LESSON 7: “The Beginning of the End and Only the Beginning”
Jesus’ Public Ministry and Death (CCC nos. 535 – 630)
Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute
Monday November 10, 2013
Church of the Epiphany, Coon Rapids, MN
Fr. Tom Margevičius, STL, DMin. (pending)
St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity Instructor in Liturgy, Sacraments, and Homiletics
Pastor, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, NE Minneapolis
I.
II.
Opening Prayer
Introduction (8 min)
A. Who I am
B. Situate tonight’s lesson in context CCC 422 – 534: Who is Jesus?
C. Matter for tonight
III.
Break into Small Groups
IV.
Lecture Part 1, Article 3 (Jesus Incarnate)
A. The Baptism of Jesus (535 – 537)
B. Jesus’ Temptations (538 – 540)
C. “The Kingdom of God is at hand” (541 – 542)
D. The proclamation of the Kingdom of God (543 – 546)
E. The signs of the Kingdom of God (547 – 550)
F. “The keys of the kingdom” (551 – 553)
G. A foretaste of the Kingdom: the Transfiguration (554 – 556)
H. Jesus’ ascent to Jerusalem (557 – 558)
I. Jesus’ messianic entrance into Jerusalem (559 – 560)
Lecture Part 2: Article 4: Jesus Christ suffered, crucified, died, was buried
A. Introduction (571 – 573)
B. Paragraph 1: Jesus and Israel (574 – 576)
1. Jesus and the Law (577 – 582)
2. Jesus and the Temple (583 – 586)
3. Jesus and Israel’s Faith in the One God and Savior (587 – 591)
C. Paragraph 2: Jesus Died Crucified.
1. The Trial of Jesus: Divisions among the Jewish authorities (595 – 596)
a. Jews are not collectively responsible for Jesus’ death (597)
b. All sinners were the authors of Christ’s Passion (598)
2. Christ’s Redemptive Death: Handed over according to God’s plan (599 – 600)
a. He died for our sins in accordance with Scriptures (601)
b. For our sake God made him to be sin (602 – 603)
c. God takes initiative on universal redeeming love (604 – 605)
3. Christ offered self to Father for our sins: Whole life an offering (606 – 607)
a. Lamb who takes away the sin of the world (608)
b. Jesus freely embraced the Father’s redeeming love (609)
c. Last Supper = Jesus’ anticipation of free offering His life (610 – 611)
d. Agony at Gethsemane (612)
V.
e. Christ’s death the unique, definitive sacrifice (614)
f. Jesus substitutes His obedience for our disobedience (615)
g. Jesus consummates his sacrifice on the Cross (616 – 617)
h. Our participation in Christ’s sacrifice (618)
D. Paragraph 3: Jesus Christ was buried (624)
1. Christ in the tomb in his body (625 – 626)
2. You will not let your Holy One see corruption (627)
3. Buried with Christ in Baptism (528)
VI.
VII.
VIII.
Closing prayer
Questions?
Bibliography
Romano Guardini. The Lord. Orig. 1954; now several publishers
A classic work, reverent and attentive.
Frank J. Sheed. To Know Christ Jesus. Orig. 1962; several publishers
This “street evangelist” knew scriptures intimately.
Fulton J. Sheen. The Life of Christ. Orig. 1958, several publishers.
Full of the Irish wit and Ecclesial sensitivities of this master preacher.
Pope Benedict XVI. Jesus of Nazareth. San Francisco: Ignatius Press. Vol.1 (2007): public
life; vol. 2 (2011): Holy Week; vol. 3 (2012): infancy narratives.
Honest, learned yet accessible to most readers. What’s not to love about Benedict’s
writings?
Gerhard Lohfink. Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was. Collegeville: Liturgical
Press, 2012.
More scholarly, yet rewarding to the eager reader. Recommended by Pope Benedict
(he read the original German).
John P. Meier. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. New York: Doubleday. Vol.
1 (1991): Roots of the Problem; vol. 2 (1994): Mentor, Message, and Miracles; vol. 3 (2001):
Companions and Competitors; vol. 4 (2009): Law and Love.
Over 3,000 pages and counting (a fifth volume in the works) Not for the casual
reader. Meier is a historical-critical scholar who questions the historicity of some
Gospel accounts and traditional assumptions. No serious theologian can afford to
ignore him.
Amy Jill Levine. The Misunderstood Jew. New York: Harper-Collins, 2006.
A practicing Jew & New Testament scholar (go figure) who, while she hasn’t reached
the personal conviction that Jesus is the Messiah, nevertheless treats him fairly and
respectfully and understands why Christians so regard him.
Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Jewish People and their Sacred Scriptures in the
Christian Bible. Vatican City: Liberia Editrice Vaticana, 2002.
Cautions that Christians must not read the Old Testament in any way that would
denigrate Judaism.
Pierre Barbet, M.D. A Doctor at Calvary. The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ as Described
by a Surgeon. Roman Catholic Books, 1993.
Sometimes graphic description of the suffering Jesus endured.
Jim Bishop. The Day Christ Died. Orig. 1957. Several publishers.
Classic study, surpassed by others for their more recent scholarship, but not
surpassed in its respectful reading of the Gospels.