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.

Banquets, places

In chapter 14 of Dr. Luke's gospel, there is frequent discussion of banquets, especially the places where one sits in the banquet hall. All this is meant to teach most excellent Theophilus -- and us -- about the kingdom of God. Let's think over a few questions concerning this chapter, including these questions:

1. "But they kept silent." Verse 4 uses the Greek word ησυχασαν, meaning that the room fell silent. Why were the Pharisees and lawyers reduced to silence?
2. What is the most important banquet of all? How do you, a Christian, answer?
3. In v. 10, Jesus makes it clear that having everyone see you honored is a good thing, which he encourages. But doesn't that contradict His earlier sayings, in which he cautions against cultivating conspicuous honors in the streets and in the synagogue?
4. When is receiving honor righteous?
5. Verse 12 cautions the men at table with Jesus, avoid inviting those who can repay to lunches or dinners, as something never to be trapped into. Why should they flee this situation? How does this kind of invitation compare to the invitations Jesus does encourage?
6. In v. 15, a man exclaims the blessedness of one who dines in the kingdom of God, but in v. 24, Jesus turns the table on this man, it seems, saying, "... none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner." What effect would this admonition by Jesus have on the man who initially made the exclamation?
7. 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?
8. 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?

There is a lot to work out and learn in this chapter. Let's begin this morning and ask the Lord to invite us higher!

The king and his kingdom

We now look into chapter 13 of Dr. Luke's gospel, including parables of the kingdom of God. That being the case, we can ask a few questions to prepare for God's wisdom:

1. The two groups meeting sudden death, mentioned by Jesus in vv.1 and 4, are different. How did the suddenness arise for each group?
2. Is a human being likened to a fig tree or an orchard owner or a gardener?
3. If the fig tree bears fruit the following year, does it cut down then? Or is it allowed to continue? What does this tell you about heaven?
4. A king issues decrees for his kingdom. Can this king modify or expand his decree? Does he have the authority to do so?
5. Can a person without spinal weakness or infirmity still be bent down by the enemy? Or, to put it another way: is it proper for Jesus to help anyone to, in a spiritual sense, stand upright?
6. In the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven, where are the civilians, i.e., you and I?
7. Jesus is the king, but does He Himself also have a narrow door?
8. How does the sacrament of confession fit into these instructions of Jesus?

There is a lot to consider. Let's begin and see where the Holy Ghost leads us.

More questions about the faithful servant

We dive deeper into God's message in Luke 12 today. A few questions to help us think are:

1. Is a scheming politician indifferent? Indifferent to what?
2. Is a hypocritical person indifferent? Indifferent to what?
3. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be The Suffering Servant. Is a suffering servant indifferent? Indifferent to what?
4. What times of night are the second and third watches? Why doesn't Jesus mention the fourth watch?
5. Can you ask God the Father to be included in His kingdom?
6. Jesus had already been baptized by John in the River Jordan. What baptism is this in v. 50?
7. How is it that the crucifixion and resurrection of the Messiah casts fire on the earth?

On to Ch. 12

We now look into the lengthy chapter 12 of Dr. Luke's gospel. Here are a few questions, along the lines of common sense and theological meaning, to see into God's message for us:

1. Is it possible to whisper something behind closed doors and in that be hypocritical?
2. Can fear of death, "of those who kill the body," lead to acts of hypocrisy?
3. Is it possible to do the corporal works of mercy and be hypocritical?
4. Are you as smart as the Holy Spirit? Only half as smart? 10% as smart?
5. Was the rich man with many barns hypocritical about something?

St. Thomas Aquinas notes that Jesus did not want to govern temporarily over an earthly kingdom, and therein did not offer to adjudicate the inheritance of the two brothers. That implies that we are to exercise judgement, and, hopefully, do so faithfully, not hypocritically!

Re-question

We followed a logical analysis of the Our Father last week, and we did not get to a single one of last week's questions! So we shall tackle them this week, with a few additions:

7. Is there a selfish aspect to the Our Father? Or, does it show signs of unselfishness?
8. How does the family obligation to honor our parents conflict with the Lord's direction in Our Father?

More tomorrow!