One question

There are a lot of lessons in Hebrews 11, but for tomorrow morning, only one question to start things off:

1. Look at all the heroes of faith in this chapter:
   1. Abel
   2. Enoch
   3. Noah
   4. Abraham
   5. Isaac
   6. Jacob
   7. Sarah
   8. Joseph
   9. the parents of Moses
   10. Moses himself
   11. Joshua at the walls of Jericho
   12. Rahab the prostitute
   13. Gideon
   14. Barak
   15. Samson
   16. Jephthah
   17. David
   18. Samuel
   19. the prophets
   There is something special about Abel. There's something about his life that cannot be said of any of the others. Also, the words in this chapter attached to Abel have a subtle difference compared to the words used with all the other heroes. Can you spot the differences?

Origins and faith

Hebrews 11 describes faith and the covenant between God and his People, and the Church teaches clearly on this point even to the moment of Creation:

Creation is revealed as the first step towards this covenant, the first and universal witness to God's all-powerful love. And so, the truth of creation is also expressed with growing vigour in the message of the prophets, the prayer of the psalms and the liturgy, and in the wisdom sayings of the Chosen People. [CCC 288]

Can you savvy these questions in Hebrews 10?

Here are some questions to think over as you prepare for Thursday morning.

1. Re-read Romans 7:7. How does Paul's concept about the Torah compare to Hebrews 10:3?
2. Prior to the actual moment of crucifixion, what was the moment of most extreme suffering for Jesus?
3. Is it possible to offer your life to God but not offer your will?
4. In v. 20, there is a mention of a new, fresh way into the true tent. Is there an everyday way for us to follow Him through this veil?
5. Carefully read verses 19-25. Do you notice any kind of a special list of familiar things?
6. What kind of endurance is required of us? What are we asked to endure?

The perfect law of freedom in this section of Hebrews is loaded with everyday concepts for us to apply. If you sort through these six questions, you will be prepared for Thursday morning, although, as always, you must EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.

Some thoughts from the men about the center of the heavenly liturgy

Here are some of the findings from this morning's study session:

Why is there a veil in Moses' copy? Did he see a veil up in the mountain?

German: something still to be completed and Moses was not to see it.

Ken: It is similar to the cherubim and fiery sword guarding the way back to the tree of life, Gen. 3:24.

Joe: Paul describes something like this in 1 Cor. 13, "At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror..." etc., which also describes the moment of judgement for a Christian.

When we celebrate the eucharistic sacrifice at Mass, is that a different sacrifice from the sacrifice of the Messiah on the Cross?

German: no, and Fr. Derk describes it as an echo of the moment of the crucifixion.

How can we unite ourselves with Jesus' sacrifice, even though we are each imperfect?

Len: be in the state of grace. Faith in Jesus is primary importance. Then comes duty to support your family.

Bob: prayer and the works of mercy.

In response to the TRUE/FALSE question about the timing of the sins that Jesus died for on the Cross, Jim repeated a phrase, "I make all things new." It is from the Revelation, but famously inserted into the walk to Calvary in the film Passion of the Christ. And it leads to the prayer we recalled today, the prayer over the paschal candle:

Christ yesterday and today
the beginning and the end
Alpha
and Omega.
All time belongs to Him
and all the ages.
To Him be glory and power
through every age forever. Amen.

Study questions for Hebrews 9

Here is a good set of questions to review for Thursday's session:

1. Why did God require a veil in the tabernacle he set up for Moses and the Hebrews?
2. Brain burner: If God allowed Moses to glimpse the true tent in heaven, and if God commanded Moses to set up the tabernacle according to what he saw up on the mountain, then why is there a veil in Moses' copy? Did he see a veil up in the mountain?
3. TRUE or FALSE: "Jesus died on the Cross for all the sins committed up to that point in time, but not for those that occurred after that day."
   Sub-questions:
   1. If TRUE, try again.
   2. If FALSE, what were the other sins that Jesus died for?
4. Was Jesus hostile to the temple in Jerusalem?
5. When we celebrate the eucharistic sacrifice at Mass, is that a different sacrifice from the sacrifice of the Messiah on the Cross?
6. Can you identify or describe the center of the liturgy in heaven that honors the Father?
7. Do you recall the prayer for the paschal candle that the pastor recites at the beginning of Easter Vigil?
8. Jesus passes through the perfect tabernacle to make the perfect offering of himself. How can we unite ourselves with Jesus' sacrifice, even though we are each imperfect? What about the saints, like Blessed Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna or Blessed Maximilian Kolbe martyr at Auschwitz?

That is a long list of questions, and this is a big chapter, loaded with wisdom. We will gaze into it more thoroughly on Thursday morning.

Questions for Thursday

We continue our consideration of the priesthood of Jesus with his sacrifice on the Cross, and our own common priesthood with Him. Here are some questions that rise from chapter 8 of Hebrews.

1. We read that Jesus is a "minister" in the sanctuary. Does a minister act only for himself?
2. What other book in the Bible mentions the true tabernacle?
3. In Greek, v. 5 describes the sanctuary of earthly priests as a pattern and a shadow. Here are some sub-questions:
   1. If an object casts a shadow, is its pattern a true representation of the object in itself?
   2. When can shadow tell you everything about the object itself?
   3. If the earthly sanctuary is a shadowy pattern, what is the source of the light that surrounds the shadow?

OK, that is a good start. See you on Thursday morning!

Our common priesthood of the faithful and its altar

We studied the meaning of the high priesthood of Jesus in Hebrews 7, and in this, we thought of our own priesthood, not the ordained priesthood, but the common priesthood of the faithful:

the common priesthood of the faithful is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace - a life of faith, hope, and charity, a life according to the Spirit... [CCC 1547]

One way to think about the offering of the common priesthood of the faithful is that the life of faith leads to actions, e.g., the works of mercy.

And every kindness in the works of mercy comes at a price, when we do not focus on our personal empire of money and prestige but we focus on helping another person. This is a good offering, and it has its own kind of altar.