Joy of the Gospel #5

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
EVANGELII GAUDIUM
OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS

20. The word of God constantly shows us how God challenges those who believe in him “to go forth.”

Abraham received the call to set out for a new land (cf. Gen 12:1-3).

Moses heard God’s call: “Go, I send you” (Ex 3:10) and led the people towards the promised land (cf. Ex 3:17).

To Jeremiah God says: “To all whom I send you, you shall go” (Jer 1:7).

In our day Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” echoes in the changing scenarios and ever new challenges to the Church’s mission of evangelization, and all of us are called to take part in this new missionary “going forth.”


Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Matthew 18: 18-20, NABRE

Paragraph numbers are provided to help you find the quotes for further study and to place these ideas in their original context, should you wish to do so. To read the text in full, click here: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#II.%E2%80%82Mary,_mother_of_evangelization

 

Weekly Bible Study - Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31

16 November 2014

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Was the author of the Book of Proverbs ahead of his time? With the patriarchal (and sometimes even misogynistic) attitudes that prevail in much of the Bible, it is refreshing to read of the high praise of women. Where does this come from?

Scripture study encourages us to consider the various “layers” of the reading.  The Church Fathers (and Mothers) refer to these layers as the “senses of Scripture.” On a literal level, today’s first reading offers the advice given by the Queen Mother to her son, Lemuel, king of Massa. The Queen Mother held a prominent place in the palace and her sage advice was highly regarded. She describes the ideal wife who brings honor to her husband; one who is kind, compassionate and industrious as she supports him in his responsibilities to his subjects. Her true beauty and integrity are from within.

But there is a deeper “sense” underlying this passage. Throughout the Books of Wisdom Literature, wisdom is personified as a woman. Scholars have even regarded this as the “feminine” side of God. And she is busy at work right alongside God. These Books tell us that  “Woman Wisdom” acts in creation, pervades all things, and pours out God’s light and goodness; she is described as refreshing water, desirable nourishment and able to renew all things. Do we see here manifestations of the Holy Spirit? Or of Christ, who is identified as God’s wisdom in the New Testament? Thus, when the king is encouraged to seek a suitable wife, perhaps it is Woman Wisdom that he really seeks!

We return to our opening question: Was the author of the Book of Proverbs ahead of his time?  We see clearly in this book the workings of the Holy Spirit in the universal beauty, goodness and integrity of Woman Wisdom. Wisdom was with God from all eternity. The Holy Spirit who is the author and source of divine inspiration for all of Scripture is the same Spirit who plants the seeds of divine wisdom within our hearts. 

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, the Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.

"Micro" Catechism for Busy Adults

Baptism is the primordial sacrament of forgiveness.

Baptism is always the first sacrament that a Christian receives; indeed, it is the sacrament that makes one a Christian. In receiving this sacrament a person is fundamentally, permanently and irrevocably changed. In the language of the Church, it is said that baptism leaves an indelible spiritual mark.

There are many effects of this sacrament. These effects include:

• making one a co-heir with the crucified and risen Christ
• making one a temple of the Holy Spirit
• incorporating one into the Church
• making one a participant in Christ’s three-fold office of priest, prophet, and king.

But among all these effects there is another that stands out. Baptism forgives all sins, both Original and personal, and makes of one a new creation.

It is important to remember that baptism, and the forgiveness it brings, is a grace and gift from God that does not presuppose any human merit. We don’t do anything to earn the graces of baptism. This is one of the reasons that the Church has always seen it as legitimate to baptize infants, a practice that goes back to apostolic times when entire households, infants included, were often baptized together.

Because of the Church’s practice of infant baptism, and an infant’s incapacity to commit a personal sin, people sometimes focus exclusively on the forgiveness of Original Sin and forget that baptism forgives personal sins as well. For adults being baptized as a part of RCIA this is a significant and important point to remember! In the early Church, when the baptism of adults was more common than it is today, they remembered this very well. In fact, there were times when many people delayed baptism until they were near death in order to make sure that all of the personal sins of their entire lifetime were washed away in the waters of baptism. Thankfully, today we recognize other sacramental opportunities for forgiveness so that we do not feel the need to delay baptism until near death.

Baptism is the first, and in many ways, the most important sacramental gift of God’s forgiveness.

Reflection Question
Have you ever been witness to the baptism of an adult? If so, did you notice any sign that expressed that person's experience of God's radical forgiveness? Knowing that you received the same graces in your own baptism, how does that affect your understanding of yourself as a Christian disciple?

Scripture to Explore
Luke 7:31-50

Additional References
Catechism of the Catholic Church nos. 1263, 1265, 1282
United States Catholic Catechism for Adults p. 192
Catechetical Framework for Lifelong Faith Formation MA.2.2.15, MA.2.2.16
Resource for Adult Faith Formation
Prepared for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Distributed courtesy of the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership (NCCL)

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Weekly Bible Study - Ezek 47, Ps 46, 1 Cor, Gospel of John

9 November 2014

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Often we have heard it said, “The Church is not a building, it is people.” While this is certainly true, we draw from today’s readings some reflections on the imagery of edifice.

St. John's Bible, Ez 40-48. Click here for info or to purchase.

At the time of the exile, the temple at Jerusalem lay in ruins. The priest-prophet Ezekiel offered his people a vision not only of restoration, but of streams of new life that would flow from the temple in every direction.  Waters of healing would pour out in abundance offering its broken people the hope of salvation. Does our church offer to its broken and searching people a place of healing and hope?

Paul takes the imagery of edifice a step further by proclaiming “You are God’s building!” He emphasizes that we are the temples of God and our true foundation is Jesus Christ. Do our actions and attitudes reflect our true identity as sacred temples for one another?

Jesus comes upon a temple ruined not by physical destruction but by the disrespect of its merchants. But he points to a greater reality, that which his contemporaries cannot yet grasp: He is the living temple that will be raised up. Do we respect our sacred space as a manifestation of the resurrected Christ's presence within and among us?

The Church is its people but it is also a place where the faithful gather to celebrate and become, more fully through its celebration, Christ's temple on earth. The building itself invites our respect and reverence. How much moreso ought we respect and revere one another, as living temples of Christ's presence?



The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, the Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.