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Over the years the Little Rock Scripture Study office has been contacted regularly by those seeking to use our materials with men and women in prison. This issue of our newsletter shares the stories of three such chaplains.
Denny Reynaud
Conway, Arkansas
(as told to Susan McCarthy, RDC)
Challenged by his own reading of the Scripture, Denny Reynaud of Conway, Arkansas experienced his own conversion. He went from being a federal agent responsible for putting people in jail to a Catholic chaplain wanting to help those in prison to improve and better their own lives.
Denny’s own change began with his work as a facilitator of small groups in Renew. After that he became involved in Little Rock Scripture study groups in his parish and then made a Cursillo. It was a fellow Cursillista who suggested that Denny would be a wonderful prison minister.
Denny did everything he could to get out of this ministry but he soon found himself well-received and listened to by the young men he met on his Saturday morning visits.
One young man, probably verbalizing the unspoken thoughts of the group told him outright, “Mr. Denny, I don’t want to become a Catholic.” To which Denny quickly and easily responded, “Don’t worry son. That’s not why I’m here. What I want to do is help you to develop a relationship with God.”
It was in the Wrightsville Prison that Denny was able to introduce the Scripture study he had learned in his home parish in Conway. Though the population of the prison often changed he was able to guide one group of seven or eight men in the Little Rock Scripture Study of the Passion and Resurrection Narratives and later in the study of Exodus.
Each week the men gathered for some brief spontaneous prayer. Then Denny, serving as the facilitator, guided them though the discussion of the nine questions (half of a typical lesson) they had prepared that week. The men brought their own educational experience to their reading and preparation. Charlie, a graduate school teacher, was able to make the connections between the present study and other Old and New Testament passages he was familiar with. Another older man, unable to do much of the reading and writing, relied more on his personal faith and listening to what was shared in the group.
As a result of these studies one inmate asked to be baptized. Another, after release from prison, became part of an RCIA group in his parish, and went on to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Christine Shimrock
Mason, Ohio
One glance at the tapestry of tattoos and the words that accompany its owner suddenly seems incongruent.
“When I read this question I was thinking about my childhood and how the smell of the incense from the altar would drift back to my pew and make me feel safe, like I was home.”
Nods from the group. A few feet shuffle. Someone clears his throat.
“I mean, I know it’s not exactly what Paul was gettin’ at when he said that to those people,” he continues, “but that’s what I get from it.”
More nods. The group reflects, comfortable in its silence.
It’s a typical Wednesday night at Lebanon Correctional Institution (LeCI), a close-security men’s prison north of Cincinnati. Inside the prison chapel, nearly 30 men have gathered for Catholic instruction and fellowship. More than half have chosen to participate in the Little Rock Scripture Study, Letters from Prison. Inside the margins of their study guides are copious notes and Scripture written out as reference. Inside the study circle are men young and old, representatives from each space on the crime continuum. They balance their Bibles and commentaries on their knees while they hold their study guides up in front of them. Some are eager to share their week’s handiwork; others, equally eager to glean from the group. Cradle Catholics relate the lesson to what they recall from their days as altar boys and parochial school students; new believers relate the lesson to their new lives in Christ. All participants know that Christ meets us exactly where we are in our faith journey and each strives to offer the same courtesy to the others in the group.
“When I read it, I thought he was talking to the guards,” says another group member. “It made me think about all the times people tried to tell me the right way to go, but I didn’t want to hear any of that.”
A fury of nods.
“You’re still not trying to hear that,” says another. “I see how you act back in the block.”
The group erupts in laughter.
The Catholic men at LeCI have completed four Little Rock studies since 2006. Each time a new study is offered, each man has the option to join in. The conditions are small in number, but big in meaning: if you start the study, you finish it. And, if you show up without your lesson done, you may not pipe in that week. No “winging” it.
“Paul knows what it's like to be in here,” one of the members says, sweeping his free hand in front of him. “If he still wants to talk about Jesus after all he went through, I know I can do it while I’m down too.”
The group is silent. Then, nods all around.
Deacon Ed Sheffer
Tucson, Arizona
One of the ministries in which I serve as a deacon is with men on death row. In this detention ministry I have learned it is almost impossible to provide opportunity for transformation without access to God’s presence and God’s love. To more fully change one's life each person needs the chance to understand the gospel message of Jesus – to understand “God’s Word.” Human existence, even existence behind a maximum security cell, improves when it is exposed to sound Scripture study. Scripture tells us: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for the one who loves their neighbor has fulfilled the law” (Rom 13:8). And, if one can love enough to want to get out of the way and let Scripture speak, God is revealed. God is what fulfills a person – the need for God’s love is our essence miracles happen when God’s love is better understood and embraced!
Little Rock Scripture Study has made it possible for six death row inmates to begin to journey closer to God’s love. These men have begun exploring the Bible in ways not possible before. In a recent meeting with an inmate we reviewed the LRSS commentary and study guide to Introduction to the Bible. As a result of our study the inmate felt that he had been inspired to look at Scripture in ways he had never done before.
It is the person who can acknowledge limitations and can cry over his sin who becomes a true disciple – one who understands and accepts that he is dependent on God. A person who can never face that he is being called to be in relationship with God remains unable to find his way. As a result of their own efforts there are six men now seeking a true and deeper relationship with God and finding a way out of darkness.
When the gospel is proclaimed at liturgy I bow to God’s Word – in reverence and wonder. I cross myself on forehead, mouth and heart – putting on Christ. I kiss the Scripture passage just read – revealing my deep desire to love and serve God, and, silently on behalf of the universal Church I fulfill my obligation to pray for our salvation: “May the words of the gospel wipe away our sins.” I continue to be in awe of the transforming effect of God’s Word. And, I am grateful to my friends at Little Rock Scripture Study for making the experience of God’s Word more meaningful to all of us seeking relationship with God – for this I am joy filled!
If you are involved in prison ministry and would like information about using our materials with those in prison, or would like to donate funds to assist in this ministry, please contact our office: 501-664-6102 or lrss@dolr.org.
Mary Queen of Heaven Parish
Elmhurst, IL
Through their reading and discussions several of these Bible study facilitators found themselves “stretched” to appreciate the role of some seemingly unimportant women in the New Testament. One participant, Alex Grozik, mentioned the story of a woman that he remembered: Rhoda, the servant girl who opened the door to Peter after his ‘escape’ from prison (Acts 12:11-17). “She was mentioned in a few brief sentences of Scripture but she was part of the early Christian community. Her story opened a whole new conversation for us.”
In their time together, some participants of the groups learned for the first time that Mary Magdalene was not the sinner and prostitute that she is characterized as so often in Church preaching but is rather a maligned woman who was confused with several other "Marys" of the Gospel.
In short, the LRSS participants found the words of the commentary’s author Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan to be quite accurate, that “In the Old and New Testament, what is most striking about the way the story of salvation is told is that in a society where patriarchy is the most prominent accepted value, the story of woman, embodied in the stories of so many women, is told.” The LRSS participants came to know and understand the story of some women of the New Testament through the writings of the Evangelists, Paul, and the other writers of the New Testament letters.
In their effort to come to know and appreciate the gift of women in the Church through the centuries, parishioners at MQH will engage in the study of Women in the Old Testament in January and have invited notable speakers to present topics on “Women Mystics,” “Women at the Cross and at the Tomb,” and “The Divine Feminine: Wisdom/Sophia” from January through November 2008. They will conclude their LRSS studies by focusing on the Book of Wisdom.
So, from the tiny seeds of Bible study planted three years ago in this welcoming and growing Catholic Community, a greater interest and appreciation of our Church’s history, especially the role of women in that history, has developed and is flourishing.
Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB
The probability that Psalm 40 was once two independent psalms becomes evident as we prayerfully move through these words. In verses 2-12 the psalmist expresses deep gratitude for being personally rescued by Yahweh. The one praying the psalm rejoices in being given a new song to sing, a song that is not kept secret but prized and sung out so as to make others listen with amazement.
However in verses 13-18 that fresh new song turns to distress. The tone of the psalmist becomes a lament. The rescue team needs to be sent in again. The reality of sin and evil that is so much a part of the human condition becomes a heavy burden and the psalmist prays, “my courage fails me.” God’s goodness has not been entirely forgotten though. There is a remembering of past kindnesses and a plea that God remember again and not hold back the Divine Presence.
In reviewing this psalm I am aware of how much I identify with these inconsistent moods: gratitude and awe, distress and lament. Most likely you, too, will recognize these shifting themes in your life.
The first thing I want you to notice is this stance of waiting. We might even name it the obedience of waiting. It is not something that is high on the list of our priorities, most likely, but it is healthy to learn to wait. Waiting for God is part of prayer. Whether we are asking for special needs, for protection, healing, or even if we are just yearning for holiness and wholeness, we simply must learn to wait—to just sit in our prayer and BE QUIET.
My heart is moved at the image of God stooping toward me in order to better hear my prayer. What a wonderful icon and how good it would be if each of us could lean toward those we are trying to serve that we might better discern their need.
As you slowly reread the psalm, try to put on the mind of the psalmist. Have you ever been in a pit of destruction? Have you had to be drawn out of the swamp? Although these are rather harsh metaphors depicting places where we might, on occasion, hang out, I have to admit I know these places well. I have been rescued from these non-scenic abodes more than once.
To put a face on these places,
—when I moan about my wounds rather than trying to discern their hidden blessing…
—when discouragement shows up at my door more often than hope…
—when I focus on the negative things surrounding me, totally missing the positive…
then I am in the pit of destruction and the muddy swamp. I need to be rescued. Hopefully when we find ourselves in these unattractive places we will have enough vision to ask for assistance and to wait for God to lean down and hear our cry.
The psalmist proclaims that after a time of waiting, God hears the cry of the one in need and changes that cry of desperation into a song of praise and gratitude. Others hear the new song of the one who once lived in darkness. The song fills their hearts. They, too, begin to trust God more completely.
In the heart of my prayer with Psalm 40, this thought came to me: What if we moved through our day with ears open to obedience? What then might happen to our despondent moods? What might change in our lives if we practice radical attentiveness? “To do your will is my delight; my God, your law is within my heart!” (v. 9). I would like to make this my daily prayer but I am so good at forgetting. Still, the desire is compelling. Let us practice remembering our good desires.
Moving into the second part of Psalm 40, who among us cannot identify with the words above? No matter how often we sing the joyful song of God’s presence and give praise for the divine assistance that has graciously fallen upon our woes, the day will probably return when we find ourselves saying, “…my courage fails me.”
Then we begin again. "Lord, graciously rescue me! Come quickly to help me, Lord!" (v. 14). That is a very good prayer. It is the opening for the monastic prayer of the hours that I pray each day. It can also serve as a pocket prayer, something small enough to carry around with you on the days of your greatest need.
The psalms are treasures offering you many such prayers. Prayers small enough to carry in our heart or your pocket!
Your next word to romance is 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20.
Barbara Fleischer
Is this a study program or is this a faith-and-life-sharing program? LRSS, like many faith-based study programs, is both, but how do we balance these two aspects of our group life? How much time should we spend exploring the Scriptures themselves and how much time sharing our stories?
These are perennial questions that arise in faith-oriented study groups. They reflect the creative tension between hearing the resonance of God’s action in our lives and listening to the faith experiences of our ancestors in our very deep and wide Christian tradition. Perhaps if we focus on the purpose of both study and sharing God’s action in our own lives, it would help us find the balance point. We are seeking to listen as clearly as possible to God’s Word spoken in our lives and in the Scriptures so that we may respond faithfully by living compassionately and justly in all of our relationships.
Faith-sharing is not an end in itself, nor is knowing every detail of Scripture scholarship about a passage (even if that were possible). We break open the Word of God in our lives and in the Bible to learn what it means to be the People of God, living out and bringing about God’s shalom in our world.
No group will balance exactly time in study and in sharing personal connections. Some questions require digging deeply into our experience, while others look to the text itself. In some sessions, the group will learn best from an insightful point made in the commentary, while at other times a poignant personal story will open up the true meaning of the text. The purpose of the group, to learn what it means to live out the Word of God in our lives, remains salient at each of these times.
There are times, however, when the use of the group’s time may seem out of balance. In some groups, members seek out more information than the commentaries assigned for the week provide, and they want to bring their newly found cornucopia of information to the group. Others may have experienced a break-through in personal growth and have long stories that they would love to share with their fellow group members. These are wonderful dilemmas to have, because they show how much growth is taking place among group members, but they are dilemmas for the group and its limited time nonetheless. What might groups do in response? Some creative problem-solving may be in order.
Perhaps the enthusiastic members who have done additional research could bring in a summary of their findings to hand out to others at the end of the group session. Those who have found helpful resources might lay them out on a table for others to browse through during break time. If a member has a longer story that he or she would like to share with the group, a norm might be set to ask the group’s permission to add 10 minutes to next week’s session. Sensitizing group members that each of them is giving the gift of time in listening to one another helps to keep the conversation focused on its purpose!
Cackie Upchurch
Catholic book publishers regularly give us a smorgasbord of offerings related to Scripture, everything from technical investigations into a passage or book, to spiritual reflections on Sunday readings, to imaginative dialogues with ancient biblical characters. In this article, and in future editions of our newsletter, we will recommend some of these "dishes" for you to taste and savor. Some are new releases while others have been available for a while. A good book never goes out of date.
Over forty years ago, Vatican Council II issued Dei Verbum (The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation). Ronald D. Witherup, SS, now offers a wonderfully readable book that explores the content of the document and its significance for the church as a whole. Entitled Scripture, Dei Verbum (© 2006, Paulist Press), it is part of the series Rediscovering Vatican II. The writing style is clear and understandable and is supplemented by helpful charts and outlines that make the information digestible and practical. Witherup's endnotes and list of further reading are also valuable for those who want to learn more about the Catholic approach to Scripture and the impact of Vatican II.
To complement our recent two-part study, Israel's Story, we recommend another handy little book by Dianne Bergant, CSA. People of the Covenant (© 2001, Sheed & Ward) is part of the Come and See series. In nine chapters readers are invited to explore the stories, characters, and themes that dominate the Old (or First) Testament. In just a few short pages for each topic readers get a thumbnail sketch that is solidly grounded in years of research and teaching. Easy reading and great summaries.
Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, has an uncanny ability to write for both scholars and beginners. In Jesus, A Historical Portrait (© 2007, St. Anthony Messenger Press), Harrington condenses a lifetime of research into a slim volume arranged around twelve topics of interest. For example, chapters include "The World of Jesus," "Jesus the Miracle Worker," "Jesus and Prayer," and "Jesus and Politics." Each chapter concludes with reflection questions to help readers clarify what has been discussed and to apply it to their own thinking and living.
Cackie Upchurch
Lent is a perfect time to think about the now-and-not-yet reality of Christian living.
In the now, we see glimmers of the kingdom of God, where the lowly are lifted up and the meek inherit the earth. As we approach the passion and crucifixion we see that even Jesus cannot escape suffering. But perhaps escape is not the route to take as followers of Jesus the crucified. When we live in the now, we embrace the cross as well as the promise of a kingdom that welcomes the outcast.
In the not yet, we can anticipate that suffering, when nailed to the cross with Jesus, can have a meaning beyond the pain itself. We have reason to hope that the stone of our burdens and miseries will be rolled away and new life will be given. In this life we already have resurrection moments—times when we are offered forgiveness, when we triumph over some addiction, when we invest our time and energy and it bears fruit.
Live in the now. Anticipate the not yet. The crucified and risen Christ lives among us and yet waits for us to live with him more fully.
Pope Benedict XVI has called for the church to celebrate a Year of Paul beginning June 2008 and running through June 2009. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Make plans to attend:
LRSS Bible Institute
June 20-22, 2008
Little Rock, Arkansas
Law, Grace and Freedom: Paul's Letter to the Romans
Presenter: Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ
More information will be available this spring on our website www.littlerockscripture.org,
or call our office at 501-664-6102.
Plan now for your fall 2008 Bible study!
Letters from Prison (10 sessions)
First Corinthians (10 sessions)
Second Corinthians (7 sessions)
Galatians & Romans (13 sessions)
Consult our June 2008 newsletter for a listing of books about Paul.
Our parish communities will be welcoming many new Catholics during the Easter season. Use this opportunity to invite these new parishioners into your Bible study groups, or start a new LRSS study for new Catholics (e.g., Introduction to the Bible, Acts of the Apostles, or The Way of Justice and Peace). Bible study is a perfect tool for the period of Mystagogia, the period after Easter of deepening our understanding of discipleship and faith.
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.
October 11, 2008
Informational Workshop
Orange, California
April 6–10, 2008
National Conference for Catechetical Leaders
Houston, TX
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