“Our parish offers Scripture Study on a weekly basis.”

Characteristics of a Stewardship Parish
Lively Faith: Study Today I wrote:

In this Sunday’s reading from the Second Letter of Timothy, St. Paul reminds us of the importance of the Scriptures. Writing at the very dawn of Christianity, he says to Timothy, “from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

Several hundred years later, St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” St. Gregory the Great, Pope at the end of the 6th century, encourages daily reading of Scripture (see quote below). Much more recently, Dei Verbum, the document on Sacred Scripture from the Second Vatican Council, says the Church, “forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful . . . to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ,’ by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures.” (CCC 133)

The Church in her tradition offers us many ways to read the Scriptures prayerfully.  She also, in more recent times, offers us many resources for studying the Bible.  In fact, there are so many resources available to us, it is sometimes daunting to sort through them all.  There are written booklets covering specific topics or geared toward a particular audience, there are video resources featuring well-known scholars, there are commentaries available from many different sources.  Accessible and affordable, there are Catholic studies which cover a particular book of the bible as well as studies that give one an overview of the entire Bible. Truly, there is something out there to meet almost any need.

I have been richly blessed to be able to lead a study which looks at the readings for the upcoming Sunday for many years.  It has been well-received in parishes of every size and draws people of all ages.  One participant said to me, “this is like a double-whammy!  I come on Wednesdays and learn and am inspired and then I go to Mass on Sunday and the whole Mass is more meaningful because of what I learned on Wednesday!”  I have witnessed many people be transformed by the power of the Scriptures.  It has been a joy to watch people discover the great riches which await those who enter deeply into the Word of God.

Offering Scripture study is a characteristic of a Stewardship parish in the Diocese of Rapid City.  If weekly Scripture study has not been a part of your parish in the past, and you feel called to begin, we would love to assist you in finding just the right resource! Reach us by email at:  mail@catholicwayoflife.org or by phone at:  605-716-5214 ext. 233.