A

NOW YOU KNOW MEDIA

STUDY GUIDE

A Journey Through the

Parables
By Fr. John Jay Hughes, Dr. Theol.

LEARN W HILE LISTENING ANYT IME. ANYW HERE.

A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Table of Contents
Topic 1:   What and Why ................................................................................................. 6  
Topic 2:   The Sower and His Seed.................................................................................. 9  
Topic 3:   Joy in Heaven ................................................................................................ 12  
Topic 4:   The Merciful Father, The Lost Two Sons ..................................................... 16  
Topic 5:   Two Men Went Up To the Temple ............................................................... 21  
Topic 6:   Which Did What the Father Wanted ............................................................. 25  
Topic 7:   I Cancel Your Entire Debt ............................................................................. 28  
Topic 8:   I Want My House to be Full .......................................................................... 32  
Topic 9:   Law or Love................................................................................................... 35  
Topic 10:   Surprised by Joy ............................................................................................ 38  
Topic 11:   I Knew You Were a Hard Man ..................................................................... 42  
Topic 12:   Will the Son of Man Find Faith? ................................................................... 46  
Topic 13:   Bargainers and Beggars ................................................................................. 50  
Topic 14:   Warning and Encouragement ........................................................................ 54  
Topic 15:   The Rich Fool ................................................................................................ 59  
Topic 16:   The Man God Helped .................................................................................... 63  
Topic 17:   Everlasting Punishment? ............................................................................... 67  
Topic 18:   Journey¶s End ................................................................................................ 72  

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Program Summary
:KR KDVQ¶W KHDUG RI WKH *RRG 6DPDULWDQ"  (YHQ SHRSOH ZLWK OLWWOH
knowledge of the New Testament know that a good Samaritan is someone who
comes to the aid of a person in need. But did you know that those who first
heard Jesus tell the story were shocked when they learned the identity of the
hero ± as shocked we would be by a story that made a hero out of a bomb-
planting terrorist?

You surely know also the parable of the farmer sowing seed in different
kinds of soil, where little of it came to fruition. We usually read it as a story
about these different soils. When Jesus first told the story, however, he had
something quite different in mind. What was it?

Which of us has not been bothered by the parable of the Laborers in the
Vineyard? Though some work all day, others only for an hour or two, at the end
of the day they all receive the same pay. How can we make sense of this
injustice?

Did the younger brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son come back home
just to put a roof over his head, and food on his table? Or was he truly sorry for
ZDVWLQJHYHU\WKLQJKLVIDWKHUKDGJLYHQKLP"$QGGLGQ¶WWKHHOGHUEURWKHUZKR
stayed home and always worked dutifully for his father, get a raw deal?

In the parable of the Sheep and the Goats Jesus speaks about those on the
NLQJ¶VOHIWKDQGEHLQJFRQVLJQHGWR³HYHUODVWLQJSXQLVKPHQW´+RZFDQDORYLQJ
God send anyone to hell?

These are just a few of the questions that you will find answered in this
IDVFLQDWLQJGLVFXVVLRQRI-HVXV¶SDUDEOHV<RXZLOOOHDUQZKDWDSDUDEOHLVWKH
difference between parable and allegory, and the reason why Jesus chose
parables as his favorite form of teaching.

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

About Your Presenter

Father John Jay Hughes speaks not just to the head but also to the heart ± the fruit of over a half century
of pulpit ministry. The son and grandson of priests in the Episcopal Church, he served six years as an
Episcopal priest himself. A Catholic priHVWVLQFHKHVD\V³,¶YHKHDUGVRPHKRUULEOHSUHDFKLQJ
KDYHQ¶WZHDOO"%XWLQP\\RXWK,DOVRKHDUGJUHDWSUHDFKLQJWKDWIHGP\PLQGPRYHGP\KHDUWDQG
stirred my soul. Whenever I go into the pulpit, I am mindful of two imperatives. First, the Church
FRPPLVVLRQHGPHWRSUHDFK*RRG1HZV«$QGVHFRQG,DPWKHUHWRUHVSRQGWRWKHUHTXHVWPDGHLQ
-RKQ¶VJRVSHOFKDSWHUWZHOYHE\µVRPH*UHHNV¶WRWKHDSRVWOH3KLOLSµ6LUZHZRXOGOLNHWRVHH-HVXV¶
,ORYHEHLQJDSULHVWLW¶VDOO,HYHUZDQWHG I invite you to join me on this Journey through the Parables.
,FDQSURPLVHWKDW\RXZRQ¶WEHERUHG´

Fr. Hughes studied with Professor Joseph Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI, and received his
doctorate in theology from the University of Münster. Fr. Hughes is the author of 11 books including
Stories Jesus Told: Modern Meditations on the Parables.

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Topic 1: What and Why

I. Every M an
A) Death in the Middle Ages
B) Death in America today
C) Allegories
II. Parables
A) Para + bolain (to put or throw)
III. Why Did Jesus Tell Parables?
A) Appeal to everybody, even children
B) Doris
1) Stories have lightened her life
C) Teaching vehicles with universal popularity
D) Stories are easier to understand than abstract lessons
E) Paul, Romans 13
1) ³love´- an attitude and behavior
2) Story of the taxi driver
F) Parables challenge the reader to reflect
I V. Parables and Listeners
A) The listener must have open ears, an open mind and an open hearts
B) ³7R\RXKDVEHHQJLYHQWKHVHFUHWRIWKHNLQJGRPRI*RGEXWWRWKRVHZKRDUHZLWKRXW
everything is obscure in order that they, as it is written, may see and yet not see, may hear and not
XQGHUVWDQGXQOHVVWKH\WXUQDQG*RGZLOOIRUJLYHWKHP´± Jesus
C) Prophet Isaiah
1) King Iziah
D) Success through failure
1) Jesus, the prophets
2) Dietrich Bonneffer

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

3) Good Friday, Easter Monday

4) Benedict ± God fails and did not fail
(a) Parable of the Banquet, Luke 14
(b) What Jesus shows us with parables
E) -HVXV¶SDUDEOHV
1) They reveal a lot about the teller

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. +DYH\RXKDGH[SHULHQFHVLQZKLFK\RX¶YHWULHGWRWHDFKDOHVVRQRUFRQYH\DPHVVDJHZLWKD
personal story or anecdote?

2. Do you consistently approach Jesus and God with open ears, an open mind and an open heart? Do
you approach others in your life in this way as well?

3. Question Do you find yourself admitting defeat or feeling like a failure too quickly, without turning
to God?

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Topic 2: The Sower and His Seed

I. Appears in all three synoptic gospels
II. Version in M ark4
A) The story of the sower and his seed
1) Context: Jesus was aware of growing opposition, as mentioned previously in Mark
2) Jesus adopts an unconventional mode of teaching: in the open air
(a) Roosevelt on experimentation and boldness, a call for more innovation from the
Church
(b) To reject any change out of hand is a refusal to grow
(c) -RKQ+HQU\1HZPDQ³7ROLYHLVWRFKDQJHDQGWREHSHUIHFWLVWRKDYe changed
RIWHQ´
3) Parable: a comparison, an earthly story with a heavenly meaning
III. 7KH3DUDEOHZDV-HVXV¶)DYRULWHIRUPRIWHDFKLQJ
A) 7HOOLQJDVWRU\ZDVDJRRGZD\WRFDSWXUHSHRSOHV¶DWWHQWLRQ
1) ³/LVWHQFDUHIXOO\WRWKLV«´
B) Used topics and themes that were more familiar to convey ideas that are abstract and less
familiar ± Intelligibility
1) Images of beauty convey more than words about beauty
2) The Bible is always concrete, seldom abstract, which Jesus was used to
3) Images are so simple
C) A story can stir consciences and get people consciously involved
1) Story of Bath Shiba and David
(a) Tries to teach David a lesson with a parable, as told in Samuel2 12:1-6
2) Jesus knew the impact of parables on the human conscience
3) If one finds the answers to his questions and concerns himself, he is more likely to
remember those answers
D) Jesus used realistic images from daily life that caught his listeners attention and made them
liken the stories to their own lives

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

E) A Church that is afraid of change and innovation has also been afraid to follow Jesus by
challenging people to find their own answers
F) Too often the Church treats its followers like children, encouraging not virtue but moral
laziness and immaturity
I V. Detailed I nterpretation of the Parable
A) Begins with a concrete example within sight of his hearers
1) Moves from the familiar to the unfamiliar
2) -HVXVNQHZWKDWWKHZRUOGLV*RG¶VZRUOG
3) -HVXVVDZUHIOHFWLRQVRIKLVIDWKHU¶VORYHHYHU\ZKHUHLQWKHZRUOG
4) The essence of the parables is that they were spontaneous
5) -HVXV¶SDUDEOHVZHUHPHDQWWR be heard, not read
B) What idea would fashion the mind of someone listening to this for the first time?
1) Once they were written down, it was natural to go over them again, but originally they
were only heard once
2) What was this first impression like?
3) The contrast of the waste of so much seed and the farmer efforts and the splendid harvest
despite all this waste.
C) /DUJHILJXUHVDUHLQWHQGHGWRXQGHUOLQHWKHSURGLJLRXVTXDOLW\RI*RG¶VJORULRXVNLQJGRPVWLOO
to come
1) Jesus refuses to be discouraged and remains confident
2) Jesus is not only the sower, he is also the seed that falls into the earth prepared to die
3) -HVXVLVVSHDNLQJWR\RXYHU\SHUVRQDOO\LI\RX¶YHHYHUEHHQGLVFRXUDJHG

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Am I too wedded to past ways of thinking, acting, praying?

2. Am I in a rut, sought in my ways?

3. Is there anything in my life which needs to change?

4. Am I afraid of change simply because it is new and I cannot see where it will lead me?

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Topic 3: Joy in Heaven

I. The Grass is Always Greener
A) ³WKH6DQWD&ODXVHLOOXVLRQ´
1) begins in childhood and as we grow up
2) continues throughout adulthood in work
3) ³EHFDUHIXOZKDW\RXSUD\IRU´
II. Psalms Show this Lesson
A) People tell Moses they Want Meat, which causes disease
III. This mindset makes us run the risk of missing out on today by counting on the greatness of
tomorrow.
A) Paul, 2 Corinthians 6:1
I V. Doctors Think Death is the Ultimate Defeat
A) This is wrong
B) The only true defeat is failing to live to the fullest until we die
C) John 10:10
V. Living a Full Life
A) This begins here and now
B) Jesus says he is the good shepherd
VI . Luke 15 ± the story of the shepherd and his sheep
A) Parable of the lost coin and the prodigal son
B) All in response to the accusation that he receives sinners
C) 7KLVLVJRRGQHZVZHGRQ¶WKDYHWRJDLQDQ\SDVVLQJJUDGHLQRUGHUWRUHFHLYHORYHDQG
blessings from God and Jesus Christ.
D) We need to be aware of this unworthiness
E) Paul, 1Corinthians11
VI I . Detailed I nterpretation of the Parable
A) Begins with a question to the listeners

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

1) 7KHLURQ\LVORVWRQXVQRQHRI-HVXV¶SLRXVFULWLFVZRXOGKDYHZDVWHGWLPHWHQGLQJVKHHS
2) TKLVLVDQH[DPSOHRI-HVXV¶XVHRIKXPRU
B) Irony continues because nobody would leave an entire flock alone to retrieve one sheep
1) This is precisely the way God acts; he will go to any lengths to save just one lost sheep
2) His love is not rational, reasonable; it is reckless
C) How can Jesus value the life of one repentant sinner over the lives of 99 righteous followers?
1) We must ask: who are these 99 righteous people who have no need to repent?
2) We all must repent, because before God, we all fall short.
3) Those who do not feel they need to repent are diluted.
VI I I . Reflections
A) The lost sheep is a picture of helplessness
1) He is in search of the greener grass, which is always father away
2) He is unable to find his way back
B) The lost sheep is a picture of the person who has strayed far from God because of mere
thoughtlessness
1) The road to Hell is paved with good intentions - Adolf Hitler
I X. The Parable of the Lost Coin
A) The joy of a woman finding a coin that she has lost
B) Surely, the same joy would be felt in front of the angels of heaven when they find one
repentant sinner
C) The use of a woman as the main character is significant
1) The dominant image in the old testament is of God as father
2) This is another example of Jesus using humor and unexpected elements to make his
listeners challenge conventions
D) Was there a personal memory behind this detail of the woman being poor?
E) 2XULGHDVDUHXWWHUO\LQDGHTXDWHIRUPHDVXULQJWKHGHSWKRI*RG¶VORYHIRUXV
F) Losing the coin was the height of folly, but not for God, there will be the same reckless joy
over one repentant sinner
G) Once separated from the owner, the coin was of no use, it could not help itself

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

H) Original Sin ± the inclination in each of us to follow not the good deep in our hearts, but the
evil that seems so attractive until we choose it
I) Paul, Romans 7
J) We were never meant to stand on our own feet, we were meant to be used by another power
coming from outside us, acting with forgiveness

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. +RZKDYH,H[SHULHQFHG*RG¶VORYLQJFDUHLQP\RZQOLIH"

2. In what ways has God written straight on the crooked lines of my own unfaithfulness?

3. $P,UHDOO\FRQYLQFHGRI*RG¶VDOO-consuming love for me? And, do I thank Him enough for this
love?

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Topic 4: The Merciful Father, The Lost Two Sons

I. A father with two sons
A) The youngest son asks the father for his share of the estate and squanders all of his money.
B) A famine broke out, and the son was in dire need.
C) He considered that he could return to his father and asked to be treated as a hired hand, so he
set off for home.
D) His father saw him coming and ran out to kiss him; giving him all the comforts.
E) Luke 15
II. 3RSH%HQHGLFW³3HUKDSVWKHPRVWEHDXWLIXORI-HVXV¶SDUDEOHV´
A) -HVXV¶UHVSRQVHWRWKHFULWLTXHWKDWKHHDWVZLWKDQGUHFHLYHVVLQQHUV
III. 7KH6RQ¶V5HWXUQ
1) GLGQ¶WVKRZDQ\FRQFHUQIRUWKHZDVWHRIKLVLQKHULWDQFe
2) he came home simply to get food and shelter, completely self-serving
3) why did the father welcome him home with love?
(a) not because he deserved it, because he needed it
(b) MXVWDV-HVXVUHFHLYHGWD[FROOHFWRUVDQGVLQQHUVWKH\ZHUHVWLOO*RG¶VFKLOGUHQ
I V. *RG¶V/ove
A) -HVXVZHOFRPHGWKHVHEDGSHRSOHLQRUGHUWRVKRZKLV)DWKHU¶VORYHDSSHDOLQJWRWKHLU
goodness
V. Reflection
A) Younger son demands estate share
1) wants to get out, live it up, do his own thing
2) WKLVLVWKHRULJLQRIHYHU\VHULRXVVLQWRGRRQH¶VRZQWKLQJLQ RQH¶VRZQZD\ZLWKRXW
any regard for the consequences
3) WUXHKDSSLQHVVLVEDVHGRQGRLQJQRWRQH¶VRZQWKLQJEXWGRLQJ*RG¶VWKLQJ
B) Son Leaving Home
1) ZHGRQ¶WNQRZPXFKDERXWWKHSV\FKRORJLFDOSURFHVVRIGHFLGLQJWROHDYH
2) probably was a long build up of resentment and a rebellious attitude

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

3) psalms are warning about the consequences of giving way to rebellious feelings of anger
C) Father Divides up Property
1) how could he not realize how ill-equipped he was to go out into the world
2) KHNQHZWKDWOLIH¶VPRVWHIIHFWLYe school is also the hardest: the school of personal
experience
3) The father knew his son would not listen to any advice, he had to find out for himself
4) God does the same for us in giving us free will
D) The Son Lives in a Distant Land
1) Jesus sketches a picture RIVLQDQGVLQ¶VFRQVHTXHQFHV
2) The son is physically far away from his home, and has distanced himself from the
atmosphere of love that he had at home
3) the son likes his new life, but encounters new and different challenges
4) the young man is never quite satisfied, so he seeks even greater thrills
5) it all turns out to be a waste
6) we make a similar mistake when we deliberately seek out spiritual experiences which can
easily be mistaken for authentic experiences
7) spiritual experiences are given to three specific groups of people:
(a) those weak in faith
(b) those undergoing severe trials
(c) those who God are calling for especially onerous tasks
E) The Famine
1) the son is sent to take care of pigs on a farm
2) for Jesus and his hearers, pigs were unclean animals, and for the son to attend to pigs was
the ultimate degradation
3) Going Home
4) the son decided to ask his father for his sympathies and accept him back as a helper
5) the father saw him far off because he had been looking for him ever since he had left
home
6) this society was so patriarical that it must have been absurd for an elderly father to hug
and kneel with his son

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

7) the servants were asked to bring out shoes, worn only by free people
8) WKHIDWKHUJUDQWVIDUPRUHWKDQKLVVRQ¶VVPDOOUHTXHVWV
F) 7KH6RQLQKLV)DWKHU¶V$UPV
1) signifies man in the arms and embrace of God
G) The Elder Son
1) out on the land, hears the sound of a party
2) the older son grew angry and begged his father to know why, after following his orders
for so long, he has received nothing
3) the father replies that they had to celebrate because the younger brother had come back to
life
4) this anger is fully understandable to us, but it would have been a joke to the listeners; no
father would have left a celebration to argue with his ungrateful son
5) it is deliberate that the younger son was coming back to ask to work as a slave on the land
when the older brother claims this is what he has been doing all along
6) could one ever speak of slaving for a father so generous and kind as this one?
7) the elder brother is as far removed in his heDUWIURPKLVIDWKHU¶VORYHDVKLVEURWKHUKDV
been physically distant from the home
8) WKHHOGHUEURWKHULVXQDEOHWRVKDUHLQKLVIDWKHU¶VMR\
H) Contrasting Brother Characters
1) younger ± always yearning for the greener grass on the other side of the fence, constantly
wanting change and something better
2) sees his elder brother as not steady, but conservative and unwillingness to explore
3) elder brother ± values security in all things, never would have considered leaving home,
better to deal with the petty frustrations he already knows
4) saw his younger brother as an irresponsible adventurer, a hopeless romantic
5) which is better ± better for what?!
6) the brothers needed each other to balance each other out
7) two brothers have their counterparts today, in the family and in the church
VI . Conclusion
A) this story has no conclusion

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

B) WKLVVWRU\HQGVZLWKWKHIDWKHU¶VORYLQJSOHDWRWKHROGHUVRQWHOOLQJKLPWKDWHYHU\WKLQJKHKDV
also belongs to the older brother and that they must celebrate the return of the younger brother
C) Jesus leaves us without a response from the older brother so we can reflect on the answer
ourselves

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Do you ever feel yourself deserving of something from God? If so, what can you do to remind
yourself that God has already given you the greatest gift of all?

2. Have you ever felt angry or jealous towards another who received something that you felt they
GLGQ¶WGHVHUYH"

3. 'R\RXIHHODVWKRXJK\RXKDYHHYHUJRWWHQVRPHWKLQJ\RXGLGQ¶WGHVHUYHZKHWKHUJRRGRUEDG"

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Topic 5: Two Men Went Up To the Temple

I. Suffering Servant Passages, I saiah
A) Isaiah 42
I I . Like I saiah, Jesus gave us the means to get our own answers instead of handing them to us
clearly
III. Jesus was stern with the pharicees
I V. Pharicees: separated ones
A) probably given this designation by opponents because they insisted on strict separation from
gentiles and those who were unclean
B) stress on oral interpretation; flexible on their interpretation of the law
C) negative portrayal in the gospels reflects the tension between synagogue and church, the
relations were actually better than they seem in the gospels
V. But, Jesus refuses to condemn open sinners
A) WKHZRPDQNQRZQLQWKHWRZQWREHDVLQQHUZKRZDVKHG-HVXV¶IHHWZLWKKHUWHDUVDQGGULHG
them with her hair
B) treatment of the woman at the well in John 4:17
1) numbers are often meaningful in the bible: the woman is living with the sixth man
2) VHYHQGHQRWHVFRPSOHWHQHVVVHYHQSHWLWLRQVLQWKH/RUG¶VSUD\HUWKHJRVSHOVUHFRUG
seven utterances of Jesus on the cross
3) WKHVHYHQWKPDQLQWKHZRPDQ¶VOLIHLV-HVXV
VI . The Pharicee and the Tax Collector
A) addressed to those who believed in their own self-righteousness
B) the pharicee and tax collector went to the temple to pray
1) the pharicee prayed, giving thanks with his head up for being such a great man
2) the tax collector bowed his head and beat his chest asking for forgiveness for his sins
C) one man was justified in the temple, and one was not
VI I . The Pharicee
A) seen as the most religious person, going far beyond what was required for any person (fasting,
etc)

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

B) in modern times, the pharicee could be seen as any modern Catholic who goes to mass,
undertakes voluntary works of penance and donates income to the church
C) his prayers are even good
VI I I . The Tax Collector
A) they were not public servants, they were corrupt individuals
B) despised by upright, respectable people
C) beats his breast as an expression of humility
D) -HVXV¶OLVWHQHUVPXVWKDYHEHHQVXUSULVHGWRKHDU-HVXVVD\WKHWD[FROOHFWRUKDGOHIWMXVWLILHG
and the pharicee had not
I X. Reflection
A) WKHSKDULFHHGRHVQRWUHFHLYH*RG¶VJLIWEHFDXVHKHVHHVQRQHHGRf it; he has justified himself
B) comparing ourselves with others is always mistaken, leading to discouragement or
complacency
C) Isaiah
D) protestations of unworthiness in many of those we see as virtuous heroes
E) the saints always confess that they are miserable sinners ± why do they do this?
1) WKHVDLQWVOLYHFORVHUWRWKHOLJKWRI*RG¶VORYHWKDQZHGRDOORZLQJWKHPWRVHHWKHLU
sinfulness more clearly than we do
2) saints are just those who know they are sinners
F) despite his genuine goodness, the pharicee is still dLVWDQWIURP*RG¶VOLJKWKHLVRQHRIWKH
sheep in the other parable of the shepherd who goes after his sheep who has strayed
G) WKHWD[FROOHFWRU¶VVLWXDWLRQLVKRSHOHVVVRKHWXUQVWRWKHRQO\RQHLQZKRPKHVWLOOGDUHVWR
hope ± to God
H) God will never spurn or shun anyone who comes to him asking for mercy or forgiveness
I) he rejects only those who are fully satisfied with themselves
X. Lessons
A) God is the god of the despairing, the god of those who seem to make no progress in virtue or
prayer
B) the parable is a warning to those who believe in their own self-righteousness while holding
everyone else in contempt

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C) FRQWDLQVHQFRXUDJHPHQWIRUWKRVHZKRVHHQRUHDVRQWRKRSHLWLVWKH/RUG¶VZD\RIWHOOLQJXV
to not be discouraged
D) everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled while he who humbles himself shall be exalted
1) LWLVLQWKHSDVVLYHDQGLQWKHIXWXUHUHIHUULQJWR*RG¶VZRUNZLWKRXWUHIHUULQJWRKLP
directly
2) the future expresses that these are things that are to come in the future

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Do I compare myself to others, finding encouragement when I see others worse than I am, or
discouragement when I see others who are better?

2. Do I often bring my failings or sins to God, asking for his mercy and forgiveness? Or do I try to run
away from and hide the things in my life which cause me embarrassment, humiliation and shame?

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Topic 6: Which Did What the Father Wanted

I. Pope John Paul I I I visited a prison in Rome
A) a murderer asked the pope, can there be forgiveness for me?; the pope embraced him
II. Jesus embracing sinners
A) Jesus told them that the sinners were going to enter heaven before the priests
III. M atthew 21, The Parable
A) a man has two sons; he approached the elder and asked him to work, the elder son obeyed
B) then he asked the younger son the same thing and the younger son replied that he would not;
he soon regretted this response and obeyed his father
C) when John came preaching the gospel, the priests did not believe in him, even when they saw
the tax collectors and sinners believing in him
D) Jesus knew kindness and love could break through the hard human heart far more effectively
than moral denunciation
E) he told his questioners this story to drive home this point
I V. Contrast
A) religious leaders reject him and sinners accept him
B) the father is a figure of unquestionable authority
C) WKHILUVWVRQ¶VREHGLHQFHLVUHVSHFWIXODQGSURPSWKHVD\VKHLVRQKLVZD\EXW-HVXVWHOOVKLP
that he never went
D) WKHVHFRQGVRQLVQRWUHVSHFWIXODWDOOUHIXVLQJKLVGXW\DQGVKRFNLQJ-HVXV¶KHDUHUV
E) there was a gap between what he said and what he did: the second son did end up going while
WKHILUVWGLGQ¶W
F) ³ODWHUUHSHQWLQJKHZHQW´
V. Lessons for the Priests
A) Jesus asks the priests who was more obedient, did what the father wanted
B) they could not evade the question and said the second son did what the father
C) they had convicted themselves
VI . The First Son

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A) SURXGWREHDPHPEHURI*RG¶VFKRVHQSHRSOHUHSUHVHQWVWKHSULHVWVZKR-HVXVLVWDONLQJWR
B) confident that faithful performance of their duties gave them a claim on God
C) they had forgotten that none of us has a claim on God
VI I . The Second Son
A) represents the depraved outcasts
B) their lives proclaimed rebellion toward God, but their acceptance of Jesus showed there was
still goodness in them
VI I I . Warning and Encouragement
A) faithful performance of our religious duties is in itself no guarantee of salvation
B) the closer we get to God, the more we will recognize our remaining sinfulness and the love of
God
C) ³1RQHRIWKRVHZKRFU\RXW/RUG/RUGZLOOHQWHUWKHNLQJGRPRI*RGEXWRQO\WKHRQHZKR
does the will of my Father LQKHDYHQ´- Matthew 7:21
1) Jesus directs this warning to us; we are the people he is addressing
2) day by day and Sunday by Sunday we call out, Lord, Lord
D) the parable warns us that even with piety we can still be far from God
E) the warning is not for outsiders, it is for the declared followers of Jesus Christ
F) What counts is not what we say or feel, but what we do
G) negative feelings and resentment are not important if, despite such feelings, we are trying to
do what we know is right
I X. Evangelical Hymn

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Do I sometimes think that my good works give me claim on God which he is bound to honor?

2. What is there in my life, if anything, that does give me a claim on God?

3. How do I handle resentment of the demands made on me by God, by the church, by other people?

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Topic 7: I Cancel Your Entire Debt

I. Funeral of a Widow
A) two adult children refused to attend because of the presence of the other two siblings
II. I mportance of Forgiveness
A) Jesus tells Peter that forgiveness is never complete, the process of forgiveness never ends
B) Peter had asked about the quantity of forgiveness, but Jesus told him about the quality of
forgiveness instead
III. Settling Debts with Officials
A) the reign of God can be seen as a king settling accounts with his officials
B) he asks one official for what he owes and he cannot afford to pay a huge amount and so his
master ordered him to be sold along with his wife, children and all his property
C) the official begged the king to be patient, and moved with pity, the master let him go and
wrote off his debt
D) that same official ran into a fellow servant who owed him money and demanded that the
fellow servant pay him back
E) the servant begged for patience, but the official had him put in jail until he paid him back
F) other servants saw what happened and told the king; the king called in the official and was
angered by his behavior, giving him over to the torturers
G) Matthew18: 23-35
I V. Opening of the Story
A) ³RQHZDVEURXJKWLQ´± use of the passive suggests the official is dragged before the king by
guards, probably from prison
B) he oZHVWKHNLQJD³YDVWDPRXQW´VSHFLILHGE\0DWWKHZDVWDOHQWVWDOHQWZDVZKDW
we would consider 1 million dollars today)
C) this was a tyrannical, gentile monarch, clear from the punishment of the family members as
well as the corrupt official
D) the sympathy of the hearers would have been with the corrupt official
E) the king lets the official go, surprisingly; we would not have expected mercy from this man
V. The Official Goes Out, Forgiven

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A) WKHRIILFLDOIRUPDOO\SDVVLYHEHFRPHVDFWLYH³JRLQJRXWWKDWVervant found one of his fellow

VHUYDQWV´
1) the first official actively sought out the colleague who owed him money
2) WKHDPRXQWRZHGE\WKHIHOORZVHUYDQWZDVGHQDULLGD\¶VZDJHV
3) mirrors the situation with the king
B) the biggest difference is that the IHOORZVHUYDQW¶VGHEWFRXOGUHDVRQDEO\EHSDLGRIIZLWK
enough time, unlike the debt of the official
C) WKHOLVWHQHUVZRXOGKDYHEHHQVXUSULVHGDWWKHRIILFLDO¶VUHVSRQVHWRLPSULVRQWKHIHOORZ
servant
D) forfeits the sympathy of the listeners with this reaction
VI . Conclusion
A) the colleagues of the two men report the injustice to the king
B) the king reminds the first official of the mercy he granted him
C) torture was unknown, so this punishment would have shocked the listeners
VI I . Contrast
A) EHWZHHQWKHNLQJ¶VPHUF\DQGWKH RIILFLDO¶VFUXHOW\
B) between mercy and justice
C) the story moves back and forth between the two
VI I I . %HKLQGWKH.LQJ¶V6WRU\6WDQGV*RG
A) from birth, we owe God everything, haven given us the gift of life
B) each of us is endowed with a unique set of gifts and talents
C) only a life of total obedience could discharge this debt, otherwise, our debt to God is un-
payable
D) Paul, Galatians2:13
I X. Lesson
A) if we are not forgiving towards others as God has been forgiving towards us, then one day we
PLJKWGLVFRYHUWKDW*RG¶VIRUJLYHQHss towards us has been cancelled
X. *RG¶V)RUJLYHQHVV
A) begins with baptism

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

B) penance, reconciliation
C) confession
1) no other sacrament has gone through so many changes as this one
2) can be a burden or painful duty
3) in reality, it is so much more; it is a personal encounter with one who loves us more than
our imagination can comprehend
4) IRUJLYHQHVVGRHVQ¶WFRPHIURPWKHSULHVWLWFRPHVIURP*RG
5) what makes us comfortable with confessing sin to a fellow sinner?
6) *RG¶VIRUJLYHQHVVLVLQVWDQWDQHRXVDQGWRWDO
7) Isaiah1:18
D) Woman building a shrine
1) went to a bishop telling him that the Lord had appeared to her and told her to tell the
ELVKRSWKDWKHVKRXOGEXLOGDVKULQHWR-HVXV¶PRWKHU
2) the bishop asks if this has occurred more than once, to which she replied, it happens all
the time
3) WKHELVKRSDVNVKHUWRDVNWKH/RUGZKDWWKHELVKRS¶VZRUVWVLQKDGEHHQDVDWHVW
4) VKHUHWXUQHGDQGVDLGWKH/RUGVDLGKHFRXOGQ¶WUHPHPEHUEHFDXVH*RG¶VIRUJLYHQHVVLV
total
E) Falling Back into Sins
1) committing the same sins time and again is at least better than sinning in ever new ways
2) it is important to understand what the sacrament does for us and what it does not do
3) DEVROXWLRQWDNHVDZD\VLQ¶VJXLOWLWGRHVQRWUHPRYHVLQ¶VFRQVHTXHQFHV
4) example: undergraduate in college
F) we go away from confession free from guilt, not as different people
G) VWUXJJOHDJDLQVWVLQFRQWLQXHVXQWLOOLIH¶VHQG
H) God calls us to be faithful; the person who holds out until the end will be saved
(Matthew24:13)
XI . ,QRUGHUWRNHHSWKHJLIWRI*RG¶VIRUJLYHQHVVZHPXVWVKDUHLWZLth others

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Do I ever reflect on how much I owe God, and how much he has forgiven me?

2. Am I forgiving with others, or do I tend to hold grudges?

3. Have I ever refused to forgive, even after an apology?

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Topic 8: I Want My House to be Full

I. Telling a Good Story M ore than Once
A) -HVXVRIWHQWROGKLVVWRU\PRUHWKDQRQFHVXFKDVDW³7KH*UHDW6XSSHU´ZKLFKKHUHWROG
several versions of in each gospel
II. Background for The Great Supper
A) Jesus addressed the parable to the guests noting that they were trying to sit in places of honor
at the table
B) Jesus gives this teaching as a fellow guest himself, and pretends to be doing them a favor by
giving them shrewd advice
C) Jesus himself was certainly not concerned with where he was sitting
D) Jesus was really talking about our relationship with God
1) The bond between humankind and God is commonly referred to in Jewish scripture as a
matrimonial bond
2) ,VDLDK,VUDHODV*RG¶VEULGH
E) Image of a banquet shows that sins would not always estrange men from God
F) Jesus rebukes those who assumed they deserved the most respected seats at the table
G) Jesus expands on his advice, saying not to invite relatives and friends, but to invite guests
ZKRVHSUHVHQFHZRXOGQRWHQKDQFHRQH¶VUHSXWDWLRQ
1) Even though the guests cannot repay you, you will be repaid in the heavens
III. -HVXV¶0RWLYHV
A) Wanted to show that this is how God treats all his children; he invites everyone to the feast,
not just those who consider themselves deserving
B) People who were scandalized by the company Jesus kept were consistent in that they also
disapproved of his story
I V. The Great Supper According to Luke
A) A man was giving a large dinner, and sent his servants to announce dinner
B) The guests began to excuse themselves, giving various stories as excuses
C) The master grew angry that they ZHUHQ¶WDWWHQGLQJDQGVHQWKLVVHUYDQWVWRJDWKHUWKHSRRU
blind, cripple and lame

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

D) The master told the servants after they returned with no one that he demanded they force even
WKHORZOLHVWJXHVWVWRFRPHVWDWLQJ³,ZDQWP\KRXVHWREHIXOO´
V. I nterpretation
A) The host may have been a tax collector, breaking into society with his party
B) 7KHJXHVWVJLYHVXFKSRRUH[FXVHVIRUQRWDWWHQGLQJWKHGLQQHUWKH\¶UHDOPRVWKXPRURXV
C) The host becomes frustrated when all his guests have stood him up and his growing anger
enhances the humor of the situation
D) He wants to repay the insult by holding a party with those who the original guests would
never have sat with
VI . Warning and Good News
A) 7KHZDUQLQJLVWKHH[FOXVLRQRIWKRVHILUVWLQYLWHGUHSUHVHQWLQJ-HVXV¶FULWLFV
B) The good news is contained in the description of the substitute guests, to which Luke pays
special attention.
C) These substitute guests are those Jesus suggests as the best guests to his listeners
D) 7KH\UHSUHVHQW-HVXV¶&KULVWLDQFRPPXQLW\
E) More good news is that God is not picky, and in order to claim a place at his table, we need to
show him our weaknesses, not our strengths and our sickness instead of our health
VI I . God Never Fails, Pope Benedict
A) Those who were invited first declined
B) *RG¶VKDOOUHPDLQHGHPSW\DQd the banquet seemed prepared in vain
C) Jesus experienced this at the end of his life
1) Those with authority and power said no to joining God in love
2) ,QVWHDG*RG¶VLQYLWDWLRQLVH[WHQGHGPRUHZLGHO\-HVXVLQYLWHVWKRVHZKRDUHKXQJU\
who have nothing, who can offer him nothing
VI I I . Conclusions
A) God does not fail
1) Through continuous failure he ends up not failing, finding new ways and opportunities to
reach people and open his house so it is filled
2) (YHQLIZHFRPHXSDJDLQVWPDQ\³QR¶V´ZHFDQNQRZWKDW*RGGRHVnot fail

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. 'R,ZRUU\PRUHDERXWZKDWRWKHUVWKLQNRIPHWKDQ,GRDERXWKRZ,VWDQGLQ*RG¶VH\HV"

2. What promptings of conscience or opportunities for service am I postponing to deal with later when
,¶YHJRWPRUHWLPH"

3. Am I offended by some of the people I see coming to mass and communion on Sunday?

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Topic 9: Law or Love

I. The Good Samaritan
A) so well known that it has taken a place in everyday speech
II. The Good Samaritan According to Luke
A) A lawyer asked Jesus how to inherit everlasting life
B) Jesus asks him what he thinks and the lawyer replies that you must love the Lord with all your
heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself
C) The lawyer then asked who his neighbor was
D) Jesus replied:
1) He tells a story of a man traveling to Jericho
2) The good Samaritan takes care of the man who fell into trouble
3) The neighbor is the Samaritan, and Jesus tells the lawyer to go and do the same
III. I nterpretation
A) The man who sets the stage for this parable is a lawyer, but not how we understand that word
1) He studiHG*RG¶VODZ
2) He is asking Jesus a test question
3) The way he poses the question references the Jewish belief that following the
commandments will provide man with eternal life
B) Jesus poses a counter-question: how does the lawyer read the law?
1) Jesus knows that people remember the answers they think of themselves
2) In effect, Jesus was telling him that he knew the answers already
C) 7KH/DZ\HU¶V5HVSRQVH
1) Combines two basic tenets: loving God and loving the neighbor
D) Up until this point, the lawyer and Jesus are playing a game with each other
1) Jesus knows he is being tested, so he forces the lawyer to answer
2) The lawyer feels he must justify himself
3) The central figure and hero ends up being an outsider, someone despised by the hearers
and the followers

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E) Jesus describes the man being beaten by robbers as half dead

F) The priests and Levi are returning to Jericho, who saw the wounded man but continued on
1) 7KH\PLJKWKDYHIHDUHGWKDWPXJJHUVZHUHQHDUE\DQGGLGQ¶WZDQWWRULVNWKHLURZQOLYHV
2) Could have assumed the man was dead DQGWKH\GLGQ¶WZDQWWRWRXFKDGHDGFRUSVH
which would have gone against Jewish law
G) This comes across as somewhat anti0clerical, which would have pleased his listeners since
SULHVWVDQG/HYLVZHUHREMHFWVRIUHVHQWPHQWLQ-HVXV¶GD\
H) The Samaritan as the third character would have shocked his listeners
I) The hatred between the Jews and Samaritans was strong
J) Unlike the priests and Levi, the Samaritan was moved to pity this man
1) 7KHZRUGWKDWZHWUDQVODWHDV³SLW\´LVUHDOO\DPXFKVWURQJHUZRUGWKDQWKDW
K) The Samaritan takes the stranger to an inn and asks the innkeeper to take care of him
I V. Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict
A) 7KH6DPDULWDQQHYHUDVNVZKHWKHUWKHPDQFRPHVZLWKLQWKHFLUFOHRIWKHVDPDULWDQ¶VFRQFHUQ
B) The Samaritan makes himself the neighbor, showing that he has to become the neighbor first
V. Conclusion
A) -HVXVQHYHUDQVZHUHGWKHTXHVWLRQIURPWKHODZ\HURIZKRWKHODZ\HU¶VQHLJKERULVKHPHUHO\
points out what a good neighbor is
B) Jesus invites the lawyer to draw his own conclusion, asking him which is the neighbor in the
story
1) The lawyer responds, but cannot even say the word Samaritan because of his hatred for
them
2) This inadvertently teaches the man his lesson and Jesus has given him his answer
C) The neighbor is anyone at all who is in need
D) The story is dulled for us because of its familiarity
E) This is how Jesus treats us; Jesus himself is the good Samaritan
1) He is the despised outsider, hated and rejected by others
2) Jesus finds us laying bruised and battered
3) Without any reason, he helps us in a way only he can

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. From what dangers, great and small, have I been saved in my life?

2. If the help has come through others, who sent it to me?

3. When I was saved by circumstance, who was it who arranged things so that I am here today?

4. How can I share with others the care and compassion I have experienced myself?

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Topic 10: Surprised by Joy

I. C.S. Lewis
A) 0RYHPHQWWKURXJKVSLULWXDOMRXUQH\WKDWKHFDOOHG³6XUSULVHGE\-R\´
II. 6XUSULVHGE\-R\-HVXV¶3DUDEOHV
A) Matthew 13
1) There are two stories, one of a rich man, one of a poor man
2) In Matthew, these stories are side-by-side
B) 7KH3RRU0DQ¶VVWRU\
1) Day-laborer plowing a field
2) His plow catches on a pottery jug filled with coins
3) In these days, the best means of safekeeping was to bury things in the ground
4) Finding buried money or treasure was a dream for everyone
5) Both Roman and Jewish law stipulated that it belonged to the man who owned the land;
so, the man reburies the jar
6) The man offers to buy the field from his employer and his employer accepts
7) The treasure is worth far more than he paid for the land
C) 7KH5LFK0DQ¶V6WRU\
1) A pearl merchant, who is wealthy, is looking for treasure and selling it for profit
2) He has limited his business to pearls, which were almost as valuable as gold
3) One day, the man sees a pearl that would cost him everything he owned
4) He was confident he could make a profit off of it and bought it, risking everything
D) Commonalities
1) Both had to sell all they had, not thinking for more than a moment about the joy of the
new possession
2) ,QWURGXFWRU\SKUDVH³7KHNLQJGRPRIKHDYHQLVOLNH«´
III. I nterpretation
A) Jesus is emphasizing not the cost but the greater reward that is to come

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B) Happy to sacrifice all to Jesus Christ because of the joy of life with him and for him
I V. St. Augustine
V. Alfred Delp
A) German Jesuit who gave his life for Jesus Christ under the reign of Adolf Hitler
B) Fr. Delp was at peace even though he had to die
VI . M other Teresa
A) Known as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta since 2003
B) Where did her joy come from?
1) Born in Albania in 1910
2) Moved to Ireland at 18 to become a Sister of Loretto, never to see her home or mother
again
3) While in India, she contracted Tuberculosis
4) While on a train, she heard a call to give up all and follow Jesus into the slums to serve
the poor
5) It took her two years to get all the paperwork through to leave the convent and live with
the poor in India
6) She began to train sisters as contemplatives, to work with the poor
7) She began a hostel for the dying in Calcutta, which remains today
C) She impressed the entire world
D) Letters published after her death show a very different picture of her inner life
1) While she was considering leaving the convent, she initially experienced joy, but also
experienced feelings of doubt, loneliness and abandonment
2) This spiritual darkness lasted until her death
3) She converted her feeling of abandonment by God into a feeling of abandonment to God
E) Speech at the National Prayer Breakfast
1) Lack of concern for those being killed by the deliberate decision by their own mothers ±
referring to abortion
VI I . Joy
A) A distinguishing mark of a follower of Jesus Christ

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B) Cultivate the habit of thanksgiving

C) Gratitude towards God
VI I I . Princess Diana
A) Film about the outpouring grief of the people of London
B) The people wanted the flag at half mast but the guards explained that it only flew when the
queen was in residence
C) For the first time ever, the flag flew over Buckingham Palace at half mast
D) Lesson here: the flag of joy should fly over us to signify that the Lord, the king Jesus Christ is
in residence within us

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Would those who know me best say I am a joyful person?

2. If not, why not?

3. At times when I cannot feel joy, do I crawl into my shell and wallow in self-pity?

4. Do I continue to try and reach out to others even when this is difficult because of the burdens I am
carrying?

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Topic 11: I Knew You Were a Hard Man

I. Review
II. A M an on a Journey, The Parable of the Three Servants
A) Matthew 25
B) A man going on a journey dispenses funds to his servants
C) The man who received 5,000 invested it and made another 5,000
D) The man who received 2,000 doubled his as well
E) The man who received 1,000 buried his money
F) When the master returned, the one who made 5,000 told his master of his success and was
promoted
G) The man who received 2,000 also shared his fortune with his master and was promoted
H) The man who received 1,000 told his master he knew he was a hard man and told his master
that out of fear he buried his 1,000 pieces
I) The master was angered and gave his 1,000 to the man with 10,000
III. I nterpretation
A) The sums given to these men were enormous
B) 1 talent was equivalent to the wages form 15 years of work
1) these men received 5,000, 2,000 and 1,000 talents each
2) -HVXV¶KHDUHUVZRXOGKDYHUHFRJQL]HGWKDWDWRQFH
C) 7KHPDVWHUVD\V³<RXZHUHGHSHQGDEOHLQDVPDOOPDWWHU´
1) This is Jesus being deliberately ironic
D) 7KHKHDUHUVZRXOGKDYHEHHQVXUSULVHGDWWKHPDVWHU¶V reaction to the third servant who may
QRWKDYHULVNHGDVPXFKEXWGLGQ¶WORVHDQ\WKLQJ
E) The master who had seemed to generous ended up being just as mean as the greedy landlords
they all knew too well
F) This is an example of arbitrary injustice
I V. M otives of the Servants
A) The first two were motivated by trust, they trusted their master

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

B) The third servant was motivated by fear

1) It is this fear that the parable condemns
C) -HVXVVD\V³'RQRWEHDIUDLGRIDQ\WKLQJ´
D) The master rewards the first two servants not for the money they gained, but for the trust they
had in the master
E) Trust in the Lord
F) 7KHWKLUGVHUYDQW¶VLPSUHVVLRQZDVWKDWKHZDVEHLQJSUXGHQWEXWLWHQGVXSEHLQJDIODZ
V. Trust and Prudence
A) John L. McKenzie
1) For Catholics, prudence has become a virtue by which one evades the Christian thing to
do
2) The Christian thing to do is to act boldly, which is difficult for most of us
B) If you do not wear your heart on your sleeve, your heart will shrink
C) 7RHVFDSHFRQGHPQDWLRQZHPXVWEHOLHYHLQWKHQDPHRI*RG¶VRQO\6Rn, synonymous with
generosity, love, trust
D) :HGRQ¶WQHHGWRQHJRWLDWHZLWK*RGKHLQYLWHVXVWRWUXVWKLPWKDW¶VDOO
E) Trust is at the heart of faith
F) Swiss Climbers
1) Spotted an edelweiss, but it was situated so that somebody would have to be let down on
a rope to get it
(a) The weather was starting to close in, so they turned to the youngest one who could
be let down more quickly than the others
2) KHVDLGKH¶GPDNHWKHULVN\MRXUQH\LIKLVIDWKHUKHOGWKHURSH
3) this is faith, trusting in your heart most of all
VI . )U+XJKHV¶V3HUVRQDO-RXUQH\
A) Was lacking in personal affection, until he found the love of God
B) Only recently has he been able to internalize this love of God
VI I . Teresa of Avila
A) Her autopsy disclosed a scar on her heart

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B) Years before her death she had described an experience of an angel piercing her heart
C) This spiritual significance is clear
1) She received deep wounds and yet experienced joy deeper than all the wounds together
D) Teresa reached the full potential of personhood, this is holiness
VI I I . Conclusion
A) With this parable, Jesus is inviting us to imitate the first two servants

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. :HSUD\LQWKHILUVW(XFKDULVWLFSUD\HU³7KRXJKZHDUHVLQQHUVZHWUXVWLQ\RXUPHUF\DQGORYH´
$UH*RG¶VPHUF\DQGORYHUHDOO\WKHERWWRPOLQHIRUPHRULVP\WUXVWVRPHZhere else?

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Topic 12: Will the Son of Man Find Faith?

I. Joseph Heller
A) Catch 22
II. -HVXV¶3DUDEOH/XNH
A) There was a judge who respected neither God nor man
B) He settled in the favor of a widow who had been bothering him
C) The lord said, listen to what the judge had to say
D) God will give them swift justice
E) When the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on Earth?
III. I nterpretation
A) The judge himself is an outlaw
B) -HVXV¶KHDUHUVNQHZVXFKMXGJHV
C) Amos 5:7, 12
D) Unjust judges are common in the Old Testament
1) Moses, Deutoronomy
2) Isaiah
E) The Widow
1) She may have been young, but she was definitely vigorous
2) Widows were among the weakest and most vulnerable members of society
3) :LGRZVDORQJZLWKRUSKDQVZHUHXQGHU*RG¶VVSHFLDOSURWHFWLRQ([RGXV
4) She is the victim of a corrupt system
5) Her brazen persistence would have shocked the listeners
6) She could not pay the bribes necessary to have her case heard
F) Resolution
1) The widow has found a hole in the impregnable armor of the corrupt judge
2) The judge gives in simply out of convenience

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3) There is humor as Jesus uses the language of a boxing ring between one of the weakest
members of society and one of the strongest
4) Ironically, the judge comes to fear a poor widow
5) Her power lies in her persistence
G) 'HVFULELQJ*RG¶V.LQJGRP
1) All normal expectations are reversed
2) 7KHXVHRIDFRUUXSWMXGJHWRGHVFULEH*RG¶VJRRGQHVVZDVVRVKRFNLQJWKDWLWUHTXLUHGDQ
explanation
(a) Jesus asks:
(b) Will not God then do justice to his chosen who cry out to Him day and night?
(c) Will he delay long over them, do you suppose?
(d) I tell you, He will give them swift justice, but, when the son of man comes, will he
find any faith on the earth?
3) This story turns on the dissimilarity between the corrupt judge and God
4) God is not like the corrupt judge; it is not difficult to get his attention
I V. The M an Roused in the M iddle of the Night, Luke 11
A) Knock and it shall be open to you
B) Social conditions of Palestinian villages
1) There were no shops
2) The housewife woke up early and made flatbreads
3) Three pieces were considered a meal for one person
4) Everybody knew who had baked that day and who would have bread left over
5) Importance of hospitality
(a) Opening your house to visitors was sacred
6) The man awakened probably lived in a one room hut and opening the door in the middle
of the night would have awakened everybody
7) JHVXV¶KHDUHUVNQRZKHZLOOOHWWKHPLQQRVHOI-respecting father would leave a guest
outside
C) Interpretation

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1) :KDW¶VWKHSRLQWRISUD\LQJLI*RGNQRZVZKDWZHQHHGRUZKDWZHQHHGWRGR"7R
FKDQJHKLVPLQG":RXOGQ¶WWKDWPDNH*RGOLNHWKHFRUUXSWMXGJH"
2) Prayer is a mystery in that what we can understand is always less than the whole
(a) Prayer does not change God, it changes us
(b) Prayer reminds us of our need for God
3) God will always respond when we call out to Him day and night
(a) He wants us to pray and to keep on praying, even when it seems useless
(b) Perseverance in prayer deepens our faith
4) St. Augustine
(a) God wants our desire to be exercised in prayer
5) St. Gregory the Great
(a) Holy desires grow with delay and if they fade, they were never holy desires
D) God always answers prayers
E) Do we really trust God?

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Do I persist in prayer even when God seems to answer only with silence?

2. In asking God for my needs and the needs of others do I pray in spirit if not literally not what I want
Lord, but what You want?

3. As I recall the things I have prayed for in the past, can I identify any requests for which I am now
thankful whenever granted?

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Topic 13: Bargainers and Beggars

I. 5DQN,QMXVWLFHLQ-HVXV¶3DUDEOHV
A) Luke 16
1) A rich man questioned his steward who was accused of squandering his money
2) the steward responds by having the debtors write promisary notes to his master for less
than they owe him
3) the master commends him for being prudent
B) Interpretation
1) The steward is what we would call a manager
2) The master had to trust the steward and had probably warned him many times to shape up
3) Suddenly, with the knife at his throat, he showed determination which would have helped
him keep his job in the first place
4) 7KHVWHZDUGLVFRXQWLQJRQWKHGHEWRUVWRZKRPKHJDYHDEUHDNWRKHOSKLPRQFHKH¶V
fired from his stewardship
5) It is a surprise that the master commended the steward for acting prudent
6) ,WKDVORQJEHHQGLVSXWHGZKRLVPHDQWE\³PDVWHU´
(a) Could it refer to Jesus?
(b) How can Jesus praise what everyone can see is a swindle?
(c) Jesus does not praisHWKHPDQ¶VGLVKRQHVW\KHSUDLVHVWKHPDQ¶VUHFRJQLWLRQRIKLV
desperate situation
(d) Jesus is attempting to shake his listeners out of complacency
(e) Trapped in what seemed a hopeless situation, the steward still acted in a clever way
and did what he could
7) Our decision for Jesus Christ
(a) Must be reviewed everyday
C) The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard: Matthew 20
1) Reign of God is like the owner of an estate reaching an agreement with his workers for
the usual daily wage

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2) He saw other men at the market without work and sent them to his vineyard, offering to
pay them what was fair
3) Later in the afternoon he found others standing around and sent them to the vineyard as
well
4) The owner of the vineyard told the foreman to pay the workers, starting with the last to
arrive
5) They all received the same daily wage
D) Interpretation
1) Surprises to the hearers
(a) They would have expected those hired first to be paid first
(b) They would have shared the expectation of those hired first that they would get more
2) To understand it, we haYHWRUHDOL]HWKDWLW¶VQRWDERXWVRFLDOMXVWLFH
E) Modern Interpretation
1) A rancher in California is eager to harvest as much of his crop as possible
2) He goes to the hiring hall at dawn
3) The workers bargain with the rancher about work conditions and wages
4) The rancher finds out he needs more workers so he makes repeated trips into town to hire
additional help
5) At quitting time, those hired last are first in the pay line
6) The worker who worked only an hour knows he received much more generosity than he
deserved
7) The ones who worked hard all day think they will receive more, but they receive exactly
the same and protest to the rancher
8) Those who were happy were the ones hired last and paid first
(a) WKH\GLGQ¶WKDYHWREDUJDLQ
9) the ones who were hired first and paid last were least happy
10) WKHRQO\WKLQJZHFDQGRLVDSSHDOWR*RG¶VJHQHURVLW\DQGWKHQZHZLOOEHIORRGHGZLWK
joy
11) God will always give you what you deserve, but when we discover how little we actually
GHVHUYHZH¶OOSUREDEO\EHGLVDSSRLQWHG

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F) This story goes agDLQVWDQ\WKLQJZH¶YHEHHQWDXJKW

1) We should get what we deserve and not ask for hand-outs
2) With God, different standards apply
3) God loves to give hand-outs, but to receive them, we must stand before him empty-
handed
G) The full time workers in this story resemble the eldest son in the story with the father and
younger son who ran away and came back to open arms from his father
H) :HQHHGWRVWRS´NHHSLQJVFRUH´
II. Are you a bargainer or a beggar?
A) ,I\RX¶GUDWKHUH[SHULHQFH*RG¶VMXVWLFHEHDEDUJDLQHU
B) ,I\RX¶GUDWKHUH[SHULHQFH*RG¶VJHQHURVLW\EHDEHJJDU

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Do I wonder sometimes whether it is really worthwhile to keep on trying to be faithful to God and
all his claims on me?

2. Does it bother me when I see other people who have more than I do, especially when they seem
undeserving?

3. Do I take time each day to count the blessings I do have and to thank God for them?

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Topic 14: Warning and Encouragement

I. New Type of Parables
A) -HVXV¶WHDFKLQJVDOVRLQFOXGHKDUGVD\LQJVWKDWKDYHOHVVRQVDQGZDUQLQJVQRWMXVWVWRULHV
aERXW*RG¶VLQILQLWHORYH
II. Luke 14
A) Jesus says that whoever comes to him without hating cannot be his disciple
B) He is using hyperbole, extravagant exaggeration of statement for effect
1) We use hyperbole all the time, especially in headlines
2) ³<RXFRXOGKDYHNQRFNHGPHRYHUZLWKDIHDWKHU´HJ
C) Jesus spoke these words to the great crowds following him
D) 'LGWKHVHIROORZHUVNQRZKRZKLVOLIHZRXOGHQG"3UREDEO\QRW«ZRXOGWKH\VWLOOKDYHEHHQ
following him?
E) They were following him out of enthusiasm, but Jesus needed to lay solid foundations for this
enthusiasm, so he told them these stories:
F) The Tower Builder
1) Calculating the cost before constructing a tower
2) ,WZDVHYHU\IDUPHU¶VGUHDPWRKDYHDWRZHURQKLVSURSHUW\LQVWHDGRIDVKHG
3) If he had started it and had to stop construction, others would make fun of his efforts and
inability to complete the project
G) The King Contemplating a Campaign
1) What king would not decide whether he would be able to successfully oppose another
king while on campaign?
H) Commonalities
1) Sitting down first and counting the cost
2) The first step in any important undertaking is reflection, not action
I) Luke surrounds these parables with sayings from Jesus about hating mother and father,
highlighting the sacrifices necessary to follow Jesus
J) Van Cliburn, Pianist
1) Sacrificing to give your life to music and never look back

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2) ³,I,DPQRWLQPXVLFWKHUHLVQRWKLQJ´
K) Jesus must mean more to us than family or possessions
L) Reflections
1) Can we say with confidence that we have enough self-denial and staying power to last?
2) Should we even embark on this journey if we have doubt?
3) Of course! But understand that we may not be able to do it alone
4) We must depend not on our own strength, but on the strength that comes from God alone
5) We must be like little children, who must depend on others in order to grow
6) We must unlearn the spirit of independence that is encouraged in worldly things when we
grow up
III. Luke 13: The Unfruitful Fig Tree
A) *DOLOHDQV¶EORRG
B) There was a belief that people who suffer were being punished for their sins
C) 9/11 tragedy
1) no connection between disaster and personal sin, but disasters are warnings to repent
ZKLOHWKHUH¶VVWLOOWLPH
2) high attendance in churches across the country that day
D) Once there was a person who planted a fig tree in his garden, but for three years it grew
nothing
E) He asked the gardener to cut it down, but the gardener asked to keep it and cultivate it to bear
fruit in the future
F) Scripture scholars tell us that newly planted fig trees take three years to bear fruit, so when the
owner of thHILJWUHHVD\VKH¶VEHHQORRNLQJIRUIUXLWIRUWKUHH\HDUVPHDQVLWKDVEHHQWKHUH
for six years
G) The gardener is the incurable optimist
H) )LJWUHHVJUHZZLOGLQ3DOHVWLQHLQ-HVXV¶GD\
1) Not once do we hear of any of them being cultivated or fertilized
I) Warning and Encouragement
1) God is like the owner of the fig tree
2) Warning: there will be a day of reckoning

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3) Encouragement: But, God is also patient ± he is willing to wait and will wait longer than
necessary
J) The story challenges us
1) Are we ready?
2) Are we conscious in daily life of another world?
K) Lessons
1) Each day of our life is a gift from our Heavenly Father
2) He wants us to use these days to become the loving people He wanted us to be
3) But, there will be a day when we will be called to tell of how we have used the time God
has given us
I V. M atthew 13: The Weed in the Wheat
A) An enemy of a man sowed weeds all through his wheat
B) The slaves told the master that he may have sowed bad seeds, but the master said that an
enemy did this
C) The master said to not uproot the weeds because that might uproot the wheat
D) The farmer says there will be a time for separating the weeds from the wheat, but that time is
not now
E) Lessons
1) Jesus knew there were many in the crowds who did not accept his message, but He
refused to separate or judge them now
2) Judgment would come later
3) No use denying the church contains hypocrites, but there is no need to judge them now,
God will do that
4) Jesus knows this
5) If you pull up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them
6) Every attempt to create a church purified ends badly
7) &UHDWLQJDSXUHFKXUFKLV*RG¶VZRUNQRWRXUV
8) The abuse in the church is an example of ongoing purification, but the time for final
purification is not yet
9) Warning: One day patience will give way to judgment

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10) (QFRXUDJHPHQW*RG¶VFKXUFKOHDves room for everyone

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. If the church were really as pure as we would all like it to be, can we be confident that there would
be room in it for ordinary, weak sinners like ourselves?

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Topic 15: The Rich Fool

I. The Greatest Sin in the Old Testament
A) A violation of one of the ten commandments
B) Command to worship God alone is a consequence for what God has already done for His
people
C) Idolatry
1) All of us are always looking for happiness
2) Sin involves seeking these things in the wrong place ± idolatry
3) Devastating ridicule of those who call on false gods
(a) 7KHVWRU\RI%D¶DO
4) Idolatry is not very high on the sin list of Catholics, most of us probably never give it a
thought
5) Some fundamental Protestants charge Catholics with idolatry for praying to statues
6) Christian Catechism
7) For us today, the issue is not statues or prayer to the saints, it is putting anything at all in
the place that belongs to God alone
8) 7KRPDV$TXLQDV¶VIDOVHJRGV
(a) Pleasure
(b) Power
(c) Possessions
(d) Honor
II. Luke 12: The False God of Possession
A) A rich man owned land who produced a bountiful harvest
B) He planned on building a larger barn, storing the extra grain and then resting
C) He stored up treasure for himself, but was not rich in what really mattered to God
D) Hard-driving American businessmen who dedicate their lives to earning money and neglects
his family and God
III. Other False Gods

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A) Pleasure
1) This refers, for many people, to sexual pleasure
2) This is not bad, it is good because God made it and everything that God makes is good
3) ,ILWKDGQ¶WEHHQIRU$GDPDQG(YHVexual pleasure would have been better, not worse,
than it is now
4) ³7KH7KULOORIWKH&KDVWH)LQGLQJ)XOILOOPHQWZKLOH.HHSLQJ<RXU&ORWKHV2Q´
(a) pre-marital sex leads to objectification of both persons
(b) shame and disconnected feelings result, especially for women
(c) this sex is addictive and selfish
(d) she was worshipping a god who could not answer
(e) the tomorrow principle: the ability to see how chastity will help her become a strong,
confident woman
5) Ernest Hemmingway
(a) The Old Man and the Sea
(b) 7KHVWRU\¶VDXWKRUKDGlived for thrills
(c) This kind of person is never fully satisfied, explaining the pessimism in
+HPPLQJZD\¶VZULWLQJ
B) Power
1) Sin: libido dominandi, the lust to dominate
2) Winston Churchill
(a) He was a man of high principles and tried to exercise his power with principle
(b) His final years were a long, boring twilight with power finally gone
3) Do you always have to have your way? Do you ever bully others or try to manipulate
them?
4) Then, you are guilty of idolatry: you are worshipping a God that cannot answer
C) Honor
1) Lures some to place their lives in the hands of others
2) Politicians

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3) Catholic priests, eager to move up, they become marionettes in the hands of those they
hope will promote them
4) Man who regards priesthood as a career, not a service
5) Are you always grabbing the spotlight? Do you always have to have the first and last
words?
6) If so, you are worshipping at the altar of honor and glory.
D) Those who worship these false gods are not bad people, they are just looking for happiness in
the wrong places
E) These gods cannot respond
I V. The Rich Fool
A) Assumed that possessions and money could guarantee security and happiness
B) Assumed that his destiny is in his own hands, but life is not a possession, it is a chance
C) Being rich in what matters to God is realizing that there is something more important that
getting, and that is giving
D) The things we own are gifts that have been entrusted to us for a limited time
E) We must organize our lives not just around ourselves, but around the one to whom we will
one day have to give our account
F) The rich fool organized his life around his own pleasures
V. Distancing from the Lord
A) Those Catholics who keep God at a distance treat God in a way they would never think of
treating somebody who means a lot to them or who they respect
B) Spending lavishly on themselves and then tossing God a loose tip
C) For these people, religion is some sort of heavenly life insurance policy, never knowing when
you might need it
D) A God who is always on the fringe of life is a threat because he will always be trying to get to
the center
E) The moment we turn away from false gods, we find that our loving Heavenly Father is there
waiting for us

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Can you recall a moment or incident when you turned to false gods? If you turned away, did you
find the comfort of God waiting for you?

2. Do you treat God as you would want to treat your closest family and friends? As you would want
your closest family and friends to treat you?

3. Do you spend time everyday bringing yourself closer to God and feeling thankful for the gifts he
has given us?

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Topic 16: The Man God Helped

I. -HVXV¶3DUDEOHVDUH:RUNVRI)LFWLRQ
A) -HVXV¶SDUDEOHVDUHPDGHXSDOWKRXJKWKH\PD\UHIOHFWDFWXDOVWRULHVRULQFLGHQFHV
B) the story of the good Samaritan may have originated from an actual mugging
C) fictional stories can convey profound truth
D) only one of the characters in the stories has a name: Lazarus, the poor beggar
II. Luke 16
A) The beggar Lazarus died, but was carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham
B) A rich man died and was buried
C) The rich man called out to Abraham and asked Lazarus to give him a drip of water
D) In their lifetimes, Lazarus was in misery and Abraham was content, now the opposite was true
E) 7KHULFKPDQDVNHGWREHVHQWWRKLVIDWKHU¶VKRXVHWRZDUQWKHPDERXWKLVIDWH
III. Story of Contrast
A) Both in life and in the afterlife
B) /D]DUXVPHDQV³PD\*RGKHOS´RU³WKHRQHZKR*RGKHOSV´
C) 7KHULFKPDQ¶VFORWKLQJDQGOLIHVW\OHSURFODLPDEXQGDQFHDQGOX[XU\
1) +HLVIDUDERYHWKHOHYHORI-HVXV¶KHDUHUV
D) $FFRUGLQJWRWKHPRGHUQNQRZOHGJHULFKHVZHUHDVLJQRI*RG¶VJRRGIDYRU
E) The hearers saw beggars like Lazarus every day, but assumed that those sufferings were
punishment from God for personal sin
F) This story repudiates that
G) /D]DUXV¶VSOLJKWLVUHPDUNDEO\VLPLODUWRWKH\RXQJHUVRQLQWKHSDUDEOHRIWKHIDWKHUDQGWKH
two lost sons
H) Contrast extends to the smallest details: the rich man is clothed and Lazarus is covered in
sores and nothing else
I) The rich man is the insider and Lazarus is the quintessential outsider

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J) Once they die, the contrast becomes richer when Lazarus us lifted into the bosom of
Abraham, making him an insider
K) The rich man died and becomes the outsider, buried in the ground of this world where he
previously feasted splendidly
L) For the first time, the rich man raised his eyes and saw Lazarus in a place of honor
M) Abraham was a model of hospitality, usually a trait of the rich men in the ancient world
I V. Lazarus
A) His name is significant, he is now the man who God helps
B) This would have puzzled the listeners, who would have thought Lazarus was getting his just
punishment
V. The Rich M an
A) 7KH\ZRXOGKDYHEHHQVFDUHGE\WKHULFKPDQ¶VIDWHLQWKHJURXQGLQWKLVZRUOG
B) The rich man is punished not for anything he did, but for what he failed to do
C) He failed to heed to command of the Jewish scriptures calling for him to honor his neighbor
D) The rich man utters no protest, seemingly understanding of his fate
E) The rich man has forgotten nothing and learned nothing
VI . Abraham
A) +LVUHVSRQVHWRWKHULFKPDQ¶VSOHDGLQJLVSROLWH
B) His use of the passive means God has fixed the abyss between them
C) The rich man still assumes that others are there to serve him; he asks to go and warn his
brothers and father of this fate
VI I . /XNH¶V/DQJXDJH
A) The rich man speaks of a return, if his brothers saw him return from the dead, they would
believe
B) Abraham uses the language of resurrection, noting that already one man has returned from the
dead and it did not cause anyone new to believe
C) No matter how dramatic, one cannot compel those who do not believe to believe themselves
D) Present circumstances are always enough for us to beleive in God and to serve him
E) ³7KH6DQWD&ODXVH,OOXVLRQ´
F) It is here and how that we are called to faith in God, and not somewhere else

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VI I I . Jesus the Carpenter

A) The working conditions must have been small, hot and uncomfortable
B) He was showing that poor circumstances are not a reason to think you are being punished, not
are they a reason to lose faith
I X. Being Close to God
A) 2QHWKLQJLVXQFHUWDLQGRZHUHDOO\ZDQWWREHFORVHWR+LP",IVRZHPXVWOLVWHQWR*RG¶V
word
B) We must do what the rich man fails to do: we must see the needs of those around us and
minister to those needs in caring, costly ways
C) 7KH/RUGGRHVQ¶WGHPDQGKHURLVPEXWZHPXVWDWOHDVWEHRSHQWRWKHQHHGVRIRWKHUV
D) &OHDUO\DSDUDEOHRIMXGJPHQWEXW*RG¶VMXGJPHQWQHHGQRWEHIULJKWIXO
E) It shows that he meek, poor, neglected are especially important to God

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Do I live too much in the future? Feeding on illusions of a wonderful tomorrow while neglecting the
opportunities before me today?

2. Are there opportunities for service I am neglecting? People whom I see every day whom I could
help, yet never do?

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Topic 17: Everlasting Punishment?

I. Hell
A) Preachers used to paint a scene of bloody suffering
B) It used to be thought that missions could not be successful without scaring sinners on
missions
C) Have we given up Hell, or just decided to de-emphasize it?
II. M ark 9
A) Jesus warns us about Hell
B) He uses the images of wailing and grinding, unyielding fire
III. M atthew 20
A) The Story of the Ten Bridesmaids
1) The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins going out into the darkness with lamps to
meet bridegrooms
2) 5 wise, and 5 unwise
3) the 5 wise ones brought extra oil with their lamps, but the 5 foolish ones did not bring
extra oil
4) the wise ones refused to give the foolish ones any oil and told them to go off and buy oil
from the merchant
5) when the 5 foolish bridesmaids went off to get oil, the bridegrooms came and the 5 wise
bridesmaids joined them in the wedding feast, closing the doors behind them
6) the foolish virgins asked the Lord to open the door for the, but he replied that he did not
know them
7) Interpretation
(a) Wedding practices of that day: women were the property of men, and a wedding
would be a transfer of ownership from father to husband
(b) The bride would wait surrounded by relatives and friends supplied with food and
drinks
(c) At tKHJURRP¶VKRXVHUHSUHVHQWDWLYHVIURPWZRIDPLOLHVZRXOGQHJRWLDWHWKHWHUPV
of the marriage

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(d) The groom would finally come for the bride with a party of relatives with lighted
torches
(e) 7KH\DOOZHQWEDFNWRWKHJURRP¶VKRXVH
(f) This was familiar WR-HVXV¶OLVWHQHUVDVRXUZHGGLQJWUDGLWLRQVDUHWRXV
(g) 7KHEULGHVPDLG¶VWRUFKHVZHUHUDJVZRXQGDURXQGDZRRGHQVWLFNFRYHUHGZLWKRLO
(h) The lights would go out unless the rags were covered in oil again
(i) Jesus wanted to penetrate the complacency of his listeners who saw nothing urgent in
his message and assumed there would be plenty of time to deal with his lessons later
(j) This story warns that the time for them to interpret and act was shorter than they
thought
B) The Story of the Sheep and the Goats
1) *RG¶VMXGgment on all ± those prepared and those unprepared
2) Jesus told the disciples that when the son of man comes, he will sit on his throne as all the
nations are assembled before Him
3) He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, the sheep on his
right and the goats on his left
4) To those on His right, he will say, Come, you will be blessed by my Father
5) The righteous will ask when they helped Him in all those ways he has named, and the
King will reply that whatever they did for the least brothers of His, they did for Him
6) The ones on the left will be curses and cast into the eternal fire with the Devil.
(a) Those who are cast down will ask when they saw Him in need of food or drink and
the King will reply that what they did not do for one of those least ones, they did not
do for Him
7) Interpretation
(a) Service for others will be the standard by which one day we will be judged, not by
prayers or sacraments
(b) These things are not unimportant, but Jesus is telling us that in serving others, we are
serving God
8) Commonalities
(a) Surprise of both groups because of the verdict pronounced by the King
I V. Condemnation to Hell

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A) How can a merciful and loving God condemn anyone to a life of everlasting Hell?
B) God never condemns anyone to Hell
C) The Catechism says that Hell is self-chosen
D) Self-exclusion from communion with God is called Hell
E) God predestines no one from Hell, and one must actively turn away from God to be cast into
Hell
V. What is Hell?
A) Everyone else is invited to the party and you are not there
B) Not because \RXZHUHQ¶WLQYLWHGEXWEHFDXVH\RXWXUQHGGRZQUHSHDWHGLQYLWDWLRQV
C) Hell is being alone forever, without light, love, generosity and goodness
D) God will respect your choice to turn away from God
E) Judgment is not an adding up of the pluses and minuses, God just ratifies the judgment we
have pronounce with the choices we make while here on Earth
F) Hate and fear, as well as love and trust, are close at hand
G) We can hope for salvation for all humankind, but Hell remains a terrible possibility
H) Today, we risk transfRUPLQJWKHVWHUQQHVVRI-HVXV¶PHVVDJHLQWRDEODQGVHQWLPHQWRI³ZH¶UH
RND\´
(a) He was not afraid to use images of Hell and suffering
(b) Jesus warned, but he never tried to terrify
I) $OOZLOOH[SHULHQFH*RG¶VERXQGOHVVORYHZLWKRXWH[FHSWLRQ
VI . Experiencing Pain
A) After the death of a loved one or the end of a relationship, we recognize finally love that we
failed to return or that we took for granted
B) ,QILQLWHO\PRUHSDLQIXOZLOOEHWKHH[SHULHQFHRIWKRVHZKRKDYHFRQVFLRXVO\VSXUQHG*RG¶V
love
VI I . Warning and Encouragement
A) %RWKSDUDEOHVDUH-HVXV¶DWWHPSWWRZDUQXVZKLOHWKHUHLVVWLOOWLPH
B) Jesus assures that we need not fear judgment if we are trying to help people in need who we
encounter along the way to God

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C) Jesus is telling us that the person who is genuinely tr\LQJWRKHOSRWKHUV¶QHHGVZLOOEH

forgiven for his failures
D) Is this a warning or an encouragement for you?
E) Do I ever fail to help when help is possible?
F) Do I complain that when we come to church we should only hear about spiritual things?
1) This story may then be a warning for you.
G) Are you unable to overcome a bad habit?
H) Are you discouraged?
1) Then this story should encourage you: your failures are not ultimately important if you
are actively looking for ways to help people
2) Anything good for others is of infinite worth
3) You have been serving Jesus Christ all along, without even realizing it
4) You will hear the voice of your shepherd king saying, Come, you who are blessed by my
Father

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Do you have a vision of Hell that you have manifested? Where do your ideas about Hell come
from? Are you now rethinking those conceptions?

2. Are you ready to face the final judgment? If now, what changes would you like to make in your life
so that you are ready?

3. Have you turned down invitations from God to be close to Him?

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PARABLES STUDY GUIDE

Topic 18: Journey¶s End

I. The Divine Light Shines Through
A) Through his parables, Jesus shows us God
B) Not an abstract God, but a God who interacts
C) He conveys knowledge that makes demands of us
II. A Lifelong Journey
A) There are parables we have not considered
B) Moreover, the parables are multi-layered and allow for endless interpretations
C) The Lord colors his words so that each person who reads it can interpret it in various ways
D) Their meaning can never be fully exhausted
III. The Parable of the M erciful Father and the Two Sons
A) 3RSH%HQHGLFWGLVDJUHHVZLWKWKLVSURJUDP¶VLQWHUSUHWDWLRQRIWKH\RXQJHUVRQ¶VPRWLYDWLRQV
for returning home
B) Pope Benedict believes the younger son has truly gone through a change and is on a
pilgrimage towards the truth of his existence and so goes home
C) His interpretation is beautiful and certainly may be correct
I V. -HVXV¶)DYRULWH)RUPRI7HDFKLQJ
A) The challenge us to reflect, to ask, How does this apply to me?
B) The parables have many different applications
C) 7KH*RRG6DPDULWDQFDQEHFRPSDUHGWRWKHZRUOG¶VVLWXDWLRQWRGD\
1) The Pope says we give too little when we give material things to those in need, like the
people in African who are suffering under terrible rule and torture
2) We, like the priest and Levite, may be passing by out of fear rather than indifference
D) Our guide and leader through the parables has been Jesus himself
1) As teacher, he always knew the right word and made no mistakes
V. Jesus as Healer
A) Jesus heals a lunatic in a story in Mark 5

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1) A lunatic was screaming and hitting himself with stones

2) The man pleaded hard with Jesus and told him there were many of them
3) He went among a herd of swine and the evil spirits went from the man into the swine,
who ran off into the lake and drowned
4) As Jesus was leaving, the man who was possessed begged to go with him, but Jesus told
him to go home to his family and proclaim what the Lord had done for him
5) Interpretation
(a) Jesus is in gentile territory
(b) The man is possessed by demons and so Jesus acts within the framework of these
ideas, which was prevalent in that pre-science age
(c) The loss of the herd of swine is a huge blow, so it is surprising that they did not
make him leave
(d) The family was the one who drove the possessed man mad in the first place, so he
did not want to return to them
(e) Jesus and his disciples slowly row and sail away from shore while the healed man
sees the boat getting progressively smaller
(f) It must have been a while before the healed man found the courage to go home to his
family, as Jesus told him to do
6) The Lord is saying this to us right now
(a) We are with Him and we have been with Him the whole time
B) Mary Magdalene
1) At first, did not recognize Jesus after his resurrection
2) Then she does recognize him and announces what she has seen
VI . The Risen Lord
A) Comes to us as he came to Mark Magdalene
B) Not to come to us, but to send us to those we know to spread the word
VI I . Luke, Acts
A) Peter speaks with the strength of the Holy Spirit
B) There is no salvation in anyone else
VI I I . Another Story

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A) Jesus returns to heaven with the Ascension and the angels want to know what he did on Earth
1) The angels are curious as to how people will remember his lessons
B) Jesus replies that he established a church with the first 12 bishops
C) 7KHDQJHOVDUHVWLOOGRXEWIXOWRZDUGVWKHKXPDQV¶DELOLWLHVWRUHPDLQIDLWKIXO
D) -HVXVUHSOLHV³,WUXVWWKHP´
I X. Ending with Prayer

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Which of these parables affected you the most?

2. Which parable made you feel most encouraged? Most warned?

3. 'R\RXIHHOFORVHUWR*RGDQG-HVXV&KULVWQRZWKDW\RXKDYHDGHHSHUXQGHUVWDQGLQJRI-HVXV¶
teachings?

4. What is the single most important lesson you learned from these teaching stories?

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