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Who are the “righteous remnant”? Do the animals on the ark have a special significance? Cale shares a key phrase for the entire flood narrative, some incredible insights from the early Church Fathers, and much more!

The laws of ancient Israel were about putting love in action. Sin, including sorcery, seduction, selfish lending practices…are you scandalized yet! (Another s-word)and all kinds of other faults, demonstrated a lack of love that would not go unnoticed—or unpunished—by God. Also, here, for the first time, God reveals that he is “compassionate”. But how?

We’re used to seeing people in coutroom dramas (and in real courtrooms!) putting their hand on a Bible and swearing “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.” But in ancient Israel, having to “swear to God” before the blazing pillar of fire was, literally, an “awe-some” way of getting to the truth of the matter!

In Exodus, God tells Moses he only wants a “bare-bones” altar to be built. No carved stones, no outer beauty. Does this mean Catholics are wrong to build beautiful Cathedrals? Plus, in our Q&A segment? Are there really 8 Beatitudes…or are there actually 10?

Crime and punishment in ancient Israel wasn’t like 21st-century America. It was about restitution, not incarceration. There weren’t supermax prisons for perpetrators, but criminals did pay for their misdeeds—often with their lives.  

Amidst all the laws of ancient Israel, one thing holds true: it takes a village. It takes a village not only to raise a person, but it also takes a village to corrupt a person...and to judge a person. Perhaps unlike modern, individualistic societies in the West, everyone had to take responsibility to put love in action towards neighbor.

Did you know the concept of taking sanctuary in a house of worship actually comes from the Book of Exodus? Plus, Cale shows how Israel used the “lex talionis” (the law of retribution) to deal with violence. Jesus takes this concept and turns it upside down...or, right side up!

Why would an ancient Israelite father actually want to sell his daughter into slavery? And a Q&A about the famous Flavius —Josephus, that is!

It might shock you to know that after the Israelites escaped brutal slavery in Egypt, they themselves had slaves. What is this all about? And how did the Judeo-Christian tradition eventually abolish slavery? 

In Exodus, God tells Moses he only wants a “bare-bones” altar to be built. No carved stones, no outer beauty. Does this mean Catholics are wrong to build beautiful Cathedrals? Plus, in our Q&A segment? Are there really 8 Beatitudes…or are there actually 10?

Before Yahweh gives the 10 Commandments on Mt Sinai, he needs to remind his people who he is, who they are, and of the healthy boundaries that determine their relationship.

Jesus was not impressed by those in his day who claimed to keep—and teach—the law of Moses. How Jesus’ interpretation of Moses is the right one. our Q&A segment: Did St Francis of Assisi write the “Serenity Prayer”?

Did Jesus reject the Old Testament laws of Moses? Plus, in our Q&A segment: Why would God create the devil—and other evildoers, knowing in advance the bad they would do?

The Commandments prohibiting murder, adultery, theft, and lying are clear, but as @CaleClarke explains, it’s the last two commandments against coveting that give us the key to keeping the rest. Plus, in our Q&A session: Did St Paul REALLY say that we don’t need to obey the 10 Commandments?

The Fourth Commandment to honor one’s father and mother is the bridge between worship and ethics…how we love God, and how we love neighbor. 

Cale explains that the 10 Commandments are a great opportunity to examine one’s conscience and ask, “Am I living as I ought to be?”   Dies Domini https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1998/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini.html  

Cale explains that The 10 Commandments are similar to other sets of laws in the ancient world—and that shouldn’t bother you one bit. Plus: in our Q and A session. How can Jesus use the contrasting images of “fire” and “darkness” for hell? The answer lies in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Cale explains that The 10 Commandments are not “rules” that God arbitrarily imposes from above. Rather, they are Love. This is how you want to love, and be loved!

Before Yahweh gives the 10 Commandments on Mt Sinai, he needs to remind his people who he is, who they are, and of the healthy boundaries that determine their relationship.  

In the business world, they call it “key man risk”. If a CEO burns out or dies, the whole organization falls apart. That’s what’s happening with Moses: he’s trying to do the work of 10 men, and he’s falling into the devil’s trap of trying to be like God in all the wrong ways.