11.18.25 - Pets & Prison

Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics  11/18/25

Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM. 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 for Zoom notifications and to receive meeting reminders at www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy.  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, 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.  

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.      

Bible Study Format

Our Bible Study is a combination of Exegesis and Apologetics.

                            Study and interpretation of Scripture         A reasoned defense of the faith 

Each meeting is (roughly) as follows:

15. min   Apologetic Reflection

16. 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 Prophets.  

Week 3:    Questions and Survey Topics chosen by Members:       

Fathers of the Church, Heresies, Church Councils    2) Near Death Experiences    3) Jesus prefigured & prophesied in the OT    4) Apparitions and modern miracles   5) What happens to pets after they die. 6) Prison ministry stories  7) Could you review of Plenary and Partial Indulgences again? 

    Week 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    

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 ask for volunteer readers…

Upcoming major holy days:  Advent begins Sunday, Nov 30. www.littlebooks.org

Dec 8, The Immaculate Conception

Mass Times/Confession anywhere: www.masstimes.org

Opening Prayer

Dear Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 

We thank you for our existence so that we could have a relationship with You. 

We thank you for the opportunity to serve You, to learn from You, and to become closer to You.  

You are the Vine; we are the branches; Your Life and Spirit flow through our veins. 

You are in us. We are in You. We are one. 

And 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.

TODAY:  

• Reflection: Will our pets go to Heaven?

• Reading for The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Luke 23:35-43

• Member Topic:  Prison Ministry

Quote of the Week – 

Thus says the Lord: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth: It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. - Isa 55:10-11

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven – Matthew 6:10. 

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven – Matthew 6:10.          us    

Reflection:  Will my pet (or any animals) be with us in Heaven?

What is a soul? 

The traditional/philosophical definition of the soul dates back to Plato in 400 BC, describing it as distinct from the physical body and as the “animating force” – or “breath of life” – in all living things. According to this meaning, all living things have souls. The soul is not only what makes them “alive,” but ascribes to them who/what they are. The soul of a tree gives it life and also its purpose – what a tree does from the beginning of its life to the end. The same for animals. 

The Bible treats the soul much earlier than this. In Genesis 2:7, God breathes the breath of life into man, making his soul uniquely spiritual and immortal. Our souls contain our personal identities, including our rational intellect, our will, and our higher/intellectual memories. Similar to above, the animating force for our physical bodies also comes from the soul. Aquinas describes the human soul as “rational and immortal” and its spiritual nature enables us to enter into the eternity of Heaven. Although our souls are immortal, our bodies are not yet. Like Jesus’ glorified body after his resurrection, we will likewise have to wait for out glorified bodies, which will then be truly perfected once reunited to our souls.  

From this perspective, it would seem that all other living things (trees, birds, animals…) would not be entering Heaven because they don’t have immortal souls. Indeed, some Christians thinkers believe that animals will be excluded from Heaven for this reason. Other Church theologians say they will be in Heaven. What about the Church? 

The Church does not “dogmatically” (no pun intended) take a stand one way or the other, as Scripture does not definitively deal with this. 

Those who say that other life forms will be in Heaven point to Isaiah who says that in the new creation the lion will lay down with the lamb, etc. Opponents will simply say this is symbolic. There are those who also say that they could not possibly be happy in Heaven without their pets, but that’s not a good argument, since if you think you need your pet to be happy in Heaven, then you are probably not ready for Heaven. Remember, the very concept of happiness originates with God and everything else is lightyears less. But don’t let that discourage you; there are other, better arguments in favor of animals.  

Peter Kreeft (favorite current theologian) agrees with C.S. Lewis and says, “Why shouldn’t animals be in Heaven, especially our pets?” Lewis suggests that when a pet becomes part of a human family, then it becomes part of that family just like God made us part of His family; and then God instructs us to act likewise. Lewis says that our very act of including pets in our lives is what qualifies them for joining us in Heaven. 

Some have pointed out that pets seem to be gifts from God to help people; and that these pets have played such an important role in their lives that they, too, will be waiting for them in Heaven. Others have said that some pets may be angels sent by God as helpers. That may sound crazy, but then angels have appeared in Scriptures under the guise of humans, so what’s to stop them from appearing as animals. Interestingly, St. John Bosco believed his dog, Grigio, was his guardian angel. (Not dogma, just saying!) St. Faustina once said she saw demons under the appearance of pack of black dogs. Well, then, if bad angels could do it, then why not our guardian angels?

Then there is Noah and the Ark, which clearly shows the importance of “saving animals.” And the most famous in all Church teaching is the dove, who acts in the Holy Spirit in all four Gospels! 

Another argument in favor of animals in Heaven occurs during the Creation story in Genesis One. After each stage of creation – including vegetation, birds, fish, and animals – God says, “it was good.” Anything God bothers to create that He calls “good” would not arbitrarily be destroyed. Animals are God’s creation, God’s creatures! In this respect, everything that God created “good” would qualify to be part the “New Heaven and New Earth” (Rev 21:1) that God says awaits us after Judgment Day. It is hard to imagine a new Heaven and new Earth without a perfected nature, which He has already created.  

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals. – Psalm 36:6

Once again, this subject is not definitively dealt with in Scripture, so the Church does not make any dogmatic (absolutely certain) statements about it. Like some other unknowable topics in the Bible, the Church leaves it open to interpretation. 

In any event, you now know that believing our pets will be with us in Heaven is NOT against Church teaching. 

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – 

Also known as the Feast of Christ the King!

Context: 

The Feast of Christ the King is a holy day has only been around for 100 years. It was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, after the “Great War” (WW1) slaughtered 20 million people (half of them civilians) and another 20 million casualties. This was when the Enlightenment Age was upon us, telling us that God was dead and Jesus was just a good/wise guy. This era also led to the rise of atheist communist and socialist governments. In other words, it was a dark time for religion in general, and for Christianity especially. In the midst of this, Pope Pius XI sought to make a bold statement: to inform the world that God was not dead and that Jesus Christ was the King of the Universe! And so this holy day was created. 

One might expect the readings for the celebration of Christ the King to point to some form of kingship, such as Jesus’ Ascension, or perhaps his Second Coming. Instead, the reading centers on the crucifixion of Jesus! 

Why would that be? Let’s read the Gospel and figure it out. 

Luke 23:35-43

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." 

Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself."

Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews."

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us."

The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal."

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Exegesis = Interpretation/Explanation

In the passages just before today’s reading, Jesus accused the Pharisees of hypocrisy for honoring the prophets whom their Jewish/Temple ancestors killed, since they also persecuted John the Baptist and were now attacking him. He called them whitewashed tombs, for they were no better than their ancestors. 

Notice how our reading above bears out the truth of everything Jesus said. The first two verses remind us of exactly how the prophets like Jeremiah were ridiculed and killed. 

What was the intent of the sign put above Jesus, “This is the King of the Jews”?

It was mockery. Pilate had it placed there not only to mock Jesus, but to also mock the Jews who pleaded with him not to put it there.  

The scene of the crucifixion and the enmity of the chief priests, Pharisees, and elders toward Jesus recalls the following Old Testament prophetic passage. It is stunning.  

Wisdom 2:12-24

Let us lie in wait for the righteous one, because he is annoying to us; he opposes our actions,

reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. 

He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the LORD. 

To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, 

Because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways.

He judges us debased; he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.

He calls blest the destiny of the righteous and boasts that God is his Father. 

Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him in the end. 

For if the righteous one is the son of God, God will help him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. 

Dismas Jesus Gestas

Why did Jesus promise salvation to one of the criminals?

There are three good reasons: 1) his act of righteousness in defending Jesus, 2) his willful acknowledgement of his 

sins, and 3) his profession of faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah. These won him Jesus' promise of eternal salvation.

Apologetic:  Non-Catholics will point out that Dismas (the good criminal) went to Heaven without any “good works.” What would your response be to that?

Once again, Catholics have never taught that good works is the cause of salvation. Remember, it is Jesus’ dying for our sins and his grace from the cross that opens the gates of Heaven and offers salvation to the world. Without this, there is no salvation. Where our differences lie have to do with our response to Christ, our freewill to cooperate with that grace.   

1. As Jesus said, we must be baptized (if possible) and have faith in Jesus. In cases where Baptism is not possible, there is “baptism of desire” which suffices. Dismas easily had this. So for Dismas, the first two conditions are met – the Cross and Baptism. As a reminder, if someone dies right after Baptism, they will go straight to Heaven.  

2. Ongoing cooperation: To whatever extent our talents and lives allow us (read Parable of the Talents), we must perform acts (works of love) for God and neighbor. In the case of Dismas, there wasn’t much time given to him, which could be seen as an example of a “death-bed conversion.” On the other hand, “preaching the faith” is considered a “good work” by the Church, and Dismas certainly did that, so he was covered either way! 

Conclusion:  We often have a paradoxical relationship between how the world works and how Heaven works. For example, worldly love is mostly about getting/receiving love, and so is limited. Spiritual love (“agape love”) is infinite, and how it works is the more we give it away, the more we have. Our egos wish for us to be strong and wise without God, but we find out when we surrender ourselves/egos to God, we become far wiser and stronger than before. Paradoxically, Jesus is King as he reigns from the cross. We tried to kill him and instead he used that to open the gates to Heaven for us.  

Prison Ministry

“I was in prison, and you visited me.” – Matthew 25:36

What is “prison ministry”?

Prison ministry is a service similar to other “works of mercy” that Christ asks us to do (see Mt. 25:35-45), such as serving the poor, the disadvantaged, the sick, or the elderly. Such service, we soon discover, changes us as much as it helps the other. No doubt Jesus knew this! That is why giving money to charity is a good thing; but it is secondary to giving service personally because it truly works both ways. 

What we do at the jail.

We come under an umbrella in the county called Prison Ministry, which coordinates religious involvement at the jail. It takes a couple of months to get cleared to become a volunteer. Some coursework and quizzes are included in this. 

There are two types of volunteering: Weekly Services and Mentoring. 

Weekly Services. From 2012 to 2019, I volunteered for the “weekly service.” Weekly service last about two hours on a Saturday, but we rotate volunteers so you are usually only scheduled one Saturday per month. It’s a classroom setting with a group of inmates who sign up to attend. We usually follow the Mass format – with readings from Scripture and then open discussions about the readings; there can be singing, music, and praying. There’s also room for adding creative elements, too. Some volunteers add making religious art (arts & crafts!) or watch a movie. Once or twice a month, a priest is able to come and assist with the weekly service, which includes giving Communion and hearing confessions. 

Mentoring 

After seven years of weekly (once a month) services, they were in need of mentors. Mentoring is one-on-one meetings – usually weekly – with inmates who have requested a mentor. The goal is to help them prepare for returning to the world to hopefully make different decisions – and most of all to keep God close by for emotional and strategic assistance.  

Opportunities. If anyone is interested in volunteering, let me know and I will connect you to the right office. I suggest starting with the Weekly Service where you are paired up with an experienced volunteer. Some volunteers have been doing this for over 10 years. If you get comfortable being around inmates and have the desire to more after a few years, you can always switch to mentoring with some training. 

Story… 

My previous prisoner was a guy named Moses (first name). He was in for one year for violating a restraining order 3 times (not to contact his wife). As I usually do, I asked him if he wanted to improve his chances for not coming back to jail in the future. He said of course. The following dialogue took place over several months and are summarized for the sake of tonight’s class. 

I asked him why he kept violating the court order, and he said because he loves his wife. He said she doesn’t realize that all he wants is what’s best for the both of them. He is willing to do whatever it takes to fix their problems.  She just doesn’t give him the time to explain. 

Ron – How do you know for sure you love her? 

Moses – Because I have never had such feelings like this for anyone. She is all I can think of. 

R – Okay, got it. Yes, feelings can be very strong, and yours obviously are. But let me ask you: do you think love is just feelings, or is there more to it? 

Moses – I’m not sure, probably more I suppose. 

R – Can you tell me what you think love is?  

Moses – Hmm… not sure. Good feelings, caring?   

R – Caring for sure. Nowadays, people get mixed up about what love is. Similar to what you said, they usually think its just feelings, but when you’re having a bad day and the feelings are not there, does that mean your love is gone? 

Moses – good question. 

R – That’s not much of a love if it just comes and goes with your emotions. This may surprise you but here are two things that love is not:  Love is not sex and love is not our feelings. 

Moses – I don’t understand. How come it’s not our feelings? Isn’t “feeling in love” everything? 

R – No, feelings are more about “attraction.” Sure, physical and emotional attraction helps, and that usually what gets relationships started, but feelings and emotions come and go. Real love is deeper than that. And it sounds to me like you might want to figure that out before you leave here and go visiting her again. No point in wasting your time violating another court order if you find out that maybe you don’t truly love her after all.

When we met the following week… 

R – Did you give some thought to what we discussed about the meaning of love?

Moses – I did. How’s this: love is the willingness to putting the other person first.

R – Wow, where’d you learn that?

Moses – I asked the guys around my cell block and when one guy said that I knew it was the right answer.

R – Congratulations for recognizing it. It’s right on. Knowing this is the first step.

Moses – What do you mean “first step”?

R – Knowing to put the other person first is good, but knowing something isn’t nearly as hard as doing it. Even the devil knows what is right, but he’s never going to do it. So the real task is this: are you willing to put the other person first – and yourself second – all the time? Because if not, then maybe you really aren’t willing.   

Moses – Why do you say that love means putting myself second all the time? That doesn’t sound very… gratifying!

R – Ha, well, let me reverse the question. Would you like it if your wife put you first all the time?

Moses – Oh man, I’d love it. (…pause…)  Oh… I see… so the goal would be what… if we both start doing this?

R – That’s right. The key to a great marriage is when you are both willing to “practice” putting the other one first. I say, “practice” because we aren’t perfect. But if we are willing to keep trying, then that will work. This is what “self-giving’ means, which is what real love is. It’s the beginning of love.

Moses – Nobody ever told me that. And why are you now saying that’s just the beginning of love?

R – As I said, we aren’t perfect and there will be lots of trial and error, but part of the love process is learning to laugh together at each other’s mistakes, forgiving each other, and then keep on working them out. As time goes on, you get better and better at it, and love grows from this. It’s like growing a garden, and you are taking care of the garden – every day. All the mistakes and corrections you make is just weeding the garden so it can continue to grow better. Moreover, if you keep God in the mix, then he adds grace to all your efforts when you aren’t looking, which just increases your success. 

Moses – Ok, wow. It’s starting to make sense. But see, I know for sure that I love my wife because I want her to be first and I want her to be happy. The reason I want to see her again is to explain how much I love her – I want us to be happy together; I want to have a family together!

R – Ok, Moses, take a deep breath. (Pause.) Here’s the problem. Are you aware of how many times you said “I” in your last string of statements?

Moses – … no

R – About ten times. “I know, I want her to do this, I want the marriage to be that, I want, I want.” Your desire for her happiness is strong – I get it – but these strong feelings are all about what YOU want to see happen. Everything is still wrapped around you. I didn’t hear you say one thing about what she wanted.   

Moses – No shit…  That’s true.  

R – Moses, many people haven’t learned this, so you are not alone, and this is a lot to take in. Anyway, here’s another way to think about it: we all have this big world or universe going on in our heads – all our life’s activities, our work, our relationships, our likes and dislikes, our worries, and so on – and who is at the center of this big, amazing universe in our minds?

Moses – We are. I am.  

R – Yes. But here’s the thing – everyone else around us has their own big universes going on in their minds, too! So, you see, your wife has a big universe going on in her mind, just like yours. Do you happen to know what’s going on in her universe?

Moses – No. Actually, I don’t think I understand anything that’s going on in her head.

R – Well, now we’re getting somewhere. Recognizing this fact is a big step. The good news is that God gave us a spiritual mind so that we can step outside our “little universes” (that’s right, they’re little; they are only big to our egos). We can step outside ourselves and see what other people are seeing and feeling. True love is when you try to enter her universe to see what things look like from her perspective. Only then can you truly begin to put the other person first.

Moses – I’m not feeling good about this. In fact, I’m feeling kinda sick. I’ve got some thinking to do.

R – Hey man, we all do. Believe it or not, you are picking up this stuff faster than most people. So if you get through this and get good at it, then down the road I suspect you will be able to teach it to others.  

Moses – Thanks, man, but that ain’t making me feel a whole lot better right now!

R – Yeah, I know. Remember, learning wisdom is like boot camp. Without boot camp, a soldier can never become a good soldier, right? Without diet and exercise, we can’t achieve fitness. All good things we learn come from striving through some difficulty. But we’re always much better and wiser people when we get to the other side of it. 

Moses – okay, thanks, that makes sense. I’m still worried about what this means for me and my wife. 

Next week…

Moses – I have thought about this and I think we should talk about what this means for me and my wife next. 

R – Well, I have some tough-love training that you probably need to hear. But only if you think you are ready. 

Moses – yeah, are you kidding?

R – Okay. Look, I don’t know your wife, but from everything you’ve said it sounds like what you’re going to find out is that she doesn’t have the same feelings as you. She got a court to give her a protective order against you and then had you arrested, right?

Moses – Yeah.

R – Okay, then it’s probably safe to say she doesn’t share your feelings. Now, based on our discussions on love, if you really love her and want to put her first, then wouldn’t that mean giving her what she wants?

Moses – You mean to leave her alone?     

R – Yes. And if you refuse to leave her alone, then doesn’t that mean you don’t really love her since you are not willing to put her first?

Moses – Shit, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t!

R – Moses, the only thing that’s damning is your insistence on seeing her against her will. But think about this: you are not only giving her what she’s legally entitled to anyway, but powerful attraction is kind of enslaving you, is it not? This could be giving you a chance to breathe, too. 

Moses – Yeah, I guess that’s one way of putting it. I have a lot of thinking to do. I’m sad, man. Do you have any suggestions?

R – So far, you’ve been doing a good job praying, so I suggest you continue. You are not alone. Talk to God, put your feelings out there to Him. You could also read Psalm 22 and 23. 22 is about Jesus hanging on the cross when everything seems to be going downhill, but then things get a whole lot better by the end of the psalm, which is how all good things end, which leads to Psalm 23. This is how it is when we decide to leave one life behind and start a new one.  

Moses – Ok, I will. Will I see you next week?

R – Of course. 

Next month: Does Moses love his wife?  Divorce court hearing. 

Closing Prayer: 

“Give Us a Heart” - Mother Teresa

Lord, give us a heart as beautiful, pure, and spotless as yours.

A heart like yours, so full of love and humility.

May we be able to receive Jesus as the Bread of Life,

to love Him as you loved Him,

and to serve Him under the mistreated face of the poor.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hail Mary

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.