Catholic Epistles

James
Jude
1&2 Peter
1 John
2&3 John

James

Objective:

Trials vs Temptations
Partiality
Faith and works
The Tongue
Heavenly wisdom
Lustful desires
Worldly richess

Resources:

Reading:

James 1
James 2
James 3
James 4
James 5

Key verse(s):

"Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works" James 2:18

Comments:

The Catholic Epistles are Seven
Catholic = Universal
The Catholic Epistles differ from the Pauline Epistles as they were not sent to specific persons (Timothy - Titus) or Churches (Galatians - Romans) but sent to Christians in the world
The Author:
- He is James, the son of Alphaeus
- One of the twelve disciples
- He is the brother Jude/Thaddaeus/Lebbaeus (Author of the other epistle)
- He was known as the Lord’s brother as his mother was a sister to St. Mary the Virgin, the wife of Clopas, which means Alphaeus in Aramaic
- The first Bishop of Jerusalem (Acts 15)
- He headed the Council of Jerusalem in 51 AD (Acts 15)
- He was ascetic and used to kneel during prayer until his knees became like those of a camel
The epistle is written to the Christians all over the world to encourage them to endure trials and to offer practical spiritual applications
Ch. 1:
- V.1-2: We should be joyful when we are facing trials because these are our crowns in heaven
- V.3: Trials produce patience and strength in life
- V.5: Asking God for wisdom will definitely be accepted by Him as He loves these requests and will provide "Liberally"
  - Bad requests: money, revenge, power
  - Good requests: wisdom, love, patience
- V.9-10: God will reward the poor. As they suffered on earth, they will be rewarded in Heaven
- V.11: If the rich do not depend on God and do not endure trials happily, they will perish like grass burned by the sun
- V.12-13: Sometimes we may think that God makes us fall into sin (Why did God put this person in my day to make me lust or get angry?)
  - St. James is explaining that these thoughts are false and the sins are coming from our bad feelings/thoughts
    - Hate -> Getting angry at someone
    - Lustful thoughts -> lead to sin
- V.14-15: Progression of sin
- V.19: We should be fast to hear the word of God and slow to speak lest we sin
- V.22-24: Man should be a doer of the word. If a man knows that he is struggling with a certain sin and hears God's word without doing an action, he is alike a person looking at the mirror without fixing himself.
Ch. 2:
- V.1-13: At this time, people were under persecution. Some used to honor the rich more in Church so they could protect them if they were persecuted. St. James is encouraging them to honor the poor and rich equally and to rely on God. The poor are rich in spirit and faith.
- V.14-26: Faith without works is dead
  - Faith and works are equally important, and BOTH are required to enter the Kingdom
  - We can't do good works without believing in God and His commandments
  - We can't say we believe in God and His commandments without doing His works and showing our faith in action
Ch. 3:
- V. 1-11: St. James provides simple and practical examples to show much much power is in the tongue
- V. 13-18: Heavenly vs Earthly wisdom
  - Characteristics of each type
Ch. 4:
- V. 1-6: Personal pride produces wars and hatred between people
- V. 7-10: Humility cures all prideful wars and hatred
- V. 11-12: Judging one another is a spiritual war
- V. 13-17: We should plan our lives and seek work and success. But we have to understand that all of this is through God's will. We can't guarantee that we will be living and that all our lives and plans will be completed exactly as we planned.
Ch. 5:
- V. 1-6: Rich people are not hated by God, and being rich is not a bad or sinful thing. But we have to understand that riches come from God for the rich to enjoy their hard work and God's blessing. The rich shall use what God gave them and give to those in need. Richness is bad when it makes the person rely on it and not God
- V. 7-12: Patience and perseverance.
  - V.12: The importance of not cursing and being honest and confident in your words
- V. 13: The importance of spiritual rejoicing in the Lord
- V. 14: Sacrament of the unction of the sick. "Elders" is not an accurate translation, and it means "Priests - Presveteros"
- V.16: Sacrament of repentance of confession.
  - Both sacraments go hand in hand - We pray for the healing of our spiritual and physical sicknesses
  - Confess to one another: Does not mean to confess to regular people but to the priests (from V.14)
- V. 17: He wanted to comfort us by telling us that the great Elijah was also a human and felt weak at some point. But Elijah was a man of prayer and fasting.

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

Will God ignore our prayers when we doubt?
“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” Does this mean wrath is acceptable? Explain.
What’s the difference between good Christians who believe that there is one God and the demons who also believe that there is one God?
Some other Christian denominations believe that all you need to be saved is faith. How can you use this chapter to respond to this belief?
How does St. James describe the tongue?
If the tongue cannot be tamed why try?
What counsel does St. James give to those tempted by the world?
What does the phrase “friend of the world” mean and how can that cause an enmity with God?
Identify verses in this chapter that talk about sacraments of the Church.
Does anointing with oil guarantees healing?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

CHAPTER 1
1. My brethren, count it all _____- when you fall into various __________, knowing that the testing of your faith produces __________.
2. The apostle says that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from _________." a) our parents b) the Father of lights c) the Pharisees
CHAPTER 2
1. When a poor man comes to our church we should:
  a) treat him as a servant b) ignore him and pay attention to the rich people c) treat him well because he is also loved by God
2. Who is called “friend of God”?
  a) any Christian b) the Lord Jesus Christ c) Abraham d) Rahab
CHAPTER 3
1. 1. Out of the same _________ proceed _________ and cursing.
2. 2. Heavenly wisdom is characterized by:
  a) envy and self-seeking b) confusion and evil c) purity, peace and gentleness
CHAPTER 4
1. 1. "God resists the _________, but gives grace to the __________."
2. 2. Therefore, to him who knows to do ______ and does not ____ it, to him it is _________.
CHAPTER 5
1. 1. But let your "Yes," be _______ and your ______ "No," lest you fall into __________.
2. 2. Is anyone among you _______? Let him call for the elders of the _______ and let them pray over him, anointing him with _______ in the name of the _______.

Jude

Objective:

Greetings to the Called
Contend for the Faith
Old and New Apostates
Apostates Depraved and Judged
Maintain Your Life with God

Resources:

Reading:

Jude 1

Key verse(s):

"Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" Jude 21

Comments:

The Catholic Epistles are Seven
Catholic = Universal
The Catholic Epistles differ from the Pauline Epistles as they were not sent to specific persons (Timothy - Titus) or Churches (Galatians - Romans) but sent to Christians in the world
The Author:
- He is Jude, also known as Thaddeus or Lebbeus
  - He is not the same as Judas Iscariot, as we know that he ended his life
- He is the brother of St. James the Lesser, the bishop of Jerusalem
- Both are known to be the sons of Alphaeus, and they were cousins of our Lord
  - Their mother (Mary the Lesser) was the younger sister of St. Mary
- The Author shows a great knowledge of Old Testament and Holy Tradition
V.1: He identified himself as the brother of James, as James was more known as the bishop of Jerusalem
- He was the cousin of our Lord, but he did not boast about this and identified himself as a "bondservant."
V.3: "Common salvation" is common to the Jews and Gentiles. We are all one in Christ.
- "The faith which was once for all delivered." Christ died only once, and the faith is the same and does not change over time. Those who claim new ideas or "faith" are heretics. Faith was delivered to the saints and does not change or alter over time
V.4: Heretics "creep" their way into the Church. They don't publicly announce different ideas, but quietly change or alter the faith. For example, Arius believed that Christ is God the Logos, but the hidden idea was not calling him "equal to the Father."
- We have to be aware of those who change little things, "even if it is one letter," and do not change the faith and deliver it exactly as we received it
V.5: The older generation who crossed the sea was destroyed and did not enter the promised land because of all the complaining and lack of faith they showed towards God and Moses
- Being Christians and Baptised do not just save us from eternal death, but we have to show our faith with works and live a constant life of repentance
V.6: Even angels who were prideful received everlasting death - Isaiah 14
V.8: Dreamers = dream about false teaching and heresies and think they are right, deceiving themselves and others
V.9: This story is not mentioned in the Old Testament, but the author quoted it from Tradition
- This story is the source for most Archangel Michael icons
- This shows the importance of the Holy Tradition and not relying solely on what's in the Bible
  - For example, in our Church, we rely primarily on the Bible as our #1 resource, but we do not discard the sayings and teachings of the Church Fathers, as they explained to us the Bible and the Faith.
V.11: Heretics and those who leave the faith go through different levels:
- Drifting away from God's way and hating others - Cain
- Fall into sexual lusts and desires, love of money, and pride - Balaam
  - Balaam, for money, suggested to the king of Moab to make the Israelites fall into adultery to defeat them (Numbers 22)
- They perish without repentance - Korah
  - Korah was one of the people who went against Moses and Aaron, and the earth opened and swallowed them (Numbers 16)
V.12: These heretics are like small "spots" that no one sees or pays attention to. Spots mean hidden reefs. These hidden reefs are not noticed until they destroy a big ship.
- Heresies and heresies are not noticed sometimes until they destroy a large number of people/churches
- Heretics are deceivers. Clouds without water. Trees without fruit. The outside is different without real fruit inside
- Heretics have no stability or peace as they are away from God. They are like "raging waves of the sea"
- Heretics come up bright, but they quickly die. Like stars or celestial masses that burn for a moment before completely dying - "wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever"
V.14: This prophecy by Enoch was not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. Also shows the importance of Holy Tradition. He prophesied against heretics and sinners.
V.16-19: Characteristics of the ungodly people. We should watch our conduct lest we fall into similar things.
V.20-22: How to maintain life with God

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

What did the ungodly men do?
What does St Jude urge us to do?
Why were false prophets called dreamers?
They are like clouds without water. Explain.

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

St Jude was eager to write about:
a) the Holy Bible b) salvation c) the Jews d) the Romans
Keep yourselves in the _______ of God, looking for the _________ of our Lord Jesus Christ unto _________ ________.
What was St. Jude eager to write about?
What did the Lord do to those who did not believe?

1&2 Peter

Objective:

A Heavenly Inheritance
Living Before God Our Father
The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People
Called to Blessing
Christ’s Example to Be Followed
Submit to God, Resist the Devil
Fruitful Growth in the Faith

Resources:

Reading:

1 Peter 1
1 Peter 2
1 Peter 3
1 Peter 4
1 Peter 5
---------
2 Peter 1
2 Peter 2
2 Peter 3

Key verse(s):

"Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" Jude 21

Comments:

The Catholic Epistles are Seven
Catholic = Universal
The Catholic Epistles differ from the Pauline Epistles as they were not sent to specific persons (Timothy - Titus) or Churches (Galatians - Romans) but sent to Christians in the world
The Author:
- He is St. Peter, the apostle and disciple. Also known as Simon and Cephas
- He was one of the closest three to our Lord
- He became responsible after Pentecost to preach the Gospel to the Jews
- He evangelized in Rome and was martyred by Nero, crucified upside down
1 Peter
- Ch. 1
  - V. 1: Cities/provinces in Turkey
  - V. 2: "Sprinkling" is similar to the same language used in the OT as the believers were sanctified through the sprinkling of the blood of sacrifices
  - V. 4: We look for the heavenly inheritance that does not corrupt
  - V. 7: Gold is purified by fire. Fire burns the impurities and makes gold purer. Faith is tested to make us more pure, and fire tests if our faith is real (gold) or fake (impurities)
  - V. 21: The Divinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is one. The Divinity is what raised Him from the dead
  - V. 23: Born again = Baptism
- Ch. 2
  - V. 5: A stone alone is pointless. Stones are meant to come together to build a house, which is the body of Christ
  - V. 8: The stone, Christ, is a stone of stumbling and offense to those who reject Him
  - V. 10: Not people = Gentiles - Not obtained mercy = Jews
  - V. 11: Pilgrims do not care about their surroundings and have a goal in mind. We, too, have to focus on where we are from (Heaven) and not care about the worldly lusts that take our attention and may prevent us from going to Heaven
  - V. 13-17: Submission to government
    - Submission to the Government is a Biblical commandment. We believe that God is the Pantocrator and He is in charge and control of everything and everyone. That is why in our Church we pray for the authorities (Kings or Presidents), regardless of their political intentions
  - V. 18-25: The Church and the Bible encouraged servants to love and respect their masters and masters to treat their servants kindly, which was a key factor in ending slavery. This is because people understood that we are all equal in Christ and that He died for all.
- Ch. 3
  - V. 1: Submission in Christ out of love, not out of weakness, just as the Church submits to Christ out of love
  - V. 13: Suffering for righteousness has a crown. Suffering to keep my fast or purity will be rewarded. This encourages us to keep our righteousness
- Ch. 4
  - V. 1-6: Christ suffered for our sakes. We too shall endure suffering with happiness because this allows us to partake in His passions and gives us crowns in Heaven
- Ch. 5
  - V. 1: The elders = Priests
  - V. 2: Overseers = Bishops
  - V. 8: The devil is a lion that devours anyone whom he finds. To resist the devil, we need to be sober and vigilant.
  - V. 13: St. Mark is not the son of St. Peter. St. Peter called him "my son" for two reasons:
    - St. Peter was older than St. Mark. St. Mark was like a spiritual son to St. Peter
    - St. Peter was related to St. Mark. St. Peter's wife was a cousin of Aristopolus (St. Mark's father)
2 Peter
- Ch. 1
  - V. 1: He started this epistle by showing the grace of God in his life.
    - Simon: The old Hebrew name. Peter: The new name that was given to him by Christ. This shows God's grace in his life that changed him. He is remembering that before the end of his life. This epistle was written by St. Peter shortly before his martyrdom.
  - V. 13: "This tent" refers to his body. He feels the responsibility as a leader in the church to keep encouraging the people to walk in Godly ways. This should be a message that all servants should apply and also we should apply towards our families and friends.
  - V. 16: St. Peter is confessing and confirming that Christ came on earth, and he witnessed Him. "His majesty" St. Peter, is referring to the Transfiguration as he was one of the three disciples to witness this event.
  - V. 21: The Bible and ALL its authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit. This proves the authenticity of the Bible and its infallibility
- Ch. 2
  - V. 4-11: St. Peter is warning the people and us from the false teachers
    - This part shows St. Peter's deep knowledge of the OT
  - V. 18-22: St. Peter is exposing the false teachers and their deceptions
- Ch. 3
  - St. Peter is encouraging everyone to be steadfast in the faith at all times.
  - V. 15: We see the brotherly love and respect between St. Peter and St. Paul, and how he is encouraging us to read his epistles
  - V. 16: St. Peter, like many of us, thinks that some parts of St. Paul's epistles are hard to understand. But he is affirming that "wisdom given to him"

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

Despite their suffering, how does St. Peter describe his audience's spiritual relationship and outlook?
What should be our relationship with our government, and why?
The Gospel was also preached to those who are dead. Explain.
List the responsibilities of the good shepherd.
What tent is St. Peter talking about?
What are the new Heaven and the new earth?
How does God’s patience and long-suffering benefit man?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

On what should we set our hope?
What should husbands give to their wives?
What should be the response of the one who suffers as a Christian?
What reward will the good shepherd receive?
How does St. Peter describe the devil?
What did the Lord Jesus Christ receive from God the Father?
Who moved the holy men to prophesy?
Name two righteous people mentioned in 2 Peter 2.
How can we resist being led by the wicked?

1 John

Objective:

What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched
Fellowship with Him and One Another
The Test of Knowing Christ
The Spiritual State
Do Not Love the World
Deceptions of the Last Hour
Let Truth Abide in You
The Command to Love
The Imperative of Love
The Outworking of Love
Love for God and One Another
Knowing God Through Love
Seeing God Through Love
Obedience by Faith
The Certainty of God’s Witness
Confidence and Compassion in Prayer
Knowing the True—Rejecting the False

Resources:

Reading:

1 John 1
1 John 2
1 John 3
1 John 4
1 John 5

Key verse(s):

"We love Him because He first loved us" 1 John 4:19

Comments:

The Catholic Epistles are Seven
Catholic = Universal
The Catholic Epistles differ from the Pauline Epistles as they were not sent to specific persons (Timothy - Titus) or Churches (Galatians - Romans) but sent to Christians in the world
The Author:
- He is St. John the Beloved
- Wrote 5 books
- He was the last disciple to depart (the only disciple who was not martyred)
- His writings focus is characterized by the Apologetic theme
- He defended the true existence of Our Lord and His one nature out of two
Ch. 1
- V.1 He starts his epistle by defending the Theology of God
  - "was from the beginning" - Christ existed before all creation: Eternal
  - "We have heard and seen" - He incarnated and became man
  - The true knowledge of God is by knowing Him, hearing and applying His word, and seeing His works in our lives
- V.2
  - Christ is the life. "Life was manifested" proves His incarnation
  - He is repeating his witness, as some at the time of the end of the first century started doubting the existence of Christ
    - Some are new in faith and stated to doubt His incarnation
    - Christ said that He will come back. Some have been waiting for about 60 years (from the time of the writing of the Epistle) and have started to doubt that He was real
- V.3: Our main job as Christians is to "we have seen and heard we declare to you"
- V.4: True fellowship with the Father and the Son is also fellowship with one another in the Church (us)
- V.5: God is light signifies his true and complete goodness and righteousness
- V.6-7: A true sign of walking with God is walking in Godly ways. No person can say I am walking with God while also walking with the world - it is either or
- V.9-10: No one is righteous. If one thinks he is righteous, he is deceived by the devil, who lied to him about not being sinful. He who walks in light clearly sees and identifies his faults. If you say you are sinless, you deceive yourself.
- V.9: A Biblical reference to show the importance of the sacrament of repentance and confession. We have faith that if we confess and repent, God will forgive our sins no matter how big it was
Ch. 2
- V.1-2: Our Lord Jesus is our advocate. His sacrificial and propitiatory intercession is sufficient to give us forgiveness
  - The saints intercede for us
  - Christ only (through his propitiatory intercession) forgives sins
- V.3: Knowing God means to be one with Him
- V.7-8: The old and new commandments are: LOVE
- V.12-14: These represent three spiritual levels
  - Little children: Those who are new in the faith
  - Fathers: Deep spiritual life and advanced in faith and knowledge of God
  - Young men: In between. They entered the faith and know God, but have some weaknesses
- V.15-17: The Church cares about us and does not want us to be attached to the world. This is why the Church, through her wisdom, selected this part to be read in every liturgy
- V.18-19: There are many false prophets. This should alert us that the Second Coming is at hand and that we should be prepared
- V.28-29: Those who love God and live the life of repentance, waiting for His coming, will be looking forward to His coming and vice versa
Ch. 3:
- V.1: God loved us so much that He called us His children. This is an honor that we should realize and appreciate. This should also give us peace that He is taking care of us and will always be there for us
- V.2: The world is sinful and does not know God. If we are truly His children, the world would not know us either
- V.13-14: We should not be surprised if the world hates us because we are against the world. The world goes against God, and we are His children - so by default the world will hate us. If we are loved by the world, we shall review our spiritual lives lest we be away from God
- V.18: We show our love through actions and not just words (explained in V.16 when God died for us)
- V.22: Whatever "Godly" requests we ask, we will receive.
Ch. 4:
- V.1-3: It is very important to test the person and the doctrine before following. Nowadays, many people speak on social media. We must test the doctrine and the person lest it take us away from God and not get us closer to Him
  - We test the person by looking at his/her fruits
  - We test the doctrine by seeing if it is Biblical, Apostolic, Comforting, and Godly, or not
- V.8: God = Love. If you are truly His child, you love everyone
- V.19: We love God because of all the things He did for us, not because He is waiting or wanting our love
- V.20-21: You can't say you love God and hate your brother. You see your brother and you hate him, how come you say I love God whom you don't see?!
Ch.5:
- V.2: Keeping the commandments means, by default, loving everyone because the commandments encourage us to love people.
- V.4: Overcoming the world is easy when we are His children
- V.6: St. John is referencing what happened on the Cross due to its importance. The coming out of blood and water represents the Church that came out of God's side. Baptism is by water through the Blood of the sacrifice (Christ)
- V.7: A proof of the Holy Trinity. The three witnesses are just like what happened during Theophany (Baptism - V.6). The theology of the Trinity is 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 as mentioned in this verse
- V.8: We are reborn in Baptism through water and blood. The Spirit gives the water its power, and the blood on the cross was the reason for the forgiveness of our sins
- V.9: Witness of God on the day of Theophany is greater than anyone's
- V.12: He who believes in the Son will gain eternal life. This verse answers the question if a good person who does not believe in God will gain eternal life or not. This verse clearly answers that attaining Heaven and eternal life is only through the Son of God (Christ)
- V.14: Repeating that we should ask God for requests "according to His will"
  - Godly requests: Wisdom, love, repentance, etc.
  - Ungoldy requests: Worldly cares and lusts
- V.16: There is no categorizing of sin. All sins are sins, and if the person repents, all sins are forgiven. Sin leads to death = insisting on sinning without repentance, which is the sin of "Blaspheming the Holy Spirit"
- V.21: The idols can be anything worldly or people that take us away from God. That is why St. John did not specify

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

CHAPTER 1
1. What is the importance of confession?
2. What are the conditions for fellowship with God?
CHAPTER 2
1. When in the Divine Liturgy do we recite vv 15 and 17?
2. How can we protect ourselves from deception?
CHAPTER 3
1. Does St. John claim that Christians do not sin at all?
2. What attitudes and actions characterize the children of God?
CHAPTER 4
1. How did God express His love for us and how should we respond?
2. What do you learn about the relationship between the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit?
CHAPTER 5
1. What do water and blood refer to?
2. What is the difference between a sin leading to death and a sin not leading to death?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

CHAPTER 1
1. What is the message St. John heard and is declaring?
2. What would cleanse us from all sins?
CHAPTER 2
1. Who is our Advocate with the Father?
2. Who does the antichrist deny?
CHAPTER 3
1. What is the message we have heard from the beginning?
2. Why did Cain murder his brother Abel?
CHAPTER 4
1. Who is the source of love?
2. What can cast out fear?
CHAPTER 5
1. What can overcome the world?
2. Name the three that bear witness in Heaven.

2&3 John

Objective:

Greeting the Elect Lady
Walk in Christ’s Commandments
Beware of Antichrist Deceivers
Greetings to Gaius
Gaius Commended for Generosity
Diotrephes and Demetrius
Farewell Greeting

Resources:

Reading:

2 John
3 John

Key verse(s):

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" 3 John 2

Comments:

The Catholic Epistles are Seven
Catholic = Universal
The Catholic Epistles differ from the Pauline Epistles as they were not sent to specific persons (Timothy - Titus) or Churches (Galatians - Romans) but sent to Christians in the world
The Author:
- He is St. John the Beloved
- Wrote 5 books
- He was the last disciple to depart (the only disciple who was not martyred)
- His writings focus is characterized by the Apologetic theme
- He defended the true existence of Our Lord and His one nature out of two
2 John
- V.1: The Elder means priest or bishop
  - The Elect lady has different interpretations:
    - A real lady, and St. John preferred not to mention the name
    - Means the Church. St. John sent an epistle to the Church. This opinion is supported by V.4
  - This is the only epistle sent to a woman
- V.2: The truth abides with the Church at all ages
- V.5: Again, he is repeating the commandment of love and its importance
- V.7: At this time, some heretics started to claim that God did not incarnate. Whoever denies the reality of the incarnation of God is a deceiver and against God (Antichrist)
- V.8: St. John is encouraging his children not to lose faith and to keep fighting the pressure of the heresies so they don't lose what they have and attain a great reward (which is eternal life)
- V.10-11: St. John, who talked a lot about love in 1 and 2 John, mentions that if a heretic comes to church or home, we should not receive them or talk to them. This shows the importance of setting firm boundaries with heretics, as they can easily sway people away from the Truth.
- V.12: Shows the importance of the Oral Holy Tradition
- V.13: The elect sister - The sister church, which is Ephesus, from where St. John sent his epistle
3 John
- The name Gaius in Greek means Joyful
- Scholars had different opinions on who this person is
  - From Corinth - Romans 16:23
  - Another person - 1 Corinthians 1:14
  - Acts 19:23-29
  - Acts 23:4
  - A different Gius from all of the ones listed above
- V.3: St. John is encouraging him, not to make him fall into pride, but to strengthen him in his spiritual struggles. We all need encouragement. It is a good practice to encourage each other
- V.4: Every parent, servant, or church leader has no greater joy than making sure that his/her children are walking in God's commandments
- V.9-10: Diotrephes fell into pride and did not want to accept St. John
  - A prideful person/servant is characterized by:
    - Loves to have the preeminence among the people
    - Does not receive Church authorities (clergy) and goes against them
    - Does not receive the brethren. Does not serve others, but himself
  - V.10: St. John will remind him of his mistakes to save him from going astray. St. John understands his responsibility towards his congregation, as he was considered a "Patriarch" at that time
- V.11: It is very crucial that we do not copy the world in its evil ways, but of what is good
- V.12: On the contrary, Demetrius has good testimony
- V.13: Again, shows the importance of the Oral Holy Tradition

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

2 John
1. What Truth is St. John talking about in this Letter?
2. What does St. John say about welcoming different missionaries into our houses?
What were the problems with Diatrephes?
3 John
1. For what was Gauis commanded?
2. What were Diotrephes' weaknesses?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

2 John
1. What does St. John plead in this Letter?
2. 2. How do we recognize false teachers?
3 John
1. What were the problems with Diotrephes?
2. Was Demitrius a help to St. Paul? How so?

Catholic Epistles

James

Jude

1&2 Peter

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

1 John

2&3 John