12.05.23 - Gospel Tuesday & The Immaculate Conception

Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics

Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM

This meeting is a lecture/Q&A format. It 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 towww.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. Please remember these recaps are unedited and without the pictures. The edited version with pictures will be posted on our website before the next class on the Website –  https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website. Taylor will notify everyone at that time and provide a link.

4. Questions encouraged. If you have questions, we ask that you keep them on topic and brief. You can ask in the chat box during the class, or email through Meetup.com, or email me at ron@hallagan.net afterwards.

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; in fact, 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 2ndbook 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. Can you provide a brief review of the origin/meaning of the (12) statements in the Creed?

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

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

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

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

6. Miracles since the NT

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

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

Major holy days in the Liturgy of the Church

Advent – Dec 3-24

Immaculate Conception – Dec 8

Opening Prayer  

Dear Holy Spirit,

Please bless and direct Pope Francis and the leadership of the Church as only You can do.

Bless, increase, and encourage Your most holy priesthood throughout the world and

the entire communion of saints.

Together, may we advance Your kingdom here on earth by our every thought, word, and action.

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. Amen.

Today

1. Advent reflection

2. The Immaculate Conception

Quote of the Week:

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”

– St. Teresa of Avila

We will review a different apologetics or exegesis term each week... Today we will defend the Immaculate Conception. Also, Parousia, since it is Advent.

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 (called Advent in

Latin, Parousia in Greek), Judgement Day, Heaven & Hell. In exegesis, you will hear Parousia (pair-oo-sia) more than Advent.    

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, revelation, or manifestation from above. In Christianity, it refers to the revelation of Jesus Christ as Savior of the World to the gentiles (Magi) 12 days after Christmas.  

   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 missameaning “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 – the belief that gods or spirituality of any kind do not exist.

   Agnosticism – the belief that God may, or may not, exist – we just can’t know.  

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

The “World” – as used in the Bible, this term pertains to the nonreligious, secular world, or our material, temporary lives. In fact, the word “secular” (Latin seaecularis) = worldly/temporal. Biblically, “this world" usually has a negative connotation, i.e., “The fall of man resulted from our choosing this world/ourselves over God.” This world is not intrinsically bad, as God made all things good. It is man that reduces it to something less. The earth is home to all our “worldly temptations” that seek to block the light of Heaven in our lives.

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

Advent Reflection: Week 2

This year, Advent kicks off on the feast day of St. Francis Xavier. I don’t know if you know much about Francis Xavier, as he less famous than Francis of Assisi. Francis of Assisi was Italian and lived early 1200s; Francis Xavier was Spanish and lived early 1500s.

Xavier was one of the first Jesuits and a contemporary of St. Ignatius of Loyolawho started the Jesuits (Society of Jesus). Xavier is best known for his mission trips to the Far East, opening up India and Japan to the spread of the gospel. Francis hoped to do the same in China but died on the journey. He was named a patron saint of the missions because of his successes. Not well known was Francis’s reputation as a wonderworker, very much like one of the original apostles. He cured the sick, restored hearing and speech to the deaf and mute, and multiplied coins that he gave to the poor, and one story has him raising someone from the dead.

In other words, he performed the same kind of deeds that heralded the coming of the Messiah into the world, which makes him ideal for kicking off the Season of Advent!

Advent calls us to think and reflect on our faith in how we carry out every part of our lives, so that we are ready, always. Faith and our work, faith and ourfamilies/friends, faith in our lives. Some say that our faith and our life must intersect somehow, but this seems a false analogy, since things that “intersect”only touch for a moment, and then go their different ways.

Q:  How else might we think about this?

Ever get stuck going down a small country road where two cars could barely pass each other? If someone was coming the other way, you’d have to ease over to the shoulder to get by. Now, have you ever been stuck behind a big tractor going down a road like this? There was NO passing this thing! You may be late wherever you were going, but you were going to be stuck going behind this tractor for as long as you – and it – were on this road. So, your faith needs to be like this tractor. We aren’t going anywhere without it. We are Christians, and we must act like Christians in everything we do, from our families to our work to our play to taking out the garbage. This is the way we will be ready no matter when our time comes.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary

The Immaculate Conception of Mary is one of our most misunderstood doctrinesin the Church, up there with Papal infallibility (which only applies to interpretation of Scripture in the teaching of faith and morals).

Many think the Immaculate Conception has to do with Jesus’ conception, but it doesn’t (that is the “Virgin Birth of Christ”).  The Immaculate Conception has to do with the conception of Mary without Original Sin in the womb of her mother,Anna.

It means that Mary was born without sin, was sinless when she conceived Jesus, and the Church has always held that she remained sinless the rest of her life. Yes, yes, I know that seems impossible, so let’s dig in!

Two Protestant arguments:

Q:  Protestants claim is that there is nothing in Scripture about the “Immaculate Conception.” Is this true?

They are correct in that there is nothing explicitly stating this, but neither is there anything explicit about the Trinity, Christmas, Easter, the Bible, or the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura. However, we will show that the Immaculate Conception is indeed based on Scripture.

Q:  Protestants have also claimed that Catholics didn’t create this doctrine of the Immaculate Conception until 1954. True?  

It is true that Pope Pius IX formalized this doctrine in 1854 but note the word “formalized.” The Church will sometimes do this when it feels clarity of Church teaching is needed. In fact, that’s how most of the Nicene Creed came to be – for clarity purposes. As for the Immaculate Conception, you can take your pick among early Church fathers who will support this doctrine. I will use one that the Protestant’s love – St. Augustine, in the 5th century:

All the just have truly known of sin except the Holy Virgin Mary, of whom, for the honor of the Lord, I will have no question whatever where sin is concerned. – St. Augustine, De natura et gratin, c. xxxvi

Notice how Augustine’s reference includes Mary’s entire life. So, this was not something created in 1854.  

Q: Who knows what tradition has to say about Mary’s earlier life?

​Joachim and Anna, Mary’s parents, were older and childless. Anna prays that if she is allowed to have a child, she will dedicate his/her life to the service of the Lord (the Temple). Anna becomes pregnant and they have Mary. They deliver Mary to the Temple when she is barely old enough. There she serves as a ‘Virgin of the Temple” learning Jewish scriptures and traditions and growing to love God so much that when it was time for her to leave the temple to be married, she refused. The priests finally convinced her she must go and they offered to help her find a husband. They called all the eligible bachelors in the village and gave them each a rod from which to draw lots. A dove flew down and landed on Joseph’s rod, making it clear that he was God’s choice. Joseph was much older than Mary and feared taking her as she had committed her virginity to the Lord, but the priests confirmed that he was chosen and must take his responsibility with great honor.  

Exegesis (rationale)

First, just logically speaking, if the All-powerful 2nd Person of the Trinity was going to be born a human, it kind of makes sense that a) He would be born of a virgin (through the HS) and b) take on a human nature from the mother that wasn’t fallen/sinful… right?

Q:  Would this be difficult for God?

I hope one would agree that if God could create the universe and incarnate Himself into His own creation as a human being, then these other two criteria – a virgin birth and a sinless birth – are mere child’s play. The merits of Jesus’s saving act on the cross, which restored Sanctifying Grace to humans, was advanced to Mary in her conception.

Scripture Readings for the Immaculate Conception

The Church has some interesting selections for readings on this Solemnity.

1. The first is the OT reading from Genesis about the Fall of Man (with a focus on Eve)

2. For the NT reading, we will read the Annunciation in the first chapter of Luke, with a focus on the dialogue between Gabriel and Mary.    

3. We will also look at a third reading from Revelation, illustrating Mary’s spiritual role in salvation history.

Genesis 3:9-15,20

The LORD God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you?

He answered, “I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Then God asked: “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat?”

The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.”

The LORD God then asked the woman: “What is this you have done?”

The woman answered, “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate it.”

Then the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all the animals…. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he will strike your head, and you shall strike his heel.”

The man gave his wife the name “Eve,” because she was the mother of all the living.”

Q:  What happened right after they ate from the tree?

Just a few verses earlier, the serpent told Eve, “God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods….”  

​But then this happened: “When their eyes were opened, they noticed they were naked.”  What is the meaning of this?  

​This was their first experience with sin, and they were ashamed of their own betrayal (they saw their nakedness). Prior to this, they had nothing to hide. Isn’t hiding our sin the first thing we typically do after we lie, cheat, or steal?  And if we get caught, then what?  Immediately, we see Eve blames the serpent. Adam goes even further and blames God and his wife!

The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.”

Q:  How does eating the fruit of the tree translate into the Fall of Man?  

a) First, the “Fall of Man” is generic and refers to the fall of mankind. The blame for the Fall is sometimes thought to be Eve’s fault since she was the first to disobey by eating from the tree, but the blame is equally shared by Adam. The prohibition was first given to Adam; also, he was standing right next to Eve and fully cooperated.  

b) Disobedience. They disobeyed God in the ONE thing He told them not to do. God is perfect wisdom, and He was teaching them this wisdom, which begins with obedience. Instead, they said “no” to God. How did they say no?

c) They too easily allowed the serpent to convince them that God was a fool; that the fruit of the tree was the wisdom that God was keeping from them; and that God was lying to them when he said they would die if they ate it.

d) What was the Tree of Good & Evil? This tree represents the Self, with its imaginary ownership of right & wrong (good & evil). It is the temptation to believe that we can establish our own rules for everything. As tantalizing and desirable a false power as this is, it is the sin of pride – the greatest sin of all and the foundation of the Fall. This was the Tree of Pride, and it was the one and only pathway out of Eden and away from God. The “serpent” (Satan) had been down this path himself before and was recruiting his first humans. Misery loves company.  

Q:  What is the meaning in verse 3:15:  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he will strike your head, and you shall strike his heel”?

The devil’s seed are all those self-serving humans who end up doing the work of the devil, knowingly or not. From her seed will come the Messiah, the Savior, who will crush the head of the serpent. This will undo the death that the serpent, and the Fall, have brought to Man.

Ancient Judaism called this the first Messianic prophecy: The son of Eve will one day defeat Satan. Yet, Satan will also kill the Messiah, but the Messiah was expecting it and through it conquers death for humans. In Christianity, this became known as the Proto-evangelium (the “First Good News”).

Q:  What is the particular relevance of Mary?

​ Just as Eve said “no” to God, Mary says “yes” to God and her seed brings us Jesus Christ and the salvation of humanity. Just as Paul refers to Jesus as the New Adam, Mary become the New Eve as soon as she says “yes.”

​

Q:  St. Augustine was the first to call the Fall of Adam and Eve “the first sin” and named it “Original Sin.” Original Sin is not a personal sin, but rather a fallen condition we inherited. This fallen condition can be described as our tendency towards selfishness and sin. We know we have that. What causes this tendency and what is it called?

​Because of our Fall, we lost Sanctifying Grace, which is needed to enter heaven. The loss of Sanctifying Grace closed the doors of Heaven to humans. This grace from the HS strengthens the spiritual connection between our intellect and our will, making the will more obedient to the mind. So, it was the loss of Sanctifying Grace that humanity inherited, which makes our will weaker. This is what is called Original Sin. This tendency to do wrong is called “concupiscence.”

The science of desire/disordered love.

Now let’s read the Annunciation passage but this time we will focus on Mary’s role.

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!”

But she was greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.  And behold your kinswoman, Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing is impossible.”

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.”

Q: The Archangel Gabriel says, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!” What word seems to be missing?

​

“Mary” is missing. That means “full of grace” is spoken by Gabriel as a title, as in “Hail Caesar”, or “Hail King of the Jews.” This is significant.  (“Mary” was added later to the prayer Hail Mary just for clarity.)

Q:  Why is Mary greatly troubled (perplexed) at this greeting?

Wouldn’t you be? This is a high-level Archangel from God who is addressing her as “Hail, Full of Grace”!  Of course, that would be unsettling, especially to a nobody like Mary.  

Q:  What happens next?

​Gabriel sees her anxiety and repeats it (remember, repetition in Scripture is no accident, but intended emphasis). “Do not fear, Mary, for God had found favor with you.”  Now he uses Mary’s name, but again repeats this grace thing (favor and grace come from the same word – “chaire” is the word in Greek and “gratia” is the word in Latin; they both mean grace, which is also “divine favor”).

​Even more relevant is that the original language uses the perfect participle, which means this grace was already completed in Mary. In other words, the grace Gabriel is talking about didn’t just happen when he arrived – it was there before he got there. The only other major event in Mary’s life before was her birth, which makes perfect sense since God knew all along that she would say yes, and that it would be through her that He would be entering the world.  

Q:  Do you recall the grace that Adam and Eve lost after the Fall?  This is the grace that was granted to Mary for her to bring the Lord into the world.

​Sanctifying Grace. The grace from God that strengthens the spiritual connection between our intellect and our will was given back to Mary. That’s what it means when we say she was born without Original Sin.  

Q:  Then Gabriel unloads God’s entire Salvation Plan for humanity on poor Mary. Can you imagine?  And what is Mary’s response?  

​Her “yes” is no simple response. It’s a proclamation!  Mary’s response to Gabriel was, “Let it be done according to your will!”  Similar to how Jesus came to undo the Fall of Man, Mary got the ball rolling with her reversal of Eve! Notice Mary defers to the will of God 30 years before Jesus adds this to the Lord’s Prayer, “They will be done!”  She gets it.  

​We might also add that, by accepting God’s call, Mary became Jesus’ first disciple. And indeed, she was, in every way.  

Q: When on the cross, do you recall to whom Jesus gave the responsibility of taking care of Mary?

​The Apostle John, who famously wrote the fourth Gospel and the Book of Revelation. His years with Mary likely made him the Apostle who knew her the best.

John’s visions that he wrote about in the Book of Revelation include the following:

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.

Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.

Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.

She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne.  ​– Revelation 12:1-5

Once you see who the humble Mary really is and her role in Salvation History, it is easy to fall in love with her. However, there are still confused humans who think that Catholics pray to Mary as though she were a deity. That is an intentional fable. Be assured that Mary of all people would be abhorred by such a thought and would be the first to correct such a mistake. Everything Mary ever did pointed to her son, never to herself.  

That said, what Mary can intercede with her Son on our behalf, and she has been interceding for people since the wedding at Cana. Even in the Hail Mary, we ask her to “pray for us sinners” – an “intercession” – which is no different that asking your friend to pray for you, except that Mary is much closer to Jesus than anyone of us and Jesus tends to listen to her (recall Cana!).  

Closing Prayer

4800

Dear Father,

We offer ourselves to Thee to build with us and do with us as You will.

Relieve us of the bondage of self, that we may better do Thy will.

Take away our difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those we would help.

May we do Thy will always!

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

Blessed art thou amongst 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.