 

      Heresy is the rejection of dogma. If someone rejects a teaching belonging to the first or second categories of

doctrine, it may be very sinful, but it does not rise to the level of heresy. 

Epiphany – Epiphany means a sudden appearance or manifestation from above. In Christianity, it refers to the manifestation of Jesus Christ being the Savior of the World to the gentiles (Magi) 12 days after Christmas. Often applies to knowledge.

    Theophany means the appearance of God, such as Yahweh to Moses on Mt. Sinai, or at the Transfiguration. Note “phany” in both words, from the Greek phainein = to appear. [Theo=God + phany=appear]

Eucharist –the Lord’s Supper. The bread & wine become Jesus’ body/blood. From Greek eucharistia = thanksgiving.

    Mass – the celebration of the Last Supper/Eucharist. “Mass” is from the Latin missa meaning “to send (out).”

Evangelize – to make the Kingdom of God present in our world. 

Forgiveness – letting go of past harm to God or others; it presumes repentance, which presumes changes in behavior

     Mercy – withholding harsh treatment or judgment that is justified.

God as Father/He/Him – scriptural tradition (God is not a gender); God does set the gold standard for fatherhood.

    Man – generic for mankind, humanity.

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

    Theism – belief in the existence of God or gods, especially the believe 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.

    Atheism – belief that gods of any kind do not exist.

    Agnosticism – belief that God may or may not exist but we cannot know. 

Preternatural – means “outside the natural”; refers to the preternatural state of grace Adam & Eve were in before the Fall.

The “World” – as used in the Bible, this term pertains to the material world or our temporary, material lives. The word “secular” means the same thing (Latin seaecularis - worldly/temporal). It is often used with a negative connotation, i.e., “The fall of man resulted from our choosing this world/ourselves over God.” 

“A lie travels around the globe while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”  – Mark Twain

Gospel Sun Nov 19:   “The Parable of Talents”

Matthew 25:14-30

For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was travelling into a far country; who called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

To one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

Immediately, the one who received five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents.

Likewise, the one who received two talents made another two talents.

But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.

And he that had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, “Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.”

His master said to him, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Come, share your master’s joy.”

Then he who had received two talents also came forward and said, “Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.”

His master said to him, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Come, share your master’s joy.”

Then he who had received the one talent came forward and said, “Master, I knew you were a hard man, reaping where you had not sown, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; and being afraid, I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is back.”

And his master said to him in reply, “You wicked and lazy servant; so you knew that I harvested where I did not plant and gathered where I did not scatter?  Should you not then have put my money in a bank so I would have received my it back with interest? 

So then, take the talent from him and give it to the one having ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now cast out this useless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Remember, in Jesus’ parables there are unusual twists in the story that don’t seem to make sense (at least not to his audience). These twists indicate that things are not as they seem. Let’s look for these, and then we will find the nimshal.  

For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was travelling into a far country, who called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

Q:  Who is “the man” and where is he traveling?

            The man is Jesus.

            His journey is his Ascension into Heaven.

Q:  Who are the servants?

            The servants are Christ’s disciples of every generation. They are us.

To one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

Q:  How much was a talent worth in those days?

            Most opinions say one talent was worth about 6000 days’ wages = over $1M in today’s currency. 

Q:  What did the talent represent?

            The spiritual gifts God gives every believer, which are calibrated according to the abilities of the believer. In some way or another, they involve service to others, which are all acts of love. God expects us to use these to advance the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. He Jesus calls them talents because of their importance to God and to how we will “spend” our eternal life.  

Q:  Why are their values different?

   The talents are of different amounts simply because nobody is the “same” – God created us with endless

differences and diversity, which is why no two people are identical. Beauty/creativity depend on our differences.     Now, do not categorize these different talents as some kind of inequality of value but rather remember we all different parts of the Body of Christ. We all have different roles to play. The person given 5 talents may well have been a priest or a nun like Mother Teresa, which would make most of us the same as the guy with one talent! Regardless, we all are given the Holy Spirit and the grace to make a difference and God expects us to use these to advance the Kingdom while we are here.

Q:  When does the Master return?

            Jesus returns at the 2nd Advent. Advent is Latin and means “coming.” It could also be interpreted as at our own death.

Immediately, the one who received five talents went off and made another five talents. Likewise, the one who received two talents made another two talents. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. And he that had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, “Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.” His master said to him, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Come, share your master’s joy.” Then he who had received two talents also came forward and said, “Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.”

His master said to him, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Come, share your master’s joy.”

Q:  What did the first two servants do correctly that made the Master so happy? What is sharing in the master’s joy?

They used their talents to increase the kingdom of God by living like Christ:  love God, love neighbor, practice mercy instead of judgment, assist those in need, and show generosity and humility instead of self-centeredness.

Q:  What does “Come, share your master’s joy” mean?

            The Kingdom of Heaven.  Elsewhere, it is compared to a king’s banquet or a wedding feast. It’s not just “eternity” it is something much more. The unspeakable joy known previously only to God will now be shared with us. For one, the servant is no longer the servant – the Master now gives his joy to him. This is what inheritance in the Trinity is about.

A New Heaven and a New Earth – Rev 21:1

Then he who had received the one talent came forward and said, “Master, I knew you were a hard man, reaping where you had not sown, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; and being afraid, I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is back.”

And his master said to him in reply, “You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I harvested where I did not plant and gathered where I did not scatter?  Should you not then have put my money in a bank so I would have received my it back with interest? 

Q:  What did the Master mean about interest in a bank? 

Letting your money get interest in a bank is easy. The bank does all the work, but it’s better than nothing. However, the comparison would be if he gave his money to the church or someone else who would do some good with the money. In the end, God still expects us to do good in the world and not just pay others to do it for us.   

Notice this guy saw the exchange between the Master and the other two servants already, so he had to know he was in trouble; he admitted he knew what was expected of him. But rather than coming clean, he accuses the Master of being a tough taskmaster – and a dishonest one (“you reap where you don’t sow”) – and then suggests he did the only prudent thing by burying his talent.

As for Jesus reaping where he didn’t sow, God calls all of us to expand His Kingdom outside the Church – where His word has not been sown yet. Clearly, this servant doesn’t understand the mission – nor the effects – of investing in love and goodness. He only thinks of himself.

29 For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.     What does this mean?

Notice this verse from the Book of Wisdom:

"Because into a soul that plots evil, wisdom enters not, nor dwells she in a body under debt of sin. For the Holy Spirit flees deceit and withdraws from senseless counsels..." – Wisdom 1:5

            It’s the same thing Jesus is saying. If you are filled with self or deceit, grace and wisdom cannot enter. This was the man who refused to use his one talent, and so it was taken away.

            On the other hand, if he had turned his 1 talent into 2, he would have received MORE. More grace, more Spirit, more wisdom. Not only that, but you are adding to your treasury in Heaven.  

30 And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

Q: What does this mean?

This is an Old Testament idiom that refers to Hell. As the CCC says, Hell is being separated from God for eternity and is the choice each human makes in this life. If we want nothing to do with God in this life, our wish will be granted in the next. What that will be like we don’t know but remember that the three greatest gifts to humans – faith, hope, and love – will no longer be part of their existence, since those come from God.

Q:  What temptation did this servant have that probably resembles our own? 

Perhaps:  I don’t really have the time – I’m too busy with my job and friends and my other commitments.  

Or else:  My one talent (or whatever) isn’t going to make much of a difference, anyway.  

On the first point, Heaven and Hell are in full agreement on this. The Devil says to us, “Stop! Count how much time or money this is going to cost you before you go any further!” And Jesus agrees. In Luke 14:28, he also tells us to count the cost before we follow him or else we may be unprepared for the difficulties that may befall us. As the saying goes, freedom is not free; especially eternal freedom.

On the second point, if the good Samaritan didn’t take the time, there would be no example of Heavenly behavior. Surely Jesus considered the cost of the cross in deciding to help us, or we wouldn’t be sitting here now. Finally, the story of the starfish.

Q:  What is the ultimate message of this parable?

As Jesus said numerous times, nobody knows of the time of his return; but also he warned us that death comes like a thief in the night. Regardless which comes first, it’s game over when we die. Will we be stuck returning the talents God gave to us like the guy with 1 talent, or will we have done something good with it?

Q:  Why did the Church decide to give us this parable now?

Because Advent season is upon us at the end of the month. From now until Christmas, we will be getting many reminders about being ready for the Second Advent, which is the most important event in humanity’s future. The Church is asking us to examine our own priorities now so that we will be ready always and at all times.

Second Advent

Where are we so far in our Biblical Timeline?

Bible Timeline

Genesis – (12,000-2200 BC) Ch 1-11: Adam to Noah to Nimrod and the Tower of Babel (called pre-“history”)

                  (2,100-1,800 BC) Ch 11-50: Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, 12 sons/tribes, Joseph into Egypt à slavery

Exodus –  (1,400-1300 BC) Moses – out of Egypt/slavery to Mt. Sinai to the promised land/40 years in the wilderness.

       (Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy - all take place during the 40 years in the wilderness.)

Joshua –   (1300-1250 BC) Conquest of Israel and the division of land among Israel’s twelve tribes.

Next   Judges –   (1250-1050 BC) “Israel” ruled by 12 Judges from Joshua to King Saul

Ruth –      (1100 BC/during Judges) Ruth the Moabite was the unlikely, great grandmother of King David.

Q:  Who remembers where Israel gets its name?

            “Israel” comes from the patriarch, Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel. Israel means “struggle with God.” Jacob’s name means a couple of things, such as “heel” because he was delivered “heels-first” after his brother Ishmael, but it also came to mean cheater or deceiver. That’s because Jacob cheated his brother (Ishmael) out of his birthright and then later deceived his father (Isaac) into giving his older brother’s final blessing to him. It’s true, his mother Rachel put Jacob up to it, but God had told Rachel from the beginning that Jacob would be the chosen line of Abraham, but then Rachel took matters into her own hands. One can see there was a lack of faith that God would accomplish the same thing without needing human deception. Later, Jacob got what was coming to him when he was deceived by his uncle Laban, costing him 7 more years of labor on Laban’s land.

When Jacob was finally returning to his father’s land, he came upon an Angel of the Lord in the night and wrestled with him until morning. This was a pivotal moment for Jacob, and it symbolized his conversion into an honest man. The angel gave him a new name, Israel, which means “struggle with God.” 

Jacob (Israel) struggles with the angel of the Lord

At the end of Deuteronomy as they were about to enter the promised land, Moses gives his final speech encouraging the Israelites but also warning them to stick by the Lord and his commandments always, or else they would lose everything. 

Joshua and Judges

Joshua –   (1300-1250 BC) Conquest of Israel and the division of land among Israel’s twelve tribes.

Judges –   (1250-1050 BC) “Israel” ruled by 12 Judges from Joshua to King Saul

The Book of Joshua

The first of the Bible’s “Historical Books”

The Book of Joshua recounts the career of Moses’ successor, Joshua, who led the people of Israel in the land of Canaan, defeated their enemies, and divided the land among the twelve tribes.

Joshua was close to Moses and always in the mix. He ascended halfway up Mt. Sinai with Moses and was one of the privileged to accompany him into the Tabernacle sanctuary. There were several victorious battles during the 40 years in the desert and Joshua always played a key role. In the closing lines of the Pentateuch, it says,

And Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the sons of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses” (Deut 34:9).  

In this way, the book of Joshua serves both as an epilogue to the Pentateuch and as a transition into the historical books of the OT.

The theological message of the book is that God is faithful to His promise to give land, descendants, and a nation to Abraham.

However, the message from Moses stands for the rest of Israel’s future: IF Israel relies totally on the Lord for victory, and IF Israel stays united as a people, and IF God’s instructions are kept and no one grows rich from victory in war, and IF God remains their one and only God, THEN and only then will Israel keep the land.

The book of Joshua seeks to show not only how Joshua carries on the work of Moses but how the conquest of Canaan is actually continuous with the exodus from Egypt. This can be seen throughout, starting with the crossing of the Jordan River – which is patterned after the crossing of the Red Sea, and concluding with Joshua’s speeches to the Israelites before he dies, just like Moses at the end of Deuteronomy.

Modern readers may be put off by the description of battles and their aftermath, the destruction of everyone and everything in the cities taken under the “ban” (called herem). The ban was practiced in the ancient Near East and elsewhere, but in Joshua the wholesale destruction of the Canaanites appears to be an idealization of the Deuteronomic idea that pagans are to be wiped out so they will not be an occasion for apostasy from the Lord. In reality, the “herem language” used in Joshua was exaggerated beyond any possible literal reading of the book. This is shown later in Joshua itself as well as in Judges since the people and towns that were supposedly wiped out are still there and thriving.

One reason for this, which we discussed briefly on 9.26.23, was that such metaphoric and hyperbolic language seems to have been common then. For example, the use of the terminology, “every man, woman, and child,” is considered by many to be idiomatic, like in football when the players say at half time, “let’s go out and murder those b*******!”

As the Pontifical Biblical Commission states:

As the best interpreters of the patristic tradition [i.e., the Church Fathers] had already suggested, the narration of the conquest epic should be seen as a sort of parable presenting characters of symbolic value; the law of extermination, for its part, requires a non-literal interpretation, as in the case of the command of the Lord to cut off one’s hand or pluck out one’s eye, if they are a cause of scandal (Matt 5:29; 18:9) (The Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture 127).

Three other reminders:

1)    The Canaanites are not a foreign people. Canaan was the cursed son of Ham, the cursed son of Noah. The Israelites are descended from Shem, the good son of Noah, so that makes them distant relatives.

2)    By this time, Canaan did not refer to one people but had become a general term used for this area which included many different, distantly-related tribes.

3)    History tells us that the people of Canaan were great depraved, mostly worshiping fertility gods and goddesses that involved human and child sacrifice. By contrast, the Israelites are called to holiness, for they are “a people holy to the Lord.”

In reality, then, Joshua’s conquering the land was actually a slow and piecemeal affair. Although they took control of much of the land, they were still surrounded by many unconquered enemies. History does confirm one thing: the Hebrews/Israelites were prevalent in the land since the 1200s BC.

Joshua is a relatively short book that may be divided as follows:

I.                Ch. 1-5:  Preparations to Take the Land

II.              Ch. 6-12:  Taking the Land

III.            Ch. 13-21:  Dividing the Land

IV.            Ch. 22-24:  Keeping the Land (Exhortations by Joshua to the people about remaining faithful to the covenant)

Joshua conquers Canaan

4900

Closing Prayer

Song of Miriam

I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.

The Lord is our strength and our defense; he has become our salvation.He is our God, and we will praise him, the God of our ancestors, and we will exalt him.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art 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.