Biblical Reflection for the New School Year

Sr. Jewel Renna, CND

Every year, the first-year class of the Catholic Biblical School begins its Opening Day with a guided prayer reflection authored by Sr. Jewel Renna, CND. As many of us in all circumstances begin a new process of growth in faith, it is well to bring it to mind once again:

Sometimes, like Jacob, you will be wrestling with God, trying to understand what you are reading, seeking the meaning of God's word in your life, here and now.... Sometimes it may feel like the desert to you - with words that are empty and dry…. Perhaps you will feel as if you have lost your way at times.... Or you may struggle with fear or fatigue ... or with you know not what! In those moments, remember Jacob!  He never let go until he was blessed! You do the same! Hold firm and you, too, will be blessed!

"For as God's word continues to work within you, you will come to know better: Who God wants to be for you; Who God calls you to become.

(And, I would add: You will come to know better how you go about (with God's grace) this becoming!)

Or, as Dr. Phyllis Trible, biblical scholar, put it: "Blessings do not always come on our terms, but that is no reason to quit wrestling."

In this week's Biblical Archaeology Review, biblical scholar Phyllis Trible talks about wrestling with the Bible from her own personal standpoint, as a feminist biblical scholar in a non-Catholic tradition. To read her reflections, click here.


(The questions of feminism in the Bible are reckoned as important by the Pontifical Biblical Commission. See The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 1993.)

Reminder: Day of Enrichment for Parish Leaders and CBS Alumnae/i

Presenter: Stephen J. Binz

"The Bible: God's Handbook for Evangelization," will be offered in two locations: September
4, 6:30-9:00 pm at St. Aloysius Parish Center, Plantsville or September 5 - 9:30-noon at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield.




We will explore the necessary relationship between listening to Scripture (Lectio Divina) and witnessing to Scripture (New Evangelization). We cannot evangelize until we ourselves have been evangelized, and the best way to become an evangelizing Catholic is to experience Scripture as an encounter with God's word! Presenter: Stephen J. Binz. September 4 OR 5, 2014 (offered at two times and locations). Sept. 4, 6:30-9:00 pm at St. Aloysius Parish Center, Plantsville or September 5 - 9:30-noon at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield.

CBS Reminders for the New Academic Year

First Week of Classes for ALL (Year 1 through Grad Division) students is September 8-12. Click here to access exact dates and times of all classes.

Opening Scripture Days (required for students in Years 1-4) will be held at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield as follows:

 

Weekly Bible Study - Jeremiah 20:7-9

31 August 2014

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fear was not in Jeremiah’s vocabulary! This 6th century prophet was not afraid to oppose kings, priests and the unfaithful. And he didn't hesitant to challenge God, either! Would we have the courage to say to God, “You duped me!?”

Today’s brief passage portrays someone who is tired of the harsh treatment he receives as he struggles to remain faithful to God. Time and again he is harassed, beaten, imprisoned, his life threatened. He wonders: Where is this God who promised to take care of me? Where is he when I need him most? Jeremiah is downright angry and discouraged and not afraid to let God know it.

What sets this prophetic book apart from the others is its portrayal of the inner struggle of this man of God. Plagued by feelings of inadequacy and doubt, he gets "down" and desperate. These inner conflicts are best reflected in the passages known as “Jeremiah’s Confessions." Jeremiah has been betrayed by those dearest to him. He agonizes over the purpose of his ministry, wrestles with discouragement and even curses the day of his birth!

But in spite of Jeremiah’s desire “no longer to speak in God’s name,” there remains within him a burning passion. Deep within his being Jeremiah knows God and cannot turn his back on God's call.

To say that Jeremiah is a unique character is an understatement. His prophetic book is a deeply moving revelation of a man’s spiritual struggle to understand the ways of God and carry out his will in the face of great adversity. It is Jeremiah’s brutal honesty in bringing his struggles to God that makes him an inspiration to all of us. Where else should we turn to bring our own inner conflicts? God is big enough to handle our anger, if that's what we're feeling!

This book beckons us to enter and gaze deeply into the heart of a spiritual companion and to learn from one who felt confident to bare the depths of his soul before God.

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.