Daily Gospel Exegesis

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to:⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries fromLogical Bible Study,go to:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850pJohn 5: 31-47- 'You place your hopes on Moses, but Moses will be your accuser.'Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs:- 719 (in 'John, precursor, prophet and baptist')- John the Baptist is "more than a prophet." In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah. He proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is the "voice" of the Consoler who is coming. As the Spirit of truth will also do, John "came to bear witness to the light." In John's sight, the Spirit thus brings to completion the careful search of the prophets and fulfills the longing of the angels. "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. and I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.... Behold, the Lamb of God."-548 (in 'The Signs of the Kingdom of God')- The signs worked by Jesus attest that the Father has sent him. They invite belief in him. To those who turn to him in faith, he grants what they ask. So miracles strengthen faith in the One who does his Father's works; they bear witness that he is the Son of God (abbreviated).-582 (in 'Jesus and the Law')- In presenting with divine authority the definitive interpretation of the Law, Jesus found himself confronted by certain teachers of the Law who did not accept his interpretation of the Law, guaranteed though it was by the divine signs that accompanied it (abbreviated).-702 (in 'God's Spirit and the Word in the Time of the Promises')- From the beginning until "the fullness of time," The joint mission of the Father's Word and Spirit remains hidden, but it is at work. God's Spirit prepares for the time of the Messiah. Neither is fully revealed but both are already promised, to be watched for and welcomed at their manifestation. So, for this reason, when the Church reads the Old Testament, she searches there for what the Spirit, "who has spoken through the prophets," wants to tell us about Christ.Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to:⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries fromLogical Bible Study,go to:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850pJohn 5: 17-30- 'The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live.'Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs:- 594 (in 'Jesus and Israel's faith in the One God and Saviour')- Jesus performed acts, such as pardoning sins, that manifested him to be the Saviour God himself (cf Jn 5:16-18). Certain Jews, who did not recognize God made man (cf Jn 1:14), saw in him only a man who made himself God (Jn 10:33), and judged him as a blasphemer.-859 (in 'The Church is Apostolic')- Jesus unites them to the mission he received from the Father. As "the Son can do nothing of his own accord," but receives everything from the Father who sent him, so those whom Jesus sends can do nothing apart from him, from whom they received both the mandate for their mission and the power to carry it out (abbreviated).-679 (in 'To Judge the Living and the Dead')- Christ is Lord of eternal life. Full right to pass definitive judgement on the works and hearts of men belongs to him as redeemer of the world. He "acquired" this right by his cross. the Father has given "all judgement to the Son". Yet the Son did not come to judge, but to save and to give the life he has in himself. By rejecting grace in this life, one already judges oneself, receives according to one's works, and can even condemn oneself for all eternity by rejecting the Spirit of love.-1470 (in 'The Effects of this Sacrament')- In this sacrament, the sinner, placing himself before the merciful judgment of God, anticipates in a certain way the judgment to which he will be subjected at the end of his earthly life. For it is now, in this life, that we are offered the choice between life and death, and it is only by the road of conversion that we can enter the Kingdom, from which one is excluded by grave sin. In converting to Christ through penance and faith, the sinner passes from death to life and "does not come into judgment."-635 (in 'Christ descended into Hell')- Christ went down into the depths of death so that "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." Jesus, "the Author of life", by dying destroyed "him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and [delivered] all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage." Henceforth the risen Christ holds "the keys of Death and Hades", so that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."-1038 (in 'The Last Judgement')- The resurrection of all the dead, "of both the just and the unjust," will precede the Last Judgment. This will be "the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear [the Son of man's] voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment" (abbreviated).- 612 (in 'The Agony at Gethsemani')- Like ours, his human nature is destined for eternal life; but unlike ours, it is perfectly exempt from sin, the cause of death (abbreviated).- 998 (in 'How do the dead rise?')- Who will rise? All the dead will rise, "those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment."-574 (in 'Jesus and Israel')- 589 (in 'Jesus and Israel's faith in the One God and Saviour')- 1063 (in 'Amen')- 2824 (in 'Thy Will be done on earth as it is heaven')Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to:⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries fromLogical Bible Study,go to:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850pJohn 5: 1-3, 5-16- 'The healing at the pool of Bethesda.'Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs:- 583 (in 'Jesus and the temple')- He went there each year during his hidden life at least for Passover. His public ministry itself was patterned by his pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the great Jewish feasts (abbreviated).-575 (in 'Jesus and Israel')- Many of Jesus' deeds and words constituted a "sign of contradiction", but more so for the religious authorities in Jerusalem, whom the Gospel according to John often calls simply "the Jews", than for the ordinary People of God (abbreviated).Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to:⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries fromLogical Bible Study,go to:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850pJohn 4: 43-54- 'Go home: your son will live.'Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries from Logical Bible Study, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850p Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32 - 'The Prodigal Son.' Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs: - 589 (In 'Jesus & Israel's Faith in the One God & Saviour') - Jesus gave scandal above all when he identified his merciful conduct toward sinners with God’s own attitude toward them. He went so far as to hint that by sharing the table of sinners he was admitting them to the messianic banquet (abbreviated) - 545 (in 'The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God') - Jesus invites sinners to the table of the kingdom: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." He invites them to that conversion without which one cannot enter the kingdom, but shows them in word and deed his Father's boundless mercy for them and the vast "joy in heaven over one sinner who repents" (abbreviated) - 2839 (in 'The Seven Petitions') - But though we are clothed with the baptismal garment, we do not cease to sin, to turn away from God. Now, in this new petition, we return to him like the prodigal son and, like the tax collector, recognize that we are sinners before him (abbreviated) - 1439 (in 'The Many Forms of Penance in the Christian Life') - The process of conversion and repentance was described by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son, the center of which is the merciful father: The fascination of illusory freedom, the abandonment of the father's house; the extreme misery in which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune; his deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse, at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate; his reflection on all he has lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father; the journey back; the father's generous welcome; the father's joy - all these are characteristic of the process of conversion. the beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet are symbols of that new life - pure worthy, and joyful - of anyone who returns to God and to the bosom of his family, which is the Church. Only the heart of Christ Who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way. - 1423 (in 'What is this Sacrament called?') - It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin (abbreviated) - 2795 (in 'Who Art in Heaven') - The symbol of the heavens refers us back to the mystery of the covenant we are living when we pray to our Father. He is in heaven, his dwelling place; the Father's house is our homeland. Sin has exiled us from the land of the covenant, but conversion of heart enables us to return to the Father, to heaven (abbreviated). - 1468 (in 'The Effects of the Sacrament of Reconciliation') - Indeed the sacrament of Reconciliation with God brings about a true "spiritual resurrection," restoration of the dignity and blessings of the life of the children of God, of which the most precious is friendship with God (abbreviated). Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠ For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries from Logical Bible Study, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850p Luke 18: 9-14 - 'The tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified.' Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs: - 2559 (in 'Prayer as God's gift') - "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought," are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God." - 2613 (in 'Jesus teaches us how to pray') - Three principal parables on prayer are transmitted to us by St. Luke: - the third parable, "the Pharisee and the tax collector," concerns the humility of the heart that prays. "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" the Church continues to make this prayer its own: Kyrie eleison! (abbreviated). - 588 (in 'Jesus and Israel's faith in one God and Saviour') - Jesus scandalized the Pharisees by eating with tax collectors and sinners as familiarly as with themselves. Against those among them "who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others", Jesus affirmed: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." - 2631 (in 'Prayer of Petition') - The first movement of the prayer of petition is asking forgiveness, like the tax collector in the parable: "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" It is a prerequisite for righteous and pure prayer. A trusting humility brings us back into the light of communion between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and with one another, so that "we receive from him whatever we ask." (abbreviated) - 2667 (in 'Prayer to Jesus') - This simple invocation of faith developed in the tradition of prayer under many forms in East and West. the most usual formulation, transmitted by the spiritual writers of the Sinai, Syria, and Mt. Athos, is the invocation, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners." It combines the Christological hymn of Philippians 2:6-11 with the cry of the publican and the blind men begging for light. By it the heart is opened to human wretchedness and the Savior's mercy. - 2839 (in 'and forgive us our trespasses') - With bold confidence, we began praying to our Father. In begging him that his name be hallowed, we were in fact asking him that we ourselves might be always made more holy. But though we are clothed with the baptismal garment, we do not cease to sin, to turn away from God. Now, in this new petition, we return to him like the prodigal son and, like the tax collector, recognize that we are sinners before him. Our petition begins with a "confession" of our wretchedness and his mercy. Our hope is firm because, in his Son, "we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." We find the efficacious and undoubted sign of his forgiveness in the sacraments of his Church. Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠ For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries from Logical Bible Study, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850p Mark 12: 28-34 - 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs: - 575 (in 'Jesus and Israel') - To be sure, Christ's relations with the Pharisees were not exclusively polemical. Some Pharisees warn him of the danger he was courting; Jesus praises some of them, like the scribe of Mark 12:34, and dines several times at their homes (abbreviated). - 202 (in 'I Believe in One God') - Jesus himself affirms that God is "the one Lord" whom you must love "with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength". - 2196 (in 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself') - In response to the question about the first of the commandments, Jesus says: "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' the second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." The apostle St. Paul reminds us of this: "He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." - 129 (in 'The Unity of the Old and New Testaments') - Christians therefore read the Old Testament in the light of Christ crucified and risen. Such typological reading discloses the inexhaustible content of the Old Testament; but it must not make us forget that the Old Testament retains its own intrinsic value as Revelation reaffirmed by our Lord himself. Besides, the New Testament has to be read in the light of the Old. Early Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old Testament. As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New. Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠ For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries from Logical Bible Study, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850p Luke 11: 14-23 - 'Know that the finger of God has overtaken you.' Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs: - 700 (in 'Symbols of the Holy Spirit') - The finger. "It is by the finger of God that [Jesus] cast out demons." If God's law was written on tablets of stone "by the finger of God," then the "letter from Christ" entrusted to the care of the apostles, is written "with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts." The hymn Veni Creator Spiritus invokes the Holy Spirit as the "finger of the Father's right hand." - 385 (in 'The Fall') - God is infinitely good and all his works are good. Yet no one can escape the experience of suffering or the evils in nature which seem to be linked to the limitations proper to creatures: and above all to the question of moral evil. Where does evil come from? "I sought whence evil comes and there was no solution", said St. Augustine, and his own painful quest would only be resolved by his conversion to the living God. For "the mystery of lawlessness" is clarified only in the light of the "mystery of our religion". The revelation of divine love in Christ manifested at the same time the extent of evil and the superabundance of grace. We must therefore approach the question of the origin of evil by fixing the eyes of our faith on him who alone is its conqueror. Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠ For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries from Logical Bible Study, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850p Matthew 5: 17-19 - 'I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to complete them.' Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs: - 577 (in 'Jesus and the Law') - At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus issued a solemn warning in which he presented God's law, given on Sinai during thefirst covenant, in light of the grace of the New Covenant: Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets: I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law, until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. - 592 (in 'Jesus and Israel's Faith in the One God and Saviour') - Jesus did not abolish the Law of Sinai, but rather fulfilled it (cf Mt 5:17-19) with such perfection (cf Jn 8:46) that he revealed its ultimate meaning (cf Mt 5:33) and redeemed the transgressions against it (cf Heb 9:15). - 1967 (in 'The New Law of the Law of the Gospel') - The Law of the Gospel "fulfills," refines, surpasses, and leads the Old Law to its perfection. In the      Beatitudes, the New Law fulfills the divine promises by elevating and orienting them toward the "kingdom of heaven." It is addressed to those open to accepting this new hope with faith - the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, those persecuted on account of Christ and so marks out the surprising ways of the Kingdom. - 2053 (in 'The Ten Commandments') - To this first reply Jesus adds a second: "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." This reply does not do away with the first: following Jesus Christ involves keeping the Commandments. the Law has not been abolished, but rather man is invited to rediscover it in the person of his Master who is its perfect fulfillment. In the three synoptic Gospels, Jesus' call to the rich young man to follow him, in the obedience of a disciple and in the observance of the Commandments, is joined to the call to poverty and chastity. The evangelical counsels are inseparable from the Commandments. Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠ For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries from Logical Bible Study, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850p Luke 1: 26-38 - 'I am the handmaid of the Lord.' Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs: - 64 (in 'God forms his people Israel') - 148 (in 'Blessed is she who believed') - 269 (in 'He does whatever he pleases') - 273 (in 'The Mystery of God's apparent powerlessness') - 276 (in 'The Almighty') - 332 (in 'Christ with all his angels') - 430 (in 'Jesus') - 437 (in 'Christ') - 484 (in 'Who was Conceived by the Holy Spirit') - 486 (in 'Who was Conceived by the Holy Spirit') - 488 (in 'Mary's Predestination') - 490-491 (in 'The Immaculate Conception') - 494 (in 'Let it be done to me according to your word') - 497 (in 'Mary's Virginity') - 505 (Mary's virginal motherhood in God's plan) - 510 (in 'Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary') - 559 (in 'Jesus' Messianic Entrance into Jerusalem') - 697 (in 'Symbols of the Holy Spirit') - 706 (in 'The Spirit of the Promise') - 709 (in 'The Kingdom in the Exile') - 723 (in 'Rejoice, you who are full of Grace') - 2571 (in 'God's Promise & the Prayer of Faith') - 2617 (in 'The Prayer of the Virgin Mary') - 2677 (in 'Communion with the Holy Mother of God') - 2812 (in 'Hallowed be thy name') - 2827 (in 'Thy Will be Done on earth as it is in Heaven') - 2856 (in 'The Final Doxology') Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!