Weekly Catholic Bible Study

 

Weeks 761-770

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Oratory of Divine Love Reflection 762: Carrying the Presence of God in Us:   (Isaiah 2 : 1-5 & Matthew 24 : 37-44)

 

[Isaiah]

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: "Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,

to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths."

For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

 

[Matthew]

Jesus said to his disciples: "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

 

Some persons in our gathering this morning have had the firsthand experience of what it is like to carry a baby in your womb for 9 months. As for the rest of us, surely we have seen others who were close to us going through that experience – our mother, if we had younger siblings; our sister; close friends. The mother starts having a growing awareness of this presence within her. Nowadays, especially, with ultrasound, we can follow all the developments as the pregnancy develops. I’ve been told there’s an app where you tell it the date of conception, and as the days roll by it will inform you the size of the baby: “It’s the size of a pea. It’s the size of a walnut. It’s the size of an avocado.” How exciting this must be for the parents as they wait in expectation. The baby’s little heart starts beating at 22 or 23 days after conception. As the mother follows with ultrasound, she can see the head and eyes and nose developing. She can see the arms and legs and toes and fingers. At 18 to 20 weeks you can see the baby’s gender with ultrasound, although there are other tests available that can let you know even as early as 8 to 10 weeks. As the baby starts to move around and kick, it must be a very unique sensation for the mother. Over the weeks, a very special bond develops between the mother and her baby. They are sharing so many things together. Some mothers talk to their babies, so they get to know their voice, or sing to them. They lovingly run their hand over their protruding tummy. 

 

[W]e can reflect on the first Christmas and the days that led up to it. During this time, Mary would have been experiencing all those sensations that I was describing above. A deep bond was growing between them. They were both completely human, so they felt what we feel, but perhaps their love for each other was even more intense because there were no traces of original sin to impede it. 

 

So much of our day as monks is spent chanting the Psalms. The schedule is arranged so that we cover all 150 of them every week. Would Jesus in the womb have heard his parents praying those same Psalms? There would have probably been no books or scrolls back then in a poor house like theirs, but people in that era had much better memories for memorizing things. Remember that many of the books of the Bible were oral tradition for many, many years before finally being written down. It is not unlikely that Mary would have known many of the Psalms by heart. A little [before Advent] we celebrated the feast of the Presentation. If Mary spent some of her childhood in the Temple, would it have been an occasion to learn some of the Psalms by heart, as well as other parts of the Hebrew Scriptures? Would Jesus in the womb have heard her reciting passages from the Prophet Isaiah, like the one we had in our first reading this morning? Did he hear the passage about a virgin bearing a son and naming him Emmanuel? Or how about the Suffering Servant passages in Isaiah that foretold the Passion and Death of the Messiah? 

 

The Gospel accounts don’t give us many details about the months leading up to Mary’s delivery, and leave plenty of gaps for our imagination to fill in. According to the Gospel of Luke, the first 3 months were spent with Elizabeth and Zachary. Those months must have produced many treasured memories of conversations with Elizabeth who was in on the secret, and acknowledged that little walnut and then avocado as “Lord”. Was Jesus experiencing the Beatific Vision at this time? I prefer to think that he wasn’t, and that he freely left that behind in heaven in order to fully experience our human condition. 

 

At some point, Mary would have started spending more time with Joseph, after he had been reassured in the dream that the child in her womb wasn’t illegitimate. That same dream instructed him to take her as his wife, so there would have been a marriage ceremony of the Hebrew fashion appropriate at the time. Apparently, the wine didn’t run out. As they lived together, Joseph probably supported the household with his carpentry skills. Mary would have kept house and done all the chores expected of a young Israelite wife. So many of our modern conveniences that we take for granted were absent. I’m sure those quiet, simple months also afforded Mary many poignant memories to ponder and treasure in her heart later in life after both Joseph and Jesus were gone. 

 

And for us now, the image of Mary in those months of pregnancy treasuring the presence of Jesus within her, can serve as a model for us. If we are in the state of sanctifying grace, we too carry Jesus within us. And not only Jesus, but the Holy Spirit and the Father also. John 14:23 has Jesus saying, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” And in First Corinthians we read, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you?” (6:19). After the three Persons of the Holy Trinity have done so much for us, it seems sad that we would spend so much of the time during the day neglecting their presence. How much they appreciate a little glance or a few ardent words to show them that we love them and are grateful, and that we cherish their company and aid. They don’t ask for much – just a little love. And they really appreciate it when we allow them to love our brothers and sisters through us.

 

May Mary gain for us the grace to be more mindful of the Presence we carry within.

 

 

by Fr. Stephen Muller

 

 

Prayer: O, Queen of Heaven, rejoice! Alleluia.
For He whom thou didst merit to bear, Alleluia,
Hath arisen as He said, Alleluia.
Pray for us to God, Alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary. Alleluia.
For the Lord hath risen indeed. Alleluia.

Oremus (Let us pray)
O God, who, through the Resurrection of Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
Didst vouchsafe to fill the world with joy; grant, we beseech Thee, that, through His Virgin Mother, Mary,
We may lay hold on the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

 

Quote from a Saint: “Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman bore. She ruled our Ruler; she carried Him in whom we are; she gave milk to our Bread.”-- St. Augustine

 

 

Questions for reflection:

1. What do you imagine life was like for the Holy Family in the days between the Annunciation and the birth of Jesus? How about the first few months of Jesus’ life?

2. Have you had experience with someone who has been pregnant? How can you use that to imagine Mary’s experience leading up to the birth of Jesus?

3. Do you ever consider that you carry Jesus with you if you are in a state of grace? How might that influence how you live your life?

4. “After the three Persons of the Holy Trinity have done so much for us, it seems sad that we would spend so much of the time during the day neglecting their presence.” How do you spend time with the three Persons of the Trinity throughout the day? How can you spend more time with God on a regular basis?

5. Have you ever considered the prayer life of Mary and Joseph? How would that prayer life have been passed on to Jesus?

6. Do you have memories of your parents praying or reading aloud to you from the Bible? Did you or have you ever caught your parents praying?

7. If you have children, do you read the Bible or Bible stories to them?

8. Do they ever see you praying (outside of Mass and saying grace)?

-Benjamin & Kristen Rinaldo, CfP

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Oratory of Divine Love Reflection 762: The Baptism of the Lord:  A Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 3 : 13-17)

 

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying,
“I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

 

 

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord that recalls the Baptism of Jesus by John at the Jordan, as one of the events that manifested Jesus to the world as the beloved Son of God and our Messiah (Lk 3:21-22), points also to Jesus’ mission (Mk 1:7-11). The feast expresses a) that, as Jesus underwent baptism, he shows us its necessity as the will of God for his people, and that it is necessary to uphold God’s requirements. b) With his baptism, Jesus identified with our sinful condition in order to bring salvation and life to us. c) Jesus is the Son of God, but the baptism was the moment the voice of the Father identified him, for the sake of those standing by and those he would minister to. d) It was a moment that says that God gave the divine approval to his mission from its outset. e) It was also the moment of decision to embark on his mission, being equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit that came down in the form of the dove. Thus, like a person born again, he now passes from the hidden life of Nazareth into the public stage of his mission, doing good after his baptism and anointing, as Peter recounted: “…beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:34-38).

 

Also, Jesus’; entry into the waters of Jordan cleansed and sanctified all waters of baptism; and it also pointed to the fact that as the floodwater in Noah’s time destroyed human life, so now the floodwater of Baptism restores all the dead to life. And as the dove brought the news of expiation of God’s anger to Noah so the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove comes to reveal the news of God’s mercy and salvation for all people, in the Anointed One of God. Thus, Jesus’ identity and his mission is confirmed and initiated through his baptism, as the Father confirmed him as his beloved Son and the Holy Spirit anointed him for his mission. We read: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased. Upon him I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations…” (Isa 42:1-4,6-7). For us too, our baptism identifies us and initiates our vocation as sons and daughters of God called to build up the kingdom of God in our different walks of life or career. We are identified as Christians; meaning that through our baptism we are incorporated into Christ and are constituted the people of God, who as Christ’s faithful are called to exercise the mission of the God entrusted to the church to be fulfilled in the world (cf. Can.204).

 

Finally, as 3 great solemnities of the season, Christmas, Epiphany, and Baptism of the Lord are the great manifestations of the Messiah who came to save us. Now, we as Christians, are called to manifest Christ and cause him to appear by our words and actions in the Ordinary Time of the year beginning this Monday, January 12, as the Christmas Time concludes with the feast of Baptism. We contribute to the enrichment of the Body of Christ and to the expansion of the kingdom of God in our different state/condition of life We are daily strengthened for this mission through the sacraments, daily reading of the word of God and our constant prayers. Peace!  

 

by Fr. Francis Chukwuma

 

 

Prayer: V. Do you reject Satan? R. I do.
V. And all his works? R. I do.
V. And all his empty promises? R. I do.
V. Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth? R. I do.
V. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? R. I do.
V. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? R. I do.
V. God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever.
R. Amen.

Quote from a Saint: Baptism is not the work of man but of Christ, and this sacrament is so holy that it would not be defiled, even if the minister were a murderer. - St. Isidore, Doctor of the Church

 

Questions for reflection:

1. Do you see the Baptism of the Lord as the end of the Christmas season or do you keep your decorations stay up until February 2nd?

2. Do you know and celebrate the day of your baptism?

3. When you bless yourself with holy water does it cause you to reflect upon Christ’s baptism and yours?

4. How do you “exercise the mission of the God entrusted to the church to be fulfilled in the world (cf. Can.204).”?

5. How do you “manifest Christ and cause him to appear by [y]our words and actions” in your life?

6. Does your life “contribute to the enrichment of the Body of Christ and to the expansion of the kingdom of God”?

7. Are you “daily strengthened for this mission through the sacraments, daily reading of the word of God and [y]our constant prayers.”

-Benjamin & Kristen Rinaldo, CfP

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Oratory of Divine Love Reflection 761: Mary, the Holy Mother of God:  A Reflection on the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2: 16-21)

 

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God  
for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

 

 

As I’ve probably mentioned in previous homilies, my father and I would go for walks sometimes at night. There was a gravel road out to our chicken house and barn, and we would walk back and forth on it in the starlight. He was quite enthusiastic about religion and spiritual topics, and loved to talk about them. But most other people weren’t all that interested. I was willing to listen, though. A frequent topic would be, “Don’t be a big shot in this world; be a big shot in the next.” He had kind of learned that the hard way, and wanted to spare me all the wasted energy in the wrong direction. He would point up to the stars and say, “Don’t be one of those specks in the Milky Way. Be one of the bright stars.” And he would say, “Some people live their lives for this world, and barely make it into heaven. And for all eternity, they’re just a tack under the rug.” And he would go on, “Compared to eternity, this life is over like that!” and he would snap his big fingers. “But eternity goes on, and on, and on, and on . . . and I would still be standing here next year saying, ‘on and on, and on . . . ‘ “ It reminds me of the metaphor of a dove carrying one grain of sand at a time to the furthest edge of the universe. Once all the grains of sand on earth are gone, the first second of eternity has just passed.

 

Today’s Solemnity is a startling example of a human being who was not at all a big shot in this world, but became the biggest of all shots in the next. How can you get any higher than “Mother of God”? She far surpasses all the angels and saints. Only the Triune God is above her, and even then, she holds a lot of influence over the Three Divine Persons. And yet, during her life here on earth, she was a nobody in the eyes of the world. During her time, and in that part of the world, women had very little standing in society. They certainly were not able to vote. Think of it . . . women did not have the right to vote in our country until the 19 Amendment was passed in 1920, thanks in large part to our local Susan B. Anthony. We in the 21st century take for granted that men and women are equal, but in Mary’s time, it was a man’s world, and women were considered part of the chattel of their husband – part of his moveable property. We recently heard passages read from the Book of Ruth at Sext in our church. When Boaz was bargaining for her at the city gate with the elders, Ruth had no say in the matter. Daughters and girls had even less standing than women; they were given away in marriage and were expected to obey.

 

I was struck by this contrast when singing the hymn for Lauds yesterday. In the second verse, it is talking about our Creator taking on flesh. And then in the third verse it says,

 

For this how wondrously he wrought!

A maiden in her lowly place,

Became, in ways beyond all thought,

The chosen vessel of his grace.

 

Mary was just a maiden – a teenage girl without any rights or prestige. And yet God plucked her out of that obscurity, and made her the highest human being of all time – and for all eternity! This was not by accident. Mary had cooperated with grace to set herself up for this moment. She lived her life for the next world, not this one. She made all the right decisions to remain sinless from her birth.

 

Think of Jesus’ parable of Lazareth and the rich man. Dives, as he came to be known, lived for this world only. Ok, he lived sumptuously during those years, but how short that span is! Just a speck of sand in a bird’s beak. Now he is in misery, and it will never come to an end.

 

My dad had it right – it makes much more sense to live one’s life for the next world, rather than this one. And nowadays, as I look back on those nights as a child with my father under the starlight, it gives me pleasure to think of him now enjoying the eternity he so loved to preach about.

 

by Fr. Stephen Muller

 

 

Prayer: “Father, source of light in every age, the virgin conceived and bore Your Son Who is called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace. May her prayer, the gift of a mother’s love, be Your people’s joy through all ages. May her response, born of a humble heart, draw Your Spirit to rest on Your people.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Quote from a Saint: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38)

 

Questions for reflection:

1. Reflect on this passage: “Don’t be a big shot in this world; be a big shot in the next.” What do you think of this? Do you live your life like this?

2. What have you been doing to build up riches in heaven so that you can be a big shot in the next?

3. Is there a Lazarus in your life that you have been ignoring or not seeing?

4. Have you or did you ever have memorable spiritual discussions with your parents or children?

5. Do you routinely have spiritual discussions with the people closest to you?

6. How can we use the example of Mary’s life to learn how to live our own lives?

7. When we realize how small we are in the grand scheme of things, how can following God’s will make our lives significant?

-Benjamin & Kristen Rinaldo, CfP