Scripture reference database

If you're like me, you have plenty of books on your bookshelves that contain references to passages from the Bible. I'm not talking just about scriptural commentaries; I have many books, which I would classify as spiritual reading (like I'm Not Being Fed! by Jeff Cavins and The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis), that quote or refer to Scripture.

Several years ago, I compiled a list of scriptural annotations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and made a search engine so that I could look up paragraphs of the Catechism that refer to a specific biblical passage. I also went through a couple of books with collected excerpts from the writing of Pope Benedict XVI and made the same sort of database, but never got around to using it.

But that's going to change. I've recently started writing a little library database (using the Google Books API) for my wife and myself to keep track of all the books we own. I'm taking this opportunity to create a catalog of all the scripture references in the books I read, in the same library database. I'll eventually make this available to the public.

If you're interested in helping out, leave a comment here or tweet me.

Bible Study for College Students

For the past two weeks, I've been leading a Bible study for students at Rider University (in Lawrenceville, NJ).  We meet Thursday evenings; we look at the upcoming Sunday's Mass readings, and try to understand them in their context and their relation to each other, as well as apply them to our lives today.

Tomorrow we're looking at pericopes from Isaiah 25, Philippians 4, and Matthew 23.  Do you see anything in these readings that stands out as applying in a particular way to college students?  (Phil 4:12-13 reminds me of food and money in the college context...)

Jerome: "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ"

(Reposted from two years ago...)

I've heard that quote of St. Jerome's many times. But I wanted to know its context. It comes from his introduction to the book of the Prophet Isaiah. It's written in Latin, of course, but it didn't take me long to find a decent English translation of it.

[I obey] the precepts of Christ who says "examine the Scriptures" (John 5:39) and "seek and you will find." (Matt 7:7)  Let me not hear with the Jews: "you are wrong because you do not know scriptures nor the power of God." (Matt. 22:29)  For if, according to the apostle Paul, Christ is "the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24) and who does not know Scripture does not know the power or the wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

The Gospel at Mass

When, for example, on the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost we hear the Gospel of the "Widow of Naim" we must take it not only historically (as it occurred 1900 years ago) but also liturgically (as it is happening now). Today Mother Church brings her dead (or crippled) children back to the compassionate Jesus who by His life-restoring, life-perfecting mysteries will heal these sons and daughters and given them back to their Mother, the Church, turning her sadness into gladness. Weep not, good Woman, here is your son, your daughter, restored to life!

The Gospel (chanted or read in Holy Mass) is not only instruction, it is also revelation. In human form the divine becomes present. As often as the holy Gospel is announced, Christ the Lord steps into our midst. "Jesus in the midst of His disciples!" If the Gospel were instruction only, the frequent repetition of certain Gospel-portions might be considered unnecessary. But because it is an appearance of Christ, a revelation of the Lord, an "epiphany" of our God-King, it is as refreshing as the daily rising sun, old yet ever new. No matter how often a passage be read (liturgically, not just privately), no matter how well we might know its contents, it is for us another opportunity to say: Gloria tibi! Laus tibi! to Christ our Lord again becoming present in our midst.

Fr. Martin Hellriegel, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, p. 34 (1944)

Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhoratation Verbum Domini due today!

Pope Benedict is expected to publish his second Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation today. His first was Sacramentum Caritatis, following the Synod on the Eucharist; this one is Verbum Domini, following the Synod on the Word of God.

Dr. Brant Pitre has the same concern I do:

Some have speculated that the delay is tied to the debate over inerrancy and interpretation that took place during the synod; I have no way of verifying or falsifying that, but it will be interesting to see whether the exhortation addresses it, since Proposition 12 from the bishops requested clarification on “the inspiration and truth” of Scripture. Will Benedict give it in this exhortation? We’ll find out.

For those of you who had not followed the Synod's proceedings, there was a garish statement made in the instrumentum laboris (the "working document") that "with regards to what might be inspired in the many parts of Sacred Scripture, inerrancy applies only to 'that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation' (DV 11)." (15c) That needs to be answered by the Pope!

Update (9:30 am) — Around noon, Vatican time, the document was released, as reported by this Vatican press release.  Apparently, it's been released as a PDF.  Normally, I would say, that's cool.  But the English text is a 208-page PDF with a large font-size.  Not cool.  The Latin PDF is 150 pages; still crazy.  I'd prefer the HTML version so I can copy the text and format it in a Word document that doesn't require 100+ sheets of paper!

Update (3:09 pm) — I've produced three versions (one plain-text, two MS Word) of Verbum Domini in place of the 208-page PDF.  You can download them here.

God does not grade on a curve

The readings for this coming Sunday all point to one common truth:  the Lord is a just judge, an important thing to remember as we approach the month of November, with its days dedicated to all saints and all souls, and the Solemnity of Christ the King (which was originally celebrated on the last Sunday of October, right before those first November feasts).

The first (cf. Sir. 35:12, 18) and second (cf. 2 Tim. 4:8) readings make this abundantly clear.  In the Gospel (Luke 18:9-14), the justness of the Lord's judgment is veiled in terms of a parable of two men who go to the temple to pray:

He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.

"Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'

"I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

To explain this theme, and this parable, to the students at Rider University who attend the Catholic Bible Study I host, I began by asking if they have ever taken a class or an exam where the teacher graded on a curve.

There are many ways to grade on a curve.  Perhaps the most infamous way is the "bell curve", which reflects what should be the statistically-sound normal distribution of grades among a body of students, as shown on the right.  Few students get As and Fs, more get Bs and Ds, and the most get the "average" grade, C.  This grading scheme can be good or bad for students.  It can be good because it means that the student who got the highest raw (uncurved) score on the exam is assured an A, no matter how objectively poorly he did.  It can be bad because it means that if everyone in the class aces the exam, they are all merely "average" and get Cs.

The bell curve, and other forms of curving, make up for the defect of the students' mastery of the material by comparing them to each other.  On a 100-question quiz, if no one gets more than 50 questions right, then that "failing" grade becomes an A.  Regardless of the highest-scoring student's knowledge of what he is being tested on, he receives a passing grade, because he scored better than the rest of his class.  Without the bell curve, the students are not compared to each other, but to the material covered on the exam; they receive objective grades based on their mastery of the material, not based on their relative performance.

In the parable which Jesus addressed to those who "were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else," our Lord mentions a Pharisee and a tax collector (or "publican" in some translations).  His audience, hearing the parable unfold, might have had the following impression: "A Pharisee!  Gosh, they sure are holy, with their phylacteries and their praying in the Temple and their knowledge of the Scriptures.  Ugh, and a tax collector?  My neighbor Zacchaeus is one of those traitors, taking my hard-earned money and giving it the Romans... and probably taking a little of the top for himself as well.  I'm sure Jesus wouldn't want to have anything to do with him."

The Pharisee compared himself to others, and believed himself to be better than them.  As they heard the Lord retell the Pharisee's prayer &mdash "to himself," which might just be idiomatic, but is also quite a condemnation! — they could have thought, "I might not be as good as the Pharisee, but I too am at least better than that tax collector!"  If they had to put the Pharisee and the tax collector on a scale and assign them letter grades, they would give the Pharisee an "A" and the tax collector an "F".  And then, if they had to assign themselves a grade, they would certainly place themselves above the dreaded tax collector.  Even if they got a "D", that was still a passing grade, right?

The tax collector's prayer was very different.  He did not compare himself to the Pharisee or to anyone else.  He compared himself to the divine law:  "O God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

Jesus tells us that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified.  The tax collector, comparing himself to the divine law and to God Himself, graded himself objectively; but the Pharisee, comparing himself to others, graded himself subjectively, on a curve; and God does not grade on a curve.  Our justification and salvation are not determined by comparing our performance with others'.  Our very need for justification and salvation are predicated on the great contrast between our conduct and God's law.  It does no good to compare ourselves to one another; St. Paul did not write that "some have sinned and fall short of the glory of their neighbor," but that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23)  God is the standard, most perfectly embodied in His Son Jesus Christ, in Whom the God was able to show us, by His own example, obedience to Him.

So as we approach the month which reminds us of the Last Things, let us not say, "God, I thank you that I am not like that adulterer, like that thief, like that murderer..." but instead, "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"

Name that Old Testament Type!

Joe McClane, the Catholic Hack, has a regular feature on his blog where he presents New Testament fulfillments (anti-types) of Old Testament types.  Here's the current challenge:

The Game:

The New Testament Fulfillment: St. Luke 1:35 “And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy,the Son of God.“

So tell me:

1. Name 2, yes TWO, Old Testament prototypes that the above verse was the fulfillment of.
2. You MUST state  prototypes/verses in the Old Testament that contain a type of our Lady, the Spirit, and the overshadowing, aspects of this verse in St. Luke’s, Gospel.

Heaven and Leaven

I watched a video on YouTube this evening in which a Christian refuted a clearly heretical claim that God the Father and God the (female) Holy Spirit spiritually conceived the child Jesus and implanted Him in the womb of Mary.  This claim was supported by a tendentious and completely unorthodox reading of Luke 1:35, wherein the angel Gabriel says to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God."  The person advancing the unorthodox claim said that this verse speaks of two of the Persons of the Trinity — that "the Holy Spirit" is not "(the power of) the Most High."  Her analysis misses the use of "overshadow", a clear Old Testament reference to the shekinah cloud of glory. (cf. Ex. 40:34ff; Luke 9:34)

However, this Christian apologist, in the beginning of his refutation, quoted Matthew 13:33, the single-verse parable about the Kingdom of Heaven:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."  His matter-of-fact interpretation of this parable is that the three measures of leaven represent corruptions in doctrine, specifically in the Church's governance, her worship, and the Word of God.  Whence does he derive this interpretation?  Most likely the Scofield Commentary:

That interpretation of the parable of the Leaven (Mt 13:33) which makes (with variation as to details) the leaven to be the Gospel, introduced into the world ("three measures of meal") by the church, and working subtly until the world is converted ("till the whole was leavened") is open to fatal objection:

1. it does violence to the unvarying symbolical meaning of leaven, and especially to the meaning fixed by our Lord Himself. Mt 16:6-12 Mk 8:15 See "Leaven," Gen 19:3. See Scofield Note: "Mt 13:33".
2. The implication of a converted world in this age ("till the whole was leavened"), is explicitly contradicted by our Lord's interpretation of the parables of the Wheat and Tares, and of the Net. Our Lord presents a picture of a partly converted kingdom in an unconverted world; of good fish and bad in the very kingdom-net itself.
3. The method of the extension of the kingdom is given in the first parable. It is by sowing seed, not by mingling leaven. The symbols have, in Scripture, a meaning fixed by inspired usage. Leaven is the principle of corruption working subtly; is invariably used in a bad sense (see "Leaven," See Scofield Note: "Gen 19:3"), and is defined by our Lord as evil doctrine. Mt 16:11,12 Mk 8:15. Meal, on the contrary, was used in one of the sweet-savour offerings Lev 2:1-3. and was food for the priests Lev 6:15-17. A woman, in the bad ethical sense, always symbolizes something out of place, religiously, See Scofield Note: "Zech 5:6". In Thyatira it was a woman teaching (cf). Rev 2:20 17:1-6. Interpreting the parable by these familiar symbols, it constitutes a warning that the true doctrine, given for nourishment of the children of the kingdom Mt 4:4 1Tim 4:6 1Pet 2:2 would be mingled with corrupt and corrupting false doctrine, and that officially, by the apostate church itself 1Tim 4:1-3 2Tim 2:17,18 4:3,4 2Pet 2:1-3.

Leaven

1. Leaven, as a symbolic or typical substance, is always mentioned in the O.T. in an evil sense Gen 19:3, See Scofield Note: "Gen 19:3".
2. The use of the word in the N.T. explains its symbolic meaning. It is "malice and wickedness," as contrasted with "sincerity and truth" 1Cor 5:6-8, it is evil doctrine Mt 16:12 in its three-fold form of Pharisasism, Sadduceeism, Herodianism Mt 16:6 Mk 8:15. The leaven of the Pharisees was externalism in religion. Mt 23:14,16,23-28, of the Sadducees, scepticism as to the supernatural and as to the Scriptures Mt 22:23,29, of the Herodians, worldliness--a Herod party amongst the Jews Mt 22:16-21 Mk 3:6.
3. The use of the word in Mat 13.33 is congruous with its universal meaning.

Compare that with all the other (Protestant) commentaries found at bible.cc on Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:21.

I would point out, first, that leaven is not excluded universally from sacrifices in the Old Testament, as the apologist would have you believe:

• With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with cakes of leavened bread. (Lev. 7:13)
• You shall bring from your dwellings two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, as first fruits to the LORD. (Lev. 23:17)
• "Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!" says the Lord GOD. (Amos 4:5)

In the New Testament, leaven is used almost exclusively in a negative sense, except for Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:21.  At least, that's why I'm intent on showing by means of Church Father commentaries.  I should begin by quoting the modern Catechism, paragraph 2660:

Prayer in the events of each day and each moment is one of the secrets of the kingdom revealed to "little children," to the servants of Christ, to the poor of the Beatitudes. It is right and good to pray so that the coming of the kingdom of justice and peace may influence the march of history, but it is just as important to bring the help of prayer into humble, everyday situations; all forms of prayer can be the leaven to which the Lord compares the kingdom. (cf. Lk. 13:20-21)

And now for the Church Fathers (and their contemporaries):

• When in other things examples or illustrations are used, the resemblance cannot hold in every particular, but only in some one point for which the illustration is employed. For instance, When it is said in the Gospel, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman hid in three measures of meal,” are we to imagine that the kingdom of heaven is in all respects like leaven, so that like leaven it is palpable and perishable so as to become sour and unfit for use? Obviously the illustration was employed simply for this object—to shew how, through the preaching of God’s word which seems so small a thing, men’s minds could be imbued with the leaven of faith. (Rufinus)
• And again the Gospel says that the Saviour spake to the apostles the word in a mystery. For prophecy says of Him: “He will open His mouth in parables, and will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”  And now, by the parable of the leaven, the Lord shows concealment; for He says, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”  For the tripartite soul [thus the "three measures"] is saved by obedience, through the spiritual power hidden in it by faith... (Clement of Alexandria)
• This, says he, is the kingdom of heaven that reposes within us as a treasure, as leaven hid in the three measures of meal. (Hippolytus)
• Therefore He brought forward the similitude of this herb, which has a very strong resemblance to the subject in hand; “Which indeed is the least,” He saith, “of all seeds, but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”  Thus He meant to set forth the most decisive sign of its greatness. “Even so then shall it be with respect to the gospel too,” saith He. Yea, for His disciples were weakest of all, and least of all; but nevertheless, because of the great power that was in them, It hath been unfolded in every part of the world.  After this He adds the leaven to this similitude, saying,“The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened.”  For as this converts the large quantity of meal into its own quality, even so shall ye convert the whole world. (Chrysostom)
• The conditions of the nascent church required this to be so that the grain of mustard seed might grow up little by little into a tree, and that the leaven of the gospel might gradually raise more and more the whole lump of the church. (Jerome)
• For on this account, as I have before said, God has suffered men to be with one another, and especially the wicked with the good, in order that they may bring them over to their own virtue. Hear at least what Christ saith to his disciples, “The Kingdom of heaven is like unto a woman who took leaven and hid it in three measures of meal.”  So that the righteous have the power of leaven, in order that they may transfer the wicked to their own manner of conduct. But the righteous are few, for the leaven is small. But the smallness in no way injures the lump, but that little quantity converts the whole of the meal to itself by means of the power inherent in it. (Chrysostom)
• For that one ought not to be useful to himself alone, but also to many others, Christ declared plainly, when He called us salt, and leaven, and light:  for these things are useful and profitable to others. ... And this is the reason why He called you leaven: for leaven also does not leaven itself, but, little though it is, it affects the whole lump however big it may be. So also do ye: although ye are few in number, yet be ye many and powerful in faith, and in zeal towards God. As then the leaven is not weak on account of its littleness, but prevails owing to its inherent heat, and the force of its natural quality, so ye also will be able to bring back a far larger number than yourselves, if you will, to the same degree of zeal as your own. (Chrysostom)
• But as there are many ways in which things show a likeness to each other, we are not to suppose there is any rule that what a thing signifies by similitude in one place it is to be taken to signify in all other places.  For our Lord used leaven both in a bad sense, as when He said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,” and in a good sense, as when He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” (Augustine)
• “The three measures of meal” of which the Lord spake, is the human race. Recollect the deluge; three only remained, from whom the rest were to be re-peopled. Noe had three sons, by them was repaired the human race. That holy “woman who hid the leaven,” is Wisdom. Lo, the whole world crieth out in the Church of God, “I know that the Lord is great.” (Augustine)
• Hence the Lord says, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”  What is this woman, but the flesh of the Lord? What is the leaven, but the gospel? (Augustine)

Finally, let me appeal to the words of our Savior Himself:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven..." (Matt. 13:33)  "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven..." (Luke 13:21)  Jesus did not say that the Kingdom of God is like bread in which leaven has been hid, but like leaven which is hidden in bread.

P.S. The apologist makes use of the "law of first mention" in assigning a negative (even evil) value to leaven.  The first use of the word "leaven(ed)" (as opposed to "unleaven(ed)") is Exodus 12:15, which states:  "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses, for if any one eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel."

Now, it certainly is negative that one who eats leavened bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread will be cut off from Israel, but let us consider the reason for this prohibition.  This is the feast of the Passover, when they are to flee Israel in haste:  "In this manner you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste." (Ex. 12:11)  The Israelites would not have the time to wait for the leaven to work in the dough!  Outside of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it is permissible (and even normal) to eat leavened bread.  One might even go so far as to say that, since leavened bread may not be eaten "from the first day until the seventh day," it is on the eighth day that leavened bread may be eaten, and the eighth day has creation-centric and Christ-centric overtones to it.

Apostolic Preaching: The Gospel in the Book of Acts

I went through the Acts of the Apostles today and made a list of the "Gospel sermons" given.  I found eight:  five from Peter, one from Stephen, and two from Paul.  (I didn't include Paul's retelling of his conversion, since those were not about the Gospel, per se, but about the work of Christ in his life.)  Each of these sermons contains (in whole or in part) the "kerygma", the extreme distillation of the Gospel:  "that [Jesus] Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve." (1 Cor. 15:3-5)

The kerygma has three key elements:  1) that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ; 2) that His death and resurrection is prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures, the Old Testament; and 3) that He appeared to people after His resurrection.  That is what you find in the apostolic preaching in the Book of Acts.

• Peter
• Acts 2:14-39
• "This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ... This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses."
• Acts 3:12-26
• "The God of our fathers glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up ... But you denied the Holy and Righteous One ... and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.  To this we are witnesses. ... What God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled."
• Acts 4:8-12
• "By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well."
• Acts 5:29-32
• "The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ... And we are witnesses to these things."
• Acts 10:34-43
• "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth ... They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and made him manifest ... to us who were chosen by God as witnesses."
• Stephen
• Acts 7:2-53
• "Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered."
• Paul
• Acts 13:16-42
• "God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. ... They asked Pilate to have him killed. ... But God raised him from the dead; and for many days he appeared to those ... who are now his witnesses to the people."
• Acts 17:22-31
• "[God] has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead."

I also compiled a list of places where the Old Testament (that is, the "Scriptures") is used by the Apostles to prove to other Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.

• Acts 2:23-31 (Peter quotes David in Psalm 16)
• Acts 3:18-24 (Peter quotes Moses in Deut. 18:15 and refers to all the prophets)
• Acts 4:24-30 (The disciples quote David in Psalm 2)
• Acts 7:37,52 (Stephen quotes Moses in Deut. 18:15 and refers to all the prophets)
• Acts 8:32-35 (Philip teaches that Isaiah 52:13—53:12 refers to Christ)
• Acts 10:43 (Peter refers to all the prophets)
• Acts 13:27-37 (Paul refers to all the prophets and quotes David in Psalms 2 and 16)
• Acts 17:2-3,11 (Paul argues from the Scriptures that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead)
• Acts 18:24-28 (Apollos showed by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ)
• Acts 24:14 (Paul implies that belief in Jesus as the Christ is based on the law and the prophets)
• Acts 26:22-23,27 (Paul says that Moses and the prophets said that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead)
• Acts 28:23 (Paul refers to the law and the prophets)

So... do with this what you will!

Not a fan of the NAB's footnotes...

In a month's time, we will hear about the miraculous event which took place on the day of Pentecost, when the Apostles (and probably the Mother of our Lord and 100+ other disciples) received the Holy Spirit in the manifestation of tongues of fire.  Then, emboldened by the Holy Spirit, they went out to preach about Jesus Christ, and Jews from more than a dozen locales understood them in their native tongues.

Or not.

Footnote 1, verses 1-41:  Luke's pentecostal narrative consists of an introduction (Acts 2:1-13), a speech ascribed to Peter declaring the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic significance (Acts 2:14-36), and a favorable response from the audience (Acts 2:37-41). It is likely that the narrative telescopes events that took place over a period of time and on a less dramatic scale. The Twelve were not originally in a position to proclaim publicly the messianic office of Jesus without incurring immediate reprisal from those religious authorities in Jerusalem who had brought about Jesus' death precisely to stem the rising tide in his favor.

If I were on "Deep in Scripture"...

I think I would choose these passages to talk about with Marcus Grodi:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God — not because of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Likewise, my brethren, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. (Romans 7:4)

And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9-10)

If I had to pare it down, I would choose Ephesians and 2 Corinthians, but really, all four excerpts together paint the picture:

• We are saved, not by good works, but for good works
• God has prepared these good works for us ahead of time:  they are His will for us
• We are enabled to carry out these good works through Christ's Resurrection
• God provides for us that we may carry out these good works and bear fruit for God
  

Outline for Exodus 1-12

This is what I'll be using to teach 6th-graders tomorrow about the first third of the book of Exodus.

1.           From Joseph to Moses (Exodus 1)

a)      What did the Lord prophesy to Abram? (Genesis 15:7-21, esp. vv. 13-14) your descendants will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs … slaves … oppressed for four hundred years; but I will bring judgment on the nation which they serve … they shall come out with great possessions.

b)      What happened to the descendents of Jacob in Egypt? (Exodus 1:7-22) They multiplied in number and made slaves because a new Pharaoh did not know of Joseph.  Pharaoh wanted the male children killed at birth (compare to Herod, China), then he told the midwives to drown the boys in water.  Water = major theme.

c)      Allegory:  Egypt is to Israel, as what is to what? Pharaoh=Satan, Egypt=sin, Israel=us.  Egypt separates Israel from God.  Israrel forgets who they are and who God is.  God is going to take Israel out of Egypt, and Egypt out of Israel.

2.           Moses (Exodus 2-4)

a)      Why learn about Moses? Summary in Acts 7:17-45.  He prophesied and prefigured Christ:  Deut 18:15; Luke 24:27,44; John 1:45; 3:14; 5:46; 6:32; Acts 3:13-26; 7:37

b)      Birth and life in Egypt (Exodus 2)

1.      What was supposed to happen to Moses at birth? He should have been drowned.

2.      How did Moses survive? His mother hid him for three months, then put him in a basket ("ark") in the river.  Pharaoh's daughter saw him and adopted him.  His own mother was chosen as his paid nurse!

3.      What does his name mean? "Drawn out"

4.      How did he grow up? Nursed by his mother (knowing his culture) and then he lived as an Egyptian until he was 40. (Acts 7:20-22)

5.      What did he do that lost him the favor of Pharaoh? He slew an Egyptian that was beating a Hebrew.  The next day he saw two Hebrews fighting, and one asked "Who made you a prince and a judge over us", a prophetic question.  Pharaoh finds out about the murder and Moses flees.

c)      Exile and Mission (Exodus 3-4) Moses spends next 40 years in the wilderness.  He is like Joseph, sent ahead of Israel for their good. 

1.      How is Exodus 3:2-10 similar to Genesis 15:13-21?

1.      How did God manifest Himself to Moses? Mysterious fire (flaming torch, burning bush)

2.      What does God say about Israel's condition? They will be enslaved but He will liberate them

3.      Which covenant-promise to Abraham does God say He will fulfill? Land

2.      What does Moses say the people will ask, and what does God reveal? What is His name?  "YHWH", "I AM WHO AM"

3.      For what purpose is God freeing the Israelites? So that they can offer sacrifice (render worship) to Him

4.      What will happen when Egypt lets Israel go? They will despoil the Egyptians

5.      How does Moses complain, and how does God respond?

1.      First time (Exodus 4:1-9) They won't believe me or listen to me – God gives him signs to perform

2.      Second time (Exodus 4:10-12) I'm not a good speaker – God will give him the words

3.      Third time (Exodus 4:13-17) Send someone else – God will send Aaron, Moses' brother, with him

6.      What is God's message to Pharaoh? (Exodus 4:21-23) Let My firstborn (Israel) free to serve Me, or I will slay your firstborn.  (The other nations are God's "other" children.)  God sends Aaron to meet Moses.  Moses and Aaron return to Egypt and speak to the elders of Israel, showing them the signs God had given him.

3.           The 10 Plagues (Exodus 5-13)

a)      Moses and Aaron meet Pharaoh (Exodus 5-6) Moses' last 40 years are spent taking Israel out of Egypt

1.      What does God want of the Israelites? He wants the Israelites to take a three-days journey into the desert to serve Him (via sacrifice).

2.      What does Pharaoh want of them? He wants the Israelites to stay and serve him (via slave labor).

3.      What is Pharaoh's reaction to Moses' request? He makes the work harder for the Israelites, not supplying them with straw and expecting the same output of bricks.  The Israelites are angry with Moses and Aaron.

4.      How does Moses respond? He complains to God that since he came to Egypt Pharaoh has made it worse for the Israelites, and He has not saved them yet.

5.      What does God say He will do? (Exodus 6:6-8) I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment, and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God … And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.

b)      The First Nine Plagues (Exodus 7-10) Moses has Aaron throw his staff to the ground and it becomes a snake.  Pharaoh's magicians can do the same thing, but Aaron's staff consumes theirs.  God proclaims judgments on Egypt's gods.

1.      What is the first plague? (Exodus 7:19-22) Nile turns to blood, copied by the magicians

2.      What is the second plague? (Exodus 8:1-3) Frogs overrun the land, copied by the magicians

1.      What does Pharaoh promise?  Does he keep his promise? He will let the Israelites go to sacrifice if Moses removes the frogs; no.

3.      What is the third plague? (Exodus 8:12-15) Gnats from the dirt

1.      How is this plague different from the previous ones? Pharaoh's magicians can't copy it

4.      What is the fourth plague? (Exodus 8:16-19) Swarms of flies

1.      What happened to the Israelites? No flies for them

2.      What is the compromise Pharaoh offers? Sacrifice to God here, but it would be an abomination (because of the animals which would be sacrificed)

3.      What does Pharaoh promise?  Does he keep his promise? Sacrifice but not too far away; no.

5.      What is the fifth plague? (Exodus 9:6-7) Cattle dying

1.      What happened to the Israelites? Their cattle didn't die

6.      What is the sixth plague? (Exodus 9:10-11) Boils

7.      What is the seventh plague? (Exodus 9:22-26) Hailstorms

1.      What happened to the Israelites? No hail

2.      What does Pharaoh promise?  Does he keep his promise? Stop the hail and I'll let you go; no.

8.      What is the eighth plague? (Exodus 10:12-15) Locusts

9.      What is the ninth plague? (Exodus 10:21-23) Darkness

1.      What happened to the Israelites? No darkness.

2.      What is the compromise Pharaoh offers? Go worship God but don't bring animals.

3.      What does Pharaoh threaten Moses with? Death

c)      Passover and the 10^th Plague (Exodus 11-12)

1.      Remember God's words in Exodus 3:21-22 vs. Exodus 11:2-3. Israel will leave Egypt with plenty of possessions.

2.      How does God respond to Pharaoh's threat? (Exodus 11:4-7) He will take the life of the firstborn of Egypt.

3.      What is the Passover ritual? (Exodus 12:1-11) Get a lamb on the 10^th of the 1^st month (Nisan), inspect it until the 14^th, then kill it and mark the doorposts with its blood, then roast it and eat it with unleavened bread.

4.      Why is it called Passover (Pesach / Pascha)? (Exodus 12:12-13, 26-27) God would pass over where the blood of the Lamb is on the doorposts.  Israel would also be passing through the Red Sea, and passing over the Jordan into the land promised to them.

5.      What happened through Egypt? (Exodus 12:29-30) All the first-born of the Egyptians died, from the lowest slave all the way up to Pharaoh.

6.      Is this the lamb of God? (Exodus 12:3) No, each family has its own lamb

4.           Links between the Passover and Christ

a)      Get the lamb on 10 Nisan – Christ enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday

b)      Lamb is inspected until 14 Nisan – Christ is "inspected" by the Pharisees and everyone; Pilate says he finds no fault in him (John 18:38)

c)      Not a bone is to be broken (Ex 12:46; John 19:36)

d)      The Eucharist is the new Passover sacrificial meal

1.      "Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Cor 5:7)

2.      "You know that you were ransomed … with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Pet 1:18-19)

3.      "I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain" (Rev 5:6)

4.      "The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready … Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Rev 19:7-9)

Apparent anachronism in Exodus 16

What follows is from an email I wrote a year ago while taking part in the Great Adventure Bible Timeline study.  Someone brought up the mention of the ark of the covenant in Exodus 16, several chapters before it is created.  I sought to investigate the matter and resolve the apparent anachronism.

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In my reading [of Exodus 16] I had failed to catch the apparent anachronism of Aaron placing the jar of manna "before the testimony" (RSV) or "in front of the commandments" (NAB).

The issue might be one of punctuation. The RSV and the NAB and the KJV render verses 33 and 34 of Exodus 16 as two distinct sentences.

RSV: [33] And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD, to be kept throughout your generations." [34] As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony, to be kept.

NAB: [33] Moses then told Aaron, "Take an urn and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the LORD in safekeeping for your descendants." [34] So Aaron placed it in front of the commandments for safekeeping, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

KJV: [33] And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. [34] As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

However, the Douay-Rheims (a 1609 English translation of the Latin Vulgate) has a slightly different structure. Here, the beginning of verse 34 is the conclusion of the sentence in verse 33 (note the comma at the end of verse 33):

DR: [32] And Moses said: This is the word, which the Lord hath commanded: Fill a gomor of it, and let it be kept unto generations to come hereafter, that they may know the bread, wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when you were brought forth out of the land of Egypt. [33] And Moses said to Aaron: Take a vessel, and put manna into it, as much as a gomor can hold: and lay it up before the Lord to keep unto your generations, [34] As the Lord commanded Moses. And Aaron put it in the tabernacle to be kept.

Whatever the punctuation should be, the "issue" can be resolved with the following explanation:

Re-read chapter 16. Note that verses 1-30 deal with events which are happening during the first week when the manna appeared. Now note the tone of verses 31-35. I would propose that these later verses are describing an event that took place later (at or after Sinai, since they expect the existence of the covenant), but they are not at all insinuating that these events actually happened before Sinai at all. I will support my proposal with Scriptural evidence:

In Exodus 16:31, the Hebrew phrase bayith Yisra'el is used for the first time. It literally means "the house of Israel". The phrase ben Yisra'el ("sons/children/people of Israel") is used plenty in chapter 16 (verses 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17, and 35). But here for the first time bayith Yisra'el appears in Scripture, in verse 31. Why is the phrase "House of Israel" used this time instead of "sons/children/people of Israel"?

I think we can come to the answer by looking for the next time "House of Israel" is used in Scripture. "House of Israel" appeared first in Exodus 16:31, speaking of them calling the substance "manna". The next time that "House of Israel" appears in Exodus 40:38, the very last verse of the very last chapter of Exodus: "For throughout all their journeys the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel." By Exodus 40, the covenant has been made; the tabernacle and the ark and other elements of worship have been constructed. It is here that the context of Exodus 16:31-35 makes sense. Certainly the Israelites, when they first encountered the stuff, said "man na", but Exodus 16:31 is saying that "manna" is what it was "officially" called by the house of Israel, meaning those who were in covenant with God through Moses. My point is that "House of Israel" is a "covenant name"; it describes the Israelites in their covenant with God. As such, Exodus 16:31 is referring to something at or after the time of Sinai.

The language of Exodus 16:33-34 makes it clear that there was now "the presence of the LORD" and the tablets of the covenant. Exodus 16:35 is even more helpful: it is clearly written after the forty years had ended: "the people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land".

So if Exodus 16:35 was written to describe an event that took place much later than Exodus 16:1-30, I would argue that Exodus 16:31-34 are describing a later event as well. They are not "placing" the later event earlier in history than it happened, but they are describing the later event in the context of the rest of the chapter about the manna, and using contextual clues (such as the phrase "House of Israel") to indicate that. To further the point, Exodus 16 is the only place where "manna" is mentioned in the whole book of Exodus, and only in those last verses is the word "manna" (in English) used. It makes sense to have included the "future" of the manna in the same part of the story where it was introduced, especially since it simply never gets mentioned again.

Word Study: Being "sent" in the Gospels

I should read the Gospels and pay close attention to every occurrence of the word "sent" (or any variation thereof).  The word "sent" (or "send", "sends", "sending") appears in the RSV of Matthew 33 times, in Mark 24 times, in Luke 44 times, and in John 61 times.  I would expect that it is in John's Gospel that it is used the most times in reference to Jesus being sent by the Father, and the disciples being sent by Jesus.

This is being filed away for later study!

Excellent Scripture resource from NewAdvent.org

Side-by-side Greek, English, and Latin texts of the Bible.  Very useful, very well presented, and just cool.

Check it out!

"The blind and the lame"

Wow, I learned another great link between this coming Sunday's Gospel and the Old Testament by listening to Dr. Michael P. Barber's "Reasons for Faith" on EWTN Radio.  Jesus cures Bartimaeus, a blind man, and he follows Jesus to Jerusalem.

In the Old Testament, when David went to conquer Jerusalem, then occupied by the Jebusites, they (the Jebusites) mocked him, saying "You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off." (2 Sam. 5:6)  In response to that mockery, King David spoke very rash words:  "Whoever would smite the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul." (2 Sam. 5:8)  Because of that event, after the Temple was built, there was a saying "The blind and the lame shall not come into the house" (2 Sam. 5:8), the "house" being the Temple.

But then Jeremiah prophesied against this unjust exclusion of the blind and the lame:  "Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who is in travail, together; a great company, they shall return here." (Jer. 31:8)  God was saying He would bring the exiles back to Jerusalem, even the blind and the lame!

In the gospel of Matthew, we read that Jesus, after entering the Temple area and driving out the money-changers, tended to "the blind and the lame [who] came to him in the temple, and he healed them." (Matt. 21:14)  Jesus abrogated the cruel curse placed on the blind and the lame which claimed authority because of the attitude of King David in war.

Bible Study: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B (October 25, 2009)

Opening Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.     Amen.

St. Jerome:                       Pray for us.

St. John Vianney:             Pray for us.

St. Mark:                         Pray for us.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful.       And kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created.       And You will renew the face of the earth.

O God, who has taught the hearts of the faithful … Through Christ our Lord.     Amen.

First Reading – Jeremiah 31:7-9

⁷ Thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
      exult at the head of the nations;
      proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
      the remnant of Israel.

⁸ Behold, I will bring them back
      from the land of the north;
I will gather them from the ends of the world,
      with the blind and the lame in their midst,
the mothers and those with child;
      they shall return as an immense throng.

⁹ They departed in tears,
      but I will console them and guide them;
I will lead them to brooks of water,
      on a level road, so that none shall stumble.
For I am a father to Israel,
      Ephraim is my first-born.

Psalm 126:1-6

¹ When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
      we were like men dreaming.
² Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
      and our tongue with rejoicing.

Then they said among the nations,
      "The LORD has done great things for them."
³ The LORD has done great things for us;
      we are glad indeed.

⁴ Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
      like the torrents in the southern desert.
⁵ Those that sow in tears
      shall reap rejoicing.

⁶ Although they go forth weeping,
      carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
      carrying their sheaves.

Gospel – Mark 10:46-52

⁴⁶ As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging.  ⁴⁷ On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."

⁴⁸ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.  But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me."

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."

So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."

⁵⁰ He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.  ⁵¹ Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"

The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."

⁵² Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."

Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Questions

1)      Why is Psalm 126:1-6 a fitting "response" to the First Reading?  (This is why it is called a "Responsorial Psalm")

2)      The Jewish exile is cast as a farmer going out to sow seed, and their return to Jerusalem as a farmer returning with a harvest. (Ps. 126:5-6)  Why does the psalmist use this imagery?  How was the exile like sowing seed, and the return like a harvest?

3)      What links can you find between the First Reading and Psalm, and the Gospel?

a.       Coming back from the north (Jer. 31:8)

b.      The blind and the lame in their midst (Jer. 31:8)

c.       An immense throng (Jer. 31:8)

d.      Returning to Zion (Jerusalem) (Ps. 126:1)

e.       The Lord doing great things (Ps. 126:3)

4)      Bartimaeus called Jesus "Son of David".  What does the title mean?  How would Bartimaeus know this about Jesus?

5)      Remember last week's Gospel?
    ³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,
    "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
    ³⁶ Jesus replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?"
In Mark 10:36, Jesus asks James and John basically the same question that He asks Bartimaeus in Mark 10:50.  Why did Jesus grant Bartimaeus' request?  What was the difference between Bartimaeus' request and that of James and John?

6)      What "faith" is Jesus speaking about when he says that Bartimaeus' faith has saved him (literally:  "made you whole")?

7)      How does Bartimaeus respond to Jesus differently from the rich young man from two weeks ago?
To put it differently:  What does Jesus tell Bartimaeus to do after He cures him, and what does Bartimaeus do?

8)      What was Bartimaeus sacrificing by asking Jesus to cure his blindness?  What "crutches" do you lean on that you need to ask God to heal?

Jesus, Paul, and James on works

A woman posting on the Coming Home Network Forums writes:

i have an ongoing problem in that i am engaged to a man who believes in once saved, always saved and all we have to do is believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior....while i do that, i also believe that it matters what we do on this earth.

So does Jesus Christ:

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?  Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:  he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built.  But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6:46-49)

"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." (Luke 8:21)

"I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead.  Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God." (Rev. 3:1-2)

"I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth." (Rev. 3:15-16)

So does St. Paul:

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you. (Phil 4:9)

So does St. James:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. (James 1:22-24)

Faith and Works: What did Jesus say?

This is what I heard on the lips of Jesus Christ this morning at Mass:  "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." (Luke 8:21)  Sounds like faith and works to me...

Don't know how to pray for someone?

This comes from a recent Twitter. Commit to memory and personalize Colossians 1:9-14:

[9] I have not ceased to pray for you,
asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
[10] to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him,
bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

[11] May you be strengthened with all power,
according to his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience with joy,
[12] giving thanks to the Father,
who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

[13] He has delivered you from the dominion of darkness
and transferred you to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
[14] in whom you have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.