little rock bible study week 4

 

"When we understand that God's Will is to destroy every evil, then the Lord's Prayer expands into an appeal for the end of war, greed, prejudice, and every injustice."
done to ANY person ANYWHERE at ANY TIME. There are literally no exceptions to God's mercy and love, and we MUST echo and enact that holy Will as far as His grace empowers us to do so.

"Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours."
And THAT is TRUE RICHES!


1. What does it mean to say that Jesus had an apocalyptic worldview? How did this worldview affect the content of His preaching?
He was ALWAYS focused on the COMING Kingdom of God, which was being HERALDED & PREPARED FOR even now-- an "apocalypse" REVEALS the future IN THE NOW? It reorients the present through the lens of Divine "telos". So Jesus's preaching always directed people TOWARDS that Kingdom, the ultimate fulfillment of God's Promises AND of Creation, by calling them to BELIEVE in its immanence AND THEREFORE to TAKE ACTION ACCORDINGLY. He injected HOLY PURPOSE & DIRECTION into daily life by firmly situation it ALL within a COSMIC WHOLE, all of it part of God's Plan & Purpose. His preaching gave us REAL HOPE for every single day. 

2. The commentary explores how the Our Father is really a prayer about the future. How might this perspective affect the way you pray the Our Father going forward?
It's stunning actually, to frame ALL those petitions as "BOTH/ AND." They speak mainly of the LAST DAY, but we HAVE to live our TODAY in the light OF those hopes being FULFILLED in FAITH. We may pray for their realization BY GOD'S HAND both in the end AND right now, placing ALL the power in HIS HANDS, not our own, yet with TOTAL TRUST that He WILL do them-- because JESUS PRAYED FOR THEM! So He gave us a "glimpse" of the Kingdom dynamic mirrored in daily needs & heart-disposition. This prayer orients our souls to our ultimate destiny and to God's Will. 

3. Jesus ministered to those who were considered powerless or unimportant. Reflect on the stories you know of Jesus's ministry and His interactions with others. What example of His compassionate ministry is a favorite of yours and why?
SAINT DISMAS my bro. Also the woman caught in adultery, my spiritual sister. Both stories are such shocking, even "scandalous," example-proofs of God's limitless compassion & mercy embodied in Christ. No human being had any hope for either of them; they were both considered lost causes, the "scum of the earth," so fallen & lost & corrupt that their only future was death-- and justly so! BUT by grace, they had one last feeble flicker of hope, because they had CONTRITION. They WANTED to repent even if the world said they couldn't, even as their very lives were over. But then JESUS stepped in, and He turned that spark to flame with His Love, and gave them BOTH new life IN HIM. 

4. Revisit the account of the Judgment of the Nations (Matt 25:31-26). How has God called you-- or how might God be calling you-- to serve those in need, in imitation of His Own ministry?
I'm personally obligated to "feed the hungry" as penance, but this same fact has given me a deeper compassion for those without food. I can empathize, and I dearly want to help. I used to shop & cook for my fam/ friends solely out of love and I do miss that direct charity. Likewise, I desperately miss being a caretaker, like I was for grandma when she had cancer, and as I tried/ hoped & failed/ was disappointed with my friends. But I do want to care for others in such a direct, tangible, significant way. I may not be given that chance again though. So I can at least pray always. Actually, "visit the sick/ imprisoned" extends to my neighbors here as we're all "marginalized" somehow, in the sense that every tenant here is necessarily seriously disabled in some respect. I need to give more of my time/ attention/ concern to those who might just want someone to listen. 

5. Read one of the Gospel stories of healing mentioned in the section "Faith and Jesus' Healing Miracles" (p.63). Do you personally relate to the story in any way? What insight about faith can you share from reflecting on this story?
I always feel drawn to three of them: the bleeding woman, the centurion, and the Canaanite woman. #1 took great risk to herself to seek Jesus, but was so humble and had SUCH FAITH that all she wanted & needed was a touch. She sought no attention for herself. Also she'd been sick for YEARS and was getting WORSE and was DESTITUTE but she HADN'T GIVEN UP HOPE, and she RECOGNIZED/ FOUND its answer finally IN JESUS. That's astounding. #2 recognizes Jesus's DIVINE AUTHORITY and admits his own unworthiness WITHOUT DESPAIR either. He doesn't need to SEE to have faith that Jesus's very WORD was sufficient AND inherently, efficaciously powerful. #3 was a total outsider & reject, who had "no right" to Jesus's ministry, AND who was REPEATEDLY REJECTED and even INSULTED, even by JESUS AND HIS APOSTLES, but she REFUSES to give up because she KNEW that NO ONE ELSE COULD HELP and she ALSO refused to give up on her daughter. Her selfless persistence fueled HUMILITY and so she PERSEVERED despite ALL personal pain. 

6. Faith is a free gift from God, and yet Jesus encourages us to "have faith" (Mark 11:22) and "believe" (John 20:27). What role do we play in having faith?
God GIVES it, but we must USE it. Also, our hearts have to be CAPABLE of having faith?? We need to be "good soil" or the seeds won't take or grow. Even if ALL we can do is PRAY for GOD to make us able, we STILL have to use our FREE WILL to CHOOSE to believe, if only by "sheer willpower" at first. God sees our efforts & gives more grace. God rewards our desires TO be better by ENABLING us to be. We have to WANT to have faith, BUT we ALSO must humbly realize that WE CANNOT MUSTER IT UP OURSELVES. That frees us from vanity & reorients us to CHILDLIKE DEPENDENT TRUST. Paradoxically, this very action of realizing that we LACK faith but WANT & NEED IT, therefore moving us to PLEAD for it in HUMBLE HOPE, is the mustard seed itself.
(IT HAS TO BE NURTURED, DAILY!!)

7. In what way is worry the opposite of faith? What strategies do you use to worry less and trust God more?
"When I worry, I have taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself." "Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to Me and everything will be peaceful." God is in control, not us, and He LOVES us-- which ACTUALLY DOES MEAN that our "daily bread" MATTERS to Him. I still struggle with this. What staggers me is that "I'm worth more than many sparrows" because I'm made IN GOD'S IMAGE. Christ Himself took on MY HUMAN NATURE, not a bird!! My stupid silly frail little life MATTERS TO GOD more than I can fathom. But He's PROVED it-- even in the hellish past, God has ALWAYS provided, even MIRACULOUSLY. So I remember those times and remind myself that GOD NEVER CHANGES and so I surrender to His Will & action even now = "YOU take care of it!"

8. How is Jesus' Resurrection connected with the resurrection of all the dead (1 Cor 15:20-24)?
He basically "REPROGRAMMED REALITY" in the sense that, as GOD HIMSELF took on human nature in Christ, Christ TRANSFORMED human nature IN HIMSELF and now, ALL humankind WOULD resurrect THROUGH HIM, whereas it had been impossible before because CHRIST IS "THE RESURRECTION" since HE IS LIFE. The point is, it's UNIVERSAL now. There isn't a single exception. EVERY human WILL resurrect in the end BECAUSE CHRIST CHANGED HUMAN DESTINY-- all according to plan. We are the HARVEST just waiting for the reapers, really. But I want to emphasize the "BODILY" part-- even CHRIST kept His! Matter WON'T BE DESTROYED because it's NOT EVIL. Second, "if Christ wasn't raised, your FAITH is in VAIN," because the Resurrection PROVES He is GOD. it ALSO proves that GOD'S KINGDOM HAS BEGUN for real, in time and space, through JESUS AND HIS CHURCH. His Resurrection led DIRECTLY to the ASCENSION and to PENTECOST, which further changed the destiny of man!

9. According to Jesus's Own preaching, the Kingdom of God is both a present and a future reality (e.g. Mark 4:30-32). Although God's Reign will not be fulfilled until Jesus returns, how do you already perceive the Kingdom of God "among you" (Luke 17:21)?
I see it in the Church, in her works of mercy most of all. Our faith & hope moves us to CARE & LOVE for both people & the world NOW. We believe in the inherent dignity & sanctity of EVERY SINGLE PERSON and we work & fight to defend & cherish them all AS INDIVIDUALS, who are BELOVED BY GOD. We want ALL men to make it into God's Kingdom and we strive to live ACCORDING to it even now. I see the ministries of the faithful, loving the marginalized & working for justice, and preaching spiritual truths, ALL of it reflecting & announcing JESUS and the REALITY of the Kingdom that His INCARNATION proclaims. (ALSO the SACRAMENTS make it TANGIBLE!!!)

10. What insight about faith or hope can you share with your group after studying and reflecting on the New Testament texts explored in this lesson?
"We serve those in need because THEY OWN THE KINGDOM. WITH and THROUGH THEM, EVERYONE will enter God's reign." "It is by IDENTIFYING WITH these brothers & sisters OF CHRIST that WE GAIN ACCESS to the world to come." "Jesus WAS POOR Himself... He proclaimed the coming Kingdom of God AS a marginalized member of society." "He is NOT asking us to see a "secret goodness" or "silver lining" in being hated/ excluded/ hungry/ poor... but when God's Kingdom arrives, it BELONGS TO THEM and their condition WILL BE REVERSED." All of that just STUNNED me. The poor are like ANGELS giving us DOORWAYS to CHARITY & HUMILITY without which we CANNOT enter heaven. They call us OUT OF SELF & OUT of worldliness to focus on both OTHERS and the WORLD TO COME-- to live life in COMMUNITY with a focus on GOD'S BIG PICTURE and WHAT REALLY MATTERS. We ALSO enter INTO God's Providence AS HIS INSTRUMENTS when we love the people HE loves enough to BECOME.