Who Were the First Christians?

Reminder: Tuesday, October 14, 7:00 pm, Univ. of Hartford, Dana Center, Mali I Auditorium
Prof. Adolfo Roitman, Curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Shrine of the Book, Jerusalem


We will gather for carpooling from St. Thomas Seminary main entrance (the circle around the flag pole) at 6:15. The last car will leave the circle promptly at 6:30. Thank you, to all who agreed to help drive.

For those who will be meeting us there, here is a map of the UHart campus. I have highlighted in yellow the location of the auditorium, as well as the route we will take from St. Thomas Seminary. A link to this map is also available online at www.orehartford.org under "Upcoming Events."

This event is free and open to the public.

 

Joy of the Gospel #2

Foreword: Something to consider as you look at the candidates in the upcoming elections:

THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
ON THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL
IN TODAY’S WORLD

No. 53. Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. ...Those excluded are no longer society’s underside or its fringes or its disenfranchised – they are no longer even a part of it....

54. In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.

Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.

Afterword: Emphases not in the original.

Paragraph numbers are provided to help you find the quotes for further study and to place these ideas in their original context, should you wish to do so. To read the text in full, click here: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#II.%E2%80%82Mary,_mother_of_evangelization

Weekly Bible Study - Philippians 4:6-9

5 October 2014

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all

Really? Easy as that, is it, Paul?

Who among us can say we have no anxiety? Is St. Paul out of touch with reality? And get this: Paul is writing these words while in prison. I personally would be at the end of my rope in that situation.

But Paul advises the Philippians (and us) to find “that peace of God that surpasses all understanding.” He has tested his own waters of hardship and suffering. From his experience Paul suggests that we deal with our often unsettled spirits with thankful prayer.

What if we were to come to God with a thankful heart, even in situations that give us anxiety? Would it make any difference in the way we receive our given circumstances? Would it make a difference in the way we receive the Giver (God)? A thankful spirit is open to what God has in store for us and trusts that the Lord knows best. It's the kind of trust we can and should aspire to acquire.

Paul offers advice on how to get there. When we are anxious, can we teach our minds to replace the destructive force of an uneasy spirit with "whatever is gracious"? Can we surrender to the Lord’s grace and peace all that is shackled within us, so that we can be freed from the imprisonment of our anxious fears?

Paul would teach us to reach out with expectation for the peace of knowing that, in all circumstances, God's graceful presence means that all will be well (somehow).

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 Fr. Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.

Joy of the Gospel #1

Foreword: Pope Francis' Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium in Latin) is, as one might expect, a profound and joy-filled document. This is the first of a new series of posts, to appear twice each month, which will help people gain a window into this inspiring document--a document that cuts to the very heart of the Catholic Biblical School's own mission.

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION EVANGELII GAUDIUM
OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
ON THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL
IN TODAY’S WORLD

28. The parish is not an outdated institution…. This presumes that it really is in contact with the homes and the lives of its people, and does not become a useless structure out of touch with people or a self-absorbed group made up of a chosen few.

29. Other Church institutions ... are a source of enrichment for the Church, raised up by the Spirit.... Frequently they bring a new evangelizing fervour and a new capacity for dialogue with the world whereby the Church is renewed.

But it will prove beneficial for them not to lose contact with the rich reality of the local parish .... This kind of integration will prevent them from concentrating only on part of the Gospel or the Church, or becoming nomads without roots.

Afterword: The Hartford Catholic Biblical School perpetually seeks ways to be "a source of enrichment for parishes," bringing a "new evangelizing fervour and a new capacity for dialogue" to parishes. Our structure, our faculty, and most of our students are intimately connected to "the rich reality of the local parish," being, as it is, authorized by Archbishop Leonard Blair and propagated with the assistance of pastors and parishes.

Paragraph numbers are provided to help you find the quotes for further study and to place these ideas in their original context, should you wish to do so. To read the text in full, click here: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#II.%E2%80%82Mary,_mother_of_evangelization