HCBS Grads Living and Leading in God’s Word

Ms. Kathi Bonner, Class of 2011
Director of Religious Education
Saint Catherine of Siena Parish
West Simsbury, CT

We all know that the Sunday readings each week give us a "snapshot" of Holy Scripture. Week to week, these passages of God's Word come together to create a kind of mosaic of Scripture, drawing us more deeply into relationship with God's Word Become Flesh, Jesus the Christ our Savior.

This Advent, some parishioners of St. Catherine of Siena Parish have been enjoying an even wider view. Under the guidance of Kathy Bonner, their parish catechetical leader, these adult learners have been exploring more deeply the rich Lectionary readings proclaimed each Sunday of the season.

Kathi holds the Certificate in Advanced Biblical Studies, awarded by Archbishop Mansell through the Office of Religious Education and St. Thomas Seminary. Her four years of study have provided the skills and knowledge needed to place the Sunday readings into conversation with the scriptural books of which they are a part and with the Bible as a whole.

"The adults who come to gather each Wednesday are so enthusiastic and open to learning," Kathi tells us. "I just love it!  It gives me renewed purpose."

Hundreds of graduates and students of the Hartford Catholic Biblical School are involved in ongoing ministries in their faith communities throughout Connecticut and even around the world. If you are, or someone you know is, a CBS graduate who helps others to encounter God's Living Word, we want to hear about it! Send a descriptive paragraph to BJ at cbs@orehartford.org.

December News in Faith Formation

What's happening in the Biblical School, adult spirituality, catechist enrichment, youth ministry? It's all here in the December 2011 newsletter, ORE Connections. Click here to explore what's happening this month in faith formation in the Archdiocese of Hartford.

Discerning the Presence of God (Part Two)

Knowing how to act in a morally challenging situation can be confusing. Even the holy writers of the books of Scripture sometimes offer conflicting advice about how the people of their times should act in a given historical situation.

Daniel in Lion's Den

The Book of Daniel, on the one hand, advises believers not to take action against persecutions of the Emperor Antiochus IV but rather to trust completely in the power of God to deliver the faithful from their oppressors. The Books of  First Maccabees and Judith, on the other hand, encourage believers in this same thorny situation to take action--even violent action when necessary--against their persecutors. And the Book of Esther suggests a kind of "middle course" between these teachings.

Which advice is "right"?

The Old Testament teaches that what is "right" in any situation becomes known by the wise through discernment of God's presence and God's call within the situation itself. And it teaches that wisdom and discernment come only through living a life in right relationship (covenant) with God. This right relationship includes abiding in a deep love for and respect for Creator and all creation (and not just the community of faith). It is only if we come to know God intimately, seeking out God's presence in our every moment, that we will come to understand what God is requiring of us within our every moment.

Of course, moral behavior is expected and taught emphatically in the Old Testament. Morally evil actions are never considered "good," in the Bible, though they may sometimes be justified.

But there are loads of times when we are required to choose between more than one morally good course of action. Right now, should I be writing this blog post or clearing off my messy desk? Both are morally good things to do. I have to decide, moment by moment, "What is the most loving action for me to take?" (My desk can wait...again!)

St. Ignatius of Loyola taught his followers in the Society of Jesus many important principles for helping discern what God is requiring of us from day to day. But that's food for another post!

Discerning the Presence of God (Part One)

This winter, advanced students in the Biblical School are studying the post-exilic period of the Old Testament. We've been talking about how different biblical books show faithful Jews as responding in a variety of ways to the Hellenization ("Greek-izing") of Judaism in this time period.

"The Book of Jonah" observed one student, "Recognizes the value of all human life, Jew and Gentile alike, while other books, like Tobit, encourage Jews to remain as separate from foreign cultures as possible. Why is that? Doesn't the Bible teach us God's will?"

The Bible shows us human beings in communities of faith seeking to discern God's presence in their lives. God's presence, according to the Old Testament covenant, is found in right relationship with God and others. (Right relationship is translated in English Bibles, misleadingly, as "fear of the Lord.")

That is, the Old Testament urges us to know better our Creator and ourselves if we are to live in right relationship (covenant), and that the sign of this right relationship is "awe and respect" (translated misleadingly in English Bibles as "fear of the Lord.") before God.


In biblical times, the choice between holding fast to one's faith sometimes meant separating the community from what were seen as harmful influences in the dominant cultures (like Persian, Greek and Roman cultures). At other times believers were called to a "3 R" approach:

• recognizing God's presence in the dominant culture,
• reaching out to share the faith community's wisdom with these others, and  
• realizing what wisdom might be found in the other, new perspective.

And it's possible that, at the very same time and place, what is the best course of action (the best act of love) for one group or individual might not be the best course of action for another.


In the Old Testament, even apparently "conflicting" teachings (like those in Jonah and Tobit) are all considered sacred and inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is up to the faithful, with the guidance of the Church, to discern the meaning of each and how to live the Word of God day by day.

(And, of course, the Biblical School is designed to help you in the process!)