Session 17 - Matthew 11.20-12.37 Spirit vs Letter of law

Key Points:

What sin can’t be forgiven?  

We must look beyond the LETTER of the law to follow the SPIRIT of the law. ( So, if helping an accident victim causes you to miss Mass, helping the wounded person takes priority.)  The LAW is good and needed, but it’s ultimate purpose is to guide us as to how to love God and our fellow people better, not the other way around. 

“Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.....” means to reject God’s mercy to the end of our life...either by saying that we don’t need God’s mercy (that we don’t need God at all), or by saying that our troubles are so great that God cannot help us.  (See CCC paragraph 1864.)

We will answer for every thing we’ve said and done on the day of judgement.
(But, thank God for Purgatory!)

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About this Podcast

(Note: This blog is a supplement to the "Catholic Doctrine Bible Study" Podcast. The podcase is available for both iOS and Android) All Christians should want a closer relationship with God. Toward that end, all Christians should read the Bible! But there are so many conflicting interpretations that Bible study can be confusing if not disheartening. Which church, if any, has the God-given authority to interpret the Bible? (Listen to Session 1, if no other, to see why there can only be one answer to that question.) In this study, you will see the doctrines of the Catholic Church come alive as we go through each book of the entire Bible from a uniquely Catholic perspective. As we come across passages where there are differences in interpretation between the Catholic Church and other groups, we will point them out, and show why the Catholic Church, the one Church founded by Christ, is the one you can rely on for the Fullness of Truth. The sessions are filled with references

Session 33: Matthew 26:69-75 to 27:1-46

Key Points: Peter sinned grievously, despaired, but was forgiven, and went on to share the gospel with others: We, too, are sinners, we can similarly be forgiven, and we must share the gospel with others. Judas only despaired; gave up on God by killing himself. Never give up on God!! Don’t “wash your hands” of moral issues by taking the easy way out, as Pilate did. Jesus was not despairing on the cross, (“...why have you forsaken me?) but was reciting hopeful Scripture (Psalm 22) during his suffering. A great place for us to turn!!

Session 42: Unique-to-Luke, Luke 16:1-9, 17:7-19, 19:1-10

Key Points: 16:1-9 The Master did not commend the steward for being dishonest; he FIRED him for that. He commended the steward for forgoing his short-term commission (which may have been a normal charge) in exchange for long-term security through better relations with the master’s clients. Moral: We must put our own long-term (eternal!!) interests above our short-term earthly interests. We must put money in it’s proper perspective relative to eternal life. 17:7-10 We cannot pay back Christ for the gift He has given us: we are servants with a job to do. We owe Him, not the other way around! 19:1-10 (Zacchaeus) Emphasis: Treatment of the poor, repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness. (What is your plan to help the needy? We are not saved by faith alone, at least not in the way Luther meant it! Faith means a relationship, which necessitates service.)

Catholic Doctrine Bible Study

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