Answer to Bible in the Bubble! Bubble Awards and Grand Prize Giveaway!

Hello Contestants!! I'm finally back!


Okay, I loved this question when I first read it in a fabulous book, because it's so dramatic when we see something in Scripture that occurs only one or two times. It's important to perk up and pay close attention when that happens.


The question was:


The Bible describes Jesus as being joyful only one time while He was on earth. What made Jesus rejoice?


Answer:


In Luke 10:21, after Jesus greets the returning, rejoicing 72 disciples, He suddenly turns His heart to His Father:

At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight."

It's possible to meditate on that passage for weeks (and the passages immediately preceding and following it) and not begin to plumb its depths. Certainly Our Lord was joyful at other times in His life, but because this was the only time the Gospel writers documented Christ's joy... well, it makes this verse incredibly special!


Now we must forge ahead and reveal the coveted BUBBLE AWARDS!! Here we go...


The Winners Never Cheat and Cheaters Never Win Award goes to someone who didn't win for obvious reasons...This Cross I Embrace!!


The Sew Always Gets an Award Just Because She is Sew Award goes to... Sew!! (Newbies, check out the old Doctrinal Quiz Shows to understand.)


The Best Attempt at Sucking Up Award goes to... Megan!! (Next time, just remember to put a few more compliments in and you might have a shot at the Big Prize...)


The I Got the Right Answer But I Was Either Too Slow, Too Busy With Thanksgiving Stuff, or I Live in the Wrong Time Zone Award goes to...Beth!! (And I am impressed with your knowledge of Scripture, young lady! Are you sure you were raised Catholic?)


Unfortunately, we have run out of Bubble Awards to give to all those who guessed the Lazarus scene. You all would have won big if the question was, "When did Jesus weep?" Clearly you were banking on the fact that His joy was recorded after His grief.... A good guess, but not good enough!


Now let it be known that the GRAND PRIZE WINNER and the recipient of the rosary of his choice from Trendy Traditions is a first time player and the first to answer....

CR Smith!!!

Mr. Smith, not only have you won a beautiful rosary (I'll contact you and tell you how to claim it), you have also won the amazing Bubble Award icon, which is highly coveted, almost to the point of ridiculousness. You may decorate your own blog with it as previous winners have done (our last winner, Paul, even made a blog of his own to have a place to put it), or you may simply gaze upon it every now and then when you want to feel joyful. Which would be fitting for this edition of Bible in the Bubble!

For all those of you who would love a Trendy Traditions rosary, Melanie is offering a 15% discount to all those who purchase before Dec. 5. Simply put littlecatholicbubble -- no spaces -- as the code. (I should have mentioned that in the original post... sorry!! If anyone already ordered, please let me know.)


And thanks to all the NEW players who joined in this time! Please play again! There are some more fantastic Grand Prizes in the near future, so stay tuned!


See you next time!


{applause, applause, applause... and, fade....}

Bible in the Bubble! With a fabulous Grand Prize giveaway!

This one's going to be fun! Not just because of the question, but because of the Grand Prize!

First, the question:

The Bible describes Jesus as being joyful only one time while He was on earth. What made Jesus rejoice?


I always put in the caveat that there is no cheating/googling allowed, but I reeeeaaallllly mean it this time! To win such an awesome Grand Prize, someone really has to earn it! Or, if nobody gets the right answer, I will award the Grand Prize to the contestant with the most clever, creative, heartfelt, inspirational and/or amusing answer. (Or, maybe I will just choose someone who has sucked up to me all these months.)

The Grand Prize for this edition of Bible in the Bubble is being donated by Melanie at Trendy Traditions! That's right, if you didn't win one of her rosaries over at Kaitlin's blog, this is another chance! Her best-selling rosary (and my fave!) is the hot pink and zebra rosary:

But the winner can pick from any item on her site (excluding the couples or custom rosaries)! In fact, if you want to search the site and beg me tell me why you desire or deserve any one particular item, it might just serve as a tie-breaker. (If you order an item, use the code littlecatholicbubble [no spaces] to get 15% off before Dec. 5.)

Previous Grand Prize winners who received the holey soap waste-reducing exfoliating cleanser, feel free to lodge your complaints in the comment box, or talk to your therapist about your feelings of being gypped.

Okay now, what are you waiting for? Tell me what made (and continues to make) Jesus REJOICE!!!!

Answer to Bible in the Bubble! Plus, Bubble Awards!

Welcome to the answer and awards portion of Bible in the Bubble!

The question from Monday was:

The scene of the Visitation in the New Testament (Luke 1:39-56) contains striking parallels to what scene in the Old Testament? Elaborate.


Answer:

There is a thrilling discovery when a passage from the New Testament so beautifully parallels, prefigures and fulfills a passage from the Old Testament. In this case, the Visitation scene in the New Testament (Mary on a journey, visiting her cousin Elizabeth) is strikingly similar to 2 Samuel 6:4-16, the scene of David on a journey with the Ark of the Covenant.

St. Luke's passage draws a beautiful parallel between Our Lady and the Ark. As Catholics, we identify Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant for many reasons, including the obvious: the old Ark was the pure vessel in which dwelt the Word of God (the Ten Commandments), and the New Ark (Mary) was the pure vessel in which dwelt the Word of God (made flesh!).

But there is so much more than that!

In those two short Bible scenes in Luke and Samuel, we see the following parallels (excerpted here from Steve Ray):

• Mary arose and went to the hill country of Judea.... Mary and the ark were both on a journey to the same hill country of Judea.
• When David saw the ark he rejoiced and said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" Elizabeth uses almost the same words: "Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Luke is telling us something—drawing our minds back to the Old Testament, showing us a parallel.
• When David approached the ark he shouted out and danced and leapt in front of the ark. He was wearing an ephod, the clothing of a priest. When Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, approached Elizabeth, John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb—and John was from the priestly line of Aaron. Both leapt and danced in the presence of the ark. The Ark of the Old Covenant remained in the house of Obed-edom for three months, and Mary remained in the house of Elizabeth for three months. The place that housed the ark for three months was blessed, and in the short paragraph in Luke, Elizabeth uses the word blessed three times. Her home was certainly blessed by the presence of the ark and the Lord within.
• When the Old Testament ark arrived—as when Mary arrived—they were both greeted with shouts of joy. The word for the cry of Elizabeth’s greeting is a rare Greek word used in connection with Old Testament liturgical ceremonies that were centered around the ark and worship (cf.Word Biblical Commentary, 67). This word would flip on the light switch for any knowledgeable Jew.
• The ark returns to its home and ends up in Jerusalem, where God’s presence and glory is revealed in the temple (2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Kgs. 8:9–11). Mary returns home and eventually ends up in Jerusalem, where she presents God incarnate in the temple (Luke 1:56; 2:21–22).

It seems clear that Luke has used typology to reveal something about the place of Mary in salvation history. In the Ark of the Old Covenant, God came to his people with a spiritual presence, but in Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, God comes to dwell with his people not only spiritually but physically, in the womb of a specially prepared Jewish girl.

The section above, in blue, can be found here, along with several other Biblical parallels between Mary and the Ark. I strongly urge you to read the entire article.... It will take your breath away!

Now for the part you have all been waiting for.....

The Bubble Awards!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, this rarely happens, but there are three recipients of the Riding an Emotional Roller Coaster Award -- Brit, Megan and Lauren, for cycling from excitement to despair in a matter of seconds! Interestingly, this is also called the You Need to Read the Question More Carefully Next Time Award! Congratulations on the triple-double award, ladies!

But wait! Brit and Lauren have achieved the double-triple, because they have also won the Best Presentation and Explication of a Wrong Answer Award! Your wrong answers were excellent!!

The Best Display of Self-Deprecating Catholic Humor Award goes to... Jennifer (for reminding us all that we need to know our Bibles better... after all, it's a Catholic Book)!!

The Yes, It Counts for Something, But Your Reward Will Be in Heaven Not on this Quiz Show Award goes to.... JellyBelly!!

And finally, the GRAND PRIZE (as prophesied by some of the commenters already) goes to.... 

Mrs. Blondies!!! 

{Applause, applause, applause!!}

Unfortunately, Mrs. Blondies gets no holey soap and nothing else either, except the satisfaction of winning a GRAND PRIZE Bubble Award, which includes bragging rights!

(Some people would give their right arm for that award, right Lauren? Although Lauren did get three awards today.... )

Join us next time and thanks for playing along!!

*PS: Please note that I normally don't cut and paste an answer like that, nor do I wait this long to answer, but I have been swamped lately. Forgive?

Bible in the Bubble! Name that scene!

Certain people *cough*(Lauren)*cough* have requested that I present another Quiz Show. But not just any Quiz Show, a Bible in the Bubble Quiz Show!

I aim to please!

First, it is very, very important that no one googles before answering! Or refers to Bible footnotes! That is a major no-no and will get you expelled from the Bubble. Or suspended. Well, maybe detention. Anyway, we have an honor code in here, and the scrupulous among you cannot be the only ones to follow it! (Speaking of scrupulosity, I haven't forgotten. I still intend to write that post.)

Here we go:

The scene of the Visitation in the New Testament (Luke 1:39-56) contains striking parallels to what scene in the Old Testament? Elaborate.

Okay, have at it! And maybe this time it'll be your turn to win a coveted Bubble Award!!!

Mr. J Barabbas...

Wow, I have to tell you, I am impressed that some of you got the name! Yes, Barabbas' first name was Jesus! (TCIE, MTA and Brenda, you were so close!)

In Hebrew, Jesus is Yeshua, which means "God saves" -- a pretty common name at the time (but how appropriate for the Messiah, no?)

Okay, so it gets even more interesting: Barabbas translates to "son of the father" (awesome job, Bonnie!). So, when the crowd was asked to choose one man to free and one man to punish, they were choosing between

Jesus, Son of the Father and Jesus, son of the father! 

Here's where it gets more interesting. I read this years ago when I was a subscriber to The Wanderer:

There had been an annual miracle -- which all Jews understood, knew, and expected -- of long-running tradition: Two goats were brought into the Temple by the Jewish priests, and a red ribbon was put around the neck of each. One ribbon would spontaneously turn white, and this would signal which goat would be sacrificed and its blood sprinkled in the Holy of Holies by the High Priest to atone for the sins of the people. 

The other goat -- the scapegoat -- was driven away from the city and killed outside its walls.

This miracle ended abruptly [40 years before the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70], as the Talmud tells us....

....The exact time the miracle of the red ribbon ended was when the Jewish people were given the choice between crucifying Jesus or Barabbas.... Our Jesus and Barabbas are externally identical [Jesus, son of the father], just as the two goats were, but God chose one to be sacrificed outside the walls as a scapegoat. 

Forty years after Jesus was crucified (40 being the traditional time of conversion), the Temple was destroyed.

Anyway, I have just always thought that was super cool!!!

And Jenny, I will post this under:

Not for a prize, but still...

This little tidbit of information was soooo interesting to me when I read about it several years ago, and I want to see if anyone else knows. So, for no prize, but just for fun, do any of you know what Barabbas' first name was? Yep, Barabbas, the criminal that the crowd told Pilate to set free instead of Jesus.

Don't look it up!!! I really want to know if anyone already knew, and also if that person could explain the significance of the name.

Answer to Bible in the Bubble, First Edition! Limited Awards.

My goodness, I am impressed. Nicely done, Bubble-dwellers! I like the quick responses and enthusiasm I see. :)

The question was (and yes, now I realize that it wasn't actually a question):

There are only TWO times in the entire Bible when God breathes on man. Name them. (And, if you can tell why the events are significant, extra points for you!)

Now, some of you made this more sophisticated than my little pea brain can take (there is a lot of wind blowing and receiving of breath in the Bible), so I am going to go with the active voice, God actively breathing directly onto man. 

The answer is:

The first time was when God breathed on Adam, giving him life. The second time was when the Resurrected Jesus breathed on the Apostles, giving them the power and authority to forgive sins.

"Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

"Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:21-23).

We are supposed to pay close attention if we see dramatic parallels in Scripture. God breathing directly on a human is remarkable and rare. In the first example from Genesis, the breath of God was life itself.

So when we see this happening again in the second example (the only time Jesus Christ breathes on someone) we should sit up and take notice. As Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit upon His Apostles, He delegates His own authority to them, empowering them to forgive sins, or even not to forgive them. Pretty astounding, as only God can pardon or retain sins! Yet here Christ authorizes mere men to do so. In fact, we are seeing the establishment of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

To sum up the two events: The first time, God gives life to the human soul. The second time, God delegates the power to restore life to the human soul. 

Beautiful!

Now, to the awards...

First, I am only giving four awards this time, as I was reminded during the last Doctrinal Quiz Show that only liberals give awards to everyone. As Mr. Incredible said so insightfully: “If everyone is special then no one is.” But let me tell you, I must be a closet liberal, because I am dying to give everyone an award!! I guess I'm just a "compassionate conservative."

Second, we have had an infusion of husbands into the Bubble. Men, you are welcome here. We are not leftist feminists, and we like you. And you have proven yourselves to be wise and worthy, honorable and brave. That’s how we like our men.


Third, to Sew, I can't give you the special Sew Award unless you at least show up to play, so just know that I didn't forget you!

And the Bubble Awards go to....

The Your Answer Made Me Chuckle Out Loud And That Doesn’t Happen Often Award goes to Faith Makes Things Possible!

The Um, How Would You Know If Ken Were Cheating When You Weren't Supposed To Read Others' Answers Before You Gave Your Own, So That Means YOU Were Cheating, But I Forgive You Award goes to aka The Mom!


The Going the Extra Mile Award (for trying to send in an answer while recovering in a hospital bed) goes to Megan! Now, that is what I call enthusiasm! 

The Oh Man, He Said That Better Than I Did Award goes to Ann’s husband, R! Although a few other contestants were very close and some even had the right answer, R's was the closest to what I was looking for. And therefore, R wins the GRAND PRIZE!!!! 

Yeah, don't worry, I have a few more, too. Which should motivate everyone for next time!!

See you then, and thanks for playing!

Bible in the Bubble, First Edition! Play along!

So, I am sitting around thinking of the topic for my next Doctrinal Quiz Show, and I get this great idea for it. I start to type out a post, and then I realize that the topic is not so much about doctrine as it is about the Bible (Bible trivia). I think of a few more topics that fit that bill, and suddenly I realize: I need a new feature in the Bubble!


Thus, Bible in the Bubble was born this day.


Remember, noooooooooooooo peeking in the Bible, googling, asking Father, running to the concordance, or otherwise cheating! No cheats in the Bubble!


You do not need to know or cite the book, chapter or verse in your answer (though you might get bonus points if you do, but then again I also might suspect that you are cheating, ha ha), but you do need to provide the specific circumstances or events which apply.


Here is your first question:


There are only TWO times in the entire Bible when God breathes on man. Name them. (And, if you can tell why the events are significant, extra points for you!)


The winner will receive a lovely prize, to be revealed with the correct answer.


Go on now, impress me!!


Hint: More likely than not, all my Bible trivia will have specifically Catholic overtones.