12.13.22 Recap: Timeline & Exodus #4

Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics House rules/notes… 1. Meetup is www.meetup.com/cathQolicbiblestudy Zoom Meeting Logon info is the same every week: Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952 2. Questions encouraged. If you have questions about anything, you can ask in the chat, email the Meetup group, or me directly at ron@hallagan.net. 3. Unedited recaps of meetings are posted via Meetup after our meeting. The final edited recap is posted within a week by Taylor on our Catholic Catacombs Light website at www.catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/recaps. Taylor will notify everyone on Meetup with the link. 4. Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between religions and between Christian denominations, and agree to be respectful at all times. Specifically, Protestants are our friends and brothers in Christ; in fact, I personally owe part of my return to the faith to them! 5. 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. 6. Prison fellowship – opportunities to volunteer one Saturday per month for 2 hours (12-2 or 2-4) serving Catholic prisoners at the Fairfax County Jail. Ask Ron (ron@hallagan.net) or Gina (gmasterson99@gmail.com) for details. Why do this? "I was in prison, and you visited me." – Matt 25:36 7. Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying with other Catholics during the week? Fellow member Jason Goldberg has started just this at “Catholic Prayer, Fellowship, and Spirituality Meetup.” Sign up at: https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/ 8. I highly recommend seeing “The Chosen” TV series. We seek a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is not easy at first. It helps when we can relate to a person that we have seen and heard. They have captured the real Jesus as close as any film I’ve ever seen. https://thechosen.link/1Y1R7. 9. RSVP Reminder: Please RSVP whether you are attending the meeting or just reading the Recap notes afterwards. The more RSVPs, the more Meetup will give us exposure, which will draw more people to us, which is our way of evangelizing! Please RSVP when you get the Meetup invite weekly. Our Bible Study Format: 5 min prayers, 10-15 min Catholic topic, 40-45 min on the main topic from weekly List below: Week 1: Dec 6 - Gospel Week: Immaculate Conception readings: Genesis 3:9-20 and Luke 1:26-38 Week 2: Dec 13 – Bible Week (Gen àRev): We are in EXODUS, the 2nd book of Moses, meeting #4. Week 3: Dec 20 – Survey Topics Voted on by Members: We are currently beginning Heaven.

Ö 1) Jesus’ Greatest Parables 2) Hell, Purgatory, Heaven 3) Christian Comparisons 4) Great Women in the Bible 5) World Religions 6) Book of Revelation 7) Major Heresies and Church Councils

Week 4/: Dec 27 – Member Questions Night 1. How do we reconcile the idea of Christian suffering and “dying to oneself” with Jesus’ statement, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." – Mat 11:28-30 2. Next week Advent reflection: the origins of December 25 as the date for Christmas. 3. The History of the Mass going back to Cain & Abel, and the sublime meaning of the Eucharist in the present. 4. Love and Unity are two of the Holy Spirit’s Trinitarian descriptions. How are these different? How do they affect us? 5. The knowledge of God is “participatory.” Is that why nonbelievers have difficulty? 6. Are Charity and Love synonymous? How are they different? What are the 4 highest forms of Charity? 7. Do we have suffering for a reason? How do we offer up our sufferings? When should we embrace the cross vs wait for a miracle? Next Holy Days of Obligation Advent – Sun Nov 27 to Sat Dec 24 , Christmas – Dec 25 Thank you for your ratings!

Opening Prayer Our Lord and our God, open our eyes. Speak to us. When we see Your judgments visited in the words we read, let us not be deaf with our ears or hard with our hearts. Help us understand what these words have to say for us and about You, about Your purposes, about Your ultimate victory, and our participation in it. We ask you these things in Jesus' name. 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. Hanukkah – Dec 18 to 26 – This is part of our Biblical history, too. What is Hanukkah(or Chanukah)? It is the eight-day Jewish celebration that commemorates the rededication of the desecrated Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C., when the Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. Why is Hanukkah celebrated for 8 days? This commemorates how long the holy light burned in the Temple. Advent weekly message… We discussed that the word Advent (Parousia) means arrival and presence and is applied in Christianity to three time zones for Christ: PAST The awaiting Christ’s first arrival (the OT, starting with the prophecy in the Fall of Man, Moses and the first Passover meal, the Prophets, and especially John the Baptist and Mary with her Immaculate Conception and the Annunciation). PRESENT The arrival of Jesus, his time on earth, and his sacrifice that paid for the forgiveness of sins and re-opening heaven for humanity. As Jesus said at his Ascension, “I will be with you until the end of the age.” More literal translations: “Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” “Behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age.” Q: Theologically, this refers the Messianic Period, which is from Jesus’ Resurrection to his Second coming. How does he do this? He does it in two ways. 1. He does this by leaving himself for us in the Eucharist – Trinitarian food for the journey – and 2. By sending us the Holy Spirit, so that we have a Trinitarian GPS as our spiritual co-traveler. FUTURE Judgement Day: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the end of time often refers to Judgment Day. That is because justice has been suspended for our sake, to give as many people as possible a chance to connect with God and to seek forgiveness, which overflows freely! One way or the other, though, on Judgment Day all injustices will either have been reconciled or they will be removed and universal justice will be made whole once again. New Age: With so much focus on Judgment Day, we run the risk of too much time on this, which may well be accomplished in the blink of an eye, the Second Coming ushers in the New Age – the New Jerusalem, the New World, Paradise, Heaven – where our eternal beings and doings will be like nothing we’ve ever known before. Join us for the next discussion on Heaven Dec 20.

Immaculate Conception 2 We covered the Immaculate Conception last week and I had two questions asked afterwards. The first asked me if I believed that Genesis 1-3 (Creation and the Fall of Man) was literal, and I sent out my answer to that. Q1: Do I believe that Genesis 1-3 (Creation and the Fall of Man) is literal? Did everyone see that? The Church doesn’t hold to the literal interpretation of the Creation Story in Chapter One. It is 100% true in a figurative sense. Augustine said as much in the 5th century. The Church has no issue with science, including evolution if true. The Bible is not a science book. That said, the Church helped create universities in the middle ages and encouraged the sciences. The Vatican has its own observatory. Catholics believe that science is merely the investigation of God’s creation – a beautiful thing. However, it warns against “scientism” where science “replaces God” and all efforts are employed against the existence of God. This very fact illustrates “scientism” since God is spiritual and science is the study of the physical universe; it has no means by which to measure or evaluate the non-physical. As for the Fall of Man, I personally don’t think it is literal but I leave the door open to however God did it. The Church says you can decide. What the Church does say is factual are the following: 1) God breathed His spirit into man giving him free will and a spiritual nature, 2) this happened with a man and a woman (who else?!), and 3) they used their free will to leave God (the “fall”). The “fall” changed our spiritual nature to less than it was (referred to as Original Sin, it is actually the loss of sanctifying grace). This could be compared to the evolution of penguins when they lost their ability to fly. The penguins could complain about whatever their ancestors did to cause this, but to what avail? It is what it is. In our case, however, God returned as one of us and through Jesus Christ restored our lost spirituality, beginning with Baptism. Q2: Since Mary was born without Original Sin (born with Sanctifying Grace), does that mean she didn’t need Jesus to die on the cross for her? No, it was by the merits of Jesus Christ that God gave Mary sanctifying grace at her birth (in advance). This was a singular privilege granted to her by God for the mission that she would accept at the Annunciation. That said, God did not have to do it this way, but this is what He chose to do. The Church says that God allowing Mary to be conceived without sin was logical … fitting … and an act of love.

Exodus # 4 – Chapters 4 through 11

Where we left off… After Moses agrees to do as the Lord bid him, he says good-bye to Jethro his father-in-law and heads back to Egypt. As the Lord instructed, Aaron came into the desert and met Moses halfway. They embraced, and Moses brought Aaron up to date. When they got back to Egypt, they met with the Hebrew elders and shared all that God had told them. The Hebrew people believe and fall down in praise to God. Now Moses and Aaron must meet with Pharaoh.

God says to Moses: You will say to Pharaoh, "This is what Yahweh says: Israel is my first-born son and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me." – Exodus 4:22 Q: What is the significance of the term “first-born son”? In ancient Near Eastern cultures the "first-born" was the designated heir who became the father's representative, exercising the authority of the father over his brothers and sisters. Q: If Israel is God's "first-born son,” what are the other nations of the earth? It follows that the other nations are like younger sons. Q: The status of "first-born" son would give Israel certain privileges – although that also would include greater responsibilities and difficulties – compared to the other nations of the earth. But what would Israel's obligation as a "first-born son”/elder brother be to the other nations? Israel was to be a role model of holiness and a righteous teacher to the other "younger brother" nations. Q: What was Israel expected to teach her sibling nations? Israel was to teach them about the One True God, the deeper meaning of sacrifice and worship, and about the promise of salvation through a Messiah who would one day come to liberate mankind from the curse of Adam (the Fall).

Q: What famous parable did Jesus teach that has a parallel between Israel as firstborn son and the eldest son in the parable? The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32); recall the older brother who refused to accept the younger brother’s return. As it turns out, the recognition of the Gentiles as full members of the covenant family was one of the most serious stumbling blocks for the Jews in accepting the Messiah Jesus and the New Covenant.

Chapters 5 – 7: Moses and Aaron meet Pharaoh

The Hebrews may have been convinced by Moses and Aaron, but Pharaoh clearly wasn’t, and he refuses their request. Moreover, Pharaoh is so incensed that he decides to penalize all the Hebrews and blames it on Moses’ “treasonous” request.

Prior to this, the straw that was needed for brickmaking was gathered by others and brought to the Hebrews who then made the bricks and hauled them into place for their building projects. Now the Hebrew slaves are told they must collect the straw themselves, effectively doubling the time required for making bricks; however, there would be no change in their brickmaking quotas. Of course, this was impossible and so the slave drivers were instructed to punish the Hebrews for coming up short.

Q: What are we learning about this Pharaoh?

He was a megalomaniac, paranoid, and vindictive. Know any bosses like that? Ever hear of Saddam Hussein or Kim Jong-un?

The outcome was that the Hebrew workers denounced Moses and Aaron for putting them under the suspicion of treason and for the horrible physical burden it brought.

Moses and Aaron are instructed to return to Pharaoh, each time threatening to bring on plagues, which then begin to happen.

The first plague was turning the Nile into a river of blood. For 7 days, Pharaoh refused to budge while the Egyptian people dug around the Nile looking desperately for water. After 7 days, Moses threatens the 2nd plague – frogs – and Pharaoh’s heart is hardened so frogs come out of the Nile and invade every home.

Q: What does it mean, “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened”?

A “hardened heart” is a common saying – or idiom – used in those days. It is found 20+ times in the OT and a half dozen times in the NT. It is used loosely but if one’s “heart is hardened” it means it heavy, stubborn, and he ceases to care about being accommodating to others.

However, and rather surprisingly, this also had special meaning for the Egyptians (perhaps the Jews picked the term up from them). We have learned that Egyptian’s belief in the afterlife said that if your heart was heavy, the gods were making a moral judgement about you. They believed that when someone died, the person went to judgment in the underworld. The individual's heart, which was thought to be the essence of the person, was weighed on the scales of truth. On the side of the scale sat the feather of truth and righteousness. On the other side of the scale laid the heart of the deceased. If the heart was heavy or weighty with misdeeds, the person was considered unjust and was condemned and thrown to the devourers to be eaten. If the heart was pure and light, the deceased would go into the Egyptian afterlife. When God says in verse 7:14 that Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, He has already judged Pharaoh, the “god” of Egypt, to be unrighteous.

Q: What about times it says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart?

In Exodus there are times when it says Pharaoh and his advisors hardened their hearts against Moses and Aaron, and there are other times when it says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. They kind of mean the same thing. Nowhere in NT or OT Biblical commentaries is it ever suggested that Pharaoh’s free will was compromised, for that would be unthinkable; free will is a basic tenet of who we are, a fundamental tenet of our Fall from grace, and an essential component of our accepting redemption.

Also, consider if someone really upset you, “p***** you off,” or more delicately, “teed you off.” Somebody commenting on this would say, “The boss totally teed off Sarah!” You could even say that Sarah dug in her heels after that.

Did the boss upset you? Yes. The BOSS teed you off. Was your free will compromised? No, not in the least.

Likewise, God teed off the Pharaoh, and the Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. This is understandable because he (Pharaoh) was supposed to be a god, and he was a megalomaniac. He was really and truly mad and dug in his heels. Of course, God knows this in advance and doesn’t hesitate to warn Moses about it.

I heard it said once: God is like the sun. In the heat of the sun, wax melts but clay hardens. If our hearts are like wax, they will soften in God’s presence, but if they are like clay, they will harden.

Q: What was the significance of the plagues?

The plagues are God’s answer to Pharaoh’s hardness of heart in refusing to free the people of Israel.

Through the plagues, the Lord judges Pharaoh as well as all the other gods of Egypt.

The Israelites have been enslaved for 400 years, during which time they have been influenced by Egyptian culture – especially their gods. Through the plagues, God releases them from the influence of these false gods.

Chapter 8 – 11: The Ten Plagues

Q: How does Yahweh judge the gods of Egypt?

He customizes the plagues around the Egyptian gods. For example, Hapi was the Egyptian god of the Nile, so the 2st plague was turning the Nile to blood. Heket was the god of fertility – she had the head of a frog. So the 2nd plague was frogs overtaking the kingdom. Ra was the “sun god,” so the 9th plague was brought complete darkness for three days.

Chapter 11: The Tenth Plague – The Death of the Firstborn

To be continued…

Closing Prayer

Father in Heaven, all during salvation history You reveal that you love us and continually reveal your heart to us.

You continually fight for us, even when we don’t deserve it.

You continually show us that we are made for You and You alone.

Yet, our hearts continually make idols – and we can make idols out of anything around us!

Lord God, free us from the attraction to our modern-day idols.

Lord God, help our hearts to be free, truly free, to turn to you first always, every day of our lives.

We make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

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.

Taylor keeping positive in spite of having only one eye!