Reminder: Registrations for Returning Students are Due June 1

Students enrolling in CBS 200, and Advanced Year (Years 2, 3 and 4) in Fall 2014: If you haven't returned your registration form and tuition deposit ($150), please do so right away to hold your spot in the Hartford Catholic Biblical School. We're setting up classes for the fall at this time and need to know how many students to expect.

Thanks!

Weekly Bible Study - 1 Peter 3:15-18

6th Sunday of Easter

25 May 2014

One of the most profound images in Peter’s writing is that of Christ as cornerstone of our church and we as living stones. We are the Church and our life rests on the cornerstone of our faith, Christ Jesus.

But there is another dimension to the imagery in First Peter that also needs our attention: “These stones will become a stumbling block for many.” 

Of course, there are many stumbling blocks along the way of faith. We find them in the “hard sayings” of Jesus as well as in challenges we face from unbelievers and those who believe differently from us.

But looked at another way, Peter is telling us that we must not be an obstacle for those who sincerely search for Christ, for truth, for the deeper meaning of our lives. We must be prepared to bring hope and understanding to those who are weak (aren't we all weak in one way or another?) or those who are crippled in their faith.

And to those who falter we must offer a steady arm: to lift up rather than knock down; to encourage rather than criticize; to build up rather than tear down. Perhaps our message will be best received in the gentleness and reverence of which Peter speaks. As Christ is our foundation, our hope and our peace, we too must be that foundation for others: for believers, for non believers, and even for those who beliefs or religious practices differ from our own.

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, The Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.

CBS Spin-off Thrives in Carolina

Jerry Siegmund, Hartford CBS Class of 1999, reports that his first Catholic Biblical School class at St. Brendan the Navigator parish is graduating in North Carolina! Graduation ceremonies for all eight of his students will be on May 31 at the 5:00 Mass.

"We are starting a second four-year program in the Fall," Jerry reports. He has invited some of his graduates to help him teach."In addition," he continues, "the graduates wanted to continue learning (you know the feeling) so I am putting together a course on Tradition that will complement the Scripture portion."

Congrats to the North Carolina graduates and to our own Class of 2014, whose graduation ceremony is planned at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield, at 3:00 on June 22, 2014. (All are welcome; RSVP requested.)

Get "the feeling" for yourself! Enrollment in the Hartford Catholic Biblical School has begun. Applications are due August 15 for classes beginning in September in West Haven, Waterbury and Bloomfield. Contact BJ or Jill at the Office of Religious Education and Evangelization to find out more: catholic.biblical.school@aohct.org, 860-242-5573 ext. 2670. Or check out our website at www.orehartford.org.

Weekly Bible Study - 1 Peter 2:20-25

11 May 2014

4th Sunday of Easter

(Mother's Day)

In the post-resurrection scene of John’s Gospel, Peter receives a special commission from the Lord: “Feed my sheep.”

Although ascribed to Peter, we can't be sure that the letter we ponder in our Sunday readings this Easter season is actually from the pen of St. Peter. As a Galilean fisherman, it's unlikely that Peter could read or write. If Peter composed the letter it would have been dictated to a scribe. Or it may have been composed by a disciple of St. Peter who knew and drew from the apostle's teaching.

Nevertheless, St. Peter almost certainly inspired this brilliant letter, and in this way he continues to feed us, Christ’s sheep, even after he is martyred in Rome for doing so.

Crucifixion of St. Peter, Carvaggio

The characteristic feature of 1 Peter is the sharp contrast between the sober call to suffer in imitation of Christ and the deep joy experienced in following him. 

Can suffering and joy be reconciled? Peter thinks so!

Peter looks first to Christ as a model of human suffering. He speaks of the “grace of patience.” How is patient endurance a "grace" from God? There are many ways patience may be seen as "grace." It can bring us its “gifts” of perseverance, strength and hope. It can unite us with the suffering Christ, sharing in his redemptive act of love, bringing us nearer to our Lord. It can also join us in solidarity with suffering humanity, fostering ever-deeper levels of compassion.

But wherein lies the joy? Unlike the temporary joys of everyday life, this joy resides deep within the spiritual heart. It is the joy of one who knows that the suffering Christ holds us in a loving embrace. It is the joy we discover when we realize that Jesus, the "gate" of today’s Gospel, guards us against our own waywardness. It is the joy deep within the heart of one whose trials bring inner transformation, and who resides in the hope of eternal life.

Our suffering is never in vain. It is the cost of our discipleship and our deepest connection to Christ and His humanity. Participation in the life of Christ in its deepest dimensions is for us “inexpressible joy.”

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, The Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.

Weekly Bible Study - Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-33

4 May 2014

Third Sunday of Easter

St. Paul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus is what we call a “Hollywood” moment. Saul (as he was called then) is thrown to the ground, experiences a blinding light, hears the voice of Jesus, and is never the same again.

But in contrast, how does Peter come to be the fearless witness to the resurrection of Jesus
as he appears in today's reading? We can tell from Peter’s forceful words in the reading from Acts that he has been changed from the man who, just last week (as it were), denied even knowing Jesus.

We are left to imagine exactly how Peter has been transformed by his eyewitness encounter with the mystery of Christ's resurrection. Suddenly he is speaking and acting with a new confidence in the life and promises of Christ. The power of Christ’s resurrection gave Peter a new spirit, the Holy Spirit, which enabled Peter boldly to proclaim the Good News.

But what about us? If we've received the Holy Spirit in baptism and confirmation, do we have confidence to proclaim the Risen Christ? Does our encounter with Jesus lead us to confidence in our own resurrection?

Peter speaks of us and all future generations when he says: “God raised this Jesus; of this

Can we take some cues from Peter’s newfound confidence? Do we have the confidence to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus by our words and deeds, in our families, at our workplace, and as citizens of our nation? If so, how do we go about it?
we are all witnesses.” Peter makes it clear that we all must give witness by our words and deeds to the power of Christ’s resurrection.

If we're not comfortable with this task, then ask yourself: What keeps me from it? If I don't respond as Peter did, living and testifying boldly to the truth of my own salvation, why not? What is lacking? Is there something that holds me back? What could be more important to me? What is worth trading my own resurrection for?

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, The Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.

Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible

The Saint John's Bible will be featured at the Knights of Columbus Museum at One State Street, New Haven, from June 2 to November 2, 2014 (Open Daily 10:00am-5:00pm).

I particularly invite you to attend a lecture by Timothy Ternes, the Director of the St. John's Bible Museum and Manuscript Library:

From Inspiration to Illumination: The Saint John’s Bible
Saturday, June 14, 2 p.m.
Sunday, June 15, 2 p.m.

I will be there for at least one of these lectures, and I hope to see you there. I'm also willing to coordinate carpooling to either or both of these lectures. Contact me (BJ) at 860-242-5573 ext. 2679 if you're interested.

The exhibit itself, Illuminating the Word will present 68 original pages from all seven volumes of The Saint John’s Bible along with tools, sketches, materials and rare books.

Some history of the St. John's Bible: "Beginning in 1996, the community of Saint John’s Abbey and University began planning and working on The Saint John’s Bible — the first handwritten, illuminated Bible to be commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in 500 years." The pages were created  in a scriptorium in Wales, "under the artistic direction of renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson."

"This unique undertaking combines a centuries-old tradition of craftsmanship with the latest capabilities of computer technology and electronic communication."

Click here to learn more about the exhibition. Click here to discover more about the St. John's Bible itself or to order prints of the illuminations. Click here to email BJ about carpooling for this event.

You don't want to miss this opportunity to see this BEAUTIFUL manuscript, handcrafted using the ancient techniques of manuscript transmission!