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In Genesis 27:1–40, why did God permit Jacob to trick Esau out of his birthright?
In a patriarchal society, Jacob, as the younger twin brother, was always expected to defer to Esau. This story is told partly to challenge the idea that God acts exactly like any patriarch. The stories of Cain and Abel, of Leah and Rachel, and of Joseph as being favored over his 10 older brothers all make the same point.
Most of my family are members of Scripture-alone groups. They say that praying to Mary is fruitless and that the Eucharist is not really Jesus’ body and blood. How can I respond?
For 800 years before Martin Luther, Christians had clarified that they adore God but venerate saints; that’s a big difference.
Is there any humor in the New Testament? Everything seems extremely serious.
Like the Old Testament, the New Testament has a fair bit of humor, much of it rather subtle.
Isn’t there humor in Jesus’ image of a camel trying to go through the eye of a needle (Mt 19:24; Mk 10:25; and Lk 18:25)? Some Scripture commentators conjectured Jerusalem had an “eye of the needle ” gate, but no one has found any evidence of such a gate.
Where in the Old Testament do we find even a hint of humor as we know it? I’m guessing that there just wasn’t much humor in those days! Was everything taken seriously then?
In fact, there is a fair amount of humor in the Old Testament, which many Christians mistakenly think has only thunder, lightning, and punishment. What follows is only a sampling of humor in the Old Testament.
In Luke 9:6, we read that the 12 apostles “went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere. ” What was that “good news “? The Gospels were not yet written. Similarly, what did St. Paul preach?
The good news is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostles had already lived it partially before Jesus first sent them out to preach it. They still had much to learn.
Is it proper for me as a Catholic to have a living will? What does the Church teach about this?
This is not only proper but also a great service to one’s friends, relatives, or whoever must make crucial medical decisions for that person.
The term living will is not used very much now, having been replaced in the United States at least by advance medical directives and medical power of attorney.
I struggle to control my anger and rage when I witness individuals who appear to me to intentionally mistreat others needing assistance: the ill, the injured, the oppressed, the impoverished, or the marginalized.
I have used strong words but not profanity in voicing my objection to such mistreatment. I feel out of control during these moments and have even lost a job after one such incident.
