Sunday Dive

“Lazarus, come out!” These are the words with which Our Lord raises Lazarus from the dead but they are also the words that in many ways seal his own fate. Following the undeniable miracle of raising a man from the dead, the Pharisees and chief priests no longer stand by but decide to put Our Lord to death. But if Jesus is not conquered by death and neither is Lazarus, then our readings today offer each of us the same hope for the Resurrection.

In this episode discover:

- The location of the raising of Lazarus and how it reveals the familiarity and friendship that Jesus and Lazarus possessed

- How our Gospel provides an answer to the ever-present "problem" of evil

- The Jewish view of death that explains why Jesus waits several days before going to Lazarus

- What the preternatural gifts are and how they explain the intrinsically disturbing nature of death

- The Old Testament prophecy from the Book of Ezekiel that our New Testament miracle fulfills

Register for the Freedom in Christ Conference with Dr. Matthew Breuninger at St. Francis of Assisi in West Des Moines: www.bit.ly/ficsfa Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles when He encounters a man who has been blind from birth. Forming clay from the ground to anoint the man’s eyes, Jesus then sends him to wash in the ritual pool of Siloam. Rich with meaning we’ll expound on the liturgical practices of the Feast of Tabernacles in order to elucidate Our Lord’s work and we’ll unpack the sacramental theme of John’s Gospel to show its connections to Baptism. Finally, we’ll look at the purpose of sight from a philosophical perspective in order to contrast the responses of the two parties.

In this episode discover:

- The Jewish feast that was being observed in Jerusalem at the time when Jesus heals the blind man

- The two liturgies which would have been celebrated in the Temple during Jesus’ visit and the way in which they shed light on Our Lord’s actions

- The religious purpose of the Pool of Siloam that makes it a fitting place for the blind man’s healing

- The seven point outline of John’s Gospel and how it connects our story to the sacrament of Baptism

- Why Jesus chose to heal the blind man with dirt from the ground and how it connects his healing to the creation of Adam Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Jesus is in Samaria at a well when he asks a woman for a drink. What seems on the surface like a simple request for hospitality unfolds into a veritable proposal of love. Surveying the Old Testament instances of a man and a woman at a well uncovers the nuptial overtones of our Gospel and a look at the story of Jacob and Rachel’s first meeting displays a manly strength that Jesus Himself will show upon the cross. Finally, we’ll employ our first reading for a telling connection with the Eucharist, one which reminds us of the intense love of God and the intense longing with which He desires that we love Him back.

In this episode discover:

- The three patriarchs whose wives were found at wells

- The significance of the woman’s midday visit to the well and the probable reason for it

- The five peoples that intermarried with the Samaritans and the parallels they hold with the woman’s five husbands

- The practice of Jewish divorce in the 1st Century and why it likely means that the woman was left (vs. doing the leaving)

- The Eucharistic allusions present in our readings and their nuptial overtones Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Katie needs to make this episode brief but still wants to give you something special. So, here is the talk she gave on the top of Mt. Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration just two months ago while on pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Yes, it’s short but it still covers all the highlights!

In this episode discover:

- The brief phrase that clearly but subtly links the Transfiguration to Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi

- The obvious parallel between the three men that Jesus brings up the Mount of Transfiguration and the three men that Moses brings up Mt. Sinai

- How the Transfiguration is a foreshadowing of and preparation for Calvary

- The Biblical and extrabiblical texts that shed light on the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus (hint: it has to do with the resurrection)

- How the Jewish feast of Tabernacles helps explain Peter’s often ridiculed exclamation Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Our Gospel today is the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. There in the wilderness he submits to a threefold enticement corresponding to that from the Garden of Eden, one which also mirrors the threefold concupiscence in 1 John 2:16. We’ll discuss the nature of Satan’s temptations and the means by which their promises sought to entice Christ. Finally, we’ll compare Our Lord’s ordeal to the fall of Israel in the desert and the fall of Solomon upon the throne. When seen through the lens of Old Testament texts, we find Christ as the New Adam, the New Israel, and the New Son of David.

In this episode we’ll look at:

- The three Old Testament texts that Jesus quotes in his response to Satan’s temptations

- The Psalm that Satan quotes in his second temptation of Jesus

- The philosophical concept of telos and how it informs a Biblical view of morality

- The exact location of the pinnacle of the Temple (where Satan took Jesus)

- How Jesus’ response to temptation foreshadows his coming in the Eucharist Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Our Gospel picks up with the last two antitheses in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus addresses the prescription of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” as well as the ancient command to love your neighbor but hate your enemy. This Gospel is chock-full of ancient context that we’ll bring to light by exploring the cultural background of the sayings. We’ll also take at look at what one 21st century Jewish scholar named Jacob Neusner has to say about Jesus’ sermon and we’ll see how the ramifications of Our Lord’s prescriptions may have caused some disciples to abandon Him.

In this episode we’ll look at:

- Why, according to an ancient Jewish text called the Midrash, striking someone on the right cheek was worse than striking them on the left

- The value of a tunic versus a cloak according to the Old Testament - a detail which helps us appreciate Jesus’ sayings regarding the two

- The prevailing law in first century Palestine that allowed Roman soldiers to press Jews into service for up to one mile

- The original Greek of our text which reveals Jesus using a telling grammatical construction called the “emphatic I”

- What it meant when Matthew says that Jesus taught “as one who had authority” Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Our Gospel is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. In this section Jesus preaches what are called the six antitheses where he takes the Old Law and elevates it. He takes on the role of Moses, going up the mountain and delivering a new law, one that is better than the old and that fulfills Old Testament prophecies in Ezekiel and Jeremiah that foretell of a law to come that will be written upon the heart. At the end of the day we discover that Christ’s call to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees can only be had by docility to the Holy Spirit.

In this week’s episode discover:

- Why scholars refer to this section of the Sermon on the Mount as the “Six Antitheses”

- How Jesus is showing himself to be a new Moses

- An interesting rabbinic story about the iota in Sarah and Joshua’s name that illustrates the point Jesus makes about the iota

- The cultural background that prompted Moses to allow for divorce

- The Jewish practice called kinnuyim that explains Jesus’ words about oath swearing Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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The Church offers us multiple Gospels for Christmas. Having previously explored the readings from Matthew, we’ll dive instead into the classic Christmas tale provided by St. Luke. Though not considered a main character in the Nativity narrative, the figure of Caesar Augustus looms large. We’ll get deep in Roman history to paint a picture of the time period’s power struggles and we’ll even employ archaeology to flesh out the announcement of Christ’s birth. In that announcement we find an angelic message bordering on a taunt; Christmas might be peaceful but its announcement means war.

Quick Note: Katie will be in the Holy Land the first half of January guiding a pilgrimage. That coupled with the Holidays means there will be a short hiatus for the podcast. Expect the next episode to drop end of January/beginning of February. And keep Katie and the group in your prayers! Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

www.sundaydive.com/bible101

We explore our Gospel today through the lens of its protagonist, St. Joseph. Though the text is filled with details about Jesus and Mary, several of those details can in fact fill out our perception of Jesus’ father. We discover, for example, that St. Joseph, though a humble carpenter, is rightful heir to the throne of David and that, for example, his plan to divorce Mary quietly could have placed his own reputation in danger. These and other details paint a portrait for us of a man who is unabashedly faithful to God and completely in love with his wife and son. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

www.sundaydive.com/bible101

John the Baptist sends some of his disciples to Jesus with a question, “Are you the Messiah?” Shrouded in mystery, this reading can seem scandalous as if John the Baptist has lost faith. Employing Aquinas’ interpretation of the text, however, we discover that there’s more to the story. Connecting our Gospel to the second reading from James, we see a summons to fortitude and courage and we end our time together with a philosophical and psychological treatment of the virtue of patience which, if embraced, can pay dividends in our relationship with the Lord. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

www.sundaydive.com/bible101