Reading Sacred Scripture

[gerry_clark]

Fidelis,

Your site and questions are a good beginning.

You may want to add the Gospel Acclamaition. The Alleluia verse(s). This captures the
theme of that unites all of the other 4 Lectionary readings. You can add the Entrance and’
Communion Antiphons from the Roman Missal to support this unified theme. The Offertory
Antiphon also adds depth.

In a later response, I will provide you with the Catechism links, the paragraphs that actually
reference the verses in the pericopes in the Lectionary and antiphons.

The Bible is not a Catholic document. The Hebrew Testament is just that a Herbrew Testament that is a significant part of our heritage. The NewTestament is hollow and
empty without the Hebrew Testament as its foundation.

As you made reference, John’s Noble Shepherd relies on the cultural history of the smelling thieving shepherd,the monarch shepherd and the right of God’s chosen people to expect justice from the secular and ecclesiatical shepherds. Jeremiah then likens the
secular and ecclesiatical shepherds of his time to the smelly thieving shepherds. For
Jeremiah, this dereliction of duty is why God allows the destruction of Jerusalem.

In our study, I think we should ask how we have become like the smelly theiving shep-
herds of Jeremiah. Are there sheep, the poor, the disabled, the less fortunate that we
are derelict in our duties to serve? Are we guilty of being like the Hebrew leaders of
old?

Psalm 23 only has one Catechism reference, from verse 5 to paragraph 1293, which deals with the annointing at Confirmation. So, Psalm 23, although it is a favorite at funerals is really about the living. It is about being annointed. It deals with the joys that
can come from that annointment, but also the responsibilities of that annointment.

The Gospel gives us Jesus example of putting our own personal needs aside to be
compassionate toward the sheep that are entrusted to our care. We are annointed
to provide this care.

You were also correct to reference the previous Sunday’s reading. It helps us to know
that we need no great preparation of tools to follow Jesus’ call. We are created with all
that we need. We need to take nothing but what God has created in us to function in
the capacilty of God’s surrogate shepherds. No matter how little we have, we are rich
and well appointed because we are annointed.

 

[StLudmilla]

The Bible is not a Catholic document.

HUH What are you saying??? In terms of cannon, yes it is a Catholic document.

CCC 120 It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books.90 This complete list is called the canon of Scripture.

Secondly, “the New Testament is hollow and empty…” ???

The Catechism states otherwise

124 "The Word of God, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, is set forth and displays its power in a most wonderful way in the writings of the New Testament"96 which hand on the ultimate truth of God’s Revelation. Their central object is Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son: his acts, teachings, Passion and glorification, and his Church’s beginnings under the Spirit’s guidance

125 The Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures “because they are our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior”

There is a unity of the old and new testaments…
CCC 129 As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.107

I’m not sure where your coming from but it certainly is not orthodox Catholicism.

 

[gerry_clark]

All Canons are political.

You are right the Canon is Catholic, but not the Scripture.

The Hebrew Canon was determined in part because the Jerusalem cult did not want to recognize the contributions primarily of the Babylonian Jews, who were wealthier and
had a more universal outlook due to the diaspora.

This is why the Jerusalem cult did not recognize the writings of Baruch, he traveled between the 3 major Hebrew centers Alexandria Egypt, Jerusalem and Babylon.

It is suprising that Chanukah is celebrated as the feast of the Dedication, is based on
Macabees which is not included in the Hebrew Canon.

The Slavic or Eastern Canon has 4 more Books than the Roman Canon.

Luther, due to his response to the abuses of the Church, wanted to eliminate the
Church so he went back to the Hebrew Canon.

Inspite of the Luther(Protestant) Canon, some of the Canticles in the Protestant Book
Of Common Prayer come from Books not included in the Protestant Canon.

One of the criteria for Canonical status is whether the writings are normative and accepted
by congregations in their worship. Writings had to be widely used in worship in order to be
accepted.

There Eastern churches, at one time more sucessful and influential that the Western churches had more writings that were in wide general use, so they became a part of
the Slavic Canon.

You cite CCC which is a legitimate expression of a Catholic opinion. As an opinion it
should be recognized. However, we have seen, especially with the recent LCWR fiasco,
how wrong the CCC can be.

 

[StLudmilla]

OK now I get it, you’ve shown your colors You’re one of those LCWR nuns! The CCC is mere opinion to them for sure.

Now you may not know this, since it is mere opinion to you, but the catechism actually references the dogmatic teachings/documents of the Church. For example CCC 124, which I listed earlier, references Dei Verbum paragraph 20.

They’ve made it just so simple for us