“Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”           St. Jerome

I will be leading a Summer Bible Study at All Saints Catholic Church this summer, based on my book “Thy Word: An Introduction to the Bible for People in the Pews.”

There will be two groups:

Sunday mornings: 9:30am to 11:00am – Parish Hall Room B (first class June 3)

Wednesday evenings: 7:00pm to 8:30pm – Parish Hall (first class June 6)

All you need to bring is your Bible.

Course Information

“Thy Word: An Introduction to the Bible for People in the Pews” is intended to introduce you to the Bible over the course of twelve weeks.

It is important to keep in mind that this course is an introduction to the Bible. As the title suggests, it is not meant to turn you into an expert on the Bible. Still, if you learn what is in the course, you will know most of what most people know about the Bible. You will learn about the great personalities of the Scriptures: Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Mary, Peter, Paul and, of course, Jesus. You will learn about the great events of biblical times: the Exodus, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the Exile and Restoration of the Jews, the life, passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus, and the efforts of His apostles to spread the good news of God’s love and forgiveness to the world. The course will have done its job well if, after you finish, you feel inspired to learn more about the Bible and your Catholic faith.

Hopefully, learning about the Bible will not merely be an intellectual or academic exercise for you. The Letter of James encourages us to be doers of the word, and not merely hearers of the word (James 1:22). It is one thing to know what God has revealed to us about Jesus and His plan for our salvation. It is quite another to make it matter in our lives. In his Apostolic Exhortation, Verbum Domini, Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “To receive the Word means to let oneself be shaped by him, and thus to be conformed by the power of the Holy Spirit to Christ, the ‘only Son from the Father’ (Jn 1:14).” It is my prayer for you who take this course that learning about the story of God and His people will strengthen your faith. A stronger faith will equip you to live more fully the life of grace given to us by God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Lessons:

Week 1: What Catholics Believe About Revelation/The Creation Stories/Adam & Eve

Week 2: God’s Covenant with Noah/The Patriarchs/The Exodus

Week 3: The Law/The Promised Land

Week 4: The United Kingdom: Israel/The Divided Kingdom: Israel & Judah

Week 5: The Exile and Restoration/The Wisdom Books

Week 6: The Major Prophets/The Minor Prophets

Week 7: The World of Jesus/The Gospels of Matthew and Mark

Week 8: The Gospel of Luke/The Acts of the Apostles

Week 9: The Gospel of John

Week 10: The Letters of Paul

Week 11: The Letter to the Hebrews/The Catholic Letters

Week 12: Revelation/Lectio Divina

Attend as many as you can. Each class will be instructive on its own.

“Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path”     Psalm 118:105

 

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.