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Bible Study |
The Bible Study group at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton meets the first and third Thursdays each month at 9:30 a.m. (in August there are no meetings). We open our meeting with the Rosary and individual prayer intentions. We have in the past and are currently utilizing the Little Rock Scripture Study which includes a Commentary and Study Guide with questions for discussion. There is an accompanying DVD for our current study on the Book of Wisdom for group viewing to aid us in this study. Bible Study ends at 11:30 a.m. with a closing prayer. Each of us needs to bring a Bible. The Catechism of the Catholic Church if referenced and it is recommended if you have one to bring that in addition to a notebook.
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The Estancia Valley Catholic Parish supports a variety of Bible study opportunities which are offered as demand occurs and facilitator availability. Those studies may be isolated to individual authors, seasonal events or specific topics as the Spirit directs the community. The study of the Bible by lay persons as a personal religious or spiritual practice focused on personal spiritual growth. If the Scriptures represent an entire library of inspired testimonies to the way God is at work in our lives and in our world, the first and fundamental encouragement will come when people begin to understand the power of the Word! Countless generations of saints and sinners have heard the mighty whispers of God and offered the testimony of their faith in that Word. They have been truly transformed by the very act of reading or listening and paying attention.
The Scriptures are the Book of the Church! They come from the early communities. They were gathered by those communities, whether we name them Synagogues or Churches. They are proclaimed to us as Christians every time we gather for the Eucharist or for any other Sacrament. They belong to the entire people of God, not merely to the scholars. The Bible, which is also called Sacred Scripture, tells the story of the loving relationship between God and humankind. It can bring people into a deeper relationship with God, teaches important truths about Christian faith, and challenges us to examine how we live our life and relate with other people. The Bible is for everyone. Wherever you are in your relationship with God, the Bible can speak to you.
Any “study” of the Word should be done after reviewing the Preface and Forward of the Bible which will assist you in your studies. Another resource would be a trained facilitator who can help you get the most out of the readings so as to deepen your faith and appreciation. Immediate and consistent use of certain additional resources can aid you in this process; a bible commentary or concordance, a dictionary and an encyclopedia will assure that words, phrases and references are understood fully before continuing your study.
The study of the Bible is, as it were, the soul of theology, as the Second Vatican Council says, borrowing a phrase from Pope Leo XIII (Dei Verbum, 24). This study is never finished; each generation must, in its own way, newly seek to understand the sacred books. Catholics are encouraged by the Church, as a specific call from Vatican II, to read and study the Bible as a personal and group activity.
Contact the parish office or check the church bulletin for times, dates and locations of Bible/Scripture classes.
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"May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe…"
Ephesians 1:18-19
Mankind is always changing; God’s truth stands forever. And He has many ways of speaking to us, regardless of the human instruments He uses. Often enough, our reading of Holy Scripture is distracted by mere curiosity; we want to seize upon a point and argue about it, when we ought to be quietly passing on. You will get most out of it [the bible] if you read it with humility, and simplicity, and faith, not concerned to make a name for yourself as a scholar. By all means ask questions but listen to what holy writers have to tell you; do not find fault with the hard sayings of antiquity—their authors had good reason for writing as they did.
Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ: On the Reading of Holy Scripture, 1.5.2 |
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