Monday, January 31, 2011

Remembering Dean A. Ockerbloom, Class of 2006

The Hartford Catholic Biblical School community mourns the death on January 26th of Dean Ockerbloom, buried this morning from St. Ann Church in Avon.

As 2006 graduates of our Biblical School community, both Dean and his wife, Marianne, are dear to our hearts. But since I did not have the honor of knowing Dean well myself, I invited his friend and classmate, Caryl Muller, to write a few words in Dean's memory. Here's what she writes:

"What I remember most about Dean is his generosity, passion and commitment to his family and the things he held close to his heart. Dean told us (his CBS small group) that after recovering from a serious medical episode he began reflecting on the direction he wanted his life to take. He felt called to issues of social justice and became very involved both at St. Ann's in Avon and at the Catholic Worker House in Hartford. Dean was an energetic, upbeat person who displayed a positive attitude and was always ready and willing to help others."

Contributions in Dean's honor may be made to Hartford Catholic Worker, 26 Clark Street, Hartford, CT 06120. For condolences please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com.

CBS Recommends—Catholic Faith and Family Bible


The Center for Ministry Development announced last week that their Catholic Faith and Family Bible is the #1 bestselling Bible on the Harper Catholic Bibles list of bestselling Bibles.

All of the features of the Catholic Faith and Family Bible, from the section and book introductions, as well as the over 1,000 study notes, were written with the unique challenges and needs of the Catholic family in mind.

This is not a study Bible, but it is ideal for generating family discussions and for religious educators who hope to involve the whole family in the catechetical process.

Click here for more information and to purchase directly from the Center for Ministry Development.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Beware of Bad Info Online!

When "Googling" information or participating in social networking about the Bible, it is important to be very careful about the sources of the information you are considering. There is probably more false information than accurate information out there.


Four samples of "online idiocy":

"Mark is the surname of John." (There is a "John Mark" in the New Testament, but Mark is not a surname in this case. And, to my knowledge, no serious scholar links John Mark with the Gospel of John.)

"Luke was probably written just as a matter of recording it for posterity." (The gospel writers write in the context of the Christian community of which they are a part for the purpose of inspiring faith, not as an exercise in modern history writing.)

"The old testament was originally written by disiples [sic] guided by God. Some personally saw God talking and telling them what to write and others by visions." (This in no way reflects the approach to authorship in the Bible as the Catholic Church--indeed, as scholars in most Christian and Jewish denominations--understand it.)

"Adam, Noah, Shem, and the others each wrote down an account of the events which occurred in his lifetime, and Moses, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, selected and compiled these, along with his own comments, into the book we now know as Genesis." (Writing was almost exclusively limited to legal and economic transactions until the time of King David, about 250 years after the time of Moses. And even then, very few individuals could read or write. The Catholic Church's position on human authorship in the Bible is that early biblical traditions originated as oral stories and were later collected by unnamed human authors. The entire development of the canon, both as oral and written material, is seen as guided by the Holy Spirit.)

The textbooks authorized for the Catholic Biblical School are authoritative, and Hartford CBS students, at least, are encouraged to engage these texts thoroughly before venturing into other resources. Beyond the authorized textbooks, we recommend the materials listed in the "Further Reading" section of each week's lesson.

In general, though, if you decide to venture into cyberspace for information about the Bible, we recommend three guidelines: First, consider whether the material you find online is consistent with the Catholic approach to the Bible taught in the Biblical School. Second, look carefully into the professional credentials of the online source. If credentials aren't provided, then you should question the validity of the material. Third, recognize that even a well-qualified scholar may draw interpretations from their exegesis that are not consistent with the Catholic tradition. In this case, draw from their exegetical knowledge and insight, but compare their conclusions with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Light that Shines in the Darkness

As we in New England find ourselves enmeshed in the depths of winter, let us keep Christ, the light of Christmas, burning warmly in our hearts. As the Gospel of John witnesses:

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
...
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:1, 9-12, New International Version)

The Christian preacher we honor this week, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reminded us that "darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction – the chain reaction of evil ... must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation." (Strength to Love, 1963)

Jesus himself refused to return violence with violence, and so was executed by human authorities. He gave his own life in witness to the perspective that turning the other cheek has "power to transform conflict into mutual understanding, to transform injustice into justice," to transform darkness into light.

(Inspiration for this blog, as well as the final quote, comes from Dr. Margaret Benefiel, author of Executive Soul Newsletter. For more information, click here.)

Monday, January 10, 2011

NAB Revised Edition

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced last week that long-awaited revisions to the New American Bible Old Testament texts have been approved. The USCCB Office of Media Relations posted this announcement on the USCCB website on January 6, 2011:

"The New American Bible, revised edition (NABRE), the first major update to the New American Bible (NAB) translation in 20 years, has been approved for publication. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, then president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), signed the canonical rescript approving publication on September 30, 2010. The NABRE will be available in a variety of print, audio and electronic formats on March 9, Ash Wednesday."

The announcement continues by saying that "The revision aimed at making use of the best manuscript traditions available, translating as accurately as possible, and rendering the result in good contemporary English. In many ways it is a more literal translation than the original New American Bible and has attempted to be more consistent in rendering Hebrew (or Greek) words and idioms...."

This revision is the latest in a series of revisions begun in 1986 (Revised New Testament) and 1991 (Revised Psalms). To see the full press release regarding the new revisions, check out the USCCB website at http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2011/11-003.shtml


If you're thinking about investing in a new Bible (particularly, if you're thinking about the New American Bible) we recommend you wait until March, when you'll have access to the NABRE.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

CBS Recommends—Lectio Divina: An Encounter with the Bible


Do you want to learn how to pray with Scripture?  Do you want greater intimacy in your conversations with God?  Do you want to discover God’s will for your life?  Do you want to live out the Gospel message and be authentically happy?  Then Lectio Divina is for you!


Saturday, January 15, 2011

8:30am- 4:00pm
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church Hall
63 Old Norwich Road
Quaker Hill, CT  

This workshop is sponsored by the Office of Faith Events of the Diocese of Norwich, in collaboration with the American Bible Society. For more information, please contact: Marge Vanner, Office of Faith Events, Phone: 860-848-2237, E-mail: faithevents@norwichdiocese.net

This event is not sponsored by the Catholic Biblical School, but is authorized as a "make-up" for certain missed requirements.

Feast of the Lord's Baptism—Scripture Learning Tools

As this Sunday's Feast of the Baptism of the Lord approaches, you are invited to delve into the four gospel accounts of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist.

Ave Maria Press's "Engaging Faith" blog this week provides a wonderful activity for Bible enthusiasts and teachers of Sacred Scripture. Click here for more.

And click here to find some Old Testament timeline activities on the same blogsite.