An Introduction to Scripture for Catholic School Teachers Hour 2 Tradition “…the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth” Jn 4:23

What is the point of Sacred Scripture “You search the Scriptures, because you think in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (Jn 5:39- 40) Point of Scripture is to have communion with their author who is eternal life, true fulfillment for humans, and the mystery of Love.

Eternal Life is Communion with God “That which was from the beginning, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship (communion) with us; and our fellowship (communion) is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 Jn 1-3)

Called to Communion “God is love, and he who abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16) We are very unlike God – God is eternal; without beginning; not bound by time – God is without need; not dependent – God is total gift of self…definition of selfless love

Called to Communion Humans have a beginning Humans develop in time and with time Humans are called to develop Humans are called to share in God’s own life – Eternal life (find self in authentic gift of self) – Empowered to love as God loves (faith in Jesus) – God is love – Abiding in self-less love and developing – Humans become sharers in the divine nature

What is the point of worship? We become what we love We become what we worship We become what we dedicate ourselves to We become what we center our lives upon What do you become if you center your life upon food, sex, money, prestige? What do you become if you live for God? Worship reveals the order of our lives

Worship of God make us like God God is Trinity…the mystery of personal gift to and for another person The Father knows himself through his Logos/Word/Son In knowing “God from God, Light from Light” he gives himself totally to and affirms the Logos in the Spirit without beginning (eternally), one in being God is gift of self to God…God “worships” God

Humans in the image of God Humans in the image of God are realized in doing what God does. What does God do? God loves God. God gives self totally to God. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your mind with all your soul…and love your neighbor as yourself.” Moves image from potential into actuality Surrender of will to God is realization of identity and growth into freedom; more like God…more free as God is most free.

God’s plan from the beginning God’s plan from the beginning was to develop us We can’t read the first book (Genesis) to understand this plan, because Genesis presumes you already know about worshipping God…an already worshipping community was the context in which Genesis was read…and a plan Without knowing about worshipping God, you can’t read Genesis 1-3 and 4-11 correctly. (next hour)

Who was the worshipping community which was originally hearing Genesis? In its earliest form, it was former slaves who had been delivered from Egypt. Culturally they were more pagan; culturally Egyptian polytheists rather than the revelation of monotheism. (Can you change an addict in a day?) Through what filter would they hear the teaching on the Trinity if it was given to the original culture of Exodus? Was philosophy developed that would even prevent misunderstanding?

Teaching children through ritual Can you take a child who barely knows how to count and do calculus? Quantum mechanics? There are foundations and stages that must be laid. Doesn’t the child need to move through stages of development, establishment of principles, preparatory mathematics? This is like the movement of covenants towards Jesus. Also, won’t children in better environments be more ready to listen and learn than children in violent neighborhoods fighting for survival? Need to prepare the surrounding cultures, establish institutions, in order to make lasting the education that is given and prepare to make it universal.

Moving people to mature worship Scriptures are a movement from immature worship to mature worship; from polytheism to monotheistic Trinitarian worship. Polytheist and idol worshippers moving towards knowledge of one true God under Moses…Law and commandments they didn’t understand. Surrounded by devil worshippers and cannibals, and orgy religions (cf. Wisdom 12:1-11) Old Covenants are progressively purified until God’s plan for all the nations. [What happens if we lose knowledge of God?]

Rituals for the immature cultures How do you move polytheists to monotheism and worshipping the one true God in freedom when they are stuck in bad habits? When they don’t yet really know this one true God? When their cosmology, physics, and daily practices are rooted in honoring Sun gods, river gods, earth gods, and fertility gods? When every surrounding nation is polytheists and morally degraded (per Wisdom 12)? What rituals can you give polytheists to teach them to stop worshipping animals? (see: Hahn, A Father Who Keeps His Promises) Have them sacrifice the gods: bulls and goats. To not hang-out with their neighbors stuck in polytheism? Food laws and ritual cleanliness laws. (Hahn)

First level pedagogy in worship for polytheist slaves: “For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments…” (Ex 12:12) What were the plagues about? “It would not be right to do so; for we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?” Ex 8:26 Restoring God’s line to proper worship

Divine Pedagogy: CCC # 53 “The divine plan of Revelation is realized simultaneously ‘by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other’ and shed light on each other. It involves a specific divine pedagogy: God communicates himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome by stages the supernatural Revelation that is to culminate in the person and mission of the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ.”

Defining Event to Prepare to Understand Opening of Genesis After Moses brings the culturally Egyptian tribes of Israel to Mount Sinai, what was the set-up? Exodus 19:9-15 What were the promises/purposes? 19:6 Did they keep the covenant? Exodus 32 Did Moses achieve communion? (next hour) Did animal sacrifice need to keep going? Can the events help us read Genesis better?

Were they stuck with the Law? In what context should the point of the Law be read? Was it the worship God intended? Was there a greater plan to still be finished – Looking at God’s pedagogy where were they according to the road map of Genesis 12? Read Jeremiah 31:31-33 to understand God’s intent more (next hour Hosea 2) What did Saint Paul say in Gal 4:21-29?