THE BREAD OF LIFE CATHOLIC BIBLE STUDY
By Deacon Ken and Marie Finn
BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
Pray and ask God to speak to you through His Holy Spirit. “THE PARACLETE, THE HOLY SPIRIT WHOM THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME, WILL INSTRUCT YOU IN EVERYTHING, AND REMIND YOU OF ALL THAT I TOLD YOU.” (JOHN 14:26)
FIRST DAY Reread last week’s readings.
1. What was a helpful or a new thought from the readings or from the homily you heard on Sunday?
2. From what you learned, what personal application did you choose to apply to your life this week?
SECOND DAY READ DANIEL 7:13-14 FIRST READING
(“…his kingship shall not be destroyed.”)
l. Who was having visions during the night? Daniel 7:1
2. What did he see coming on the clouds of heaven, and into whose presence did he come? Daniel 7:13
3. What will we all see? Mark 14:62
4. What will the son of man receive? Daniel 7:14
5. What did Jesus say was given to him? Matthew 28:18
6. What shall the Lord do in the time of kings? Daniel 2:44
7. Who shall serve the Lord? Daniel 7:14
8. What two things did Jesus come to do? Matthew 20:28
9. What is his dominion, and what shall not happen to it? Daniel 7:14
10. We who are receiving the unshakable kingdom should do what? Hebrews 12:26-29
Personal – In what area in your life does God not have dominion over you? How can you give him complete control and kingship over every area of your life?
THIRD DAY READ REVELATION 1:5-8 SECOND READING
(“…who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,”)
1. Who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth? Revelations 1:5, 1 Corinthians 15:20
2. If Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, in what else should he be first? Colossians 1:18
3. What has Jesus done by his blood, what has this made us, and who gets the glory and power forever? Revelation 1:5-6
4. From what did Christ’s blood cleanse our consciences, and to do what? Hebrews 9:14
5. If we walk in the light as he is in the light, what will we have, and how are we cleansed? 1 John 1:7
6. What are we to let happen to us? 1 Peter 2:5
7. Who will see him coming amidst the clouds, and who will lament him? Revelation 1:7
8. When the Son of Man comes in all his glory, how will he repay everyone? Matthew 16:27
9. What did the Lord God say? Revelation 1:8
10. Who does the Lord God give a gift from the spring of living water? Revelation 21:6
Personal – What signs do you show by your speech and actions of dying to self for those around you, that reveal you have been made into a kingdom, priests for our God and Father? How has this been done?
FOURTH DAY READ JOHN 18:33-37 GOSPEL
(“Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”)
1. What did Pilate ask Jesus, and what was Jesus’ question back to him? John 18:33-34
2. What did Pilate say he was not, and who did he say handed Jesus over to him? John 18:35
3. What did Jesus say about his kingdom? John 18:36
4. Who did Jesus say his Father would provide, and why does Jesus say he does not call upon his Father? Matthew 26:53-54
5. Where did Jesus say is the kingdom of God? Luke 17:20-21
6. What did Pilate say to Jesus, and for what did Jesus say he was born and to testify to? John 18:37
7. To what does Jesus testify to? John 3:32
8. What does everyone who belongs to the truth do? John 18:37
9. Who hears the words of God? John 8:47
10. How do we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit? 1 John 4:6
Personal – If the kingdom of God, Jesus’ Holy Spirit, is among you and within you, to whom and what have you been listening? How do you determine if the person speaking is speaking truth? Share this with someone. How can you apply this to your everyday life?
FIFTH DAY READ PSALM 93:1-2, 5
(“…holiness befits your house.”)
Read and meditate on Psalm 93:1-2, 5.
What is the Lord saying to you personally through the Psalm?
How can you apply this to your life?
SIXTH DAY READ ALL OF THE COMMENTARY
DANIEL 7:13-14
This passage reveals Daniel’s vision of the end times. Daniel describes the arrival of a man; this man is the Messiah. Jesus used the above verse to refer to himself in scripture (Luke 21:27). Daniel, while feeling disturbed and confused about these prophecies, recognized, as we need to recognize today, that their full meaning has not been revealed. The full implications of these prophecies or any other of God’s prophecies will not be known until God reveals them to his people.
Daniel’s prophecy is a tremendous message of hope and comfort for the many who are sick, lonely, abandoned and lost. This vision was told to many people, and the Son of Man was, of course, the Messiah who is Jesus Christ. We today can look at prophecy and see that the full meaning is still to come. Jesus has come to free us from the grasp of Satan, but there is still much evil in our lands. We know that the power of the Holy Spirit is his power, and that power is eternal. We also know that the government of the Lord is a corrupt-free government.
Jesus tells us that he will return to raise up all his followers to the Father. We all must stand before God and give an account of our lives. If you were to see God arrive on clouds from heaven and your life were judged by God today, what would he say about it? How would he measure your life against his word? We need to ask what we would like him to see at that time. Then we should live that way beginning now.
REVELATION 1:5-8
Today’s reading shows us that we can be assured that God’s word is reliable because the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the source of truth. We have seen in scripture that others had risen from the dead. The apostles, prophets, and Jesus himself had brought people back to life during their ministries. But all of them eventually died.
Jesus Christ was the only person who ever was born to die. He died so that you and I could live forever with him. He paid the ransom for us, and it was a ransom of blood. One of the most difficult things Christian believers are asked is to share what Christ really means to them personally. Many Christians hesitate to share what Christ has done in their lives because they do not feel the change has been very noticeable. You qualify as a witness for Jesus because of what he has done for you, not because of what you have done for him.
Today’s passage shares with us that Christ has done specific things for each person that can be shared with others. Christ demonstrated his great love for us by setting us free from our sins, through his death on the cross, guaranteeing us a place in his kingdom if we choose to believe in him. The fact that Christ has offered eternal life to you is nothing short of a spectacular testimony on your behalf. Jesus is shown as an all-powerful king, victorious at battle, glorious in peace. We can be victorious also in battle and glorious in peace when Jesus is our Lord and Savior, because the battle is his, and not ours.
JOHN 18:33-37
Jesus was taken to the palace of the Roman Governor. His accusers would not go in, for that would have defiled them. Entering the house of a Gentile (Pilate’s house) would cause a Jewish person to be ceremonially defiled by Jewish law. As a result, he could not take part in worship at the temple or feasts. These men kept the pretense of religion while harboring murder and treachery in their hearts. Pilate knew very well what was going on, and that the religious leaders hated Jesus, and he did not want to act as their executioner. Pilate also knew that they could not sentence Jesus to death themselves, because that permission had to come from a Roman leader.
Pilate was interested in Jesus’ reply of being a king to make sure Jesus was not trying to overthrow the government. The Jews were using the title “King” to mean their religious ruler, the “Messiah.” The Jews were looking for a powerful savior for their captive nation. They wanted someone who could free them from the Roman empire’s grip of control. They looked at Jesus with contempt and even disgust: this wandering “suffering servant;” this blasphemer.
Jesus answered Pilate very clearly that he was a king, but his kingdom was not of this world. Pilate, while believing Christ, still rejected his claim. The tragedy Pilate committed is one that many people make today, and that is believing that Christ is the Messiah but not living their lives as he calls them to do. We have no excuse, we have read about Christ, we have studied scripture, and we have been taught by our church that he is our Lord and Savior. The tragedy is that there are many “so-called Christians” who live their lives in complete opposition to what Christ is teaching. To Pilate and many people then and now, truth is what is agreed upon by the majority of the people. Truth is Jesus Christ (John 14:6), and only through truth (John 8:32) can we ever be set really free.
Application
The first reading teaches a message of hope and comfort found in prophecy and a vision of God. The second reading shows God’s word is reliable because God is truth (John 14:6). The Gospel reveals hypocrisy can never be the core of true religion.
This week, be specific, be truthful, and say to members of your family or to friends only what is uplifting about them. Do not try to flatter them because flattery is dishonest. But, for one week, speak only about what is good about that particular person. Give only a praise report and watch an incredible transformation take place. Jesus spoke the truth because he is the truth. You can speak only the truth this week because you have the Holy Spirit and his power within you (1 John 4:4) to speak only the truth. Let all who know you know that you are reliable because you speak only the truth.