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This short series of talks were given during the lenten season of 2022 at the behest of the Maronite Youth Association -- Saint Ephrem Chapter in San Diego California. The series focuses on Judgment, Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Its purpose is to invite its listeners to a deeper conversion, a turning away from sin, and a turning towards the Lord.
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The Book of Leviticus is known as the Law, that is the Law that Moses -- not God -- gave to his people in the wake of the golden calf and the rejection of the Ten Commandments. The Law is inextricably bound to the Levitical priesthood instituted at the same time. It is common for readers of the Bible to skip Leviticus, or to skim over it quickly: its detailed listing of seemingly inscrutable laws have very little in common with our daily lives. Further, there are commentators who suggest tha ...
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The Book of Deuteronomy is Moses' commentary on the Law given in Leviticus. Here, Moses gives his farewell address to Israel, expressing both his love for his nation, his hopes and fears for its future. Deuteronomy is the companion book to Leviticus. Together, they provide us a set of wide-ranging laws that govern the liturgical, sacrificial, familial, and civil life of Israel under one main heading: "Holiness unto the Lord." Yet, Moses knew how deeply flawed the nation was. Forty years in t ...
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Creationism, Big-Bang, Evolution, Adam and Eve, the Flood, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph... This study covers these topics and many more in a Catholic mindset. Discover the depth and beauty of Genesis and deepen your relationship with God by meditating on His paternal care to those who love Him. The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible because without a proper understanding of the unfolding events from Adam to Joseph the sense of Scripture will be truncated and obscured. This book ...
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Qorbono is a Syriac word that points to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, the Mass, and the Eucharist. Qorbono offers in-depth bible studies meant to help you make sense of the Scriptures according to the mind of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Foundation Library is an essential study of Scripture to help you understand God's overarching plan. It covers essential elements required to better understand the Gospels and the words of Jesus: How should we read the Scripture? What is a covena ...
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The Book of Exodus is an adventure, a divine mystery, a recapitulation of salvation history, a tragic account of fall and redemption. Above all it is a love story between God and humanity. While this study is not a verse-by-verse on Exodus, it focuses on ten salient points of the book: 01. The Election of Moses as a prophet for his people 02. The revelation of the Holy Name of the Lord 03. The Ten Plagues of Egypt 04. The flight into the wilderness 05. The Israelites reaction after they had ...
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If Exodus is the face of the Pentateuch turning away from Egypt, Numbers is the turning to the Promised Land. How painful it is sometimes for us to leave what we love behind to follow Love into the wilderness.This series is not a verse-by-verse study of the Book of Numbers; it is a study of the human heart as he learns to leave behind the good of the world for the greatest good: Duties of the Priesthood: how they must serve the Lord The celebration of the Second Passover Israel's fall and th ...
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Slides of this talk can be found here. Also, if you wish to watch the video mentioned in the talk, you can see it here. What is Heaven? Where is it, and what do the saints do there? Is Heaven a boring place where all we do is pray? How can we develop an authentic desire for Heaven? In this talk we go over the scriptural passages that speak of Heave…
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You can find the associated slides here. We begin our study by defining what purgatory is and who it is for. Next, we consider the Protestant objections to the existence of Purgatory. We look at the beliefs of the earliest Christians and of the Church Fathers -- All before 450 A.D. In the third part of this study, we go over the Scriptural passages…
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You can find the associated slides here. In this second topic of the Four Last Things, we begin our study by considering the scriptural texts for the existence and eternity of Hell. Next, we establish the necessity of Hell and then discuss the relationship between Hell and God's Mercy. Following, we take a closer look at the nature of Hell, paying …
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You can find the associated slides here. We first consider the actual meaning of Judgment, then we consider the various types of judgment that Scripture presents to us. Having gained a better understanding of the meaning of judgment we consider next the relationship between God's Judgment and His Mercy. Following that, we dive into the Particular J…
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Deuteronomy #11 The end of Deuteronomy is the end of the Pentateuch and it is ominous, for, in his Song, Moses already foresees Israel's betrayal and the harsh consequences to follow. Moses calls heaven and earth as witnesses. Indeed, every lawsuit requires two witnesses who are upright and agree in their testimony, and what heaven and earth will w…
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Deuteronomy #10 Moses has presented all the terms of the second covenant to the people (4: 44–26: 19; 28). He now summons them to ratify it Having called Israel to ratify the covenant, Moses reminds Israel, once more, of the Exodus from Egypt and explains that the reason why God allowed Israel to wander in the desert for forty years was to teach th…
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Deuteronomy #9 Having completed his discourse on the laws that should govern Israel, Moses reminds Israel of the necessity of obedience: obedience to these laws is obedience to God. Moses warns the Israelites: Do not obey the law as if it were a mere legal code instead show your love of God by obeying. "This day the LORD your God commands you to do…
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Deuteronomy #8 This lecture continues the study of laws pertaining to ordinary everyday lives in the context of ancient Israel. It covers forbidden relationships, the sanctity of the military camp, and other related laws. All along, in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses's focus remains the sanctification of Israel. His singular focus is proper modes of…
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Deuteronomy #7 Having dealt with civil and religious authorities, Moses turns his attention in chapters 20-22 to the lives of ordinary people and legislates on warfare, murder, and the family. Moses understands that unless the law becomes part of daily living it will remain just that a law that could be forgotten and discarded. He begins his teachi…
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Deuteronomy #6 What is the relationship between civil and religious authorities? As we shall see in this lecture, the separation between Church and State did not start in the United States; it started in Deuteronomy. In these chapters, Moses enacts laws that govern the annual religious cycle of festivals, and then he introduces laws that govern civ…
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Deuteronomy #5 Sometimes, as is the case with Deuteronomy Chapters 12 through 15, Scripture seems disorganized and confusing. Whenever this happens, we are better than assuming that the confusion is wholly ours and not Scripture's. In the section of the law ranging from Chapters 12 through 15, Moses, seemingly, covers a series of disparate and disc…
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Deuteronomy #4 In this sermon (9: 1– 10: 22) Moses continues to address dangers to the faith that might develop as a consequence of the conquest, a theme he began in chapters 7 and 8. Moses preaches against the feeling of self-righteousness that defeating the Canaanites might engender. He states that victory can be no proof of virtue, for Israel’s …
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Deuteronomy #3 Moses’ second and longest discourse extends from 4:44 through 28:69 Moses reminds the people of the purpose of the Law. He reminds them that it was they who did not want to hear the voice of God at Horeb and asked Moses to become their mediator. As a mediator then, Moses is completing what he had begun forty years ago. After forty ye…
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Deuteronomy #2 Moses’ first discourse (Deut. 1:6 - 4:40) serves as a prologue to the book, describing the historical events leading up to the laws he proclaims in 4: 44 through chapter 28. The prologue consists of two divisions: A retrospective on the events that led to the exodus (1:6 - 3:29), and An exhortation, based on historical experience, to…
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Deuteronomy #01 Deuteronomy is a commentary, a sort of didactic explanation given by Moses about the first four books of the Pentateuch. It is also the Testament of Moses, the last loving words spoken by the great patriarch to the Children of Israel. Thirty-eight years of wandering are coming to an end. The first generation who rebelled against God…
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Book of Leviticus #18 Chapter 26:14-46 must be taken seriously by anyone who wishes to take God seriously. It presents a sobering account of the extent to which God is prepared to go in order to save us. Ultimately, though, for those who like pharaoh harden their hearts and refuse his mercy, there remains one ultimate and eternal outcome: hell. Cur…
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Book of Leviticus #17 Leviticus 26:3-13 tells the Israelites that if they walk in the Lord's statutes and observe his commandments then the Lord will bless them. What is the extent of these blessings and what do they mean today for us? This same truth is taught in the New Testament albeit in a different way. In addition to the teaching on the last …
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Book of Leviticus #16 In Leviticus 23:4 God instructs the people to keep the feasts at their appointed time. Therefore, the people had to preserve their spiritual heritage and pass it on. Passover came in the Spring, the month of Nissan (March-April) at the time of the Barley harvest. It was immediately followed by the seven days Feast of Unleavene…
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Book of Leviticus #15 Leviticus 23 is structured as a calendar identifying The occasions for festivals The times assigned for them The liturgies to be followed. God, as the Lord of the Covenant, establishes the time of meeting through the holy days and festivals of the year. The people had to respond by sanctifying themselves in order to complete t…
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Book Of Leviticus #14 It is not enough to know the law; one must live by it. But what does it mean to "live by the law?" Chapter 20 of the Book of Leviticus presented pious Israelite with a mode of living acceptable to God. Recall that the thrust of the Levitical law is to make the presence of the Israelite (and by extension any other human being) …
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Book of Leviticus #13 What is the real purpose of the Law? What did God intend when he gave the Israelites the law? It is tempting to read Leviticus as a litany of obscure tribal laws that may have made sense in antiquity but are as irrelevant to our daily lives as Hammurabi's Laws ... Unlike the Babylonian legal code, Leviticus is inspired and gui…
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Book of Leviticus #12 Before spelling out the laws of conduct for families and, by extension, the lay society, the Lord begins by defining what the family is and is not. Chapter 18 of the Book of Leviticus has the most complete treatment of incest and forbidden sexual unions in the Old Testament. This may strike us as odd; after all, why not speak …
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Book of Leviticus #11 How are priests to conduct themselves? What of their marital life? Who should they mourn? Who should they bury? Chapters 21 and 22 of Leviticus complete the study we have begun with the consecration of Aaron and his sons. The Lord wishes his priests to follow a specific law of purity, beginning with marital commandments and fi…
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Book of Leviticus #10 Following the consecration of Aaron and his sons, we come face-to-face with the strange death of two priests: Nadab and Abihu; Aaron's sons. Scripture is unremitting when it comes to the Holiness of God and His Sanctuary. No sooner had Aaron and his sons been consecrated, that Nadab and Abihu went before the altar of incense a…
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Book of Leviticus #09 If the first seven chapters of Leviticus serve to introduce the sacrificial system, chapters 8 and 9 focus on the Levitical priestly order without which the entire sacrificial system of Israel collapses. If God took great care in instituting this priestly order, it is not surprising that he spilled his blood to establish the p…
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Book of Leviticus #08 The Guilt Offering (or more precisely the Purification Offering) had to be eaten within the sacred precinct by the priest the same day of the offering or, in some cases, the following day, but never the third day. If this were to happen, the sacrifice was considered null and void, the guilt remained and the one who broke the l…
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Book of Leviticus #07 What is the point of the Sin Offering if it does not cleanse the soul? Why would an Israelite who had inadvertently broken the law confess his action and offer a sacrifice if there is no redemption? Because, as the pious Jews discovered: the secret is in obedience. Leviticus can come across as a boring read; a book of irreleva…
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Book of Leviticus #06 What conduct must we have in the presence of the Lord? How should we behave when presenting an offering at the gate of the tent? What role does the officiating priest play? Can we be forgiven without the priesthood? These are the questions that Leviticus 6 covers. The Lord tells Moses to "Command Aaron and his sons..." that is…
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Book of Leviticus #05 The sacrifices recorded in chapters five and six of Leviticus are meant to expiate offenses committed unwittingly or by inadvertence; they cannot substitute to the punishment due to premeditated crimes. But if not premeditated, why do we have to expiate them? We look down on venial sins. We consider them of little significance…
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Book of Leviticus #4 Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me So says Christ in the Letters to the Hebrews. But if God did not desire sacrifices and offerings, why then the sacrificial code of Leviticus? In this lecture, we reflect on the Laws of Leviticus as seen through the Light of Christ. We begin by …
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Book of Leviticus #3 The Minha and the Zevah are the two other offerings that are not intended for the expiation of guilt. Together with the Olah, they are the prefiguration of the sacrificial offering of the Mass. If the whole-burnt offering (Olah) is meant to make the offerer acceptable in the sight of God, then the Minhah, a most sacred offering…
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Book of Leviticus #2 The Olah is the whole-burnt offering; an offering where the sacrificial victim is burnt whole as a pleasing odor to the Lord. It prefigures the death of Christ on the Cross. In this bible study, we explore important elements of the Levitical sacrificial system. We begin by asking a simple question: Why sacrifices? Why is it tha…
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Book of Leviticus #01 The Book of Leviticus foreshadows the Mass and the new life in grace that Catholics are supposed to enjoy. Many don't because they do not understand what they have been given. Leviticus is the third book of the Pentateuch -- The first five books of Scripture known as the Five Books of Moses -- The Torah. The name "Leviticus" i…
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Book of Numbers #16 The Levites did not receive their own portion of the Land. They were God's priests and lay servants and Israel was commanded to provide for its priesthood. The command still stands in the Catholic Church today. The prescription forbade Levites from owning farmland -- the major source of wealth in ancient Israel. The forty-eight …
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Book of Numbers #15 Oftentimes, we ask God for help. He provides it and shows us the way, but at the first fork in the road, we drop God's plan and go our merry way.No sooner had Israel reached the outskirts of the promised land that two tribes Gad and Reuben ask Moses to settle in the Transjordan -- which was not part of God's initial plan. Moses …
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Book of Numbers #14 The census is complete. War is coming and God prepares Israel through the holy celebration of the seventh month. War, like the rest of the calamities that plague the human race cannot be solved without the liturgy. The first day of the seventh month -- it bears repeating -- is the entryway into the holiest part of the Jewish yea…
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Book of Numbers #13 Why do governments count their people? Taxes. Why did God count Israel by ordering a census? As a preparation for the war to come. Despite the Baal Peor's incident, God did not consign the second generation for another forty years in the wilderness. He could have done that for the sin of the children in worshiping Baal is identi…
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Book of Numbers #12 If you cannot beat the people of God with prophecies and spiritual warfare, you can always count on a splendid party to flaunt the laws of God and open the gates of Hell with a smile, a song, and a kiss. Balak was intent on Israel's destruction. After the fourth attempt of Balaam to curse Israel had failed, Balak knew he would n…
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Book of Numbers #11 What would you do if God gave you the gift of Prophecy? Sit at home and keep it for yourself, use it to curse others, or sell it to the higher bidder? Such were the choices that Balaam, a man gifted with the gift of prophecy. Balaam was not an Israelite, which shows that the Spirit goes where it wishes. Very little is known of h…
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Book of Numbers #10 To be angry with God is one thing. To rebel is another. The first calls God's compassion, the other his wrath. We all face hardships, some internal, some external. Some of us carry the burden of a long-term illness, others have lost their job, a loved one, or were forced to leave their home, their country. Still, others are caug…
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Book of Numbers #9 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of any man who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD This passage, taken from Exodus 19:13, illustrates the fundamental contradiction man finds himself in: he, the unclean creature since the fall of Adam, is called to live before the Lord who is all Holy…
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Book of Numbers #8 In Hebrew, rod means also tribe. Aaron's rod that budded signaled to Israel that life springs from the consecrated priesthood. The request for a proof may very well be the poster child of our fallen human nature. Ever since original sin broke the initial harmony and concupiscence disfigured humanity, proof became the natural mean…
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Book of Numbers #7 What would you do if you were condemned to live in the wilderness all your life until you die? Whatever you do, do not rebel; unless of course, you wish to end-up like Korah and his followers. Korah was a Kohathite, that is a son of Kohath, son of Levi. He and his followers, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, bold…
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Book of Numbers #6 What happens when you trust your own eyes more than God? You end-up wandering in the desert eyes wide open. These chapters relate the dramatic events that led to the forty years stay of Israel in the desert: God, through Moses, told the Israelites to cross the Jordan and take the land beyond as theirs. They send twelve scouts and…
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Book of Numbers #5 Spiritual bounty often leads to strife; Our fallen nature tends to evil and resents the good that requires it to change, mature, and grow. It is not surprising therefore to see the Passover followed by petty complaints and jealousy. The first complaint is about misfortunes, but the complaint is not one of trust but distrust. God'…
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Book of Numbers #4 The Passover is the constant reminder for Israel of God's overwhelming presence. In the Passover, Israel remembers how the first-born died and how they were rescued from Egypt. At the heart of this remembrance is a basic truth: God is omnipotent, omniscient and man is liable to die. But this second Passover was lived around the T…
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Book of Numbers #3 How should a community respond to God's dwelling in their midst? By bearing gifts worthy of a king. Chapters 7 and 8 of the Book of Numbers focus on the gifts the chieftains of tribes brought forward once Moses finished consecrating the Tabernacle. These gifts express (a) their gratitude for the graces the Lord brought them and (…
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Book of Numbers #2 Would you like to be the bearer of a radio-active vault? Touch it you die; don't carry it and you're gone. Such is the fate of the sons of Kohath, Gershon, and Merar. The Tabernacle represents Sion. Symbolically, it is the Mountain of the Lord; his dwelling amongst men. Practically, it is the abode of the Shekinah, the holy prese…
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Book of Numbers #1 The Book of Numbers has less to do with numbers and a lot more with what happened while the Israelites lived in the wilderness. As strange as it may seem, 38 years are, for the most part, missing. The book of Numbers follows in the heels of Exodus. Its first ten chapters focus on the first nineteen days of the forty years in the …
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Exodus #16 If the twelve tribes of Israel were one human being who happens to be you, then what would the Book of Exodus be telling you? In this final study of the Book of Exodus, we take a step back and consider the entire book in its moral, or tropological setting: Is God active in your life? If so how much? Is he active now and then, watching us…
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