Catholic Doctrine Bible Study

33:25-28 The Lord commanded that  the 3000 instigators of the Golden Calf incident were to be killed.  This seems too harsh! Two thoughts: 1) Those amongst the 3000 that repented could still have ETERNAL life.  2) God was starting something new with His people.  The instigators needed to be dealt with severely, and made an example of, lest they corrupt the remainder. 33:35 The Lord “sent a plague” (illness) on the rest of the Israelites.  Our sins affect the whole community!  (Either directly, through consequences, or indirectly, through relaxed attitudes/ acceptance of sin.) 34:7 (Not covered in audio session)  “punishing children and grandchildren to the 3rd and 4th generation for their fathers’ wickedness!”  2 thoughts: 1) A father’s sins can have DIRECT consequences on his family. EXAMPLE: A child of a father who spends all of the family’s money on alcohol/drugs might not get the basic things the child needs to progress in life. 2) The example that the father sets may cause the child to adapt the same self-destructive lifestyle. Other key points from these chapters: 33:11, 33:20, 33:23.- Any times in the Old Testament where God is said to have human physical characteristics (a “face” etc) are not to be taken literally; God is SPIRIT.  The author is using symbolism:  You can’t see God’s “face” (know everything about God), but you can see God’s  “back.” (Examples of God’s handiwork throughout all of God’s beautiful creations.) Chapters 35-40- (See session on Chapters 25-27.  (God is SERIOUS about the RELATIONSHIP we have with God, and it shows in the materials and items to be used in worship. )How serious are you in worship? 40:36-37 Move when God tells you to!

The Israelites had ENTHUSIASM (before Moses went up the mountain), but lacked COMMITMENT and were easily swayed with the slightest setback.  (Are you committed to your Faith? Are you even enthused about your Faith?) Aaron yielded to peer pressure.  He tried to syncretize God.  But all worship is not the same. Stand up for the true God/ the true Faith with your peers! Aaron made a god in an image they liked, instead of worshipping the true God the way He is.  The calf represented Money, Power, and Sex.  Do you place any of these things above God, as evidenced by your goals, activities, time spent? V14 God is immutable.  He doesn’t change his mind.  (Though the text suggests he did.)  God operates out of our time/space continuum.  Though you have free will, he knows what you will do and can use that as a teaching moment. (Master chess-player vs. novice analogy.)

The Connection Between Israelite and Catholic Worship- Why do priests wear vestments, why do we perform some of the rituals at Mass?  Vestments are a continuation of Israelite priestly vestments.  Also, each vestment has a spiritual significance related to the Passion of Christ.  (See attachments) The tabernacle design (see attachment) reminds us to be (spiritually) clean before worship, to recognize and be the Light of Christ, to acknowledge the Real Presence (of Christ in the Eucharist), and to offer up our prayers.  We can enter the Most Holy Place (for us, heaven!) because the veil that separated us from God has been ripped apart by Jesus’ act of sacrifice. (Mt. 27:51)  He is our true priest; ordained priests are acting “in persona Christi.” https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M_2m4AS6S6pfq2UYhSHQukqS6TnKzQOT/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QN-vNJ6LCRnEzgGm1nFd0I9HGb9YmwIx/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1euWai8o2m2Fr-BofDb4Z60eQWmvVeB_K/view?usp=sharing

“Connections between Israelite Items Used In Worship and Catholicism” and “Do Catholics make/worship Graven Images?” 25:2 We are to contribute towards the beauty of our churches.  Churches should physically inspire people, drawing them toward God. Similarities of  Israelite worship items to Catholicism: Tabernacle, Ark (Mary!), gold and silver, altar, priests, vestments, anointing oil, ordination, incense. 25:18 The Lord told Moses to MAKE the images of the cherubim AFTER the prohibition against “carving images” in 20:4.  Clearly, the meaning of the Commandment was to not WORSHIP images.  We don’t!  Statues, etc. remind us of inspirational figures/events, much as photos of loved ones remind us of them. 25:30 “showbread” is literally, “The Bread of the Presence” (RSV)= Eucharist....Christ is Present!!!

The goal of these laws was to make the punishment equal to the crime, which was an enlightened view for it’s time. The Church was given the power to “bind and loose” (Mt. 16:17-19), and has given us different directives in the New Covenant. (Mt. 5:38-42) 23:32  God told the people they should not follow the pagan world view; they ultimately did, so they never got ALL of the land they could have. 24 Like Mass! Moses (priest) alone approaches the “altar”, relates words and ordinances of the Lord, people all “answer with one voice”, sacrifice, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made.....”

20:1-17 Again, we must review the 10 Commandments in light of a frequent personal examination of conscience. (Example provided in Session 167.) 21:7 The slavery spoken of here is that of Indentured Servitude.  It’s true that the Bible nowhere EXPLICITLY condemns slavery, yet the Church ( by its power to “bind and loose” in Mt 16:17-30) used its Christ-given authority to condemn the practice.  This is an example of how the Protestant doctrine of “Sola Scriptura”  (“The Bible Alone”) is misguided.

19:6 We are all to be a “kingdom of priests” in that we are all to proclaim the Good News to those we come in contact with. 19:10 -14 We are to be clean before the Lord when we come to Him. (Confession if needed.)  God deserves our respect, in attire, attention, and attitude.  20:1-17 Ten Commandments (not suggestions!)  2 groups:  1st 3 tell us how to treat God, the rest tell us how to treat others.  We must do an Examination of Conscience (like the one attached, or others available online) periodically (ideally daily!).   The Commandments are a mirror that we use to see what we need to clean up in our lives. Handouts: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CMr3w437xxf7rWRmbS05j7iJVv_S5Zw4/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hbtfx-O3bG0SXwaGROFdYdeRMyBfonkU/view?usp=sharing

16:16-26 The Israelites (and us!) are to trust the Lord DAILY to meet our needs. “Give us this day our daily bread” from the Lord’s prayer.” 16:23-30 Sabbath rest.  Do you set aside the day for the Lord? Mass attendance? What do you personally need to say “No” to on Sunday that you are doing. 16:33 Very Catholic!  “Bread” in “tabernacle.” (See Hebrews 9:3-4) 17:6 Moses had to participate with his action for God’s will to be done.  WE must also participate with God! 18 God’s leaders were APPOINTED, not ELECTED.  (The Catholic Church is also not “Congregational.”)

Exodus occurred sometime between 1250BC-1450BC.  Skeptics say there are no Egyptian records of the Exodus, but the Egyptians recorded only positive (from their viewpoint!) events.  Egyptians DID record large groups of nomadic workers (“Apiru”/Habiru” ...sounds like “Hebrew”) in Egypt. 13:21 The Lord guided the Israelites by appearing as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as they travelled.  (He visibly  guides us today, appears to us in Eucharist.)  We are all on a journey to eternity, and need the Lord to guide us. We all take unnecessary detours, but God can put us on the right path if we will follow Him. 14:14 Awesome verse to remember when you feel it’s you against the world! 14:16 God works through humans.  (Moses, and you and me, if we will let him!) 16:3 The Israelites (and us!) quickly forget the Lord’s blessings when there are problems.  Yet, God continually demonstrates He will save us if we will walk with him. 16:15 Manna prefigures Eucharist.

12:3 Worship is not just an individual’s experience.....it is also to be celebrated as a “whole community.”  (This is one reason why Sunday Mass is an obligation.)  It’s not a “Jesus and me, and the heck with thee” worship. 12:5 “Lamb...without blemish.”  (Prefigures Jesus, the Lamb of God, without sin.) 12:7 The Israelites will be saved through the blood of the lamb, but they must DO something . (Sprinkle the blood on the doorposts.)  “Faith Alone” was not enough, it had to be accompanied by action that demonstrated faith. 12:8 -20 Israelites must EAT the lamb,  (Eucharist for us.), and then only after getting rid of leaven. (Represents sin.)  We must eat the Eucharist, but only after getting our own “house” clean.  (Examination of Conscience, Contrition, Prayer,  Confession if warranted, Penitential Rite at Mass. 12:14 “Memorial”- not just a memory, but the participants transcend time and space, and are actually present at the event ....Passover for today’s Jews, the Last Supper, Death,  and Resurrection of Jesus for us. 12:26-27 We must pass on our faith to our children, grandchildren. 12:43 “No foreigner may partake of it.”   We Catholics also have closed Communion (Only for Baptized  Catholics), partly because others may not affirm Christ’s Real Presence in the host, but also because non-Catholics have not chosen, (at least, not yet!) to join our Catholic community.