CBS Classes Cancelled 1/31/17

All CBS Classes are cancelled for Tuesday evening, 31 January 2017. Students are expected to prepare the homework for next week's class (Lesson 2.8), in addition to having completed the homework that would have been due tonight (2.7). Your instructor will arrange a make-up for the missed class, but your next meeting will move forward with the discussion of material due on that date--not the material you would have discussed tonight. Please check your Student Guidebook if you are unsure how to proceed. Please stay safe and warm!

Favorite Bible Bits

Sally Albert, Class of 2009, writes:

"When I was a small child, my father told me, "I’m your father and I love you very much and I can't even imagine how much God loves you!"  Keeping his words in mind and relying on them has helped many times throughout my life.

"This passage from Isaiah confirms that statement for me."

ISAIAH  43:2-5  (Jerusalem Bible)

Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name, you are mine.
Should you pass through the sea, I will be with you;
or through rivers, they will not swallow you up.
Should you walk through fire, you will not be scorched
and the flames will not burn you.
For I am Yahweh, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your saviour.

I gave Egypt for your ransom,
and exchange Cush and Seba for you.
Because you are precious in my eyes,
because you are honoured and I love you,
I give men in exchange for you,
peoples in return for your life.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you.

BJ's Note: I think we sometimes use theological words like "redeem" without really understanding fully what we're saying. This passage from Second Isaiah puts it in a nutshell: I give peoples in return for your life. Of course, in the New Testament we learn that it is even more than "peoples" God gives; it is God's own self. We redeem our spent, unhealthy (sinful) lives by exchanging it for God's own life given to us in Christ Jesus. Thanks for the beautiful reminder, Sally!

TV at its Best!

Hot off the press!

Dr. Richard Freund of the University of Hartford announces the television premier this Sunday of Atlantis Rising.

Oscar-winning filmmaker and deep sea explorer, James Cameron, teamed up with Emmy-winning investigative filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici for an upcoming National Geographic Channel documentary special: “Atlantis Rising” (January 29, 2017, (9:00 Eastern Time). “Atlantis” is mentioned in the writings of the Greek philosopher Plato (4^th century BC) as a legendary port, capital of an ancient empire that was destroyed in some kind of natural disaster. “We set out to archeologically investigate the most interesting theories that argue that there is some kind of history behind the myth of Atlantis,” said Cameron.

Graduation Activities Form

Member of the Class of 2016
with faculty Dr. Donald Gray

As we approach graduation, fourth-year students in the Hartford Catholic Biblical School need to complete the online graduation form by April 15 to receive your four-year certificates and to let us know what festivities you and your family are planning to attend. Here is a link: https://goo.gl/forms/GsOqjkmxtsUE0x903.

Any change of plans or updated information can be made as the time draws nearer by calling Jill Costa at 860-242-5573, ext. 2670.

I promise, you won't want to miss a thing! Here is the essential information:

Mt. Nebo Day

A time for reflection, prayer and fellowship with your classmates and other CBS alums.
Saturday, June 3, 2017, 8:30-2:30, St. Thomas Seminary

Graduation Prayer Service and Reception

Receive your certificates in the context of a prayerful celebration at St. Joseph Cathedral.
Saturday, June 10, 2017, 1:00 pm (Graduates please arrive by 12:15) at the Cathedral of St. Joseph

Class of 2016

Registering Online for Celebration of Sacred Scripture

The registration link I posted here on January 6 seems no longer to be working. Sorry if you've had trouble accessing the online form! I've fixed it in the 1/6/17 post and am also providing a new link here, for your convenience:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScF7AqMV1XktorucP84q8l2HyNy9T8MXsEEhimhRlLVjqxrxQ/viewform?c=0&w=1

Transformative Encounters in the Gospel of John with Dr. Harry Attridge is not to be missed! It's been 7 years since he was last with us, and who knows when he'll be able to return?

Best of Barron

What about Divine Wrath?

I'm posting early this week, because in today's reflection Bishop Robert
Barron explains eloquently and succinctly a key concept that usually takes me much longer to say. I want all my students, past and present, to read what he wrote:

2ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR I

MARK 3:1-6

"Friends, today’s Gospel shows an angry Jesus healing a man with a withered hand. Whenever the Bible speaks of the divine anger, which it does a lot, it is talking poetically about God’s passion to set things right. God doesn’t go in and out of emotional states. He doesn’t fall into snits. He longs to establish justice on the earth and stands athwart those forces opposed to his purpose. This is precisely what Jesus does toward the Pharisees in today’s Gospel." Thank you Bishop Barron! For the complete reflection, click here: http://dailycatholicgospel.com/get-reflections.

Best of Barron

Here's a new way to reflect on faith and the Bible this year. Bishop Robert Barron has launched a daily gospel reflection, which I invite you to subscribe to directly by clicking here: http://dailycatholicgospel.com/get-reflections.

But for those who who want just the highlights, I will be sharing pieces from his reflections each week. This week, I have been largely in bed with the flu, so you will not be surprised that I chose Wednesday's reflection:

1st Week Ordinary Time ~ Mark 1:29-39 

"Friends, in the Gospel of Mark today, we ... are reading from the section of Mark's first chapter that gives us a sort of "day in the life" of Jesus. And it is quite a day!... After entering the house of Simon, Jesus cures Peter's mother-in-law.... Notice that he takes her by the hand and brings her to her feet so that she can be of service. What does sickness do to us? It draws us in around ourselves. Once she is cured, Simon's mother-in-law commences to serve, to be for the other."

BJ's Challenge:
In what way are we "drawn in around ourselves" (sick) spiritually? In a moment of prayer ask Jesus to heal you for service. Ask him whether there is a specific service he wants from you today.

Mark Your Calendars: Celebration of Sacred Scripture 2017

Here's what Dr. Attridge will be helping us explore:

Session 1:Drama and Imagery in the Book of Signs
This session will begin with a brief exploration of the general literary framework of the Gospel. We will then examine several passages that illustrate the principle of “transformative encounter” in the first twelve chapters of the Gospel.

Session 2: Ironic Revelation in the Book of Glory
The second portion of the Gospel, from chapters 13 to 21 is often called the Book of Glory. Stories of appearances of the resurrected Jesus also involve “transformative encounters,” but what Jesus says before his death challenges the reader to experience a similar transformation ourselves.  We will explore the ways in which the Gospel appeals to its readers to “believe” in a profound and thoughtful way.

To register directly online, go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScF7AqMV1XktorucP84q8l2HyNy9T8MXsEEhimhRlLVjqxrxQ/viewform?c=0&w=1. Don't forget to let us know, though, if your plans change!

CBS students: Remember that if you are a student in Year 2, 3 or 4, you will need to register and attend this program. This is your Lenten Scripture Day! Year 1 students are invited but not required to attend.

Freund Discovery Named NYTimes Top Ten

The New York Times science reporters have named Dr. Richard Freund's discovery of a holocaust escape tunnel in Lithuania among the ten most memorable science stories in 2016. Dr. Freund of the University of Hartford is a world-renowned archaeologist and occasional lecturer in the Hartford Catholic Biblical School.

The discovery will be the subject of a NOVA documentary, "Holocaust Escape Tunnel," which is scheduled to premiere in April 2017 on PBS. Check local listings for dates and times!

The full story can be found by clicking here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/16/science/2016-top-science-news.html?emc=eta1 .

Photo Courtesy of Ezra Wolfinger for Nova