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2024

15th Sunday of Year B

July 14, 2024 Bible Study

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BIBLE STUDY

MATT ZEMANEKFR. GEOFFREY PLANTFR. BRYAN KUJAWAFR. PAUL GALETTOJOHN V. SRSENKEITH NESTER
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SOURCE: St. Timothy Catholic Church, Laguna Niguel, CA

Jesus sends out his followers with authority to preach the Good News, drive out demons, and heal.

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 📖 Jesus sends out the twelve apostles on a mission, instructing them to take nothing with them and to stay in one place until they leave, giving them authority over unclean spirits and instructing them to take nothing for the journey.
  • 05:06 📖 Jesus sends out his followers to preach the Good News, preparing them for rejection and the need for perseverance and boldness in continuing the mission.
  • 09:03 📖 Jesus appoints 12 Apostles to preach, drive out demons, and follow him as students, emphasizing the importance of partnership and community in the Old Testament legal system.
  • 12:11 🙏 Jesus sends out his disciples with authority to drive out demons and heal, emphasizing the significance of being sent out as apostles in the modern Church and the importance of proclaiming the good news and calling people to repentance.
  • 15:31 📖 Rely on hospitality and the provision of the Lord, be hospitable but do not take advantage, and do good things for the Lord, not for personal satisfaction.
  • 18:21 🙏 Our motivation for serving in the church should be to glorify God, not seek recognition, and hospitality to strangers is important as shown in the stories of Abraham and Lot.
  • 23:04 🙏 Recognize Jesus in others, show radical hospitality, and prioritize minimal comfort in discipleship.
  • 26:38 🙏 Embrace change, confront sin, and be open to the Holy Spirit as we spread the gospel and trust in God's provision.
YouTube player

SOURCE: Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s Archives

Jesus summons and sends each of us to proclaim the Kingdom and help fix the problems, calling us to be apostles.

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 📜 Jesus summons and sends out the Twelve to proclaim the message and have power to drive out demons, while Amos was chosen by God to prophesy to the people of Israel, with the Greek verb for "summoned" connoting an authoritative summons.
  • 07:03 📜 The Twelve are summoned and sent forth as apostles with specific instructions to renew and restore Israel, while disciples are sent out in pairs to give reliable witness to God's Kingdom and journey together in a synodal church under the guidance of God's Spirit, emphasizing the importance of diversity and mutual listening in order to be a symphonic and synodal Church.
  • 11:34 📜 The Twelve are sent forth by the Lord with a staff, relying on the generosity of others and rejecting self-sufficiency.
  • 15:25 📖 The disciples proclaim the kingdom, reminding the Church to travel lightly and trust in the goodness of ordinary people, being equipped by God before being sent forth.
  • 19:20 📝 Viktor Frankl's experience in concentration camps led him to believe that the search for meaning is a primary force in human existence, and the Pew Research Centre conducted a survey on what makes life meaningful.
  • 22:24 🌍 The shift from pursuing self-centered satisfaction to a focus on serving the world's deep needs and embracing fervent commitments to repair the environment.
  • 26:57 📖 A young student seeks guidance from a rabbi and learns that everyone has a task, talent, and call, and we are all called to be apostles.
  • 31:10 📜 Jesus sends us out to proclaim the Kingdom and help fix the problems, summoning and sending each one of us.
YouTube player

SOURCE: Fr. Bryan Kujawa’s Archives Switch videos using icon in the upper right corner.

We should embrace the scriptures, reject what goes against Christ, and strive after what honors him…

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 📖 Embrace the scriptures to prepare for Sunday mass and open your heart to the Lord's enlightenment and truth, rejecting what goes against Christ.
  • 02:32 📖 God calls for repentance and sends out his Apostles to preach, while Christians need grace to reject what dishonors Christ and strive after what honors him.
  • 04:28 📖 Amos, a minor prophet, received a message from God to prophesy to the people of Israel despite not being a trained prophet.
  • 06:20 📖 Amos refuses to share false messages for money and insists on prophesying, highlighting the split of the Kingdom of Israel into northern and southern tribes.
  • 08:59 📖 Amos warns about false worship and unjust treatment of the poor, challenging the priests, and the message of repentance often leads to resistance.
  • 10:27 📖 God chose Amos as a prophet to warn the people, while Psalm 85 laments God's unhappiness with his people.
  • 12:17 🙏 God calls for mercy and our response should be to ask for his kindness and salvation, while the Psalm calls for repentance and conversion, with God responding with a message of peace, harmony, unity, and victory.
  • 14:03 📖 Remain faithful to God and he will bring peace and joy, even as we continue to prophesy and call out for mercy.
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SOURCE: Catholic Sunday Scriptures in Context

God’s love and redemption through Christ are central to the letter to the Ephesians…

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 📖 The first reading for the 15th Sunday in ordinary time comes from the book of The Prophet Amos, the first complete book of the Hebrew scriptures, written in a great poetic style.
  • 00:58 📜 The kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of the North had fallen away from following the laws of the Lord, and the prophet Amos was told to leave the northern kingdom by the king's prophet.
  • 02:22 📖 God sent me to preach to the people of Israel, and now we're starting the letter to the Ephesians after finishing Corinthians.
  • 02:36 📜 The letter is not written by Paul, but by a student of his, and seems to be more of a lurgical text.
  • 03:00 📝 The speaker discusses the idea of building upon one phrase with another.
  • 03:06 🌟 Christ's glory and forgiveness are central to the letter, emphasizing God's choice to give us love and redemption through Christ.
  • 04:03 💡 Believe in him.
  • 04:01 🙏 God chose us to accept or reject his love, and the apostles preached repentance with only sandals and a walking stick, emphasizing gratitude.
YouTube player

SOURCE: St. Vitus Parish in Cleveland

God sent more than 12 individuals to spread the good news, including Paul, Mary Magdalene, and others.

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 📖 Jesus sends out the twel with authority, instructing them to take nothing for the journey, and they preached repentance, drove out demons, and cured the sick.
  • 00:53 📖 The idea that there were only 12 Apostles is a misunderstanding, as they were called the 12 but later became Apostles in today's Gospel.
  • 01:26 📖 Understanding the definition of "Apostle" as a sent person and how it relates to spreading the good news.
  • 02:16 📖 Paul the Apostle and Mary Magdalene's role in spreading the word increased the number of Apostles to at least 14, including a female disciple named Junia.
  • 02:57 🤔 There are more than 12 Apostles in the New Testament, and anyone sent by God to teach the Gospel could be considered an apostle.
YouTube player

SOURCE: YouTube Video Playlist

Coming Soon

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • Coming Soon
Bulletin Insert

Bulletin
Inserts

by Edrianne Ezel

OUTLINE FOR STUDY

A general outline of what you will find in the study notes of Edrianne Ezel's bulletin insert. Insert also contains study questions and a prayer.

I. Introduction

  • Overview: Bethel worship, Amos' warnings, Twelve's empowerment, Jesus' miracles.

II. First Reading

  • Amos' prophecies on injustices.
  • Contrasting Amos and formal prophets.

III. Gospel Reading

  • Twelve's role in God's kingdom.
  • Exorcisms, healings signify God's kingdom.
  • Repentance: turning towards God's kingdom.

IV. Disciples' Journey Guidelines

  • Pack light: avoid distractions.
  • Be prudent: ensure safety.
  • Trust God: relinquish material needs control.
  • Humble accommodations: avoid preferential treatment.

V. Shaking Dust: Rejection Symbol

  • Connects to Jewish law, rejection testimony.
  • Action signifies separation from God's kingdom.

VI. Conclusion

Proclaim God's kingdom, maintain spiritual focus.

Embrace God's calling, serve with love.

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Word-Sunday

CYCLE B INDEX

SOURCE: Cycle B Index

1st Reading: The Call of Amos

  • Have you traveled to do God’s will? Did you encounter any resistance? What happened?

2nd Reading: Praise God!

  • Reflect on the work of God in your life this week. Where does his work point you? Can you praise him for his activity? Plan for such praise.

Gospel: Missionary Efforts

  • When you travel, do you intend to escape, or to seek out new things and new people?
  • What have you done to lead others to Christ? How much of your efforts were material (notes, visits, gifts, etc.) and how much were spiritual (prayer)? Have the actions of those you helped to evangelize surprise you? How?
  • During this vacation time, how do you intend to spread God’s message? Remember to concentrate on the small ways with family and friends this week. The larger opportunities will present themselves in due course.
Agape Bible Study

Michal
Hunt

Agape Bible Study

CALENDAR

Accepting or Rejecting Union With Christ

15th Sunday of Year B

FIRST READING
The Priest of the
Northern Kingdom Rejects Amos's Message

In the First Reading, God sends the shepherd-prophet Amos to call the people of the apostate Northern Kingdom of Israel to repentance and to condemn their illicit altar at Bethel. The Israelites of the Northern Kingdom and their king violated obedience to Mosaic Law and rejected the rituals of worship God established in the Sinai Covenant. Their king rejected God's legitimately ordained priesthood and the liturgical assembly at the Jerusalem Temple. Under the guise of a nationalistic reformation, they drove out the priesthood of Aaron to form a counterfeit priesthood, and built a separate temple where they established illicit rituals of worship (1 Kng 12:26-33; 2 Chr 11:13-17).

Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study; used with permission

SECOND READING
Accepting our Divine Election

In the Second Reading, St. Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus concerning the blessings of their divine election. They are God's adopted children, sealed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through their baptism in Christ. Paul's message reminds us that all Christians should be grateful for their divine election through Christ Jesus as sons and daughters in the family of God. We show our gratitude by striving to accept and be obedient to the Gospel message and related teachings of Jesus and God's holy words governing our conduct in Sacred Scripture. Those teachings must not be altered or watered down to suit the agenda of those who support illicit worship as counterfeit preachers accepting the changing views of secular culture.

Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study; used with permission

GOSPEL
The First Missionary Journey
of the Twelve Apostles

In the Gospel Reading, Jesus sends out the Apostles on their first mission to heal the sick, drive out demons, and call the people to mend their relationship with God through the repentance of their sins. It is a holy mission that their successors continue to share with the world, guided by Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. We should remember that in the first mission, as today, some people will hear and accept Jesus's message of salvation, and others will reject or pollute the message by their false understanding. Our prayer for ourselves and the world is what we ask in the Responsorial Psalm, "Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation."

Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study; used with permission

Scripture Study

Vince
Contreras

Scripture Study

YEAR B

Discussion Questions

15th Sunday of Year B

  • What did Jesus do before sending out his men (verse 7)? Why did he send them out two by two?
  • What were the primary responsibilities that the disciples were tasked with? How is the disciple’s message like that of John (Mark 1:4) and Jesus (Mark 1:14-15)? How is this foundational message of the Gospel (Mt 3:2, 4:17; Acts 2:37-38, 13:24)?
  • What does the disciple’s assignment tell you about the kingdom of God?
  • Why do you think Jesus told them to take nothing more than the clothes on their backs?
  • What warnings or encouragements would you need to hear from Jesus in order to go out and represent him?
  • Where has God sent you to tell about his kingdom? How is it going?

CLOSING PRAYER: A man of prayer is capable of everything. Hence it is very important that missioners dedicate themselves to this practice with great affection, because without it they will accomplish little or nothing, whereas through it, more than by letters or persuasive speech, they will be capable of touching hearts and winning souls to their Creator. -St. Vincent de Paul

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SOURCE: SundayScriptureStudy.com / used with permission