Lazarus

The 16th chapter of Dr. Luke's gospel is loaded with profound teachings, including the story of Lazarus. Here are some questions to get our brains in motion:

1. Is Lazarus in heaven now?
2. What was the first step here on Earth for a person who, eventually, dies and goes to heaven?
3. Is Abraham’s bosom the same as purgatory? Is it in Hell?
4. Why are there so many different abodes for souls after death? Shouldn’t there only be two, heaven and hell?
5. Why should a sinner like the rich man even get to see an instant of the reward of Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham?
6. Wasn’t it unfair that the rich man does not get a break, an extra chance?
7. Why didn’t the rich man treat Lazarus with kindness during his earthly life?
8. If we could, in our actions and words, live out the prayer of the Our Father, we would be really in God’s will. Do the actions of the rich man go against the Our Father?
9. Is there only one judgement after death, as seen with Lazarus and the rich man, or, in the case of the repentant thief, or is it that there are two judgements?

That is a huge amount to think over, but by God's grace, we can look into it.

Mysterious Parables

The 16th chapter of Luke's gospel contains some mysterious parables. Here are a few questions we can tackle:

1. What are we to make of the parable of the dishonest steward? Jesus recommending dishonesty? That cannot be it. But how do we understand it?
2. Is it wrong to give alms from ill gotten gains?
3. We are not physically taking care of an orchard or farm, most of us, yet we must consider ourselves stewards. Who are our debtors, what is the debt, and what does changing the promissory note mean for us?
4. When the unjust steward uses the fake promissory note trick, is that theft? From whom?
5. What was the unjust steward supposed to have been doing BEFORE the rich man fires him?

It is a lot to think over, but by the grace of the Holy Ghost we can find God's wisdom.

Breaking the ionic bond of good old sodium chloride, salt

Chemists and physicists will tell you that a sodium atom (Na) and a chlorine atom (Cl) form an ionic bond, becoming thereby a substance called salt.

In the previous chapter of Doctor Luke's gospel, Jesus also has plenty to say about salt, how one ought not to lose one's saltiness.

But what does saltiness mean, for a Christian?

The following questions will help us understand Jesus' teaching in Chapter 15 about not losing salt.

1. Jesus associates with sinners who want to listen to His teachings, but the Pharisees and scribes get burned up and accuse Jesus of being a hypocrite. Are they accusing Jesus of having lost his salt?
2. Jesus invites sinners to that conversion without which one cannot enter the kingdom, but shows them in word and deed his Father's boundless mercy. In the parable of vv. 4-7,
   1. what was NOT lost, and
   2. who was it that did NOT lose it?
3. In the parable of vv. 8-10,
   1. what was NOT lost, and
   2. who was it that did NOT lose it?
4. In the parable of the prodigal son, vv. 11-32,
   1. what was NOT lost, and
   2. who was it that did NOT lose it?
5. Looking back, does the Our Father appear to be a prayer of a Christian holding his salt?
6. It is most profitable to compare the answers to the three questions b, above. What do you make of the combination of persons who did NOT lose their saltiness?

As I have noted before, there is a lot to learn in these chapters of Luke. Let's get to it tomorrow morning, asking for God's grace.

Mysterious parables, curious teaching

We finished last week on the question concerning an unusual juxtaposition of Jesus' teaching with two somewhat contradictory parables. We will begin this week with that question, then continue deeper, viz.

1. Jesus directs us to renounce the earthly relationships and possessions. Does that square with the parables of counting the cost in verses 28-32, in which one carefully accounts for the things one has?
2. Again, Jesus cautions, what if salt itself loses its taste? Salt ought to retain its flavor, yet we ought to renounce our possessions? How does that square up?
Now a few additional questions:
3. Renouncing all earthly possessions -- did Jesus ever do that?
4. Is it okay to go through life without friends except for God?

We will continue into Chapter 15 today.

What we talk about frequently: QUAERITUR, Is Mass valid if the priest is in mortal sin?

Frequently in Thursday Morning Men's Bible Study, we discuss the power of the sacraments. Here is a blurb from another blogger, Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, concerning the power of the Messiah Jesus, viz.

QUAERITUR: Is Mass valid if the priest is in mortal sin?

The efficacy of our sacraments and rites do not depend on the holiness of the human priest.  Christ is the true actor in the liturgy.