Help Finding a Passage ...

[The_Truthinator]

Shalom, again!

My dad is a very conservative fellow who fills his head with very conservative thoughts from various, right-wing political preachers, as I’ve come to know them. He could probably deliver a great sermon on the lies of global warming, quote any number of said preachers, etc., but has previously shown little to no interest in the Scriptures, in the pure Word of God, and often misses services Sunday in favor of yard work or rest. Recently, though, after I recited for him Romans 1-4, which my discipleship leader and I had memorized beforehand, he listened attentively and came up to me that night while I was in the bonus room. He beat around the bush. “Hey, if someone were to start reading the Bible, where do you think is a good place to start? At the beginning, or a specific books, or–?” I cut him off. “John.” He nodded, taking this to heart, and picked up the book I’d been reading, The Ragamuffin Gospel. After reclining and reading for a while, he handed it back, told me to keep it where he found find it, and walked away.

I’ve found that by locating verses, stories, etc., that are relevant to his interests, I can keep him tuned in for a time … I opened my new New Jerusalem Bible to begin reading and I opened to an old, old, old apologue: Judges 9:7-15. I originally had interpreted it as being about the Olive Tree, Fig Tree, and Vine about sacrificing their values (or rather, a part of themselves) in becoming a political authority and thus refusing on these grounds. Upon reaching the end, however, I was less sure. In any case, it got me thinking:

Do you know of any good politically-oriented morals, lessons, stories, or verses, that might catch a man of such a description?

 

[geezerbob]

Break out the CCC. It gives the scriptural references for almost everything in it and should give you lots of ideas.

 

[dosdog]

How about the Saints -
Accountants St. Matthew
Matthew was a Jew who worked for the occupying Roman forces, collecting taxes from other Jews. Though the Romans probably did not allow extremes of extortion, their main concern was their own purses. They were not scrupulous about what the “tax-farmers” got for themselves. Hence the latter, known as “publicans,” were generally hated as traitors by their fellow Jews. The Pharisees lumped them with “sinners.” So it was shocking to them to hear Jesus call such a man to be one of his intimate followers.

americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/patrons.asp

 

[The_Truthinator]

Break out the CCC.

I don’t own a copy … Is there a site?

 

[BeeSweet]

I don’t own a copy … Is there a site?

Here you go:

Catechism of the Catholic Church

You should get yourself a copy though! Very good thing to have.

 

[MariaG]

I don’t own a copy … Is there a site?

I like this site.

You can go to the bottom and look up subjects.

For example, go to P and you will find with links to the various places in the Catechism. When you look up the different places in the catechism, if you look at the footnotes, it will tell you where in the bible it is referring to.

Parable(s)
significance and purposes of, 546, 2607
various parables
of the Good Samaritan, 1465
of the good shepherd, 1465
of the importunate friend, 2613
of the importunate widow, 2613
of the just judge, 1465
of the leaven, 2660, 2832
of the Last Judgment, 1038
of the lost sheep, 605
of the merciful servant, 2843
of the Pharisee and the tax collector, 2613, 2839
of the poor man Lazarus, 633, 1021, 2463, 2831
of the prodigal son, 1439, 1465
of the seed, 543
of the sower, 2707
of the talents, 1880, 1937
of the two ways, 1696
of the weeds, 681, 827

 

[The_Truthinator]

Does the actual Catechism begin with the section entitled “Part One”? The Prologue threw me …

 

[BeeSweet]

Does the actual Catechism begin with the section entitled “Part One”? The Prologue threw me …

Yup, it starts with Part One, which focuses on our creed.

 

[Cat]

When I read your description of your dad, my first thought was I and II Samuel, the whole story of Samuel, Saul, and David. Lots of action. Lots of betrayals and attempts to overthrow the throne and sins–it’s real man stuff.

Our Women’s Catholic Bible Fellowship studied these two books a few years ago. Wonderful stuff, although a lot of violence. But someone who is into politics would probably really enjoy all the intrigue. It’s neat to see how God works in the governments of men.

 

[Bennie_P]

Does the actual Catechism begin with the section entitled “Part One”? The Prologue threw me …

You might want to use the Compendium**OF THE **CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH also which has a Question and Answer format with references back to the related paragraphs in the CCC.