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In response to Pope Benedict’s commemoration of the upcoming year as “The Year of St. Paul,” we will highlight each issue of our newsletter this year with a question from 101 Questions & Answers on Paul, by Ronald D. Witherup, SS.
Can you say more about the relationship between Peter and Paul? Peter was very important in the early church, yet sometimes Paul seems to have been more powerful. How could that be?
Peter obviously held a prominent place in several communities of the early church (cf. Matt 16:17-19; Mark 3:36; Acts 2:14-36), and the NT in general testifies to Peter’s prominence. Peter’s role was one of authority, promoting unity and speaking for the apostles. Paul respects that position and calls attention to it. However, it would be a mistake to think that Peter functioned as a universal leader in the early church in the way, for instance, Catholics now view the Petrine ministry of the pope, which evolved into its distinctive contemporary shape over time. Remember that Paul founded most of the believing communities to which he wrote letters. He had a special devotion to them as they did to him. His own role in their midst was an authoritative one. In this regard Peter would not have functioned as authoritatively in those communities as Paul himself did. On the other hand, Paul understands Peter’s privileged position within Christian history. His ability to question Peter on an issue like the relationship to the Gentiles . . . should not be seen as a challenge to universal authority. Paul comes across in his letters in an authoritative manner. He defends his own apostleship as valid in relation to the other apostles. Thus his willingness to challenge Peter or the other key figures in the Jerusalem church (James the brother of the Lord) grew out of his own understanding of the call he received from Jesus Christ.
Copyright © 2003 by Ronald D. Witherup, SS, Paulist Press, Inc., New York/Mahwah, NJ. Reprinted by permission of Paulist Press, Inc. www.paulistpress.com.
Cackie Upchurch
Catholic bishops from around the world have been gathering during this month of October for one purpose – to consider the role of the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church. Since this issue of our newsletter will be posted before the close of the Synod, we’re focusing on some of the key questions that are being considered. Our next installment will explore the results of the Synod. What better focus for prayer, study, and discussion than the Word of God! Hopefully those of us involved in Bible study know that divine revelation takes no higher form than the Incarnation. In the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God is fully revealed. It just can’t get any better than that.
As Catholics we experience this Word of God made flesh through Scripture (both testaments) and Tradition (our sacramental life and various avenues of prayer and service). The Word of God is living in the midst of our world and in the lives of our communities. The Synod invites us to embrace this truth and to explore its meaning.
Of particular interest to us is that the bishops have gathered information about how the Bible is being used in our communities for prayer, worship, and study. They want to discover and share the efforts that have been effective in various pastoral settings, and to encourage appropriate ways to make Bible study central to the way we live as Catholics.
Vatican Council II stated in 1965, “The church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerated the Body of the Lord … She has always regarded, and continues to regard the Scriptures, taken together with sacred Tradition, as the supreme rule of her faith” (Dei Verbum 21). Many observers would point out that Catholics are still learning what it means to venerate the Scriptures.
Over forty years later we are only beginning to mine the rich deposits that are available to us in the Bible. We still have miles to go before many lay Catholics feel comfortable finding their way around the Bible and learning both what familiar passages might have meant in their original setting and what they mean for us today.
We venerate the Scriptures not simply by enthroning this sacred book or holding it aloft as we begin the Liturgy of the Word. To venerate Scripture we also have to dwell on what is proclaimed at liturgy and find ways to explore the meaning of biblical texts in study and prayer. If we become comfortable with finding our way around the Bible the page corners will be bent and the binding will be loose, but the effects in our lives will be noticeable in the way we live. That’s the goal of venerating the Word of God in Scripture.
What might all this mean as we pray with our bishops and look forward to the results of this labor? Here are some areas that will benefit from renewed emphasis on the Bible: vigorous proclamation of Scripture at Mass, preaching that focuses the assembly on the Scriptures that have been proclaimed, biblically based faith formation opportunities for all ages, and prayerful reading of Scripture by individuals (lectio divina) and in groups.
A Synod of Bishops focused on God’s Word reminds us ultimately that God’s nature is to communicate with us. Our job is to use the tools and create the space where we can listen.
Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB
For each of us there is a “day of the Lord” when God breaks into our lives unexpectedly.
For the moment, however, let’s take a look at what the phrase, day of the Lord, has meant to our biblical ancestors. When this expression is used it ordinarily points to events that are to take place at some unknown time when God intervenes in history to complete the divine plan for human beings. It is a day of cleansing and purification. Because the language centered around the day of the Lord is often full of frightening visions and bizarre images it is understandable that it has become a day of dread. (See Isaiah 7:18-25, Amos 5:18-20, Joel 1:15-18.)
In the New Testament the day of the Lord is often equated with the second coming of Christ and understood to be a moment of judgment. Jesus emphatically tells us that no one knows when this day will be. What we are told, however, is that it will be sudden.
It will come when we are not expecting, it thus we are to be ever vigilant. The call to vigilant readiness is also to be your focus as you pray with Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians.
To keep vigil with your life is to live in such a way so as to be ready always for the coming of the Lord. This vigilant living is in itself a powerful prayer. It is a way of life that is pure prayer. Allow yourself to envision the day of the Lord as an event that takes place in some small way each day. Every day God breaks into your living. How might your life change if you practiced believing in God’s coming? What if at the end of the day you glanced back into your day and counted the moments of God’s visitation? If you could live with such vigilance you may begin to take a fresh look at the day of the Lord.
In this Scripture text Paul is talking to us as believers, so he reminds us that we are children of the light and of the day. Such a reminder is like good medicine. We need these reminders to help us carry on. Remember, then, that you are not walking in darkness. Open your eyes. The path you walk is flooded with light. You do not have to go to some mountain and wait for the second coming as some have done. Your goal is simply to live in the light—live as one awakened.
Your homework is to be vigilant, sober, lucid, and aware. Watch for daily visitations from God. Anticipate all the good things that could take place in each new day rather than dreading things that may never happen. Each morning practice believing that your mind will be filled with amazing insights. A positive attitude can assist us in shaping our days.
Paul also encourages us to clothe ourselves with the garments of faith, hope, and love. So let us robe ourselves as people who are ready for the bright journey of each new day, remembering always that the bottom line is not God’s wrath, it is our salvation. God desires us, longs for us. Both in death and in life it is the Holy One to whom we belong. If we all belong to this unseen God then we also belong to one another. We are to give over our hearts into one another’s keeping, supporting one another and building each other up in love.
Perhaps the true day of the Lord will be when we are caught up in awareness of who we are and whose we are. When we are able to voice an enthusiastic “Yes,” to living in radical union with Christ, we will be empowered to light one another’s paths so that we need never again walk in darkness.
In bringing his teachings to a close Paul pleads with us to respect those who are in authority over us. To Paul’s request for respect we might add the responsibility to pray for our teachers. Those attempting to guide us are often as imperfect as we are and s,o even if at times they lose our respect, may they never lose our prayers. St. Jane Frances de Chantal reminds us, “We are all capable of each others faults.”
As for Paul’s final words of counsel each of us would do well to inscribe them on our hearts. So let us pray: May the God of peace sanctify us that we may learn how to live together in harmony. May our patience and loving support of one another be so obvious that our lives overflow with gratitude. May we joyfully nurture the Spirit’s flame that burns in every heart.
Your next word to romance is 1 Cor 3:5-23.
Cackie Upchurch
As a child I remember getting excited every fall once school began. As we learned to read, the school made sure we could begin building our own personal libraries. It was fun to visit the book fair (or the bookmobile in my day) and stock up on some new titles. Well, it’s still fun, and fall is still that time when publishers tempt us with new titles and invite us to continue expanding our minds.
This year, three books have caught my attention with regard to understanding the role of the Bible in our lives as Christians. The first is a small collection of writings by some of the best biblical scholars and practitioners. Scripture as the Soul of Theology is edited by Edward J. Maloney (Liturgical Press, 89 pages) and contains reflections by Wilfrid Harrington, Frank Matera, Sandra Schneiders, John Shea, and Bonnie Thurston. Each writer explores the Scriptures to lift up insights about ethics, spirituality, pastoral care, and the ministry of women.
In Things Hidden, Scripture as Spirituality (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 220 pages), Fr. Richard Rohr revisits the great themes of Scripture that he first identified twenty-five years ago. Typical of this Franciscan guide, he acknowledges that on a very deep level his teachings are not new, but are a way of acknowledging God’s presence in our lives and reconnecting with the core stories of our faith. Rohr states, “My desire is to make some clear connections with what I perceive to be the prime ideas in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures with a practical and pastoral spirituality for believers today.” This volume incorporates key biblical passages with core teachings from Christian tradition, psychology, and lived experience.
Starting in December, we enter into a new liturgical cycle, this one focusing on the Gospel according to Mark. Bonnie B. Thurston’s new book, The Spiritual Landscape of Mark (Liturgical Press, 84 pages) will serve as an excellent companion for anyone who wants to savor the assigned Mass readings in the fuller context of the gospel itself. This volume basically follows the sequence of the gospel, but does so by focusing on larger biblical themes such as the wilderness and the desert (Mark 1) as paradigms for chaos and comfort, or the house and the sea (Mark 2-7) as paradigms for stability and transition. Each chapter of Thurston’s book begins and ends in a spirit of prayerful reflection.
Cackie Upchurch
We do indeed live in interesting times.
For the universal church, this is the Year of St. Paul, and October sees the Synod of Bishops gathering in Rome to focus a spotlight on the Word of God. And so we pray for the will to open our Bibles with expectant faith. We anticipate that God will continue speaking to us and through us.
For the world, we’ve completed a ritual of sport that arrives every four years – the summer Olympics, hosted by a country who allowed a crack in its wall for the world to come in. And so we pray for such openness and cooperation to extend to the way countries around the world interact on a regular basis. We hope for an end to division and destruction.
For our country, it’s time for a presidential election. We participate in a democratic process that has the potential to reflect our dignity as persons, and we share responsibility for the state of our nation. And so we pray for wisdom and compassion, and for a greater spirit of collaboration between people who hold differing political views. Ultimately we pray that our country will enact laws and produce policies that promote the common good and care for those least able to care for themselves.
Interesting times call for a revival of hope and faith and love.
Report on Bible Institute – This year’s Bible Institute on “Law, Grace and Freedom: Paul’s Letter to the Romans” provided an excellent start to the Church’s Year of Paul (June 2008 –June 2009). Lyn Osiek, RSCJ, offered wonderful presentations to 115 attendees. Make plans now to join us for next year’s experience to conclude the Year of Paul with Ron Witherup, SS. Dates: June 19-21, 2009.
Highlighting the Year of Paul – Besides the Bible Institutes mentioned above and the headline article of this year’s newsletters, LRSS is providing monthly articles about Paul and his life and ministry. These are available at our website: www.littlerockscripture.org
Several LRSS studies on Paul and his letters are also available (Letters from Prison, Galatians and Romans, First Corinthians and Second Corinthians.) Each study includes written commentary study guide and recorded wrap-up lectures on DVD or CD.
New Studies: The new edition of Hebrews will be available in December. Lecturers for the new study will be: Dan Hennessey, Judy Hoelzeman, Catherine Upchurch, Karen Wenzel and Clifford Yeary.
A Year of Sundays 2009 – The new edition of the booklet of reflections on the Sunday Gospel is now available. These make wonderful gifts for those who are studying Scripture and those who might like to begin. Order now in time for Advent.
Coordinator's Manual on CD-Rom – In an effort to save on printing costs and to keep up with modern technology, the Coordinator’s Manual will be available only as a CD-Rom. It will also include one week of study from The Acts of the Apostles to be used with Leadership Training.
New Sampler (PDF) For several years now we have been offering a Sampler to those who request a look at our materials. These are being revised and are available on request at our website or 800.858.5434.
Informational and Enrichment Workshops offer clear information, hands-on experience, and practical tips for establishing and growing Bible study using LRSS materials and methods. For very little expense, a diocese can arrange to host a workshop that will benefit parishes throughout the diocese. For more information, contact: Susan McCarthy, RDC, P.O. Box 7565, Little Rock, AR 72217; (501) 664-6102 or (501) 366-5691; or by e-mail at smccarthy@dolr.org.
November 1-2, 2008
Informational Workshop
Winnipeg, CANADA
January 24, 2009
Informational Workshop
Wilmington, DE
November 6-8, 2008
Fifth International Forum on
the Catechumenate
Cleveland, OH
November 21-22, 2008
Faith Formation Conference
Santa Clara, CA
February 29-March 2, 2009
Los Angeles Religious Education Conference
Anaheim, CA
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