Search Results

Jesus tells us we need to be born again/from above in order to enter his kingdom. What does this mean, and what might our life look like if we are born from above? Previous Next John Index John 3:1-15 Jesus tells us we need to be born again/from above in order to enter his kingdom. What does this mean, and what might our life look like if we are born from above? John La Farge. Visit of Nicodemus to Christ . 1880. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. Public domain, via Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/visit-nicodemus-christ-14202 . Tom Faletti November 23, 2025 John 3:1-15 Jesus talks with Nicodemus about being born again from above It would be helpful to read this passage in the light of the final verses of the previous chapter. Some people came to believe in Jesus because of the signs he was doing in Jerusalem, but Jesus did not trust their newfound faith, which may have been a shallow response to his miracles rather than being a deep-seated change of heart. One of the Jewish leaders now comes to Jesus. He has not rejected Jesus the way other Jewish leaders have, but he also has not jumped to faith based on Jesus’s signs. He has questions. Nicodemus is described in 2 different ways in verse 1 and in a third way in verse 10. What are told about Nicodemus? Verse 1 tells us that Nicodemus is (1) a Pharisee and (2) a “ruler” (in most translations) or “leader” (NRSV) of the Jews. Verse 10 tells us he is a teacher. A “ruler” probably means a member of the Sanhedrin, the 71-member Jewish council that enforced Jewish religious law and also had political power under the Roman authorities. The Sanhedrin included the chief priests and the elders of Jerusalem’s leading families, and its members included both Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees were committed to a zealous adherence to the entire Jewish law and the interpretations of it that had developed over the centuries. The Sadducees believed only what was stated in the Torah (the first 5 books of our Old Testament) and took a less rigorous approach to religious practices. Why do you think Nicodemus comes to see Jesus? Is he like the “come and see” disciples who check out Jesus in chapter 1? In verse 2, John tells us that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. On a practical level, why might he have come at night? And what symbolism might be suggested in the image of Nicodemus coming at night? He may be afraid to be found out by those who oppose Jesus. Symbolically, he is in spiritual darkness and has not yet received the light of Christ. This fits with something Jesus will say later in the chapter when he contrasts those who come into the light from those who don’t (John 3:19-21). In verse 2, how does Nicodemus describe Jesus? In verse 3, Jesus shifts the conversation. What does he say? John here tells another story where someone misunderstands Jesus. The misunderstanding begins with the Greek word that follows the word “born.” That word can mean “from above” or “again.” Which way does your translation of the Bible translate that word? The NRSV and the NABRE choose the translation “from above.” Most other translations follow the King James Bible in using “again,” although some translations say “anew.” Some of our modern translations say “born again,” and some say “born from above.” What does Nicodemus think Jesus is saying, and what does Jesus actually mean? After Nicodemus shows that he doesn’t understand, Jesus tries again. Jesus provides a little more explanation in verse 5. What does he say? He says we must be born of water and spirit (or Spirit – the Greeks at that time did not have separate letters for lower case and upper case, so we must make our best interpretation). There is significant disagreement across the various Christian traditions as to how to interpret this verse. The Catholic Church sees here a clear reference to the sacrament of Baptism, where people are born of water and the Spirit in a single event: one baptism that involves both a physical washing by water and a reception of the Holy Spirit. This understanding extends back to the early church. Justin Martyr, writing around AD 155-157, cited John 3:3-4 in explaining the Church’s baptismal practices ( Justin , par. 61). The Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran Churches also have historical positions that are compatible with a sacramental view of this verse. Many evangelicals reject the idea that this verse is referring to sacramental baptism and believe that these words refer to the cleansing and spiritual regeneration that occurs when a person makes a profession of faith. They point to other passages of Scripture such as Romans 10:9 for their understanding of spiritual regeneration. A minority position is that the baptism of water is a reference to our natural birth at the beginning of our lives, but it would have been trite for Jesus to say that a condition of entering the kingdom of God is that you must have been born physically. The fact that Jesus identified water and spirit suggests that he was thinking of something more when he referred to water. Moreover, the Greek phrasing suggests that “water and spirit” are not separate but go together, because in the Greek there is no “the” before “spirit”: the phrase is “water and spirit.” Ezekiel 36:25–27 talks about water and spirit in a way that supports the idea that there is a spiritual transformation that involves both water and spirit in one action of God. What does it mean to you to be “born again”? What does it mean to you to be born of water and the Spirit? In Nicodemus’s mind, to become a child of God, you must be born of a Jewish mother. Jesus is redefining what it means to be a child of God. In verse 7, the first “you” is singular – talking to Nicodemus – but the second “you” is plural: “ You all must be born again/from above.” Jesus is not just saying that Nicodemus must be born again/from above, he is saying this to everyone. Regardless of whether you interpret this passage sacramentally or as referring to a spiritual regeneration that comes with a profession of faith, it needs to be lived out on an ongoing basis. What does a life that is born again or born from above look like? Jesus refers to “the kingdom of God” in both verse 3 and in verse 5. This is the only place that phrase appears in the Gospel of John. It appears more regularly in the Synoptic Gospels. In verse 3, Jesus says we need to be born again or from above to “see the kingdom of God,” and in verse 5, he says we need to do this to “enter the kingdom of God.” So being born again or from above is the process or step that allows us to see or enter the kingdom of God. What do you think Jesus means by “the kingdom of God”? What do you think it means to see or enter the kingdom of God? Jesus makes a pun in verse 8 that is not obvious to us in English. In both Hebrew and Greek, there is one word that means both “wind” and “spirit” (John uses the Greek word pneuma ). Jesus says the pneuma blows and you hear it, referring to wind. And he says we are born of the pneuma , by which he means the Spirit. Jesus says that we don’t know where the wind comes from or goes, but we are able to perceive that it is there; and he says that people who are born of the Spirit have a similar experience. How are they similar? We can’t see the Holy Spirit, but we see the effects of the Spirit. In what ways do you perceive the presence of the Holy Spirit even though you cannot see him? Nicodemus still does not understand what Jesus is saying, and Jesus chides him in verse 10 for not understanding even though he is a teacher. Nicodemus then disappears from the story, though he will return later (John 7:50) and will eventually do a courageous good deed (John 19:39). The “we” in verse 11 may refer to Jesus and John the Baptist, though it also could be the author’s view of the contrast between the Christian community and the Jews around it. The second “you” in verse 11 and all the instances of “you” in verse 12 are plural. Jesus is now speaking not just to Nicodemus but to anyone who has not put their faith in him. In verse 13, what does Jesus say about the Son of Man? He descended from heaven and will ascend to heaven. This description of the Son of Man makes it more clear than in the Synoptic Gospels that the “Son of Man” is a heavenly person, not just a human. How important to you is it that Jesus came down from heaven and returned to heaven, and why? Verses 14-15 refer to an incident from the Old Testament involving Moses. John has already suggested that Jesus is greater than Moses (1:17). Let’s see what he is talking about here. Read Numbers 21:4-9 . Why do you think Moses hangs the bronze serpent on a pole? This allows him to lift it up for people to see, even from a distance. Look at John 3:14. John does not explain here what “lifted up” means (he will make it clearer later in his Gospel), but we know what it means, as did John’s readers. What does Jesus mean when he says that he will be lifted up? Jesus will be lifted up on the cross in his Crucifixion. He will also be lifted up from the grave in his Resurrection and lifted into heaven at his Ascension. The bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the desert gave life to people who otherwise would have died of a snake bite. According to John 3:15, what does Jesus being lifted up do? Ironically, the bronze serpent eventually became an idol and King Hezekiah ultimately destroyed it in 2 Kings 18:4. Satan appeared as a snake in the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:15 says that the snake will continue to strike at the heel of Eve’s offspring. In Numbers, snakes were biting the Israelites in the desert. If we interpret the story in Numbers as an allegory, the snakes that were biting the people might represent Satan, and the bronze serpent that was lifted up represents Jesus. How does Jesus’s action of being lifted up protect us from the deadly attacks of Satan? How is Jesus in chapter 3 calling us to a deep-seated change and not just to a single moment of faith? Take a step back and consider this: Although churches that believe in sacramental Baptism see it as a one-time event, and churches that focus on a profession of faith only expect you to make that profession once, they all agree that faith is about more than a single moment. Faith is an ongoing process of conforming yourself more and more fully to the person of Jesus. How can you live your life in a way that more fully reflects your status as a person who has been born again, born from above, born of water and the Spirit? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous John Index Next

What is the evidence that Jesus is the Messiah? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 11:1-19 What is the evidence that Jesus is the Messiah? Image by Hasan Almasi, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Cropped. Tom Faletti August 27, 2024 Matthew 11:1-19 Jesus responds to John the Baptist and explains John’s role in God’s plan Notice in verse 1 that Matthew does not tell us what happened when Jesus sent out the apostles. This reinforces the idea that Matthew isn’t focused on writing an event-by-event history; he is focused on explaining how Jesus’s life and teachings are relevant to the Christian community he is writing for. What matters most to Matthew here is not what the apostles did but what his readers might do. Verses 2-6 What is the meaning of John’s question? What does Jesus offer as signs, or what we would call “evidence,” in response to John’s question? All of the signs Jesus offers involve physical healing except the last one. Why does the fact that the good news is being proclaimed to the poor fit in a list of signs, and how is it evidence of who Jesus is? How is this concern for the poor a sign that Jesus is the one sent by God? How is being concerned for the poor evidence that a person may be aligned with or sent by God? What does Jesus’s inclusion of the poor here suggest to us about our own relationship with the poor? Notice that Jesus does not directly answer John’s question. Instead, he provides evidence by naming deeds mostly deeds mentioned in the Old Testament) as things the Messiah would do. John would have been familiar with those Old Testament passages and would have understood the conclusion Jesus is suggesting he reach. Let’s take a look at two of those prophecies: Read Isaiah 35:3-6 . According to Isaiah 35:3-6, what things will happen when the Lord comes to save his people? Read Isaiah 61:1 . According to Isaiah 61:1, what things will happen when the Lord comes to save his people? Jesus also names signs that are not listed in the Old Testament prophecies – signs that perhaps make his presence even more wonderous that what had been predicted. What has he done that goes beyond those Old Testament prophecies? Jesus raised a small number of people from the dead. But for some people, the greatest evidence that Jesus is the Messiah is the fact that he himself rose from the dead. Why is that powerful evidence of who Jesus is? Verse 6 is not meant as a criticism of John the Baptist, but rather as a set-up for what Jesus says in verses 16-19, where he challenges those in his own time who have taken offense at him. What are some of the things Jesus said or did that people took offense at? In our time we also have people who take offense at Jesus. What about Jesus causes people to take offense at him today, in our time? Have the words or deeds of Jesus ever been a stumbling block or problem for your faith? If so, how did you deal with it? Verses 7-15 Jesus shows a bit of wit as he speaks about John’s identity. He is saying that the people knew that John was special, or they wouldn’t have gone out to see him and be baptized by him. Jesus follows this by revealing John’s identity in biblical terms. He quotes Malachi, the last officially recognized prophet, whose book is the last book of the Old Testament (last when the Deuterocanonical books are placed in their proper places). Read Malachi 3:1-3 . What does Malachi 3:1 say that relates to John the Baptist? Look at Malachi 3:2-3. In this description of the messenger preparing the way before the Lord, what reminds you of John, and how? Read Malachi 4:5-6 . In Mathew 11:14, Jesus explicitly connects John to Elijah by invoking Malachi 4:5. What does Malachi 4:5 say? In what sense is John the Baptist like Elijah? In Luke’s Gospel (1:8-20), an angel appeared to John the Baptist’s father Zechariah and told Zechariah that he would have a child. The angel uses language from Malachi 4:6 in describing John. What does this verse say about John the Baptist? Why does John the Baptist get so much attention in the Gospels? Why is John important in the story of God’s plan to save his people? John serves not only as a forerunner to Jesus but also as a link or bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Go back to Matthew and look at Matthew 11:11 . Jesus has now established that John is really important. Why, then, does he say in Matthew 11:11 that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John? Greater in what sense? Is he talking about moral/spiritual greatness? About what they could experience that John did not have an opportunity to experience? Or what? This question may be answered in a variety of ways, but most answers revolve around the fact that Christians who lived after John had the opportunity to know the crucified and risen Christ and experience the new life he brings in the kingdom of God, and John did not. Barclay offers this: “But what was it that John lacked? What is it that the Christian has that John could never have? The answer to that is very simple and very fundamental. John had never seen the Cross. And therefore one thing John could never know – the full revelation of the love of God” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , p. 7, emphasis in the original). It is our opportunity, blessing, and privilege to have experienced what John did not. We did not merit it. Do not agonize over verse 12. The scholars consider it to be puzzling at best and offer a wide variety of interpretations of it. The “violence” could be the violence suffered by John at the hands of the Roman government, or the sufferings of Christians in Matthew’s day (perhaps as a parenthetical insert by Matthew), or the apocalyptic sufferings to come; but some commentators consider it to be allegorical, referring to the self-discipline that Christians must embrace as followers of Christ. Verses 16-19 Jesus contrasts what was said about John and what was said about Jesus, to show the hypocrisy of those who rejected both John and Jesus. What was the impression of John among those who did not respond to his preaching? What was the impression of Jesus among those who did not respond to his preaching? Are there ways that we can become naysayers, rejecting preachers or teachers who seem too severe but also rejecting those who seem too soft? Scholars disagree about the meaning of verse 19. Luke records the saying differently (Luke 7:35), saying that wisdom is vindicated by her children. That form of the statement might suggest that John and Jesus are the children of wisdom. But Matthew’s version offers a different interpretation that draws on the Old Testament practice of personifying wisdom as a person (see, for example, Proverbs 8-9 and Wisdom 7:22-8:21). In that view, Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom, and his works vindicate his claims. If we follow that interpretation, verse 19 reaffirms the point of verse 2: that Jesus’s works demonstrate that he is “the one,” the very wisdom of God. Would it be fair to say that when someone is claiming to be offering words of wisdom, the deeds or actions that come from following that word of wisdom might be a helpful guide to whether the claim is actually wisdom or nonsense? Explain. How do Jesus’s actions give us reasons to believe his teachings, so that we can be confident that he is providing wisdom from God? If Jesus is the wisdom of God, what might you consider doing, or doing more of, to grow in that wisdom? Take a step back and consider this: In Matthew, 11:4-5, Jesus tells John the Baptist to judge him by his actions. The Christian community today mostly does not do the things that Jesus did: we mostly don’t give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, heal lepers, open the ears of the deaf, or raise the dead. To deal with this problem, people often spiritualize the statement, as though Jesus was talking about spiritual blindness, for example, rather than physical blindness. However, the Christian community, down through the ages, has shown the same concern for people’s physical needs, even though they have mostly not addressed those needs through miraculous signs. For example, Christians, and especially Catholic Christians, have created countless hospitals and other health care institutions to connect people with medical professionals who use the medical truths God has allowed scientists to discover, to bring healing to many people. I can support those good works, and I can support efforts to ensure universal access to health care. Second, Christians have found countless ways to carry out the last sign that Jesus offered to John: to proclaim good news to the poor. Healing can involve meeting both people’s spiritual needs and their physical needs. Similarly, good news can come to the poor both in the spiritual form of the spoken gospel and in the physical form of actions that meet their physical needs. The apostle James tells us: “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16, NABRE) Why should someone believe our gospel if we do not show an active, effective concern for their pressing physical needs as well as their spiritual needs? World Concern, a Christian nonprofit organization that provides disaster response and community development in many countries around the world, puts it this way: “Food is a basic human need and an essential part of bringing the whole gospel to a village. A mother cannot hear the gospel over the cries of her hungry child” (“Food & Nutrition,” World Concern , https://worldconcern.org/food-nutrition , accessed 25 Aug. 2024). The whole gospel addresses the physical and spiritual needs of God’s children. This is not the first time we have seen Jesus express concern for the poor. Repeatedly throughout Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes his particular concern for the poor and suffering of the world. Part of sharing the good news of Christ is showing his concern for the basic needs of others. We are called to present his love to others by being his hands and feet as the Body of Christ in this world. How can you show concern for the whole person as you consider the poor around you? How can you bring the good news of Jesus both in words and in actions that address their basic human needs? What is your church doing to meet the basic needs of the poor? What more might it be able to do, perhaps with a little help from you? What international Christian organizations, like World Concern, might you support to extend, in the name of Christ, God’s helping hand to those struggling to meet their basic needs? Many Christians support the work of Catholic Relief Services and/or World Vision, both of which are large, highly respected relief and development organizations that effectively address the basic needs of millions of people around the world every year. Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

How much do you know about the resurrection of Jesus? What does the Bible say? Take this 5-question quiz and see what you know. Previous Special Materials Next Easter Quiz: The Resurrection of Jesus How much do you know about the resurrection of Jesus? What does the Bible say? Take this 5-question quiz and see what you know. Image by Pisit Hing, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti April 20, 2025 Click the following link to take this 5-question quiz and see what you know about the Resurrection: Easter Quiz: The Resurrection of Jesus Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Special Materials Next

Paul continues to guide the young church at Thessalonica with wisdom that is still relevant to local churches and the whole Church today. Previous 2 Thess. Index Next Introduction to 2 Thessalonians Paul continues to guide the young church at Thessalonica with wisdom that is still relevant to local churches and the whole Church today. Detail of an image by Lucia Macedo provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti March 10, 2025 Introduction A NOTE BEFORE WE BEGIN This study material can be very enriching either for small-group Bible Study or for personal study and growth. We will occasionally offer instructions that would be useful for a small-group study. Introductions for a Small-Group Bible Study If you are studying as a group, it is important to build community, beginning with ensuring that everyone knows everyone else’s name. If you are either (a) starting a new year, or (b) have several new members, begin with introductions. One way to do this would be to ask everyone in the group to answer these questions: Share with the group your name, your connection to the Church or the parish or this group, and why you are interested in studying the Bible with other people. When have you received a letter (or perhaps an email) that was especially important in your life? What was it about? This is a study of Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians. See the Introduction to 1 Thessalonians for the primary background information for this letter. Introduction to 2 Thessalonians After Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians (known as 1 Thessalonians), something went wrong. We don’t know precisely what problem arose, but in 2 Thessalonians, Paul warns the Thessalonians (in 2 Thess. 2:2) not to become alarmed by a letter allegedly sent from him, claiming that the day of the Lord “is at hand” (NABRE) or “is already here” (NRSV) – i.e., that the Second Coming has already begun. (“The day of the Lord” was the term used in prophetic books of the Old Testament – Daniel, Isaiah, Joel, and others – for the miraculous time when God would bring victory for the Jews. Christians re-interpreted it as the day when Christ would return in power and glory.) Paul suggests in 1 Corinthians 16:21 and Galatians 6:11 that he ordinarily dictates his letters and someone else does the actual writing (the formal term for that person is an “amanuensis”). At the end of this letter (2 Thess. 3:17), Paul implies that he always signs his letters in a way that is distinctive and identifiable. He is suggesting that a forgery written in his name could be detected because it would be missing Paul’s genuine signature. It is also possible that Paul’s own words in his first letter were a source of the Thessalonians’ confusion. In 1 Thessalonians, he described the Lord’s coming as a sudden event, and they may have interpreted “sudden” to mean that it was imminent and they might have missed it. Most scholars believe this letter was written by Paul shortly after 1 Thessalonians, in which case it was probably written around AD 50 from Corinth. However, other possibilities have been suggested: Some say that it was written before 1 Thessalonians; some say it was written to some other church; and some suggest that it was written decades later by someone else using Paul’s name (which would be highly ironic given its claim that Paul’s authentic signature offers clear evidence that the letter was written by him). In this letter, Paul wants to clear up confusion about the Second Coming of Christ. He also wants to reinforce and expand on his teaching about the kind of orderly life that Christians should live. When has something you have said been misrepresented? What did you do about it? Do you have distinctive ways of writing or of using the signature block at the end of your emails, or distinctive ways of beginning or ending your emails or texts, that people might use as a guide to deciding whether a message is actually from you? How important to you are those signs of your individuality, and why? How is your individuality important in the body of Christ and in the kingdom of God? Take a step back and consider this: Paul is eager to guide the young church at Thessalonica – to support them in their faith, thank them for the love they show for one another, and encourage them in their endurance in the face of persecution. Paul has great concern for the church at Thessalonica. How do you demonstrate a concern for your own local church? In what ways do you support your fellow church members in their faith, participate in and bolster their love for one another, and encourage those who are facing difficulties? Bibliography See 2 Thessalonians - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/2-thessalonians/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous 2 Thess. Index Next

Can we say “Yes” to God, and then actually do the work he asks us to do? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 21:28-32 Can we say “Yes” to God, and then actually do the work he asks us to do? Georg Pencz (ca.1500–d. 1550). The Parable of the Father and His Two Sons in the Vineyard , from the series The Story of Christ . 1534-35. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. Public domain, CC0 , https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/432116 . Tom Faletti August 7, 2025 Matthew 21:28-32 The parable of the two sons What does the first son say and then do? What does the second son say and then do? Let’s look at this parable first on the surface level – the ordinary human level. How would you describe the difference between the two sons? Notice how the second son respectfully calls his father “sir” or “lord” ( kyrie in Greek). He is all lip service, no action . Pious words don’t substitute for obedience in doing what God wants. Given that neither son is totally without blame, Jesus’s question is interesting. Which seems to be more important to him: what the sons said or what they did ? Neither son fully reflects what the father hopes his children would be, since the father would have liked his sons to both respond to the initial request and carry it out. We also sometimes don’t want to do what God asks us to do. How does God want us to deal with that? God doesn’t mind if we express how we feel. But he hopes we will do what he asks. God would like u to embrace his goals both in word and in deed. But why do the actions count for more than the words? Now let’s look at the metaphorical meaning of the parable. A vineyard is a symbol of Israel. We see this, for example, in Isaiah 5:1-30 and Jeremiah 12:10. If the vineyard is Israel, who do the two sons represent? Jesus does not leave any ambiguity as to which son represents the chief priests and elders. He turns the story directly against them. He says that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before them. What does this mean? This passage relates to the previous one. Jesus asked the Jewish leaders about John the Baptist. The Jewish leaders did not embrace John’s message of repentance, but many of the ordinary people did, including tax collectors and prostitutes. They same pattern reoccurred in people’s reactions to Jesus. The leaders professed to honor God, but they did not respond with the appropriate actions. They were like the son who did not do his father’s will: all lip service, no action. What have the tax collectors and prostitutes done that leads Jesus to praise them? How does their approach to John (and presumably to Jesus) differ from that of the chief priests and elders? The tax collectors and prostitutes Jesus is talking about are those who have amended their lives to follow Jesus, so that they are showing fruit for God. In verse 32, Jesus says to the leaders: “even when you saw” that the tax collectors and prostitutes were responding to the call of God “you did not change your minds.” It is possible that this made them even less inclined to believe, but Jesus says it should have made them more inclined to believe. Why should we be encouraged in our faith when people who are not part of the faith come to faith? What does this parable tell us? How valid do you think the following conclusions are? God cares what we do, not just what we say. In God’s eyes, what we do counts for a lot more than what we say. God is willing to put up with a lot if we come around in the end. He gives us time to turn around and do what he wants. Now think about the father’s feelings toward the son who treated him respectfully but did not do what the father asked. How do you think God feels about people who say they do God’s will but don’t actually follow through with action? In our lives, God’s directions are not always as simple as “God work in my vineyard today” – but sometimes they are. How would you describe the “work in God’s vineyard” that God wants you and me to be doing right now in our lives? Which of the following might be examples of “working in God’s vineyard” today? Living a holy life that follows God’s moral laws. Looking for opportunities to tell others the good news about Jesus that we have received – and then actually telling it. Putting God’s love into action by caring for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the stranger, etc. Standing up for justice and the proper treatment of all the people created by God. There are many Christians who live out their faith in word and deed. There are also some who seem to talk the talk but don’t seem to show much concern for loving those who struggle and seeking their well-being. There are also people who don’t talk the talk of faith at all but try to live by a strong moral code and care for the needy. What do you think God thinks about these groups of people? Is there an area in your life where you might be saying the right things but not doing what your Father wants? What might you do in response to this parable? In this parable, Jesus draws a clear line, challenging the chief priests and elders to choose a side – His side – and stop opposing him. In the next parable, he makes this even more explicit. Take a step back and consider this: The Washington, DC, news station WTOP presented a story by Kyle Cooper about the claim that most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by the second Friday in January. This phenomenon even has a name: Quitter’s Day . But if you consider Jesus’s parable about the two sons, it raises a question: Is the second Friday of January the right time to decide that you are not going to put into action what you said you would do? Or is it just another day when you can turn your lack of action into action? If we have not done something at the first opportunity – whether it is to follow through on a resolution or something else – we can still start now. Start it at the first opportunity: It would be wonderful if we could catch God’s vision for what he is trying to do in our world, embrace the vision, and follow through with steady, consistent action from the beginning. We don’t want to excuse a “No,” even if it eventually becomes a “Yes,” or to excuse a “Yes” that isn’t followed by action. Neither of those is God’s ideal for us; he desires our words and our deeds. But it’s a fact of life that sometimes we don’t follow through. That’s not necessarily the end of the story, however. Often, we still have an opportunity to start now. Start now: Every moment is another moment when we can say “Yes” to God in place of a previous “I will not,” or to follow through on a “Yes” we have not yet delivered on. God is always ready to welcome us into the vineyard, and he always receives us with joy. Is there something that God has been asking you to do, and perhaps you said “No” or perhaps you just haven’t followed through? If so, what can you do now to get to work on it? What can you do to cultivate the attitudes and habits of mind that will help you be the kind of person who, when God says, “Go and do this today,” you say “Yes” and do it? It is a privilege and a gift from God that we are invited to participate in the work of his vineyard, working with him as he transforms us into a fuller image of himself and transforms the world so that it is a fitting place for his kingdom. Let us welcome the opportunities and embrace the work he gives to us! Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

A young woman living in obscurity receives a visit from an angel of God and says “Yes” to God’s plan. How can we be like her? [Luke 1:5-25; 1:26-38; 1:39-45; 1:46-56] Previous Mary Index Next Session 1: What Mary was, we are called to be A young woman living in obscurity receives a visit from an angel of God and says “Yes” to God’s plan. How can we be like her? [Luke 1:5-25; 1:26-38; 1:39-45; 1:46-56] Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665). The Annunciation . 1657. Cropped. The National Gallery, London, UK. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:L%27Annonciation,_vers_1655,_Londres,_National_Gallery.jpg . Tom Faletti July 11, 2025 The Theme The theme of this study is: What Mary was, we are called to be. What Mary did, we are called to do. When we say, “What Mary was, we are called to be” we mean that we are called to be the kind of person Mary was. She is an example of what the character of a person of faith looks like. When we say, “What Mary did, we are called to do,” we mean that we are called to put our faith into action the way she did. She is a role model for how to live the kind of life where our faith permeates everything we do. Who is this study for? This study is intended for anyone who is interested in exploring how to live a life of faith. It can be used by Catholics and Protestants, evangelicals and Orthodox believers. While the study acknowledges that Catholics and Protestants have a long history of disagreement about some Catholic teachings about Mary, the study keeps its focus on what the Bible says and does not address Catholic doctrines that developed later. Where there are disagreements about how to interpret the Scriptures, the differences are noted and explored. For this reason, Catholics and Protestants can all be comfortable with this study – and could even use it to study together. It is also worth noting that many Protestants find much to admire in Mary – see, for example, Timothy Keller’s “God’s Call to Mary and to Us” (published by Focus on the Family) and Jacob Prahlow’s “A Protestant Thinks about the Blessed Virgin Mary” . Everyone who values the Word of God will find this study useful. IF YOU ARE STUDYING WITH A SMALL GROUP This study material can be very enriching either for small-group Bible Study or for individual study and growth. If you are studying with a small group, please take some time to build community, beginning with ensuring that everyone knows everyone else’s name. Here are some questions you could invite everyone in the group to answer: What is your name? What is your connection to this church/parish/group? Why were you attracted to be part of this study of Mary? From what you already know about the mother of Jesus, what stands out to you? What questions do you have? What would you like to know more about, with regard to Mary? Where you see a Scripture passage in bold and underlined (like Luke 1: 5-25 below), it means you should read that passage before proceeding. Let’s dive in. Luke 1: 5-25 What happens before Mary appears in Luke’s Gospel Some helpful background Mary’s story in the Bible begins when she was probably a teenager, possibly as young as 14 years old although we are not told what her age was. She was suddenly catapulted from living a normal, obscure teenage life to living an heroic though still obscure life. But before that happened, some extraordinary things were already happening in her extended family. Before mentioning Mary, Luke tells us about what leads to the birth of John the Baptist, who was born into Mary’s extended family. Mary’s relative Elizabeth (Luke 1:36) was childless (1:7) and advanced in years (1:18), but now she has become pregnant. Before she becomes pregnant, Elizabeth’s husband, a priest (1:5), has a vision of an angel while he is serving alone in the holiest inner sanctuary of the Temple. The angel tells him that Elizabeth will have a son, who is to be named John (1:10-14). The angel informs him that this son will be filled with the Holy Spirit like Elijah and will turn people to God to prepare them for the Lord (1:15-17). When Zechariah questions this message because he and Elizabeth are fairly old, he is rendered unable to speak (1:18-20), and when he comes out of the sanctuary, everyone knows that he has seen a vision. Mary is likely to have heard about this event. Note: Although some older translations such as the King James Version and some simplified translations call Elizabeth Mary’s “cousin,” the Greek word is a more generic word used for relatives of all kinds, close and distant, so most modern translations say “relative,” not “cousin.” We do not know if Elizabeth was an aunt, a cousin, or a more distant relative. We also do not know if Mary came from the lineage of priests as Zechariah did. Similarly, we do not know if Mary was descended from the line of David. Matthew presents Joseph’s genealogy (Matt. 1:1-17), which shows that Joseph was from the line of David, i.e., a direct descendant of David. Luke also tells us that Joseph was a descendant of David (Luke 1:27 and 2:4). Some scholars through the centuries have suggested that Luke presents Mary’s genealogy, but many other scholars have rejected that idea because Luke 4:23. For Jews of Jesus’s time, the father’s lineage was all that mattered. Joseph was not Jesus’s biological father, as Matthew tells us in his account of the virgin birth (Matt. 1:18-25), but Joseph essentially adopted Jesus as his own son by raising him. So, Joseph’s ancestry is Jesus’s ancestry for Jewish legal purposes even though Jesus was the Son of God. Does Mary’s relative obscurity trouble you, or draw you to her, or not matter to you? Why? What do you think of a God who chooses to enter the human race by being born of an obscure woman whose pedigree is unclear? What does this tell you about God? What does Mary’s obscure background tell you about Mary? Does this tell you anything about yourself? Can you be from obscure roots and still fulfill God’s purposes for you? How does Mary’s background speak to you? Elizabeth conceives, and roughly 6 months later, Mary enters Luke’s story. Luke 1:26-38 An angel tells Mary she will have a son from God (the “Annunciation”) Let’s start by walking through the conversation between Mary and the angel. In verses 26-27, what does Luke tell us about Mary (what kind of person is she, where is she, what is her marital status, etc.)? To be “betrothed” was far more than what we call being “engaged.” After betrothal, the couple was considered married even though it would be months before the marriage was consummated. If a person was betrothed and had sex with someone other than their intended, it was considered adultery (see New American Bible , Luke 1:18 fn.). In verse 28, how does the angel greet Mary? In verse 29, how does Mary respond? In verses 30-33, what does the angel prophesy to Mary about what is to come? In verse 34, Mary questions the angel. What is her question? When the angel had appeared to Zechariah, Zechariah had asked, “How will I know this, for I’m an old man and my wife is old too?” His question was, in essence, a demand for proof. How is Mary’s question different? How is her question appropriate, whereas Zechariah’s was not? Mary is not challenging what will happen or asking for proof; she is merely asking the process by which it will happen. Her question is, literally, in the Greek, “How will this be, since I do not know a man?” – i.e., How will this be since I do not have sex? In verses 35-37, how does the angel explain to Mary how she will become pregnant? In verse 38, how does Mary respond to this announcement? Look over the passage and focus on the things the angel says. What do the angel’s words tell us about Mary? What do the angel’s words tell us about God? Look over the passage again, focusing on the things Mary says. What do Mary’s words tell us about Mary? What does this passage tell us about Mary’s attitude or approach toward her faith? One of our themes for this study is: What Mary was (the kind of person Mary was), we are called to be. What can we learn from Mary? All of us can, like Mary, say, “I am the servant of the Lord.” How can you take that approach to your own faith more consistently? What does this passage tell us about Mary’s use of her whole being: her mind, her will, and her spirit/faith? What Mary did, we are called to do. Mary accepted the coming of the Holy Spirit to her to enable her to fulfill her God-given role in God’s plan of salvation. How can you welcome or say yes to the Holy Spirit to fulfill your particular God-given role in your life? Mary is now the second woman in her extended family to have an unusual pregnancy after an unusual encounter with God. Mary decides to go visit her relative Elizabeth. In the next scene of our story, we see two women, both chosen by God for something special, having a chance to have some woman-to-woman time together. Luke 1:39-45 Mary visits Elizabeth (the “Visitation”) What happens? Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit as a result of her encounter with Mary and the response of the child in her womb. How can we become more open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as Elizabeth was? When Elizabeth has this special, spirit-filled moment, her response is praise. How can we become more confident in giving praise to God when we are touched by his Spirit? Luke 1:46-56 Mary sings God’s praises (the “Magnificat” or “Canticle of Mary”) What Mary says here is called the “Magnificat” because in Latin, the first word of Mary’s prayer is the word Magnificat , which means “praises,” as in “my soul praises.” What is your overall impression of Mary’s “song”? What is your favorite line or phrase or word from Mary’s song, and why? What does this song tell us about God? What does this song tell us about Mary? Mary could have praised God in many different ways. We can learn a lot about her from the subjects she chooses to focus on and what she says about them. What does Mary’s choice of topics about God tell us about her and what kind of person she is? Notice that one of the themes Mary focuses on is that some people are rich and mighty, and some people are poor and lowly, and God has here taken decisive action on behalf of the poor and lowly. One of the themes for this study is: What Mary did, we are called to do. Mary praises God energetically and expansively. What can we learn from this for ourselves, regarding our prayer life or interactions with others? The other theme for our study is: The kind of person Mary was, we are called to be. What does this prayer tell you about what kind of person Mary was, and what does it encourage you to be? Here is a brief summary of how Elizabeth’s story ends, so that you are not left hanging: ( Luke 1:57-80 John is born and Zechariah’s mouth is opened to sing God’s praise) Elizabeth gives birth to a son (1:57), and when Elizabeth says he will be named “John” (1:60), the neighbors and relatives object, thinking that he should be named for Zechariah or some other relative. Zechariah indicates that the child is to be named “John” (1:63), and at that moment his tongue is freed so that he can speak (1:64). He responds with his own canticle of praise to God (1:67-80). Take a step back and consider this: One of the things we see in Mary’s prayer is that she sees the world from the perspective of the lowly, not from the top of the social ladder. In the Gospels we see that Jesus has a similar perspective. I have summarized how both the New Testament and the Old Testament present God’s downside-up view of the world here: God Takes a Downside-Up View of the World . Some examples are: blessed are the poor, God cares for the one as much as the 99, wealth is an impediment to salvation rather than a sign of God’s favor, what you did to the least of these you did to me, the Lord hears the cry of the poor, etc. Do you think Jesus learned to see through the eyes of the have-nots from his mother Mary, who proclaimed God’s concern for the lowly and hungry, as well as learning it from his heavenly Father? What might this suggest about how Mary raised her child? How are we called to imitate Jesus and Mary in viewing things from the perspective of the lowly? Bibliography See Mary - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/mary/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Mary Index Next

What matters the most? What do your words reveal? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 12:1-37 What matters the most? What do your words reveal? Image by Jamie Sreet, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Cropped. Tom Faletti September 9, 2024 Matthew now presents a sharpening of the opposition to Jesus, which will eventually lead to his death. Jesus is criticized for two matters that relate to the Jewish rules for honoring the Sabbath. Matthew 12:1-8 Plucking grain on the Sabbath In this first incident, how does Jesus end up at cross-purposes with the Pharisees? What do his disciples do, and what is the Pharisees’ complaint? Although Jesus does not mention this, the Old Testament prohibition of work on the Sabbath prohibited harvesting on the Sabbath (Exodus 34:21); it did not explicitly prohibit plucking grain and Deuteronomy 23:24-25 even allowed plucking your neighbors grapes or grain to fill our hunger, so it would be difficult to argue that plucking was prohibited on the Sabbath. The Pharisees extended the rule, as they did so many other rules, to the extreme. Jesus offers 4 different answers to their complaint: In verses 3-4, what does Jesus say, and what does it mean? David and his followers ate bread from the altar in 1 Sam. 21:1-6 [under the high priest Ahimelech – Mark wrongly says Abiathar; Matthew leaves out the name]. They and the disciples were both responding to the same legitimate concern: hunger. In verses 5-6, what does Jesus say, and what does it mean? The priests in the Temple do work on the Sabbath, but that is not a sin. The Sabbath rule is not the only or highest rule. In verse 7, what does Jesus say, and what does it mean? Hosea 6:6 says God wants mercy, not sacrifice. The Pharisees are focusing on the wrong concerns and failing to value what is more important: mercy. In verse 8, what does Jesus say, and what does it mean? Jesus, the Son of Man, is lord of the Sabbath. He has ultimate authority over the Sabbath. At the time Matthew is writing, Matthew’s community probably used these arguments as defenses when criticized by the Jews for being lax in following the Old Testament Law. In Mark, Jesus also says that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Jesus is saying that the Sabbath regulation had a limited purpose and the Pharisees were trying to give it a paramount, overpowering purpose. What is the limited but valuable purpose of the Sabbath? If one has a proper sense of the valuable but limited purpose of the Sabbath, why is the disciples’ plucking food to eat not a violation of the point of the Sabbath? Jesus is declaring himself the lord of the Sabbath. What does that make him out to be? As lord of the Sabbath, Jesus is declaring that human needs take precedence over Sabbath rules. How might we balance the freedom to do good on the Sabbath with the call to honor the Sabbath? How can we decide what is appropriate to do on the Sabbath? How might we sometimes fall into the trap of placing a higher priority on following rules than on achieving God’s loving, merciful purposes? Matthew 12:9-14 Healing on the Sabbath What is the second thing Jesus is criticized for? The Pharisees were so committed to not working on the Sabbath that when they were at war with the Greeks in the times of the Maccabees and when Roman attacked Jerusalem in 63 BC, they did not resist attack on Sabbath days, which led to some serious defeats (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , pp. 31-32). What is Jesus’s response to their criticism of his healing on the Sabbath? It seems so obvious when Jesus says it: You would pull your sheep out of a ditch on the Sabbath. How much more precious is a human being than a sheep. But how might we be slide into placing a higher value on things than on people? How is our society prone to place a higher value on things than on people? When or where in our society is there a tendency to place a higher value on rules and regulations, on procedure and protocol, than on helping people? How would you sum up in a phrase the “rule” Jesus is modeling that supersedes our human rules? Verse 14 is an ominous turn in Jesus’s ministry. What have the Pharisees now decided to do? Matthew 12:15-21 Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament “Servant” of the Lord When Jesus learns that the Pharisees want to kill him, what does he do in verse 15? Jesus is being careful not to precipitate an attempt to kill him before the proper time when he has completed his work on Earth. And yet it does not deter him from his work. Although he changes location, he doesn’t change what he is doing. Jesus continues to do his thing. What can we learn from Jesus as he increases his carefulness but continues his ministry? Does this offer any insight for how to deal with opposition when we are doing God’s work? Does Jesus’s situation help us understand why he orders people (unsuccessfully) not to publicize what he has done for them (verse 16)? Matthew says what is going on here fulfills an Old Testament prophecy. Re-read verses 18-20 , which are a quote from Isaiah 42:1-4. What did Isaiah say about God’s chosen servant? Which elements of the prophecy correspond to what Jesus is doing with the people and how he is dealing with the Pharisees? In what ways does Jesus bring justice? In what ways does Jesus nurture, not break, the bruised reed, and strengthen, not quench, the smoldering wick? How has Jesus been like that in your life? Matthew 12:22-37 The blasphemy of the Pharisees What miracle does Jesus perform in verse 22? How do the Pharisees react, and why is this so serious? They blaspheme by saying that Jesus is working for Satan – i.e., that God is evil. What are Jesus’s 3 arguments in response to their claim (vv. 25-26, 27-28, and 29)? vv. 25-26: If Jesus is healing by the power of Satan, then Satan is destroying his own kingdom. vv. 27-28: If exorcisms performed by Jewish exorcists are judged as being done by the Spirit of God, then it is hypocritical to judge Jesus differently. vv. 29: If Jesus casts out demons, and thereby steals people back from Satan, he must have greater power than Satan – a power to bind Satan. But if that is happening then God’s Kingdom is breaking into our world. Do you see a battle going on in our day between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan, where the good that comes from God faces the bad that comes from evil forces? In verses 31-32, Jesus says there is only one unforgivable sin, which he says is blasphemy against the Spirit. How is the Pharisees’ attack a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Why would that particular sin be unforgivable? Is it that God refuses to forgive them, or is it that by refusing to recognize the Holy Spirit as good they are rejecting the source from which they would need the grace to repent of their sin and receive forgiveness? In verse 32 Jesus says that blaspheming against the Son of Man may be forgiven. Why? Perhaps because rejecting God in human form still leaves room for the movement of the Holy Spirit to lead a person to repentance. Or perhaps because it is one thing to misjudge Jesus; although he is God, he is somewhat hidden in human form. But to deny the manifest power of the Holy Spirit when it is plainly seen is to reject clear evidence. In verse 33, Jesus uses the analogy of a tree and its fruit and accuses the Pharisees of lying, because they are calling the tree (Jesus) evil even though its fruit (people being cured) is good. We sometimes evaluate people based on their actions and the effects they have (their fruit). Is this a wise strategy that we should use more regularly? Explain. In vv. 34-37, Jesus issues a more general caution about our words. It applies to the Pharisees, but it also applies to all of us, all the time. What is he saying and why? What does Jesus mean by your “heart”? What is the good treasure of storehouse of good (or evil) in our hearts? What does that mean? Is it fair to say that what comes out of a person’s mouth reveals the state of their heart? Explain. When are we most at risk of an unguarded or careless word? Some of the answers my Bible Study group offered include: when we are angry, hurt, tired, hungry, or disappointed; when we are not thinking about who the word is directed at, and when we don’t have a valid purpose for saying the word, even though it might be true. What can you do to avoid careless words? How can you bring only good out of your storehouse, so that you are not condemned by your words? Are there ways you need to deal with what is going on in your heart, so that you won’t have to work so hard to manage what comes out of your mouth? What adjustments might be needed in the state of your heart right now? We live in a world where talk is cheap and plentiful, and many people think truth is relative. How important is it to speak accurately and truthfully, to speak words that are consistent with reality as God knows it? Take a step back and consider this: In this passage, the Pharisees do what too many people in our modern world do: First, they decide what they believe. Second, they refuse to listen to the arguments and evidence offered by those who disagree with them. Third, they say whatever fits with what they believe, even if there is evidence to the contrary. Finally, they attack the people who disagree with them, sometimes viciously. We see this pattern all the time in our day. Even we ourselves may fall prey to this approach sometimes, especially on social media, where the culture encourages us to take sides and to speak without listening and with little respect. But Jesus’s rules for what comes out of our mouths apply as much when we are on social media as anywhere else. On social media, our “mouth” is our keyboard plus the “Post” or “Share” button. We may not literally speak words, but we communicate them just the same when we post. Jesus’s warning applies equally to social media: The words you communicate come out of the treasure or storehouse of your heart, for good or evil. “[B]y your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37, NRSV). What are the ideas and attitudes in your heart that you are revealing by what you say on social media and how you say it? As Christians it is our calling and privilege to reveal Jesus to others at all times. What changes might be good for you to consider, so that everything you post and share on social media comes from the good things in your heart so that it can properly represent Christ? If you would like some suggestions for how to decide what things are appropriate to share on social media, from Christ’s perspective, see Before You Hit the Share Button . The relevant questions are: Is it true? Have you checked it? Will it build others up? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

Murder, anger, insulting others – how are they related, and what can we do about them? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 5:21-26 Murder, anger, insulting others – how are they related, and what can we do about them? Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti April 26, 2024 Matthew 5:21-26 Anger Jesus here begins a series of six teachings, in Matthew 5:21-48, where he states a Jewish law and then provides his own teaching. Each teaching begins with, “You have heard it said . . . but I say. . . .” They are sometimes called the “six antitheses” because some scholars see them as presenting the opposite (anti-) of a principle taught in the Old Testament (thesis). However, they usually go beyond rather than directly rejecting the Old Testament principle, so “antithesis” is not a good term for them. Some scholars call them the six “hypertheses,” because the prefix “hyper” can signify going beyond the thesis or principle that has previously been stated. In each case, Jesus re-interprets and expands on or transforms the Old Testament injunction. Often, he prohibits not only the action but also the thought that underlies the action or leads to the action. In verse 21, what is the Old Testament law Jesus cites? In verse 22, Jesus takes the principle much further in three ways. What does he say about anger? Still in verse 22, what does he say about using abusive or insulting language? In the third part of verse 22, some translations give us the Aramaic word Jesus uses – “Raqa” or “Raca” – which was a term of contempt used to call someone a fool or empty-headed or an idiot. What does Jesus say about using this kind of especially contemptuous language toward another person? Notice that each sin incurs a more serious consequence than the previous one, moving from being liable to judgment , which invokes an image of being brought before a local court of village elders; to being liable to the Council or Sanhedrin , which invokes an image of being brought before the highest court; to being liable to the fires of Gehenna , a word of Hebrew origin that is often translated as “hell’ but actually refers to the Valley of Hinnom southwest of Jerusalem, where there was a garbage dump that was thought of as always having a fire burning. In what ways are these three steps progressively worse – from anger, to insult, to contempt? How are these things related to murder? In what ways do they all start from the same place? When Jesus says that if we do these things we will be “liable” to these kinds of judgment, what do you think he means? Is he speaking literally (about courts and Gehenna) or metaphorically? And if metaphorically, what is he trying to tell us? Why is anger such a serious matter? Is anger always wrong? Is there an appropriate time for anger – what people sometimes call “holy anger”? Mark describes Jesus as being angry once, when Pharisees resisted the idea of a person being healed on the Sabbath (Mark 3:5), and Jesus certainly appears to be angry when he clears the Temple of the moneychangers (Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17). St. Paul says, “Be angry and do not sin” (Eph. 4:26), which indicates that anger is not necessarily sinful. Anger often arises as a physiological response to situations; it’s what we do with it that determines whether it is a sin. How can we stay open to the kind of “holy anger” that pushes back against injustice, yet avoid the kind of anger that Jesus is telling us to avoid? Why is abusive language such a serious matter? Abusive language has become such an embedded part of our culture – a standard part of television shows, comedy acts, etc. – that we might not even realize we are echoing or imitating it. How can we control our own language, the things we personally say? What are some examples of people in our time using the kind of contemptuous, dehumanizing language Jesus is talking about when he uses the word “Raqa”? The principle of human dignity calls us to recognize that every person has an inalienable dignity given to them by God – even the people who may be seen as our enemies. How is this kind of contemptuous language a violation of human dignity? Why is this kind of dehumanizing language so dangerous? What kinds of things can it lead to? Oppression, murder, discrimination, and even genocide sometimes starts with this kind of language, from the dehumanization of Black people in the history of the American South, to the dehumanization of Dalits in Indian history, to the use of the word “cockroaches” that preceded the Rwandan genocide. A brief look through history can bring forth many similar examples, and they continue in our time. Politicians in many countries are using dehumanizing language to delegitimize people they do not like – often with deadly results. Where is the part of this discussion that might make you uncomfortable? Where might you need to adjust how you manage your anger or your language, in order to be more like Christ? In verses 23-26, Jesus shifts the focus slightly. In verses 23-24, what does he tell us to do? Why would God say that reconciling with a brother or sister is more important than making an offering to God? In verses 25-26, Jesus broadens the idea of reconciliation by moving from a religious context to a legal context. What does he say? How is an openness to reconciliation important for avoiding bad court judgments? How might our society be a better place if there was more focus on reconciliation between offenders and those they have harmed? Both of the examples in verses 23-26 presume that we are at fault. We are often not very good at recognizing our own faults. How can you become the kind of person who recognizes when you are at fault? Looking at this whole passage, what is the most important point for you in what Jesus says about murder, anger, abusive language, contempt, and reconciliation? Take a step back and consider this: In the United States and many other countries, there has been a coarsening of social discourse and political discourse. Many social media voices and political leaders treat those who disagree with them with disrespect and contempt and blatantly distort their views – and rack up millions of views, “likes,” and reposts in the process. Christians might consider ways to push back against this ungodly trend. For example, we might decide that we will never forward or “share” a post that uses disrespectful language about another human being. We can find other articles that express the same views more respectfully. Many of us remember being told by a parent, “If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all.” While there is a place for criticizing the views of others, we should be able to accurately state the other side’s claims before showing why we think they are wrong, and our arguments for why they are wrong should be based on facts and evidence, not based on distortion and innuendo. If we can’t do that, we aren’t treating them as people made in the image of God. We might consider a 21st century version of our parents’ maxim: “If you can’t say something that respects the humanity of the other person, don’t say anything at all.” Or perhaps: “If you can’t state your opponent’s position in a way that would allow them to say, ‘Yes, that’s what I’m saying,’ then you shouldn’t try to characterize their views at all.” How can you contribute to a more civil public discourse in your country’s social and political life? And what about anger? Anger sometimes comes unbidden – a visceral reaction that arises from the physiology of our humanity. But we can choose whether to nurture that anger and help it grow, or tame it and give it the perspective it needs to be harnessed for good. What do you need to do to tame or harness your anger so that it is serves the good rather than becoming a trigger that leads to sin? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

If God doesn't care about us, we are in a pretty precarious position. Previous Next God's Purposes Does God Care? If God doesn't care about us, we are in a pretty precarious position. Tom Faletti (to be continued) Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous God's Purposes Next

In the Bible, God tells us to speak out for those with no voice and defend the poor (Proverbs 31:8-9). Previous Justice Next God Calls Us to Speak Out In the Bible, God tells us to speak out for those with no voice and defend the poor (Proverbs 31:8-9). Image by Juliana Romão, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti May 17, 2025 [A version of this article appeared in the February 2025 edition of St. Anthony Messenger and can be found on the Franciscan Media website at ‘Speak Out for Those Who Cannot Speak’ .] Have you ever thought of your voice as a gift from God that allows you to speak out for justice? Have you ever used your voice to ask your leaders to do the right thing on behalf of the poor and needy? Proverbs 31:8-9 tells us that God wants us to do exactly that: use our voice to speak out for those who might otherwise not be heard. I was a bit surprised when I encountered this call to advocacy recently. I have read through the Bible several times, and I didn’t think I had seen this before. So I checked the verse in multiple Bible translations, to make sure it wasn’t just a paraphrase. In almost every translation, the call to speak out is stated clearly. Here is Proverbs 31:8-9 in three popular Catholic Bibles: The New Revised Standard Version , favored by some scholars, reads: “Speak out for those who cannot speak, / for the rights of all the destitute. / Speak out; judge righteously; / defend the rights of the poor and needy.” The New American Bible, Revised Edition , published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, reads: “Open your mouth in behalf of the mute, / and for the rights of the destitute; / Open your mouth, judge justly, / defend the needy and the poor!” And the New Catholic Bible , a recent translation that is gaining attention, says: “Speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves, / and defend the rights of the destitute. / Speak out and pronounce righteous judgments; / defend the rights of the wretched and the poor.” The point is clear in every case. We are called to be a voice – to speak out for those who have no voice and defend the rights of the poor and needy. Why does this verse get so little attention? Many people can quote Proverbs 3:5-6 by heart (“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. . .”), and they use it to encourage themselves and others to live fully for God. But who quotes Proverbs 31:8-9 by heart, or uses it to guide their lives? Why does Proverbs 3:5-6 get celebrity attention, while Proverbs 31:8-9 lies in some forgot corner of our faith? If we are going to take the whole Bible seriously, we can’t leave out verses like this. Therefore, it is worth exploring why Proverbs 31:8-9 is not a “go-to” verse. Why do we not use this proverb to encourage ourselves to speak out on behalf of those whose voices are not heard? Why do we not quote it to each other as a guide for Christian living? Perhaps this verse gets less attention because putting it into practice might move us outside our comfort zone. Speaking out for others is not as simple or easy as “trusting” God. We may feel like we don’t know how to do it. We may not think this is an important priority among God’s many commands. Yet we know that God doesn’t ask us to pick and choose from the Bible based on our comfort level. So let’s look at whether this is one of God’s priorities. God says this more than once The author of the Book of Proverbs collected sayings and words of wisdom from a variety of sources and compiled them into the book we know today. The commandment we are looking at is in a short section near the end of the book where he is quoting some wise teachings that a mother imparted to her son – a king named Lemuel who is unknown to us (Prov. 31:1-2). In Proverbs 31:8-9, she tells him to speak out for those with no voice and defend the needy. The books of the prophets also direct God’s people to defend the needy. Isaiah chides the people of Judah for their sinfulness and tell them to “learn to do good; / seek justice, / rescue the oppressed, / defend the orphan, / plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17, NRSV). In the book of Jeremiah, God speak to the people of Judah about what they are doing wrong. He says of them: “They know no limits in deeds of wickedness; / they do not judge with justice / the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper, / and they do not defend the rights of the needy.” (Jeremiah 5:28, NRSV). This means that there are three different books of the Old Testament where God tells His people to speak up for or defend the needy and others who cannot speak for themselves. Being an advocate is part of obeying the commands of God. Who needs our voice? Proverbs 31:8 tells us to speak for those who cannot speak. In our society, whose voices are not heard? Too often, the poor, the needy, the homeless, and the destitute are not heard. Immigrants, refugees, and others treated as aliens are pushed away. Victims of trafficking and people at risk of being trafficked go unseen. People with disabilities or physical challenges and those suffering from mental illness are often ignored and left out. Others are held back by the persistence of discrimination. In short, there are many people whose voices are not heard. People whose concerns are ignored or discounted need a voice to defend their rights. Whose voice do they need? Ours. To whom shall we speak? Proverbs 31:8-9 begins as an instruction to a king, and our world would be a better place if more political leaders and people in authority followed its instruction. The Bible is full of verses showing God’s particular concern for the poor, the migrant, the defenseless, and the oppressed. In every age, those with power are called to use their power to defend and help those whose resources are limited. People in authority need to make sure that the rights of the poor are honored as zealously as the rights of the wealthy. Our leaders should spend at least as much time speaking out for those whose voice is not heard in the corridors of power as they spend arguing for the things that the wealthy and well-connected say to them. The needs of the destitute should be as high on their agenda as the needs of the middle class and wealthy. But the duty to speak does not end with our leaders. Their obligation to use their power justly does not absolve us of our responsibility to use our voice. To whom shall we speak? Our leaders need to hear this message. Our governmental leaders, our business leaders, our church leaders, and other social influencers need to hear from us that God expects them to speak up for the needy and those whose voices are not heard. When we speak to our leaders on behalf of the needy and voiceless, we are fulfilling God’s command in Proverbs and the prophetic books of the Old Testament. How many people of faith spend any significant amount of time doing this? It doesn’t take long to call or write to a governmental leader, to post a comment on the social media pages of a corporation or social influencer, or to share our concerns with leaders in our churches. We sometimes speak out on our own behalf regarding legislation or public policies that we think affect us personally. As followers of Christ, shouldn’t we be at least as willing to do so to defend the needy and provide a voice for those who are not being heard? How our politics might change if people of faith took this word from God seriously and pressed their leaders to do what God wants them to do: to defend the poor and speak out for those whose voices are being ignored! When we do this, we are obeying the Word of God, because when we use our voices to speak to our leaders on behalf of the poor and ignored, we are truly being a voice for them. What shall we say? Sometimes, we remain silent because we don’t think we know what to say. It helps to know what the issues and facts are, but you don’t need to be an expert to be helpful. There are many reputable groups who are already acting as voices for the poor and forgotten. They can give us the facts, and even the words to say. And our voices are more likely to be heard when we are working with others. Many groups that know what is going on have links on their websites where we can find opportunities to speak out. They can even give us the words to use. see Groups That Work for Justice for a partial list of groups that work from a perspective that is consistent with Catholic social teaching. Our voices are a gift from God. Often, we may think we cannot directly address the struggles of the poor, the voiceless, and others in need. But we can always use our voices to speak out on their behalf. When we do that, we are obeying God’s directive in Proverbs 31:8-9. And our effort might help move our world one step closer to God’s vision of a world where justice prevails. This week, who can you speak out for? How can you use your voice to defend the poor and needy, to be a voice for those who have no voice or whose voices are ignored in the halls of power? Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Justice Next

Paul is writing not just to individuals, but to a church that is standing together and living the Christian life together in faith, hope, and love. Previous 1 Thess. Index Next 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Paul is writing not just to individuals, but to a church that is standing together and living the Christian life together in faith, hope, and love. Image by Pedro Lima, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti January 26, 2025 1 Thess. 1:1 Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica This letter begins in the typical form of letters in the Greek and Roman world at that time: with who it is from, who it is to, and some sort of greeting. It is somewhat like the format of many of our emails: Introduction: From: ___, To: ___, and a greeting, which may include words of thanks. The body or “meat” of the email. Personal comments and/or final greetings. Who is the letter from? See Introduction to 1 Thessalonians for a discussion of who the letter is from. Who is the letter to? The letter is to the church of the Thessalonians. The Greek word for “church” is ekklésia , which means an assembly or gathering. It is used in the New Testament to refer both to a local assembly of God’s people (the church at ___) and to the whole of God’s people (the Church). Here, it means the body of Christians in Thessalonica. This means Paul is writing to the Christians there as a group, not just to the leaders or some other specific individuals. It is quite possible that he expected his letter would be read out loud to the whole assembly of gathered Christians on the next Sunday after his letter arrived. How does Paul describe the Thessalonians? Who are they “in”? Think about what it means to be “in” something – to be in a pool of water, in the ocean, in the rain, in the dark. When you are “in” something, you are in some sense surrounded. What does it mean to be in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 1:1)? In what ways do you experience being in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ? We are not in God alone, as isolated individuals. Paul is speaking to the church as a group. How might we be more faithful followers of Christ if we remembered more fully that we are all together, collectively, in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ? In his greeting, Paul makes changes to the standard secular greeting of the time. His word “grace” in Greek sounds a little bit like the word for “greetings” that Greeks or Romans would have used in his time ( New American Bible, revised edition , Rom. 1:1-7, fn.). He then adds the Greek word for the traditional Hebrew greeting shalom , which means “peace.” Thus, Paul has packed a lot of nuance into a simple five-word greeting. What would it mean to you, if someone wished you “grace” and “peace”? If you were among the Thessalonians to whom this letter was being read on a Sunday, what would Paul’s greeting say to you? 1 Thess. 1:2-10 Paul is thankful for the Thessalonians When Paul thinks of the Thessalonians, his primary reaction is thanksgiving. Why? Verses 2-4 Looking at verses 2-4, does Paul think about the Thessalonians very often? In verse 2, how does Paul put his thinking about them into action? What does he do? He prays for them. How often does he pray for them? Is there a hidden secret here? How might our lives be different if, when we think about people and the situations they face, our “thinking” takes the form of praying for them? What difference might that make (for them, but also for us)? In verse 3, what comes to mind about them when he thinks about them? Notice that in verse 3 we see, for the very first time in Christian writing, these three virtues together – faith, love (or charity), and hope – which later become known as the “theological virtues.” Most Christians are more familiar with them as they appear in Paul’s later letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 13:13),where love is listed last and identified as the greatest. The Church eventually joined these “theological” virtues with the four “cardinal” virtues that go back to Aristotle and other ancient Greek philosophers: prudence (or wisdom), justice, fortitude (or courage), and temperance (or moderation). Together, they are known as the 7 virtues. Although Paul refers to the virtues of faith, love, and hope, he does not refer to them in the abstract. He describes each one as an active force as he refers to their work of faith, their labor of love, and their endurance in hope (NABRE) or steadfastness of hope (NRSV). Let’s look at each one separately: What is the work of faith? One possibility is that this refers to the works we do because we believe: “the works resulting from faith (James 2:14-26)” (Peter E. Cousins, The International Bible Commentary , p. 1461). Our faith governs what we do in the present – if it doesn’t, is it really our faith? What does the work of faith look like in practice? What are you doing when you are doing it? What is the labor of love? What does the labor of love look like? How are you “laboring” when you are exhibiting the virtue of love? What is the point of emphasizing their endurance or steadfastness in hope? Why is endurance or the ability to be steadfast so important for hope? Hope is forward-looking. It involves having expectations about the future. Since we haven’t reached that future yet, we need endurance in the present to keep going, to “keep the faith,” in the expectation or hope that what we believe will come really will come. Paul says their hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. How are each of these three words important in their own way for giving us hope: “Lord,” “Jesus,” and “Christ” (Christ = Messiah)? What do you think about the Thessalonians as you view them through the eyes of Paul? How can we be more like the Thessalonians in the virtues we embrace? As you think about these virtues the Thessalonians exhibited, what particular trait or virtue might God be inviting you to grow in right now? What might be a step you could take to embrace that growth? Paul had not spent much time with the Thessalonians – perhaps as little as three weeks if Luke’s compressed narrative is to be taken literally, but certainly not more than a few months. Yet in verse 4 he calls them “brothers.” What does this signal? How would you feel, to have the Apostle Paul call you a brother or sister? Actually, you are his brother or sister in Christ. How does being counted among the brothers and sisters in Christ make you want to live your life? In verse 4 Paul also tells the Thessalonians that they are loved, or beloved, by God. What does this tell you about your own relationship with God? Finally in verse 4, Paul calls them “chosen.” Who chose them, and what does that tell you about them or about God? In what ways are you chosen by God? Is there something you would like to be doing more, or more effectively, because you know you were chosen by God and are loved by God? How might you respond more fully? Verses 5-10 In verse 5, Paul says that it wasn’t his fancy words that made the gospel he preached effective. What are the three things he identifies as the marks or characteristics of his presentation of the gospel? How might the preaching of the gospel be presented “in power and in the Holy Spirit”? How can we allow the power of the Holy Spirit to come through as we tell others about our faith? In verse 6, Paul says that the Thessalonians became imitators of him and of the Lord. In what ways did they become imitators of Paul and the Lord? They imitated Paul and Jesus in adopting a life of faith and in taking on the sufferings (and joy) that Paul and Jesus experienced because of their faith. Paul says the Thessalonians not only imitated Paul and Jesus, they became a “model” (NABRE) or “example” (NRSV) for other believers. How is that so? Notice in verse 6 how they received the word of God with joy in the Holy Spirit. How and why is joy central to the Christian experience? Pope Francis said, “Christian joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit: it is having one’s heart ever joyful because the Lord has triumphed, the Lord reigns, the Lord is at the right hand of the Father, the Lord has looked at me and sent me and has given me his grace and has made me a child of the Father…. a Christian without joy isn’t Christian; a Christian who lives continuously in sadness is not a Christian ” (Pope Francis, “No Fear: Morning Meditation in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae” , 15 May 2015). How can we embrace the joy of the Holy Spirit more fully in our lives? In verse 8, Paul says that what has happened in Thessalonica has “sounded forth” across the entire Greek peninsula and beyond. If the word were to be spread abroad about what is happening in your church, what would the message be? How would your parish or church be described? In verse 9, where Paul describes what the Thessalonians did, he is describing what repentance looks like. Repentance always involves a turning “from” and a turning “to.” What did they turn from and what did they turn to? Note: The “living and true God” echoes Old Testament verses that distinguish the one God from the multitude of dead idols. Paul’s description here can be seen as another set of 3 elements: turning from (the past), turning to (the present), and waiting for the return of Jesus and his deliverance (the future). The third element reinforces his reference to hope earlier. Is this kind of “turning” a one-time thing, or should we regularly look for how we can “turn” to God? In what way might God be calling you to turn “from” or “to” something right now? In verse 10, Paul refers to the “wrath” that is coming. The word “wrath” was used by Jews in Paul’s time as a shorthand for the coming of the Lord at the end of time to judge the living and the dead. The word “wrath” can be misunderstood in our time, because we associate it with human emotions such as uncontrolled fury that do not reflect the nature our divine God (Jesus talked about God’s judgment but never used the word “wrath” to describe it). Paul is saying that if we have made the turn toward God, we can wait for Jesus’s return without fear because he “delivers us” (NABRE) or “rescues us” (NRSV) from final judgment. Scholars point out that in verse 10, the word “delivers” or “rescues” is a present participle, not a future tense, meaning that Jesus has already begun the process and is already, now, in the process of delivering or rescuing us from final judgment. How is that so? Is there something about the Thessalonians that attracts you? How might they be an example for you or your local church? How might you emulate them? Take a step back and consider this: The words Paul uses to describe faith, hope, and love show that these virtues are active and practical. They make a difference in our daily lives. We work out our faith. We labor in love. We stick to it with endurance and perseverance in the present because we have a hope in the future that God is preparing. As the gospel of Christ takes root in our lives, these virtues are infused into us by God. But they are not solitary characteristics. They manifest themselves in, and shine forth in, the community – in us and others acting together as Christ’s Body. How does your work of faith support the church and community of which you are a part? How does your labor of love build up the church and community of which you are a part? How does your endurance in hope strength the church and community of which you are a part? What is God calling you to do in manifesting these virtues that He is working into you? Bibliography See 1 Thessalonians - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/1-thessalonians/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous 1 Thess. Index Next

The sick; the young; migrants and refugees; the elderly. (Paragraphs 11-14 of Spes Non Confundit) Previous Next Jubilee Year 2025: Embrace God’s Hope and Extend It to All Session 4: Where signs of hope are needed today, part 2 The sick; the young; migrants and refugees; the elderly. (Read paragraphs 11-14) Link to S pes Non Confundit Sunset, Ephesus. Photo by Tom Faletti, Ephesus, Turkiye, October 27, 2023. Tom Faletti November 16, 2024 Everywhere we turn, we can find people who are discouraged. Jesus calls us to share God’s hope with those around us whose lives are not easy. In this session, we look at more of the groups Pope Francis identifies as having a special need for hope: the sick and disabled, the young, migrants and refugees, and the elderly. People in each of these groups face significant challenges that could sap their hope. Pope Francis suggests ways we can help give them hope. Our study guide will help us explore specific ways we might bring God’s hope to people in these situations. When we reach out to those who are overlooked, forgotten, or on the margins of society (what Pope Francis calls the “periphery”), we are recognizing God’s presence in them and welcoming them in as part of “us.” When we cross those barriers, we help make it clear that in God’s world there is no “us” versus “them”; there is only God and “us” – all of us. Read paragraphs 11-14 in preparation for this session. Paragraph 11 (the sick) 🔗 Why does Pope Francis care so much about the sick? Read Matthew 25:35-36,40 What does Jesus say about people who are sick and himself? How is visiting someone who is sick a way to foster hope? In paragraph 11, besides talking about the sick, Pope Francis also talks about healthcare workers. Why does he say we should show them gratitude? The pandemic showed just how precarious the conditions of healthcare workers can be. What concrete actions can we take as a society to increase their safety and hope? Suggested Activity: Think about a caring nurse, a cheerful medical receptionist, an upbeat optician or dental hygienist, a gentle phlebotomist, or another healthcare worker who has brightened your day by the way they have cared for you. Say a prayer of thanks for them and ask God to renew their hope in their profession. Then send them a thank-you message. You can also let their boss know how much you appreciate them. You can do the same for a doctor, but don’t leave out the assistants who make a huge difference but are so often unseen. What can we learn from healthcare workers and apply in how we care for others? Do you know someone who is sick and would appreciate a note, call, or visit? What is one step you can take to show them God’s love and your caring heart? Suggested Activity: Ask someone who is sick if you could bring them a meal, a loaf of bread, or just stop by for a visit. Check with them about their dietary needs and personal likes and dislikes before cooking something, and adjust accordingly. If they invite you to stay and eat with them, accept their offer – they may appreciate the company more than the food. In the second part of paragraph 11, Pope Francis expresses concern for people with disabilities. Read Leviticus 19:14 Leviticus 19:14 shows the bare minimum of how we should treat people with disabilities: don’t make things more difficult for them. Why would that even need to be said? Why do people with disabilities sometimes face unnecessary discrimination and mistreatment? Pope Francis calls for our whole society to join in a “song of hope” (par. 11) for people with disabilities through our care for them and respect for their human dignity. What are the concrete actions that might create a “song of hope” for people with disabilities? What are some specific things that you or your parish or your society’s institutions could do to help people with disabilities feel less restricted and, with a song in their heart, be more free to be independent participants in society? Suggested Activities: Check in on people you know are dealing with a chronic illness. For many, their ongoing challenges may take a long time to resolve, if ever, while the attention of those they know may have moved elsewhere. So try to keep in touch over time. Get to know a member of your parish who has a disability. Ask them if they would be willing to move through your church and parish facilities with you and show you the obstacles they encounter. Then work with them to explore with your parish leadership what might be done to help people with disabilities feel more welcome in your church. Invite people with disabilities to events and help make it possible for them to attend if they are interested, rather than assuming they will not be able to do so. Paragraph 12 (the young) 🔗 In this paragraph, Pope Francis is thinking primarily of teenagers and young adults. Why is he concerned about them? What are some of the signs that they are lacking in hope? Read Colossians 3:21 Although Colossians 3:21 is directed at fathers, it offers wisdom for society as a whole. What are some of the challenges young people face that may cause them to become discouraged or lose heart? What can your parish or community do with young people to support their hopes and dreams? Are there ways you can encourage young people in their desire to help people in need? Suggested Activity: Ask teens you see at church if they would be willing to share their perspective with you on how the Church could be more welcoming and supportive of teens. Or ask your parish youth group leader if you could bring a few adults to one of their meetings to meet with the youth group members and listen to their ideas. Be prepared to try to move forward on some of the ideas you hear, or you will become one more reason why teens are sometimes discouraged about the Church. Paragraph 13 (migrants and refugees) 🔗 In paragraph 13, Pope Francis lists some reasons why people become migrants or refugees. Why do migrants leave their homelands? Why are refugees forced to emigrate? Read Matthew 25:35 and 25:40 When Jesus refers to a “stranger” in Matthew 25:35, the Greek word is xenos , which means a foreigner or a person who is unfamiliar. What does this passage suggest to us about our treatment of migrants and refugees? How does our society currently treat migrants and refugees? Note: The Catholic Church teaches that nations have a right to control their borders, but that governments have an obligation to treat migrants and refugees with dignity and respect and to provide protection to those seeking refugee status while their claims are considered. How can we help make migrants and refugees more welcome in our society? Read Leviticus 19:33-34 How does God say “strangers” or “aliens” should be treated? How would things be different in our society if refugees and other immigrants were treated the same as native-born people, as Leviticus directs? In the second part of paragraph 13, Pope Francis calls on the Christian community to defend the rights of the vulnerable. How can we do this and how would it increase hope? Suggested Activities: Look for opportunities to be welcoming to immigrants or other people on the fringe of parish life. Introduce yourself to them after church. Chat with them at the coffee hour. Research what people in your community are doing to welcome immigrants and look for ways you can be supportive. Encourage others in your parish to join in helping when you see needs that can be met. Paragraph 14 (the elderly) 🔗 Why do you think Pope Francis says that elderly people often feel lonely and abandoned? What are some of the factors in modern society that contribute to the elderly being neglected rather than held close to us as a treasured part of the fabric of our communities? What can we do to keep the elderly connected to the life of our parishes and communities? What can we do to help the elderly live in hope all through their lives? Suggested Activities: Invite older people to events you are part of. Go beyond just people who are your age or have the same marital status as you. Say hello to the older people in your parish and draw them into conversations. Visit people you know who are home-bound. Send them a card or note letting them know you care about them. Let your parish know about them. Ask your parish priests whether they know of “shut-ins” who would appreciate a visit. The sick, teenagers, migrants, refugees, and the elderly all experience situations where they feel like they are being ignored by church and society. Why is that? Read Proverbs 31:8-9 Proverbs 31:8-9 tells us to be a voice for those who have no voice. How might you respond to this call? How can you be an advocate for people whose voices are not heard in society or in the halls of power? Verse 8 says to speak up for the rights of the destitute, and verse 9 says to defend the needy and the poor. Why is this kind of action necessary, and not just providing charity to them? Closing question: How can we shift the way we see people so that our default is to be welcoming to all, to be people who inspire hope in all who feel ignored or disconnected? Bibliography See Jubilee Year 2025 - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/jubilee-2025/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Jubilee 2025 Next