Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
17th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Cycle A)
Readings:
1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130
Romans 8:28-30
Matthew 13:44-52
All Scripture passages are from the New American Bible Revised Edition unless designated NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation), or RSV (Revised Standard Version). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
The two Testaments reveal God's divine plan for humanity; therefore, we read and relive the events of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: Treasures of the Kingdom
The treasures God promises us in His heavenly Kingdom are
more valuable than the earthly treasures of silver and gold. In our First
Reading, a young King Solomon realizes that God's wisdom is greater than all
earthly treasures. When the Lord offers to give Solomon whatever he asks, the
young king wisely chooses the spiritual over the material.
In the Responsorial Psalm, the psalmist declares that the Law of God is his covenantal inheritance, which he treasures more than silver or gold. He hopes to live in God's mercy with the commandments of God's Law as his guide and comfort. The psalmist expresses his love for God through his obedience to the Law. Therefore, he hopes the Lord will show him divine favor by giving him the understanding he needs to live more fully in the light of God's Law.
God calls us to share in the glory of His eternal Son (Second Reading), and the Kingdom of the Church is the vehicle Jesus gave us to bring us to that glory when, one day, we reach God's heavenly Kingdom. Saint Paul wrote that all who demonstrate their love for God by seeking His divine will in their lives, believing in all He has taught, and living according to that teaching, have received a unique promise. No matter what happens for good or for ill and in success or suffering, all that we experience on our journey of faith is part of God's divine plan for our lives. God will turn every experience, even suffering, to the benefit of our salvation if we persevere in faith, obey God's commandments, and trust Him with our lives.
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus tells the last three of the seven "Kingdom Parables." The focus of the last three parables is the Last Judgment at the end of the Age of Humanity, which brings to a close the Messianic Era, the Age of the earthly New Covenant Church in Salvation History (see the chart on the twelve periods of salvation history). Jesus promised that His Kingdom is a treasure for which we should be willing to give up all earthly pursuits and attachments. The Church welcomes all people to join the community of Jesus's earthly Kingdom (the good and the bad). However, only the righteous souls who fully submit themselves to God and offer Him their undivided love, demonstrated by obedience to His commandments, will inherit the promise of eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom. Living forever in the presence of God is the unequaled treasure Jesus promised those who live by what St. Paul called "the obedience of faith."
The First Reading 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
5 The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God
said, "Ask something of me, and I will give it to you." [...] 7 Solomon answered:
"O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed my father
David; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act. 8 I serve you in
the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot
be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to
govern this vast people of yours?" 10 The LORD was pleased that Solomon made
this request. 11 So God said to him: "Because you have asked for this, not for
a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but
for understanding so that you may know what is right, 12 I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone
like you up to now, and after you, there will come no one to equal you."
The LORD God came to young King Solomon, the son of David, in a dream. Sometimes God speaks to His elect in visions, through an emissary like a prophet or an angel, and at other times in dreams (for example, Gen 15:1; 28:10-16; Ex 3:2-4; Num 24:4; Josh 5:13-15; 2 Sam 7:4-17; Mt 1:19-24; 2:14; Lk 1:11-20; 26-38; etc.). God told Solomon to make a petition that He promised to grant.
7 Solomon answered: "O LORD, my God, you have made me,
your servant, king to succeed my father David; but I am a mere youth [a little
child] ...
In the Hebrew text, Solomon referred to himself as "a little
child," a rhetorical phrase expressing inexperience and humility. The first
century AD Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, wrote that Solomon was 14 years
old when he became the king of Israel (Antiquities of the Jews, 8.211),
but the average age of the Davidic kings when they ascended to the throne was
22 years.
not knowing at all how to act [not knowing how to lead
out and to come in].
The Hebrew text reads: "not knowing how to lead out and to
come in," the same Hebrew expression of leadership is found, for example, in Numbers 27:17
when Moses asked God to appoint a leader to succeed him and in 1 Samuel 5:2
when the elders of Israel asked David to be their king. In the Greek text,
Jesus used the same expression in His Good Shepherd discourse when He said He would
lead His sheep "out and in" (Jn 10:3).
9 Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart [a
heart that listens] to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For
who is able to govern this vast people of yours?"
Solomon's literal request in Hebrew was for a "heart that
listens." The Israelites and other cultures of the ancient Near East considered
the heart to be the organ of comprehension and the seat of moral judgment. They
saw the ability to truly listen as a source of wisdom for discerning the truth
of a person's words and judging the proper action in a situation. Because sound
judgment is a divine attribute (Dt 1:17; Ps 72:1-2; etc.), Solomon petitioned the
LORD to bless him with that ability. Solomon describes God's covenant people as
"a vast people," literally "too numerous to count," using hyperbole to express
how overwhelmed the young king felt being responsible for so many of God's
people.
10 The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request. 11
So God said to him: "Because you have asked for this, not for a long life for
yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for
understanding so that you may know what is right, 12 I do as you requested. I
give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone
like you up to now, and after you, there will come no one to equal you."
God was pleased with Solomon's humility. He granted
Solomon's petition for wisdom and multiplied the blessing so that no other
ruler would be Solomon's equal in wisdom and understanding. Solomon would also
receive the other gifts he did not ask for: riches, safety from his enemies,
and long life.
The lesson for us is that when we come to God in humility and submit our lives to Him, He is merciful and generous in giving us more valuable gifts than silver and gold. His rewards are imperishable and will sustain us on our earthly journey to His heavenly kingdom.
Responsorial Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130 ~ The Treasure of God's Law
The response is: "Lord, I love your commands."
57 I have said, O LORD, that my part is to keep your
words. 72 The Law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold
and silver pieces.
Response:
76 Let your kindness comfort me according to your promise
to your servants. 77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law
is my delight.
Response:
127 For I love your commands more than gold, however
fine. 128 For in all your precepts, I go forward; every false way I hate.
Response:
129 Wonderful are your decrees; therefore, I observe
them. 130 The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the
simple.
Response:
This Psalm is entitled: A Prayer to God, the Lawgiver. Psalm 119 is an alphabetical psalm with the first letter of the first word of each section a letter of the Hebrew alphabet from the first letter, "aleph," to the last letter, "tau."
57 I have said, O LORD, that my part [portion] is to keep
your words.
The Law of the LORD is the psalmist's "part," literally his "portion,"
and his covenantal inheritance from the Lord that he treasures more than silver
or gold (verses 57 and 72). He hopes to live in God's mercy with the
commandments of God's Law as his guide and comfort (verses 76-77). He loves the
word of God found in the Mosaic Law, which he values as his greatest treasure. Therefore,
he is obedient to it, hopeful that the Lord will show him favor and give him the
understanding he needs to live more fully in the light of God's Law (verses 127-130).
The psalmist expresses his love for God through his obedience to the Law (verse 127).
Jesus taught about the connection between loving God and obeying the word of God when He told His disciples: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments ... Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him" (Jn 14:15, 21). St. John repeated Jesus's link between a loving relationship with God and obedience to His commandments when he wrote: The way we may be sure we know him is to keep his commandments (1 Jn 2:30), and Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit that he gave us (1 Jn 3:24). Obedying God's commandments is the guide that keeps us on the "narrow path" to salvation and the hope of union with Him in the heavenly Kingdom.
The Second Reading Romans 8:28-30 ~ God has called
the Christian to Share in His Glory
28 We know that all things work for good for those who
love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those he foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined he also
called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also
glorified.
In Romans 5:5-11, St. Paul wrote about God's justifying action in Jesus Christ as a declaration of peace. The crucifixion of Christ displays God's action in certifying humanity for unimpeded access to the divine presence. Reconciliation with God through Jesus's self-sacrifice is God's gift of pardon, in Paul's words, "justification" (being made just/righteous before God), to the entire human race. God's love for those justified by His Son's sacrifice for their sins is poured into their hearts by the work of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:28, Paul wrote about those who love God, using the same Greek verb agapan, which by the Christian definition came to mean "self-sacrificial love." It is the kind of love Jesus commanded us to give to one another just as He has loved us (Jn 13:34). For Paul, it is "agape love" that defines what it means to be a Christian.
28 We know that all things work for good for those who
love God, who are called according to his purpose.
God made a wonderful promise to all Christians through His
servant St. Paul in verse 28. All who love God, believe in all His
commandments, and live according to them, thereby seeking God's will in their
lives, have received a unique promise. No matter what happens: for good or for
ill, and in success or suffering, all that they experience on their journey of
faith is part of God's divine plan for their lives. Every experience will be
turned to the benefit of their salvation if they preserver in faith and trust God.
The reason good can come from everything experienced in the Christian's life is that this promise is not dependent on the Christian. Good comes because God Himself takes the initiative, and His intervention turns everything to their benefit. St. James repeated the promise when he wrote in his letter to the universal Church: Make no mistake about this, my dear brothers: all that is good, all that is perfect, is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him, there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow caused by change (Jam 1:16-17, NJB). St. Paul's promise of God's love and faithfulness to the Christian who obeys the word of God and His assurance of working for their good in all aspects of the faithful Christian's life would have been familiar to his Jewish audience. It was one of the themes in the writings of the Old Testament prophets concerning God's love and faithfulness to His covenant people:
(Also see Ex 15:13; Dt 7:12-13; 2 Chr 6:14; Neh 1:5; etc.).
However, the assurance of God's faithful love does not keep us from trials and suffering. Yet, there is the promise that good can come from these adverse experiences, if not to us, then to others working out their salvation. The saints who suffered for Christ understood this promise:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reflects on the mystery of God's plan in the lives of believers and the world in CCC 314: "We firmly believe that God is master of the world and of its history. But the ways of his providence are often unknown to us. Only at the end, when our partial knowledge ceases, when we see God 'face to face,' will we fully know the ways by which, even through the dramas of evil and sin, God has guided his creation to that definitive Sabbath rest for which he created heaven and earth."
29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined he also called; and those he
called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.
In Romans 8:29-30, St. Paul introduced an affirmation of
Christian destiny in which our hope lies. Paul wrote that Jesus is the eldest
of "many brothers and sisters." Christians who have been reborn through the
Sacrament of Baptism into the family of God and who acknowledge God as their divine
"Father" have Jesus as their loving eldest "brother."
In Romans 3:23, St. Paul wrote that without the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all human beings have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul assured Christians that God has communicated His righteousness and saving power, and revealed how His plan intends that all human beings are called to a destiny of salvation. The New Jerusalem Bible translates verse 29 as He decided beforehand who were the ones destined to be molded to the pattern of his Son, but it is also translated, Those whom he foreknew, he also predestined (RSV).
St. Paul does not mean to suggest (as some Christians attracted to the Protestant Reformation doctrine of John Calvin have interpreted this passage) that God decided beforehand who would be saved or damned and that our free will has no effect in cooperating with our salvation. According to Calvin's false doctrine, the elect are predestined [Latin prae = "before" + destinare = "to destine, ordain"] to receive irresistible grace, while God predestines others to receive the impulse of the will to sin and so are not given salvific grace. This teaching is in error and contradicts what St. James wrote, No one experiencing temptation should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire (Jam 1:13-14). This is why Pope Francis says that the English translation of the Lord's Prayer is in error and should read either "do not allow us to enter into temptation," or "do not let us yield to temptation," as other languages translate that petition and as the Catechism recommends (see CCC 2846). Every human being cooperates in God's divine plan through his free will to accept or reject God's planned destiny of his soul. However, since God is all-knowing and not bound by time or space, He knows which choice each of us will make. St. Paul affirmed this foreknowledge of God in Romans 8:29-30. He did not mean, nor does Catholic teaching hold that predestination by God denies human free will.
Sacred Scripture teaches God desires that every person makes the free will choice to come to salvation. If this is indeed God's desire, He will not predestine anyone to the Hell of the damned; therefore, our eternal destiny is in our hands to choose everlasting life in the presence of God or eternal damnation. St. Paul wrote: First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:1-4, emphasis added). And St. Peter wrote concerning the delay in Christ's return in glory: The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay," but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pt 3:9, emphasis added).
It was God's plan from the time of the fall of Adam that Christ's death would be the means of salvation for all humanity and not just for a predestined group. God sent God the Son to be the Savior of the world and everyone in it:
Jesus, the New Adam, died for the sins of humanity. Just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all who, in their free will, accepted His sacrificial death on their behalf:
Jesus's death was the one perfect sacrifice for all humanity and for all time (see Heb 7:27; 9:27-28; 10:10; Jn 1:29; 12:30-32; 1 Jn 4:14; Rev 21:5). However, because Jesus is God, He knows the minds and hearts. He knows who will respond in faith to His universal call to salvation: but Jesus knew all people and did not trust himself to them; he never needed evidence about anyone; he could tell what someone had in him (Jn 2:24-25, NJB).
The Catechism addresses the destiny of humanity for salvation: "Such is the 'plan of his loving kindness,' conceived by the Father before the foundation of the world, in his beloved Son: 'He destined us in love to be his sons' and 'to be conformed to the image of his Son,' through 'the spirit of sonship.' This plan is a 'grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,' stemming immediately from Trinitarian love. It unfolds in the work of creation, the whole history of salvation after the fall, and the missions of the Son and the Spirit, which are continued in the mission of the Church" (CCC 257 with references to Eph 1:4-5, 9; Rom 8:15, 29 and 2 Tim 1:9-10).
The Catechism also teaches that our destiny is to be reborn in the image of God the Son: "Man is predestined to reproduce the image of God's Son made man, 'the image of the invisible God' (Col 1:15), so that Christ shall be the firstborn of a multitude of brothers and sisters (CCC 381, cf. Eph 1:3-6; Rom 8:29)." That it is the destiny of redeemed humanity to image Christ is what St. Cyril taught in the 4th century to the newly baptized: "God, indeed, who has predestined us to adoption as his sons, has conformed us to the glorious Body of Christ. So then you who have become sharers in Christ are appropriately called 'Christs" (Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechism mystogogia, 3,1). Addressing this tension between the exercise of our free will and God's foreknowledge, the Catechism teaches: "To God all moments of time are present in their immediacy. When therefore he establishes his eternal plan of 'predestination,' he includes in it each person's free response to his grace" (CCC# 600). The Catholic Church teaches that God calls all humanity to cooperate in His divine plan of salvation. All who respond to that call (known as "the elect") are justified according to God's plan. They are united to the image of God the Son, fulfilling their destiny as "justified" believers and receiving a share in the glory of His presence.
Catholic scholars down through the centuries have dedicated themselves to trying to reconcile the tension between free will and God's foreknowledge. However, all agree in the end with St. Paul's assessment in Romans 11:33-34 that God's knowledge of human destiny is an unfathomable mystery, Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor?
The Gospel of Matthew 13:44-52 ~ The Conclusion of the Kingdom Parables
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a
field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all
that he has and buys that field." 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he
goes and sells all that he has and buys it." 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is
like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. 48 When it
is full, they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad, they throw away." 49 Thus it will be at the end of the age. The
angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them
into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. 51 Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes." 52 And he replied, "Then every scribe who
has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings
from his storeroom both the new and the old." When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
The last three "Kingdom Parables" form a unit and are tied together by Jesus's statement in verses 49-50. Their focus is the Last Judgment at the end of the Age of Humanity at the close of the Messianic Era. This discourse ends the same way as the other discourses in Matthew's Gospel, in an eschatological [end time] teaching.
Matthew 13:44-46 ~ The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and The
Parable of the Pearl without Price
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a
field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all
that he has and buys that field." 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he
goes and sells all that he has and buys it."
Jesus's disciples are like the person who found the hidden
treasure and the merchant who found a precious pearl. When they discovered the
Messiah who came to announce the Kingdom of God, they left everything worldly
behind to follow Christ and to possess a place in His Kingdom. The theme of
both parables is the value of the Kingdom of Heaven and the joy of those who
discover the treasure of eternal life. Both the laborer, who found the treasure
in the field, and the merchant, who discovered a valuable pearl, had the wisdom
to understand the value of what they found and the determination to give up everything
worldly to keep it. The Old Testament Scriptures imparted wisdom (see
Prov 2:1-4 and Is 33:6), but the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ gives a new
form of wisdom in the revelation of God the Son and His gift of eternal life.
Matthew 13:47-48 ~ The Parable of the Sorting of the Good and Bad Fish
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown
into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. 48 When it is full, they haul
it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad, they
throw away."
The seven Kingdom Parables conclude with the subject of the
Last/Final Judgment at the end of the age. All people are welcomed into the Kingdom
of the earthly Church (the good and the bad), but only the righteous/good souls
who love God and obey His commandments will be set aside and kept for eternal
life.
Matthew 13:49-50 ~ Jesus's Summary statement for the last three parables
49 "Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels
will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into
the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
The angels, who were the "harvesters" in the parable of the Weeds
Among the Wheat (Mt 13:30, 39-43), will separate the wicked from the righteous.
These last parables compare the conditions of the righteous and the wicked. The
righteous are the ones who treat the kingdom like a precious treasure worth
more than anything earthly life can offer. They are the "good fish" separated
from the "bad fish" and destined for eternal glory. The wicked treat the
kingdom as though it has no value for them. They are like the "bad fish," and their
choices destine them for eternal damnation.
The description of the place of eternal damnation in verse 50 is the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Jesus used the same expression, "wailing and grinding of teeth," to describe the unfaithful Old Covenant people's expulsion from the Kingdom in Matthew 8:12.
Matthew 13:51-52 ~ Jesus Concludes His Discourse
51 "Do you understand all these things?" They answered,
"Yes." 52 And he replied, "Then every scribe who has been instructed in the
kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old." When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from
there.
The significance of this verse is the ability to understand
Jesus's teachings. He asked His disciples if they understood His parables. It was
a question for them and all generations of those who call themselves His
disciples. Their affirmative answer is significant because it identifies them
as the "seed that fell on good soil" (Mt 13:23), and "understanding" is what
Jesus said the crowds and the Pharisees lacked (Mt 13:13-15).
Jesus used the example of two kinds of men in describing how His disciples should work to understand the mysteries of the kingdom in verse 52. The scribes were the theologians of Jesus's time, trained to interpret the Law and understand the other books of Sacred Scripture written by the Holy Spirit-inspired writers of the Old Testament. Ben Sirach described a faithful scribe as one who treasures the discourses of famous men, and goes to the heart of involved sayings; he studies obscure parables, and is busied with the hidden meanings of the sages ... He will show the wisdom of what he had learned and glory in the law of the LORD's covenant (Sir 39:2-3, 8). Jesus taught that the scribe is like the head of a household. Like the scribe, who draws his knowledge from the books of Sacred Scripture, the head of a household has items in his storeroom that he amasses over time and uses when needed. Some scholars count this passage as an 8th parable.
The scribe and the householder are alike because they both use what is old and new. To correctly interpret the Sacred Scriptures, the scribe must be knowledgeable about all the sacred writings, from the oldest texts of the Pentateuch, beginning with the Book of Genesis, to the later writings of the prophets and the wisdom literature. The wise householder uses everything in his storeroom: older items/foodstuffs and newer produce/products. In verse 52, Jesus instructed His disciples (and us) on how to study His teachings to receive the fullness of understanding. He said one must study His teachings like the scribe who used all of Sacred Scripture and the head of a household who used all that was available to him (also see Mt 5:17; 13:11). Everything must be brought forth from the "storehouse" of God's word: both the old and the new. We must study the Old Testament readings in the light of the revelation of Jesus Christ and His word/teaching that reveals "knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" if we want to understand how He fulfilled the Law and the prophets (Lk 24:44-47). This teaching has always been the foundation of Catholic Biblical studies, as expressed by St. Augustine: For the New [Testament] is hidden in the Old [Testament], and the Old is unveiled in the New (Quaestiones in Heptateuchum, 2.73; see CCC 129). It is the plan of study present in our readings from the Liturgy of the Word, where we study the Old Testament passages in the light of the revelation of Jesus Christ in the New Testament readings and the New Testament readings as a fulfillment of God's promises in Old Testament Scripture.
Catechism References (*indicates Scripture quoted or
paraphrased in the citation):
Romans 8:28-30 (CCC 1821*, 2012);
8:28 (CCC 313, 395),
8:29 (CCC 257, 381*, 501, 1161*, 1272*, 2790)
Matthew 13:44-52 13:44-45 (CCC 546*); 13:50 (CCC 1034*); 13:52 (CCC 1117*)
We cannot ignore the wound of sin in discerning the human situation (CCC 407)
Moral decision-making must be in rapport with God's will (CCC 1777*, 1778-1780, 1781*, 1782-1784, 1785*)
Seeking the will of God in divine law in difficult circumstances (CCC 1786-1788, 1789*)
Separation of good and evil at Judgment (CCC 1038*, 1039*, 1040*, 1041*)
God predestines no one to the Hell of the Damned (CCC 1037*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.