👉Watch the class recording here.👈

Catholic Understanding & Biblical Defense Class 8/4/26

Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM (EST), 🖥️Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081  🗝️Passcode: 406952

Join to receive notifications and study notes on Meetup: www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy

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

House Rules and Catholic Resources…

1.     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!

2.     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.

3.     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/sisters-in-Christ; in fact, I owe much of my return to Christianity to them. Therefore, any critique of our brethren is in loving pursuit of apostolic truth.    

4.     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 faith to our everyday lives.

5.     Word on Fire. Bishop Robert Barron has reached millions through his 10 min Sunday homilies, podcasts, educational series and certifications, bibles, and other lectures and apologetics. www.wordonfire.org 

6.     Hallow App. Daily prayers and reflections, especially for the high holyday seasons. www.alex@mail.hallow.com 

7.     Catholic Answers – www.catholic.com. Best site for Catholic Apologetics there is.

8.     Dynamic Catholic. Interested in daily inspirations to grow closer to God and the Church, not to speak of the many educational resources? Sign up for Matthew Kelly’s powerful insights, quotes, and reflections at www.dynamiccatholic.com.

9.     “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. 

10.Cursillo. Interested in meeting with other men or women weekly over coffee to discuss God in your personal and professional life? Join Cursillo (cur-see-yo). Contact Jennifer Pence (Jennifer.pence@gmail.com) for more information.       

11. Online- Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying the rosary, etc. with other Catholics during the week?  Follow fellow member Jason Goldberg. Link: https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-and-fellowship/

Bible Study Format

Our Bible Study is a combination of Exegesis and Apologetics.

Each meeting is (roughly) as follows:

15   min   Apologetic Reflection

15   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 New Testament. 

Weeks 3 & 4:   Survey Topics chosen by Members (explanations of our faith & apologetics):       

1.     Prison Ministry Stories  2. Plenary Indulgences  3. Gen 1-3 (Creation Story, Adam & Eve, the Fall of Man)

4.  Faith vs Doubts – does having doubts make us bad Christians? 5. Explanation of the Mass & Eucharist

6.     Dead Sea Scrolls    7. Catholicism vs modern cosmology  8. Gifts/Fruits of the HS, 7 Deadly Sins     

9.  How to experience the Love of God   10. The Communion of Saints

11. Comparative Religions   12. Catholic vs Protestant beliefs

·        Don’t forget to RSVP.

·        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 occasionally ask for volunteer readers…

Opening Prayer       

Eucharistia (gratitude):  Thank you, Lord, I am grateful for your saving presence in my life.       

Kenosis (emptying self):  Lord, I will try to empty myself as you did, to be present to others.                       

Metanoia (change self): Today, every moment, Lord, I will turn my mind, my heart, and my world towards You. 

Maranatha (Come, Lord Jesus): Come, Lord Jesus, enter, and make your home with me.                 

And as Jesus 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.

Major holy days: The Assumption of Mary (August 15)

   www.masstimes.org   Mass or Confession anywhere/anytime in the world!

Today’s Agenda…

Reflection:   Co-Creators

Gospel Reading for 19^th Sun in Ord Time 8/9:  Jesus Walks on the Sea, Matthew 14:22-33

                        Topic: The Dead Sea Scrolls – Part III

Quote of the Week: 

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. – Mother Teresa

Term of the Week: 

What is a theophany?

                                    A visible or tangible manifestation of God to a human being. 

Are we co-creators?

I recently read something St. Maximus (600 AD) said about our cooperating with God in creation. Not the initial Creation of the universe but rather just the "act of creating."

Recall that in Gen 2:7 God breathed a spiritual nature into us, which is the reason we possess God’s image and likeness. One of the many gifts we received is the ability to create. Indeed, nearly at the top of every list is our love to create. As with all God's characteristics that we share, we are called to use this ability for good.

In a sense, God is inviting us to create alongside Him, which would make us "co-creators." How can this be?  

Imagine characters in a painting who are given awareness that they are in the painting. After being made aware, they are invited to participate in completing the painting that they themselves are in. Now, that's quite a thought exercise, but it is a description of us. So, then, how do we use our creativity for good? We are being God's co-creators when we use our creativity to unite, build-up, lift others up, or to add beauty and joy. When we do these things, we are adding to the painting.

However, since humans have free-will, we also have the ability to destroy (uncreate). When we use our creative abilities to attack, divide, tear down, or make everything for or about ourselves, then we are no longer adding to God’s Creation; we are subtracting from it. In the end, God will remove all the destruction and retain all the good. This invitation to be co-creators with God tells us how much He loves us, trusts us, and wants us to be part of the final Creation in Heaven.

Did you know that we are also co-creators when we pray? How?

Have you ever felt that your prayers for help and healing weren’t being heard? Perhaps you figured that since God already knows the future, there’s not much we can do to change the outcome. And yet God asks us to pray. Jesus also prayed constantly, and he even instructed us how to pray. How do we reconcile this?

As usual, the problem is that our thinking is too time-bound. God sees the past, present, and future, and therefore He heard our prayers long before we existed. Thus, God incorporated them into what the future would be. In other words, God allowed our prayers to help shape the future. So you see, our prayers are very much a part of our journey to Heaven.  

Jesus Walks on the Water, Matthew 14:22-33

Context:

How big is the Sea of Galilee?

            It’s a good size: 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. 157 feet deep!

Our reading of Jesus walking on water comes right after his feeding of 5000. This pair of divine miracles – one immediately after the other – puts an explanation mark on Jesus’ divine identity.

The walking on water episode also explores the nature of faith. Peter’s willingness to step out onto the water is an audacious act of trust. However, his trust doesn’t last long. What’s the message for us?

Our reading also points to the Church. The boat, with Peter and the other disciples, is the Church. It is moving through dangerous waters, as the Church will also do throughout time. Storms – chaos, danger, corruption, persecution – will inevitably occur. But Jesus always comes.

The boat can represent our lives, our families, our homes. We are often pushed by forces beyond our control:  illnesses, uncertainty, grief, conflict, or disappointment. Yet Jesus comes to us in the storm. He may not remove the wind, but he gives us his presence and his hand.

Matthew 14:22-33

After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. 

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. 

At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 

Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 

He said, “Come.” 

Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 

Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

Exegesis/Interpretation

After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. 

We tend to pass by these opening verses, but shouldn’t we wonder why Jesus directed his Apostles to get in the boat and leave without him? Wouldn’t they have wondered about this, too?

We could draw a couple of things from this: First, Jesus is clearly in charge and the Apostles are good at doing what they are told, and second, since we know Jesus wasn’t abandoning them, it would seem he had something planned.

“He was there alone” on the mountain. Jesus’ solitude serves as a model for believers to seek personal time with God, away from distractions, to recharge spiritually and gain clarity for their mission.

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. 

What time is the fourth watch of the night?

3am-6am. Here’s how it works: Watch 1 is 6pm-9pm, Watch 2 is 9pm-12, Watch 3 is 12-3am, and Watch 4 is 3am–6am.  Though the 4^th watch is the darkest time of the night, it is normal for fisherman since this is often when the fish are biting.

However, someone walking towards them on the water would definitely not be normal.

Jesus comes walking towards them on the sea. As we mentioned above, this is an another affirmation of Jesus’ divinity, just as the Spirit of God hovered over the waters in the beginning of Genesis.

At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 

How often does Jesus say, “Do not be afraid?” in the Scriptures? Jesus is always ready to help us find calm and peace.

Also note that when Jesus says, “It is I,” he is using the same wording that God gave Moses for His name (to give Pharaoh) – “I am who I am.”  Jesus is “I AM.”  (BTW, the Hebrew word for “I am” is “eh-yeh,” which is where we get “Yahweh” from.)  

Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 

You  have to hand it to Peter – this statement took guts. But it was also a bold act of faith!

Jesus said, “Come.” 

What’s amazing about Jesus’ response is his invitation to Peter to join him. Recall in our Reflection, God invites us to be co-creators with Him. In a sense, is Jesus is not doing the same?

Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

We’ve heard this story so many times that we often think, “Peter, you fool, why did your faith get weak?” But the truth is, who of us would have stepped out of the boat on a dark night into stormy waters that are 150 feet deep?  Even more amazing is that Peter actually got out of the boat (faith in action!) and then walked on the water for a bit.

Okay, now we can critique Peter. What did he do wrong?

As long as Peter kept his gaze fixed on Christ, he was able to do the impossible.  As soon as Peter began taking notice of the environment around him – the wind and the waves – he panicked. Isn’t that how it works with us, too? Our faith in Christ might be strong at times, but the world around us makes our faith weak. Perhaps we are taking our eyes off Christ?

By prayer, study, and just casually talking with God, we will simultaneously increase our faith and reduce the likelihood that external circumstances will undermine our trust in God’s power and care for us.

Notice that when Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reaches out his hand. This is great news. Even though Peter’s doubts get the better of him, Jesus comes to his rescue.

Christ’s message is that faith does not mean we will never doubt, panic, or lose our balance; faith means knowing whom to call when we begin to sink. Peter’s weakness does not separate him from Jesus; it becomes the place where he experiences the saving hand of Christ.

After they got into the boat, the wind died down. 

The calming of the wind is miraculous enough, and I will comment on it below, but this passage can also be seen as a metaphor for the peace that Jesus brings into the lives of each believer. I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced peace like this, but I have. For all the logic and theology God has helped me with over the years, I will take this incredible experience of his peace, any day, all day long.

Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

The very start of John’s Gospel it says: in the beginning was the Word (Jesus Christ) and the Word was God… and all things came to be through him. This reveals that Jesus is the 2^nd Person of the Trinity. If Jesus is responsible for the universe which includes all nature and its laws, then it stands to reason that nature would obey him. Our reading today confirms this – that Jesus is sovereign over the forces of nature: he walks on the sea, he quiets storms, he heals sickness and blindness, and raises the dead – there is nothing in creation is beyond his command.

As the Apostles exclaim, “Truly, you are the Son of God,” they are experiencing a…  theophany. 

I will also mention that this Sunday’s first reading is from 1 Kings 19:9-13. It is about the Prophet Elijah who runs away from King Ahab because Queen Jezebel has hired assassins to kill him. He goes to Mt. Horeb where God reveals himself in a gentle whisper. When Elijah hears God in the whisper, he covers his face with his cloak, and then God speaks to him. This is also considered a theophany, which is the connection to the Gospel reading.

From Beersheba to Mt. Horeb (Sinai) is about 260 miles of very rough terrain.

The Dead Sea Scrolls – Part III

Recommended: Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, by John Bergsma

Waiting

We wait for many things and hopefully they are good things we wait for – birthdays for our kids, visits to/from friends, vacations, a new job, a promotions, etc. The Jewish people were waiting also, for a long time, as a nation. The entire nation was waiting for the Messiah to come, not only to save them from their Roman rulers but to save them once and for all from sin and evil. Every week for a thousand years they came to the synagogue to learn about the Scriptures and how God was going to send them the Messiah who would usher in a new age. That is why when Jesus said at the synagogue in Nazareth, “This Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” the room had to go silent for a while. People had to ask, “Did I hear what he just said correctly?”

Later in Luke 4, Jesus goes into another synagogue and expels a demon from a person. The point here is that he came to liberate us from Satan. Then in the next chapter, a paralytic is lowered into the house through the roof of where Jesus was teaching and he not only heals the man but says, “Your sins are forgiven.” The Messiah was to free them from sins and the devil, and Jesus does that in spades. The reason the first sacrament Jesus gave the Apostles on Easter Day (John 20:23 was Reconciliation is because when we are freed from our sins, we are freed from the devil. They come and go together!

So the main theme at Qumran was waiting; waiting for the Messiah. Perhaps more than anyone else in Israel, they were waiting. Their entire community was established for this one purpose.  

Anointing

Last week we discussed how priests, prophets, and kings were anointed prior to their positions, and that the words Messiah and Christ mean “Anointed One” – anointed by God to come and save humans. We, too, are anointed with oil in Baptism and Confirmation – and priests when being ordained with Holy Orders – because we are anointed followers of Christ, following the path to Heaven he put us on.  

Baptism

What is John the Baptist most know for?

            His preaching was certainly famous but at the top of the list was his baptisms of repentance.

What is an interesting statistic about the Essenes at Qumran?

Qumran had the highest concentration of sacred ritual pools in all of Israel. The Hebrews call them “mikvehs,” meaning a gathering of water used for ritual cleansing and purity. The Essenes had 10 of them in Qumran alone.  

So John and the Essenes not only had geography in common, but baptisms.

Given this is the lowest point on earth (and hot and dry), how did they keep water in the pools for their baths?

They had rain for about two weeks a year, so they build a system of aqueducts to catch the water up in the surrounding hills and transport it to the cisterns they built to hold enough water to supply them throughout the year.

The scrolls said they would wash in these pools every day before they had their sacred meal of bread and wine. They believed the Holy Spirit flowed through these waters and would forgive them.

Does any of this remind you of the Mass?

            We pray the penitential rite at the beginning of Mass (The Confiteor – “I confess to Almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned…”) before we have our sacred Communion meal of bread and wine.

“John was in the wilderness until the day of his revelation to Israel.” – Luke 1:80

Judean Wilderness (Desert)

Would John the Baptist have spent time in Qumran?

First, we know that John’s parents Zechariah and Elizabeth were already old when John was born and so they likely were not around long to raise him.

Second, we have the quote in Luke 1:80 that “John was in the wilderness until the day of his revelation to Israel.”

Third, the wilderness is around Qumran, where they practiced asceticism. John was also an ascetic.

What is asceticism?

        A lifestyle of strict self-discipline, giving up worldly pleasures, fasting, and simple living, to reach a higher spiritual goal.  

Fourth, the first century Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, tells us that the Essenes often took in young boys and raised them.  He actually used the term, they “formed them in their manners,” kind of like we use the term “religious formation” for young men at seminaries.  

According to author John Bergsma, it would have been reasonable for Elizabeth and Zechariah to send him to this Essene community to be raised. This was not uncommon (my parents did that to me – sent me to a seminary at the age of 13). In this case, Qumran had the best library and the best teachers in the whole country, so why not? John was even of priestly lineage!

If John did spend his years of formation with them, at some point he and the Essenes would have reached a point of separation. Bergsma thinks it may have been John’s desire for the message of salvation to be preached to all people, which is one of the key themes we find in the Book of Isaiah – salvation is for all the nations. The Essenes, on the other hand, were an exclusive group and they didn’t give much attention to this idea of “salvation for all.” Their scrolls even forbade preaching salvation to “the sinful ones.” Anyway, this may have led to some conflict, and perhaps John was kicked out of the community, or he left on his own. Either way, the Essenes had a law against eating food prepared by anyone outside of the Essene community, which would explain John’s diet of locusts and wild honey (Mt.3:4 and Mk 1:6-8).   

John’s calling was also to be in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3), which was exactly why Qumran was established. Where, then, might John start preaching and baptizing?

He needed the Jordan River to baptize. What about where Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan into the Promised Land 1400 years earlier? That would be just a few miles north of Qumran.

The red line indicates roughly where Joshua would have crossed with the Israelites and the Ark of the Covenant.

As it turns out, there was a highly-traveled road that crossed the Jordan right there that led to Jericho and then to Jerusalem. This is where John the Baptist started preaching and baptizing, which is strategically brilliant since he would automatically have exposure to large audiences of people passing through. And not only Israelites, but this road was traveled by “all the nations,” so to speak.

No wonder John preaching became so famous and built up such a following (thousands of disciples).

Next Up with the Dead Sea Scrolls:

                        Essenes in every town. Essene Quarter in Jerusalem.

What were the areas of disagreement between Jesus’ teachings and the Essenes?

What happened to Qumran and where did the Essenes go?

What do the Jews think of the Dead Sea Scrolls?

Closing Prayer

From the Thanksgiving Hymns scroll:

I thank you, O Lord.

You illumined my face by your covenant.

I seek you, as sure as the dawn you appear as perfect light.

Teachers of lies have comforted your people

and now they stumble, foolishly.

They stumble through mad feasts,

but you, God, spurn the schemes of Belial.

Your wisdom prevails.

Your hearts meditation prevails, established forever.