SJE's Read Through the Bible

Week Nine - 2012

2012-02-26T19:02:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from February 26th through March 3rd (Days 57 - 63)

Week Eight - 2012

2012-02-19T10:33:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from February 19th through February 25th (Days 50 - 56)

Week Seven - 2012

2012-02-13T12:44:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from February 12th through February 18th (Days 43 - 49)

Was John the Baptist trying to inspire political revolt?

2012-02-10T17:18:00.000-06:00

Father Maletta Responds: I see no political movement, I see John as a man in the Judaic Prophetic tradition. No evidence that he condemns Rome or their occupation - rather he condemns immoral behavior. His whole point is inner conversion not political revolt. We tend to limit our appreciation by imposing contemporary concepts and associations on a historical person who would not even begin to comprehend the analysis we would place on him in today's terms. John had a role in God’s plan, John the Evangelist makes that role clear. John the Baptist not only understands this but his world view is formed by it.

Likewise, Jesus wasn’t playing some political game. He was fulfilling the will of the Father. John the Baptist baptizes Jesus – only because Jesus insists that they follow the will of the Father. Then John directs his own apostles to follow Jesus. Other than that there is no organized communication between them, no conspiracy against the Roman or Jewish governments. Jesus mourns John’s death, but if he will not stop his own execution - why would he stop John’s? Explicit throughout the Christian Scriptures is the proclamation that this life is transitory that eternity is our true home. One cannot read the scriptures as a Christian without that reality as the foundational perspective.

Why was the date of Christmas negotiated during the Roman Empire?

2012-02-10T13:56:00.000-06:00

Father Maletta Responds: When Jesus was born no one – but Mary and Joseph – appreciated who he was or what his existence would mean to humankind and history. I do not believe the ancient Jews actually celebrated birthdays, at least not as we do today. There was no record of his birthdate. Luke, who tradition holds, became close to Mary, provides a detailed account of Jesus’ birth and places it in a historical context by naming King Herod of Judea in chapter 1 and then naming the Governor of Syria and Caesar Augustus as the Emperor. The fact that he does not provide a date of Jesus’ actual birth would imply it was not considered important information. I realize that there are sources that argue that the date of Christmas was arbitrarily established to incorporate the pagan celebrations into Christianity. The magisterium has no position as to the establishment of December 25th as the actual date of Jesus’ birth.

Our current Pope rejects the above theory and in Joseph Ratzinger’s book “The Blessings of Christmas” he credits Luke as establishing the date as December 25th by symbolically placing it in the context of Hanukkah. He explains that on December 25th in the year 165BC, Judas Maccabeus removed the altar of Zeus - which tradition called the "abomination of desolation in the holy place" - from the Temple in Jerusalem. It was on the same date that the Syrian King Antiochus, who was worshipped as "Zeus" had set up the pagan idol in the Temple, designating December 25 as his own feast day. Now it became the date of the cleansing of the Temple, the day on which the glory of God, which had been trampled underfoot, was reestablished and God began to be honored anew in their proper manner. As early as around 100 BC, the birth of the messianic child was expected on this day. People hoped that the Messiah would teach them how to honor God aright and that he would thereby indicate the new time of freedom. Ratzinger explains that in his infancy narrative, Luke unfolds a chronology with a profound symbolic meaning, dating it in such a way that the birth of Jesus occurs during the feast of Hanukkah, on the night of lights, which thus became the Christian feast of Christmas...The birth of Christ is the true reform of worship, and all our attempts at liturgical reform must ultimately aim to correspond to this reform, this true new beginning.

Personally, I find Ratzinger’s theory far more satisfying both intellectually and spiritually than the theory about the date put forth by some historians. Furthermore, what difference does it make whether we celebrate the incarnation on the actual date that Jesus was born or that we have another date? The meaning of Christmas has little to do with a specific date but the gratitude and awe we have for the incarnation.

Do we “deceive children” when we tell them George Washington never lied or are we attempting to instill a value in them? Few people, including most priests don't have a clue when the actual date of Jesus’ birth was – theologians and historians don’t even agree when where and how the date was established. What we know is that sometime in the 4th century it became common to celebrate Christmas, as the faith expanded into other non-Roman cultures certain elements of pagan practice were Christianized. Once that happened they no longer were pagan but Christian and were passed down through the ages as Christian. No deception was intended, no deception has taken place. The strength of the Christian faith is that it can embrace other cultural elements and make them our own.

Why did God choose such a young girl in Mary?

2012-02-10T13:51:00.000-06:00

Father Maletta Responds: Mary was a young, age 13-15 years old at the time of her pregnancy. I appreciate how distasteful it is for people in our culture to think of a little girl having a child, but I do not think the fact that the Virgin Mary was that age is a secret. Again, I sound like a broken record here, but the most common mistake we make when reading scripture is to impose our values and societal standards on ancient peoples. Girls in the ancient culture existed primarily to bring forth new life. Because of wars, famine, disease, life was very fragile then – life expectancy was far less than it is today. As soon as a girl “flowered” or began have menstrual cycle and was able to produce offspring, it was believed that she should be married and procreate shortly thereafter. For the world in which Jesus was born this was commonplace and in fact, a girl unwed past that age would be look at with some disapproval. Today life is different, we live longer, our lives are more stable, and our children are not needed to increase our tribe or provide numbers to our armies. As we have developed different ways of living so too have our standards changed. With our knowledge of brain development and the extensive psychological awareness we believe that a girl child of that age would be harmed if married and pregnant. Mary’s people did not have the advantage of the effects of the Gospel for 2,000 years shaping our understanding of God’s plan for human kind, or the dignity of life and they did not comprehend the immorality of treating women as things. We do, and because of that we know that a teenage pregnancy can be harmful and marrying a child to a 30-plus year old is immoral. We know that, given the standards of our society and culture, teen pregnancies are to be avoided. We know that one of the most important factors for poverty, for example, is unwed teenage pregnancy. Would you consider the things you did as a child appropriate for you to do today? As we all mature as individuals, the human race has also matured. To reject the mindset of ancient Israel in the area of child brides and pregnancies does not mean that we cannot appreciate and rejoice in God’s action in and through that ancient culture relative to the Incarnation.

Why did God need to prove Himself by fulfilling an 800-year old prophecy?

2012-02-10T13:48:00.000-06:00

Father Maletta Responds: We cannot impose our perspective today on an ancient culture. Today, on a political level, more and more people are leaving their party affiliation in favor of claiming an independent status. In fact, according to a recent poll, 40% of Americans now claim to be independent. We feel comfortable forgoing our parents’ affiliation in favor of voting for the person whose message we like the most. Likewise, today we do not feel the pressure to remain faithful to mores and cultural standards as we did just a century ago. Read some of the literature by authors such as Jane Austen who wrote about the society in the early 1800’s and it is hard to understand why people were so controlled by societal pressures. That is just a little more than 200 years. Imagine the gap between our contemporary way of thinking and that of an ancient people. The Jews survived because of their laws and traditions. They maintained an identity as a people and a nation by radical adherence to their traditions. For centuries before Jesus, a large part of their religious and cultural mindset was waiting for a Messiah. How would they recognize the Messiah when he came? He would be recognizable based on his clear connection to what was foretold about the Messiah. That is what Matthew is doing. Even an open minded Jew, who was attracted to Jesus’ teaching, would have a hard time accepting Jesus if he didn’t believe Jesus fulfilled the prophecy. Matthew writing to a Jewish audience knew this, and that is why it seems he is going out of his way to show the connection between ancient prophecies and the facts of Jesus’ life.

Doesn't it make more sense that the lineage to David's house would be on Mary's side?

2012-02-10T13:46:00.000-06:00

Father Maletta Responds: Your question is very observant and from our world view make good sense. However, in the world that Jesus was born into, one’s only identity was from one’s father. Matthew’s Gospel was written to a Jewish audience who would not be able to culturally comprehend an identity generated from the maternal. Furthermore, Matthew is trying to show his Jewish readers that this faith in Jesus is not a new religion but a fulfillment of Judaism. To do this Matthew regularly demonstrates that Jesus was foretold by the Jewish prophets, that the facts of Jesus’ life match these ancient Jewish prophecies. In Luke’s Gospel the lineage looks different because Luke is writing to a gentile audience so the lineage is traced back to Adam to show that Jesus’s gift of salvation is intended to all people. Matthew is appealing to Jews to believe in Jesus while Luke appeals to gentiles; Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the Jewish law and prophets, Luke as the Christ for all people. Not unlike tailoring a message for a certain demographic the two gospel writers shape their presentation to make the biggest impact on their targeted audience. The culture of that time was far more symbolic than we are today so when Matthew claims Jesus is from the house of David he is making a powerful connection to this symbolism. Legally, culturally and practically Jesus was the son of Joseph – if only by adoption – so it is appropriate for Matthew to make the Davidic claim.

Week Six - 2012

2012-02-05T08:57:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from February 5th through February 11th (Days 36 - 42)

Week Five - 2012

2012-01-29T16:26:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from January 29th through February 4th (Days 29 - 35)

Week Four - 2012

2012-01-22T09:39:00.002-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from January 22nd through January 28th (Days 22 - 28).

Week Three - 2012

2012-01-15T15:33:00.002-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from January 15th through January 21st (Days 15 - 21).

Week Two - 2012

2012-01-07T23:32:00.002-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from January 8th through January 14th (Days 8 - 14).

Week One - 2012

2012-01-01T07:51:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from January 1st through January 7th (Days 1 - 7)

5 Bible Reading Ideas

2011-12-28T08:45:00.000-06:00

1. Consider accepting the motto of "No Bible, No breakfast" or"No Bible, No bed" as a way of motivating you to make sure that you have spent time reading your Bible each day.

2. Every time you begin reading, start with a prayer like, "Lord, open my eyes that I might see wonderful things from Your Word." It really makes a difference when you ask God each day for His help to understand His Word.

3. Do not worry if you run into words or names that you cannot pronounce. Just move through them as quickly as you can and try to look for one new God-given thought from your readings for that day.

4. As the old saying goes, "Either your Bible will keep you from sin - or sin will keep you from your Bible!" Remember that Satan loves a dusty Bible. Keep reading daily!

5. When you finish your Read Through the Bible - New Testament program on December 31, 2012, you will be someone that God can use more fully for His puposes in the world. Keep your commitment to finish the New Testament in 2012 and you will never regret it for the rest of your life.

SJE to Read Through the New Testament in 2012

2011-12-20T13:20:00.001-06:00

Increase your knowledge of Scripture and your Lord and strengthen your faith. Join Father Maletta on January 1, 2012 for a daily reading of the New Testament. By the end of the year you will have read through all 27 books of the New Testament!

In 2009, our Read Through the Bible had over 500 participants on the journey. We're hopeful there will be over 1,000 faithful who will read through the New Testament in 2012.

We will once again make use of this blog for you to leave questions regarding anything you have read.

Purchase your copy of "My Daily Catholic Bible: New Testament" in the parish or Narthex office today for only $10. It will be a wonderful thing to stand before our Lord one day and be able to tell Him that we read the book that He gave us!

Biblical Reflections from Father Maletta

2010-01-26T07:57:00.000-06:00

Homosexuality is one of those highly charged issues where a balanced approach is very difficult to find (See Cat 2357 & 2359). The passage we are dealing with, the story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorah, is often used to condemn homosexuality. I do not want to get into that quagmire but offer some additional information that might help us better understand the story.

It has always struck me strange that the whole town of Sodom was populated by homosexuals. I may be sheltered but I have not met that many homosexuals in my lifetime let alone a whole town of them. How, in that time and culture would so many homosexuals gather? Furthermore, how could it be a homosexual town if there were boys among the men gathered outside Lot’s house? The presence of “young” implies procreation and that requires heterosexual intercourse. Were the men of Sodom bi-sexual? It is something that has always caused me to wonder. Without getting too gross here maybe understanding the historical context of male to male anal sex might be helpful.

Throughout history, including examples in our own time, when men want to humiliate another man they perform anal sex on him. Particularly, in the period of history that Lot’s story takes place in, when an army defeated an enemy (we will see too many examples of this as we read the Old Testament) they would rape, murder and enslave the women and children, but the ultimate sign of defeat and humiliation was the practice of the conquering army sodomizing the men of the defeated army.

The idea was to insult the men by treating them like women. So part and parcel of the practice of male-male anal sex was the notion that men should be "macho" and the women are inferior, pieces of property at the service of men. Ladies I know you do not like reading this, to be sure I am not endorsing this, it’s just an historical fact. Women were considered to be of the same value as livestock. Part of Salvation History is God teaching us the value and dignity of women unfortunately that lesson does not come in this story.

However, at this time and place in history, God was still at the beginning of forming a people and giving them the understanding that we have today – it makes you wonder what we have yet to learn from God.

Back then if you wanted to utterly humiliate your foe you would treat him like a woman. In fact, throughout Western history, a main reason for opposition to male-male sex was that it supposedly makes a man act like a woman. Saint John Chrysostom in the East and Saint Augustine in the West in the Fifth Century and Peter Cantor in the 12th, outspoken Christian opponents of homogenitality, both raised that argument. Saint Augustine wrote, "The Body of a man is as superior to that of a woman as the soul is to the body."

So there may have been a few true homosexuals around Lot’s home who found the travelers attractive but I think it more likely that any stranger was a potential foe who may be there to spy for a future invasion. Potential foes had to be put in their place so the men of the town wanted to make sure these visitors left humiliated – effeminized - as a sign to any others strangers who might be interested in scoping out their territory. To be sure their actions were evil but not necessarily motivated by homosexual lust. They were doing what seemed acceptable for their time and culture. Lot’s resistance is a counter sign. Lot’s objection to such practices represents God’s view. Lot rises above the common standard – both by welcoming the stranger and resisting the town’s desire to violate and humiliate his guests – thereby creating a standard closer to God’s heart.

Homosexuality is something that has, does and most likely will always grab our attention and stir deep feelings one way or the other. It is hard not to just focus on the fact that this story involves homosexual acts but the story is really more about how God calls us to hospitality and away from any practice that humiliates or belittles another.

Biblical Reflections from Fr. Maletta

2010-01-20T10:32:00.000-06:00

I hardly read the next installment of the Read Through the Bible (RTB) before I was once again stopped in my tracks.

The story of Lot and the angels in Sodom and Lot’s offer to exchange his daughters for his two guests. Then a few verses further on, the incest between Lot and his daughters. YUCK!

This whole installment is like increasing layers of disgust.

Studying the Bible is not just reading and knowing the stories but trying to make sense in our own hearts of what the stories are about. Often it requires some reconciling of historic accounts with our own morals and values. I don’t know about you but Lot’s actions offend me, yet, St. Peter describes him a “righteous man” (2Pt 2:7-8) how is this possible?

Well, first we need to remember that our whole lives have taken place in the context of 2,000 years of developing Christian morality. I don’t think we can remind ourselves of this fact too often when reading the Old Testament.

We are not reading a newspaper account of something that happened in a different culture in our time – we are reading about a primitive people whose culture is so vastly different and whose self-awareness as child of God is in its embryonic stage. In other words, we must do our best not to judge characters like Lot too harshly and look past what bothers our sensitivities and search out the lesson God has placed for all peoples of all times and places. In my next blog I will get into the story and try to break it down.

Biblical Reflections from Fr. Maletta

2010-01-15T09:57:00.000-06:00

January 15, 2010

Last year as I read through the Scriptures there were a few things that bothered me, or at least things that I did not understand.

As I begin "Read Through the Bible" in 2010, I am going to try to share with you my questions and some of the answers that I have come up with. I welcome your comments and questions too.

Okay - one of the first things that bugged me last year and again this year is how so many of the Old Testament characters lived to be so old. Adam lived 930 years and many of his descendants lived incredibly long lives as well (Gen 5:1-32). Is this true?

In Fr. Lawrence Boadt's book Reading the Old Testament, he writes: "What has always interested readers is the long lifespan that has been credited to the patriarchs. This was not intended as proof that humans lived to such ripe old ages in the first days of the world, but a device to show just how vast a distance separates our own world of experience from that of the story itself.

The 'myth' of enormous life spans was commonly used in the ancient world to show the superiority of the beginning times. The Sumerian king list, only one of many such that we know from the Near East, lists the names and ages of the kings who lived before the flood. They range in age from 18,600 year to over 43,000 years. Hindu traditions also make exaggerated claims. One myth speaks of humans who lived 8,400,000 years."

Another weird age thing is the age of Abraham and Sarah at the time of Isaac's birth. He was reported to be 100 and she was 90. Again the exaggerated ages serves a theological purpose. God's promise does not happen in our time frame but His. God promised them a son but they had to wait with faith long beyond what would seem reasonable. That is a big part of faith - believing even though reason and common sense seem to mock our belief. Our faith stands as a bridge in the tension between promise and fulfillment. This serves to highlight how great God's gift to them was. When all hope is gone, God can bring hope.

To be honest with you, what I find even more remarkable is that following the birth of Isaac, Sarah and Abraham pack up and move. At this point, Sarah is taken into the palace of Abimelech. God warns him in a dream not to do anything to Sarah since she is married. Abimelech is righteously upset with Abraham because he led him to believe that Sarah was his sister. A few chapters earlier it appears that the Pharaoh did take Sarah as a bed companion. Does anyone have problems thinking this 90+ year old woman is so "hot" that a king can't wait to get his hands on her? There is obviously an irony here.

Again, this is a literary device that signifies the importance of the birth and the fulfillment of God's promise. To draw attention to Sarah at this point implies that when God fulfills his promises it has the effect of renewing or regenerating us. This is symbolized by Sarah apparently being totally regenerated from the physical appearance of an old woman to someone so hot that she caught the eye and fancy of the most important man in the world. Before we rush in to discount this, let us not underestimate just how truly extravagant God's promises can be!!! For in reality, there is nothing too hard for God (see Genesis 17:1-19; 20:1-18).

Catholics Come Home

2010-01-12T10:49:00.000-06:00

Catholics Come Home: "Coming home has never been easier. We are family. Welcome home."

Month Twelve

2009-12-06T20:36:00.000-06:00

Comment on daily readings in our final month (Days 335-365).

Month Eleven

2009-11-05T10:28:00.000-06:00

Comment on daily readings in the month of November (Day 305 - 334).

Month Ten

2009-10-09T10:20:00.000-05:00

Comment on daily readings in the month of October (Days 274-304).

Month Nine

2009-08-26T14:10:00.001-05:00

Comment on daily readings in the month of September (Days 244-273).

Week Thirty-Five (plus two)

2009-08-26T14:07:00.000-05:00

Comment on daily readings from August 23rd through August 31st (Days 235-243).

Week Thirty-Four

2009-08-16T21:19:00.000-05:00

Comment on daily readings from August 16th through August 22nd (Days 222-234).

Week Thirty-Three

2009-08-09T10:38:00.000-05:00

Comment on daily readings from August 9th through August 15th (Days 221-227).

Week Thirty-Two

2009-08-02T20:44:00.000-05:00

Comment on daily readings from August 2nd through August 8th (Days 214-220).

Week Thirty-One

2009-07-27T00:11:00.001-05:00

Comment on daily readings from July 26th through August 1st (Days 207-213).

Week Thirty

2009-07-20T07:03:00.000-05:00

Comment on daily readings from July 19th through July 25th (Days 200-206).

Week Twenty-Nine

2009-07-13T12:00:00.001-05:00

Comment on daily readings from July 12th through July 18th (Days 193-199).

Week Twenty-Eight (HALF WAY WEEK)

2009-07-06T07:17:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from July 5th through July 11th (Days 186-192).

Week Twenty-Seven

2009-06-30T08:46:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from June 28th through July 4th (Day 179-185).

Week Twenty-Six

2009-06-21T20:56:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from June 21st through June 27th (Days 172-178).

Week Twenty-Five

2009-06-13T12:06:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from June 14th through June 20th (Days 165-171).

Week Twenty-Four

2009-06-07T07:01:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from June 7th through June 13th (Days 158-164).

Week Twenty-Three

2009-06-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from May 31st through June 6th (Days 151-157).

Week Twenty-Two

2009-05-24T20:28:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from May 24th through May 30th (Days 144-150).

Week Twenty-One

2009-05-16T07:37:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from May 17th through May 23rd (Days 137-143).

Week Twenty

2009-05-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from May 10th through May 16th (Days 130-136).

Week Nineteen

2009-05-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from May 3rd through May 9th (Days 123-129).

Week Eighteen

2009-04-24T08:01:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from April 26th through May 2nd (Days 116-122).

Week Seventeen

2009-04-19T06:48:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from April 19th through April 25th (Days 109-115).

Week Sixteen

2009-04-12T00:44:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from April 12th (Happy Easter!) through April 18th (Days 102-108).

Week Fifteen (Holy Week)

2009-04-05T23:36:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from April 5th through April 11th (Days 95-101).

Week Fourteen

2009-03-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from March 29th through April 4th (Days 88-94).

Week Thirteen

2009-03-22T01:02:00.001-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from March 22nd through March 28th (Days 81-87).

Week Twelve

2009-03-15T06:59:00.000-05:00

Comment on weekly readings from March 15th through March 21st (Days 74-80).

Week Eleven

2009-03-07T22:15:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from March 8th through March 14th (Days 67-73).

Week Ten

2009-03-01T20:47:00.001-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from March 1st through March 7th (Days 60-66).

Week Nine

2009-02-22T06:53:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from February 22nd through February 28th (Days 53-59).

Week Eight

2009-02-14T21:40:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from February 15th through February 21st (Days 46-52).

Adult Faith Formation

2009-02-09T13:53:00.000-06:00

Coming Soon!!! Dr. Al will present an Adult Faith Formation session on the Old Testament prophecies of Jesus Christ and how those are fulfilled in the New Testament. Join us in the Panel Room on March 5th, 12th and 19th from 7 to 9 PM. Check the bulletin for full details.

Week Seven

2009-02-08T07:36:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from February 8th through February 14th (Days 39-45).

Week Six

2009-02-01T07:56:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from February 1st through February 7th (Days 32-38).

Week Five

2009-01-25T20:35:00.001-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from January 25th through January 31st (Days 25-31).

Week Four

2009-01-17T22:28:00.001-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from January 18th through January 24th (Days 18-24).

Week Three

2009-01-14T09:27:00.001-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from January 11th through January 17th (Days 11 - 17).

Week Two

2009-01-14T09:25:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from January 4th through January 10th (Days 4 - 10).

Week One

2009-01-14T09:23:00.000-06:00

Comment on weekly readings from January 1st through January 3rd (Days 1 - 3).

5 Bible Reading Ideas

2009-01-14T09:17:00.000-06:00

1. Consider accepting the motto of "No Bible, No breakfast" or "No Bible, No bed" as a way of motivating you to make sure that you have spent time reading your Bible each day.

2. Every time you begin reading, start with a prayer like, "Lord, open my eyes that I might see wonderful things from Your Word." It really makes a difference when you ask God each day for His help to understand His Word.

3. Do not worry if you run into words or names that you cannot pronounce. Just move through them as quickly as you can and try to look for one new God-given thought from your readings for that day.

4. As the old saying goes, "Either your Bible will keep you from sin - or sin will keep you from your Bible!" Remember that Satan loves a dusty Bible. Keep reading daily!

5. When you finish your Read Through the Bible program on December 31, 2009, you will be someone that God can use more fully for His puposes in the world. Keep your commitment to finish in 2009 and you will never regret it for the rest of your life.