Thursday, Sept. 27, Psalm 19

Today we will ascend to greatness and consider Psalm 19. Here are a few study questions.

1. The Church teaches that God created the universe by His word, according to His wisdom. Does this concept appear in Psalm 19?
2. The second half of the psalm describes the Torah. Is there something in the first half that describes Jesus or the Gospel?
3. Is there something about the message of Jesus that is inescapable to any man, woman or child, something that no man escapes?
4. Does Jesus' view of the Torah lead to the conversion of souls?
5. The precepts or statutes of the Lord lead to rejoicing of the heart, but federal and state statutes are about crimes and misdemeanors, so how can the Lord's statutes lead to rejoicing? And by the way, how many statutes are on the books of the Lord?
6. WHAT THE --?! Fear endures forever? That does not seem quite right -- or does it?
7. In Acts 3, St. Peter with St. John mentions gold and silver by the "Beautiful Gate" of the temple. How does that series of events relate to God's judgements?
8. To whom will the Day of Judgement be sweet? To whom will it be bitter?
9. What makes sins hard to "detect," hard to comprehend?
10. What was the worst, most horrendous sin ever committed? Is it possible for a man to be complicit with that sin, even now?
11. How would Peter, the Rock, have prayed this psalm?

Let's have some coffee and talk it over, seeing deeper into the perfect Torah of freedom.

Get going with James 1

Here are some study questions for starting to read in the epistle of James:

1. In Proverbs, wise King Solomon says that the fear of Lord is the beginning of wisdom. How does the fear of the Lord arise in the soul?
2. What part of the Our Father jives with the challenge of James, that we ask God for wisdom?
3. 
   Is a trial, mentioned in v. 2, the same as a temptation, mentioned in vv. 12-14?
4. Was Jesus ever tempted?
5. James admonishes us, saying that we must not "test" God the Father, in the sense of asking God to prove Himself. What is this testing? If you are in a trial of some kind, what would you want God to prove about Himself?
6. The Church teaches that "the family should live in such a way that its members learn to care and take responsibility for the young, the old, the sick, the handicapped, and the poor." Would James have agreed with that?

There is a lot to learn in this beautiful writing. Let's have some coffee on Thursday morning, 7 AM, and then gaze into this perfect Torah of freedom.

Some of the things we found in Matthew's gospel.

Over the past several months of studying Matthew's gospel, we have considered a large set of questions. From our prayer and discussion, we have found many things of note:

1. What is the significance for us in the worship offered by the magi?
   1. Len: The magi were a bit like apostles, except that they were called inwards, to Jerusalem.
   2. Scott: The magi were like the first Christians.
   3. It is interesting to consider how the Lord used the astrologer concepts of the magi to draw them to the Messiah. Len suggested that this is similar to Paul's famous speech to the smart Athenians, where he started form their religious activity and led them to the message of Jesus the Messiah. Each man's life is like that -- called from outside to come in toward the center, Jesus.
2. Regarding the judgement in Matthew 25:31-46, is there matching truth in the Beatitudes of Matthew ch. 5?
   1. Len: the King divides the sheep from the goats on the basis of pure hearts. That is, the sheep had pure hearts, and the goats did not.
   2. Ken: the persecution that comes when people mock you for serving the poor and doing the right thing.
3. Why would this silence of Jesus before Ponius Pilate be so stunning, so curious, to Pontius Pilate? What does it tell us?
   1. Bob: When Jesus stands mute, he is making no excuses, not making a cop out, volunteering nothing that can be twisted.
4. If the crucifixion was such a defeat (as the Enemy viewed it), then why does the angel feature it, saying "Jesus the crucified" when addressing the women in v. 5?
   1. Al: All you have to do is read the next verse!
5. Why does everybody keep telling the women not to be afraid?
   1. Dave: They still do not grasp the full concept of there Lord's resurrection.
   2. Ken: We'd probably be more like the guards, who feinted dead away!
   3. Al:The fact that there was an angel shows that God knew they'd need help to get across the bridge to understanding.
6. What were the women doing there at the tomb, anyway?
   1. Dave: corporal works of mercy.
   2. Len: Following the Torah faithfully, especially the command to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
7. When was the last time you hugged the feet of anyone?
   1. Al: Other than Publisher's Clearing House... X
   2. Len: It reminds you of Mary in the house of Lazarus. Martha was hustling and bustling with fixing the meal, but Mary sat at the Lord's feet to listen.

Image: Brooklyn Bridge in 1918.

We finish, we begin

This Thursday, we finish studying the gospel of Matthew, closing out with these remaining questions:

5. Fear thou not! Why does everybody keep telling the women not to be afraid?
6. What were the women doing there, anyway?
7. Just curious: When was the last time you hugged the feet of anyone?
8. What is the significance of Jesus rising on that particular day of the week?
9. Review the end of John's gospel for comparison. Matthew's account emphasizes something a bit more than John does. What is it?
10. Is baptism important for a Christian?

Though we finish Matthew's gospelthis Thursday morning, we also begin something new, if we desire to be a doer of the Word. Good.

The judgement of the nations, Matthew 25

We have a section of Matthew's gospel, ch. 25, verses 31-46, that is loaded with importance. Here are a few questions to help us look into it and put it into action:

1. How does the Our Father jibe with the judgement of the nations in this section?
2. Is there matching truth in the Beatitudes of Matthew ch. 5?
3. BRAIN-BURNER: Is there any place in the Old Testament that correlates with the actions that the Son of Man rewards?
4. In all the actions rewarded by th Messiah, note that there is no teaching or preaching mentioned. Why is that?
5. In the "make my day" miracle of healing, where the four men lowered their friend by ropes through the roof to Jesus, were they acting in the manner that finds reward in this section of Matthew's gospel?
6. What does this passage tell us about the Eucharist?

We are only walking in the foothills of this mountain, but these few questions can get our feet headed upward, especially if accompanied by some coffee this Thursday morning!

The eye of the needle

My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you.
My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you
My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you.

- St. Nicholas of Flüe
CCC 226

Here are some questions with which to prepare for Thursday morning's look into Matthew 19:

1. In verses 17 and 21, Jesus unfolds a double reply to the rich young man. How is keeping the Commandments related to following the Messiah?
2. St. Nicholas of Flüe left a beautiful prayer for totally giving himself to God. Does it weaken a person if God takes these things away that Nicholas prays about?
3. Did Mary ever experience this unburdening, this taking away of things?
4. Did Elijah ever experience this unburdening, this taking away of things?

That is a short set of four good questions for tomorrow morning, plenty to think over. We will begin with these early tomorrow morning.

Matthew 15: God looks at the heart.

Some of the comments from the men this past Thursday morning, early.

Fulfill or deny?

Jesus was faithful to the Torah and supported it. Yet the Pharisees in Matthew Ch. 15 accuse Jesus of ignoring or denying the Torah. Here are a few questions to consider for this part of the gospel.

1. Dip backwards to the beatitudes in Ch. 5. Which one is Jesus reinforcing in this controversy with the Pharisees?
2. Where does God the Father really want to see the Torah enacted?
   1. in the design of a temple with plenty of handwashing stations or
   2. in the heart of His people?
3. Were the Canaanites a clean people who followed the Torah?
4. How does the Canaanite woman compare to the centurion with the grievously ill slave earlier in the gospel?
5. How does the Canaanite woman compare to the Pharisees in this chapter?
6. Where was Jesus, geographically, before and during this second miraculous feeding of another great crowd?

Sea of Galilee and chapter 9

We have still not finished tackling some of the chapter 8 questions concerning the Sea of Galilee.

8. The scribe and the disciple in vv. 19 - 22 got different lessons from the Messiah -- different but similar, too. How were they similar? How was Jesus using his word like a scalpel to differentiate each individual from other things?
9. Is the Sea of Galilee dangerous? How does it figure into the story of the men crossing in the boat and into the story of the two demon possessed men?
10. How does this sea figure into Jesus' teaching? Does it relate to the previous stories of healing and freedom from possession?

This is OK, because we have some Sea of Galilee information in chapter 9, which we will also discuss tomorrow. Here are some questions to use for reading ahead.

1. In verse 1, we see that Jesus embarked in ship again and came to his own city. How long was He over in the Gadarene side of the Sea of Galilee, five minutes or so?
2. How is the story of the paralytic a model for prayer for us who are not paralytics?
3. Did Jesus challenge the paralytic to get up and follow as a disciple?
4. At the banquet with the IRS men, the Pharisees make an inquiry with the disciples. Why didn't they inquire with Jesus?
5. How is Matthew the tax man connected to the paralytic?
6. Does Barack Obama do his own mending of worn out clothes? How many household chores does he handle each day?
7. What is the relation between the idea of "new wine" and the Bridegroom Jesus?
8. Consider the centurion in chapter 8 and the ruler in chapter 9 -- two very different men, yet there are some similarities in their stories. What similarities can you see?
9. How is the woman cured of hemorrhage connected to the ruler's daughter whom Jesus raises back to life?

There is a lot to learn, and it will be good to gaze carefully into this section of God's message tomorrow morning. Be ready and expect the unexpected.

Matthew 2, a few findings

On Thursday past, we spent a lot of time talking about the magi, the Gentile priestly visitors to the newborn Messiah. One question generated a lot of discussion and insights:

1. What is the significance for us in the worship offered by the magi?
   Some of the men offered insights that are profitable to remember:
   1. Len: The magi were a bit like apostles, except that they were called inwards, to Jerusalem.
   2. Scott: The magi were like the first Christians.

It is interesting to consider how the Lord used the astrologer concepts of the magi to draw them to the Messiah. Len suggested that this is similar to Paul's famous speech to the smart Athenians, where he started form their religious activity and led them to the message of Jesus the Messiah. Each man's life is like that -- called from outside to come in toward the center, Jesus.

Matthew, second chapter

Some things pop out of one's reading in chapter two of Matthew's gospel.

1. How is the intention of the magi, to worship the newborn king (verses 2, 11), different from Herod's similarly stated intention?
2. Herod and the entire city were troubled. What kind of trouble was it?
3. How many dreams from God are there in chapters 1 and 2?
4. What is the significance for us in the worship offered by the magi?
5. What relationship exists between the good magi and Father Abraham?
6. In v. 13, Herod sets out a plan to destroy the innocent children near Bethlehem, but re-read Rev. 9:1-11, where another king has the name of Destroyer. How did people suffer when that destroyer in Revelation went to work? Was its intention similar to Herod's?

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, when teaching about Matthew 2, the birth of the Messiah is described in this way: Mary is the burning bush of the definitive revelation of God. So I guess one could say that we have a lot to talk about tomorrow morning. Be ready, and expect the unexpected.

Lessons from Nahum, Amos and Obadiah

For the past few months we have been reading and seeking the Lord's message in the prophetic messages of His great prophets Nahum, Amos and Obadiah. These three prophets seems to hold together as a subgroup. Here are some of the conclusions and findings in the matter:

1. From Amos, we see the word "breaches" in a wall. What would be breaches in the Church?
   1. Bob: like protestant denominations;
   2. Joe: pride;
   3. Bob: sins, disobedience, bitterness, hatred;
   4. Len: it reminds me of the prophecy that Jesus would rebuild the temple in three days.

2. How is the prophecy of Amos applicable to our present situation?
   1. Len: We are still obligated to spread the Word.
3. Can you think of a modern day example of violence, one nation to another, similar to the violence that Red Edom did to Israel?
   1. Len: In the decapitation of European Jews by Nazis, the neighboring countries were like Edom, e.g., the Vichy government in France.
   2. Ken: Herod mocking Jesus. In fact, Herod actually was an Edomite!
   3. Bob: taunting someone, which we did as kids but we grew out of it.
   4. Scott: For instance, when you take the side of the "cool" kid at school who bullies the uncool kid.
   5. Ken: the Edom betrayal in the day of Israel's calamity is a good comparison to the beatitudes, especially the first and the last, which show how we should behave instead of doing like Edom did.
4. Why does Obadiah's prophetic message affect our mission as doers of the Word?
   1. TO BE ANSWERED FORTHWITH

Image: UPI/Kevin Dietsch. A Haitian who was badly burned when a gas station exploded following recent earthquake is treated onboard the USS Bataan, off the coast of Haiti, January 23, 2010.

Amos 8 requires some questions.

When you read the 8th chapter of Amos, you will be faced with some interesting questions:

1. Does the fruit mentioned here stand for the northern kingdom of Israel?
2. Compare the nature of songs mentioned in Amos with Psalm 119:54. How would you describe the difference?
3. In present day Israel, where is Dan in relation to Beer-Sheba?
4. After reading v. 7, one has to ask, does God ever forget our sins? Is this good or bad?
5. Which is the greater trouble, earthquake or famine of God's word?

Amos proclaims a message concerning Israel's fidelity to the perfect law of freedom. It is a deep river and wide, but these questions get us at least to dip our toes into the stream.

Earthquake, forest fire, volcano, trouble.

Which is the greater trouble?

1. Earthquake, fire, volcano in Amos 8:8-9, or
2. famine of God's word, v. 11?

Origins

Where does evil come from? The Church teaches a simple, unusual answer:

We must therefore approach the question of the origin of evil by fixing the eyes of our faith on him who alone is its conqueror.
CCC 385

What the Lord says and why.

Last Thursday, we had the question, Why does the Creator of the universe instill woes for those who cast justice to the ground?

One of the men had a fine answer. Len answered, "It is because God made us in His image. He expects us to be just."

Mosul and Jerusalem in Amos 5

We have a gamut of questions for looking into Amos 5:

1. Where in the New Testament do we find a lament over a city likened to a woman who has fallen, never to rise again?
2. What are Pleiades? Can you find archaeological traces of them somewhere near Israel today?
3. Why does the Creator of the universe instill woes for those who cast justice to the ground?
4. How does one travel today from Jerusalem to Mosul in Iraq, being as how the ruins of Nineveh are just near Mosul?

(Click image for larger view of map from Jerusalem to Mosul.)

Let's gaze into God's word today, in the 5th chapter of Amos, and see whether it leads us deeper into God's freedom.

Some queries, chapter 4 of Amos

Amos the prophet recorded his message, that came in visions, concerning Israel. In chapter 4 we will look into some rough words. Here are some questions we can use to think over this part of God's Word:

1. How is it that Amos saw this message in a vision? What did Amos see?
2. When will your wife agree to transportation, from point A to point B, by being dragged with fish hooks?
3. What did Jesus say about proclaiming one's free will offereings out loud in public?
4. What famous droughts and famines do you recall from the Bible?
5. What about stricken crops and trees and vineyards in the Bible?
6. How does this slough of calamity compare to the garden in Genesis 2?
7. How does God use calamities like drought, famine and blight?
8. Which sacrament would provide someone with a good recourse in times like this calamity in Israel?

Let's start with these questions, and see how we can make it part of our actions tomorrow.

Holy Lord

Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God; there is no other!

By myself I swear, uttering my just decree and my unalterable word:

To me every knee shall bend; by me every tongue shall swear, saying, "Only in the LORD are just deeds and power. Before him in shame shall come all who vent their anger against him. In the LORD shall be the vindication and the glory of all the descendants of Israel." (Isaiah 45:22-25)

Conclusion of the matter

Here are some of the comments and conclusions from this morning's Bible study session, question by question.

1. The Lord considers Nineveh a bloody city. Is there any city on Earth today that you consider to be a bloody city? Is it like Nineveh?
   1. Len: Amsterdam, New Orleans, San Francisco for debauchery, which the prophet Nahum mentions in the same breath as blood.
   2. Scott: Hating an entire city is like what terrorists do.
   3. Bob: Mexican border cities, overrun by murder by drug lords and criminals.
   4. Scott: Somalia is a lawless place, where life means nothing.
   5. Dave: Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime.
   6. Joe: the bloody description of Nineveh reminds one of Civil War battles, line after line of men charging the merciless guns.
2. How can a nation like Assyria enslave another nation by prostitution? What kind of prostitution would that be?
   1. Ken: prostitution in this case is like the Nazis recruiting collaborators in France by selling access to their military and political power.
3. Same question, regarding witchcraft: What kind of witchcraft can enslave a nation and end with bloody subjugation?
   1. Ken: Like being spellbound by government handouts and giving credence to the government's every pronouncement.
   2. Ken: Being spellbound by moral relativism, as mentioned in Abolition of Man, by C. S. Lewis.
4. How does this prophecy of Nahum relate to our lives today? What does it make you feel?
   1. Bob: It makes me want to pray more.
   2. Scott: Be like Rachel's Vineyard.
   3. Joe: Be like Tobit, practicing the works of mercy.

Joe's conculsion to the matter makes a lot of sense.