Merry Christmas Everyone

Pardon the interruption...

Sorry if you're here looking for a study guide for our next lesson, but I there isn't one. I'll explain more later. Go ahead and finish your study as planned. The next meeting is on December 8.

The Catechism chapter for this lesson is about baptism. Since I'm slacking on the study guide, I thought I could at least give you something to watch regarding that first Sacrament of our faith. (If you like it, I encourage you to scroll down and watch the one on Advent, too.)

Advent

Lesson 5: Peace, Epheisians 2:11-22

I found this to be an especially interesting lesson.  Not easy, but interesting.  There's lots here.  And once again, our Catechism chapter fits in well with our scripture study.  Funny how that works.

Study Guide: Lesson 5

At our last lesson I mentioned Fr. Robert Barron's Catholicism video series.  If you would like to learn more about this incredible project, visit Catholicism .  You can learn more about Fr. Barron's other online work at Word On Fire.

One last link in honor of Veteran's Day this week: Mass During Wartime  You'll have to scroll down the page a bit to see these incredible pictures.  Click on the first one and it will bring up a slideshow.

See you on Thursday, November 17.

Lesson 4: Death to Life, Ephesians 2:1-10

We are just a few days away from the Solemnity of All Saints and The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls) and just a few weeks away from the close of the liturgical year, so it's a good time to think about the Last Things--death, judgment, heaven, and hell. 

Our Bible study lesson and Catechism chapter for this week fit in well with this theme.  In each, we are given cause to imagine a life with Christ and a life without. 

Study Guide for Lesson Four

I have tweaked the settings for uploading this document in an attempt to avoid the problems some of you have been having with printing.  Let me know if it helps.  Don't forget, it's important to send the document to your printer from the Google docs window and not from the command on your browser in order to keep the formatting the same.

One last thing...just below this post is one that I added after giving some extra thought to the discussion that we had at our last meeting.  (See "Lesson Three Extra") I think it might help clarify the point that I was trying to make about separating our emotions from our judgments about what is right or wrong, moral or immoral, and good or evil.  We can make these distinctions about sin without losing charity for the sinner.  I would encourage you to scroll down and read this earlier entry and, if time allows, to follow the links that I have provided. 

See you on November 3.

Lesson Three Extra

After I got home and had a chance to think more about our discussion yesterday, I was reminded of a letter that I had read online quite a while ago and bookmarked to save.  It was a letter that was written by a college professor to his students in response to a discussion that they had had in class.  The aftermath of the distribution of this letter made national news.  (You can read the details of the whole brew-ha-ha here: Dr. Kenneth Howell Email Reaction.  The story might sound familiar to you once you start reading.)

In his letter, Dr. Howell gives an excellent explanation of Catholic teaching on homosexuality.  Of course, many others have done that as well.  To me, the strength of his letter is the way he applies logic and rational thought to what is usually an argument that breaks down to emotional and irrational terms.

Dr. Howell writes, "...we have to remind ourselves of the ever-present tendency in all of us to judge morality by emotion. The most frequent reason I hear people supporting same-sex marriage is that they know some gay couples or individuals. Empathy is a noble human quality but right or wrong does not depend on who is doing the action or on how I feel about those people, just as judging an action wrong should not depend on disliking someone. This might seem obvious to a right thinking person but I have encountered many well-educated people who do not (or cannot?) make the distinction between persons and acts when engaging moral reasoning...In short, to judge an action wrong is not to condemn a person. A person and his/her acts can be distinguished for the purposes of morality."

There are, in fact, guiding principles for determining the morality or immorality of any act, and these principles, which are based on the primacy of human dignity, take into consideration the act itself or the object chosen, the intent, and the circumstances.  (You can read all about the morality of human acts in the third part of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "Life in Christ".)

In the end, regardless of the issue, whether its same-sex "marriage", health directives, life issues, ordination of women, or simply the common, everyday choices we make, it is not you or I who decide if something is moral or immoral, right or wrong, good or evil; it is up to us to do our best to try and discern what God deems moral or immoral, right or wrong, good or evil.  God is our moral compass, not our empathy, not our feelings, not our desires to rationalize, not even a desire to try and make everybody happy.  There is truth and as long as we earnestly seek it, we are on the path to find God.

If you would like to read Dr. Howell's letter in its entirety--and I would recommend that you do--you can find it at: Catholic Teaching On Homosexuality by Dr. Kenneth Howell.  I would love to hear your feedback when we meet again.  I hope these links give you some further insight into the topics we discussed at our meeting.

Lesson 3: Thanksgiving and Prayer, Ephesians 1:15-23

This lesson will have you looking for answers in parts of the New Testament outside of Paul's Letter to the Ephesians.  It might take you a little extra time, but it's an interesting exercise that demonstrates the consistency of the gospel message.

Study Guide for Lesson Three

Let me know if you have problems printing the guide this week.  I have also uploaded the notes that I had from our last lesson.  You are welcome to them if you are interested.

Lesson Two Notes

Don't forget to also read Chapter 12 in the US Catechism for Adults.

See you on October 20th.

Lesson 2: Praise, Ephesians 1:3-14

Not to scare you off, but there's enough in this lesson that we could spend the entire year discussing just these opening verses.  Allow plenty of time for your homework this week!  And be assured that we will have lots to talk about at our next meeting.

In addition to our Ephesians lesson, please read Chapter 11 in the U.S. Catechism for Adults about the Four Marks of the Church.

Study Guide for Lesson 2

I don't know if anyone is interested, but I made some notes about Lesson One that you can find here:
Lesson One Notes

Don't forget, use the print command in the taskbar of the Google document to print from this site.  If you use the print command in your browser, the formatting might not be the same.  (For instance, the document might print in a tiny font or the spacing will be off.)  Let me know if you have problems!

See you on October 6!

Lesson One: Overview and Ephesians 1:1-2

The first lesson is always one of my favorites.  I like to read the background and historical materials that set the stage for the rest of the study.  Being able to put the scripture in context makes the message so much more meaningful.

If you're looking for some extra information for this lesson, I would recommend doing a search on Wikipedia for the Temple of Artemis and Ephesus.

In case you've forgotten, you can print out the study guide by clicking on the link below.  Once the document opens in Google docs, send it to your printer by using the commands on the Google taskbar---not the commands from your browser.  Some people have had problems with formatting, and I think this will resolve those issues.  If you're still having difficulty, please let me know by sending an email or giving me a call.


Study Guide: Lesson One

See you on September 22.

...and we're back

The summer flew by.  I wish we could stretch it out a little longer, but September is here.  It was good to see everyone today--all ready to begin another year of our Bible study.

If you were unable to attend, be sure to ask me for a copy of our schedule for the year.

After we talked some business, we had a good discussion about our summer read--The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis.  This short story offers plenty to think about: the nature of free will, justice, forgiveness, redemption, repentance, etc.  It's a classic.

Driving home today I was thinking more about our conversation regarding praying for people in purgatory.  Someone in the group had wondered what happens to our prayers if we were to pray for someone who was already in heaven.  Of course, the answers to questions like that have to be considered outside of our understanding of how time is measured in eternity.  We are so stuck in thinking about time in a linear fashion that it is hard for us to wrap our minds around a different reality, but consider this--our prayers today for the souls in purgatory could possibly benefit someone who hasn't even been born yet!  Kind of blows your mind, doesn't it?  We can even pray for our own soul.  Bottom line, I guess, PRAY!

Our next meeting will be on September 22 when we will cover Lesson 1.  I should have our study guide up by the middle of next week.

Looking Ahead: Ephesians

The topic of our 2011-2012 Solid Grounds Bible Study will be Paul's Letter to the Ephesians. Meetings are scheduled on a (somewhat) bi-weekly basis on Thursday mornings from 9:00-11:00 at the Church of St. Patrick. Our first meeting will be held on September 8, 2011. This will mark the 11th year of our study, and while we still have a few charter members, we always welcome any new members who are interested in joining.

Prior to our September 8 meeting, please:
1. Register for the class. Registration forms are available at the Church of St. Patrick. There are no fees apart from the cost of materials.
2. It has become our custom to read a book over the summer months and discuss that book at the first meeting of the year. This summer we are reading The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. Our summer book is not required for the group; it's just something fun we do to break the ice at our first meeting.
3. Purchase the materials. On this website, just to the right of this copy, are links to Amazon for the materials that we use for our group. You are welcome to purchase them on your own, or we can special order them for you at St. Patrick's Book & Gift. In addition to the two books that we use for the Bible study, we also use the U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults.

Any questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below, or contact the Church of St. Patrick.

Hope to see you in September!

Finishing Up

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's study of Paul's Letter to the Galatians. It's a commitment that can sometimes be a challenge to keep, so I appreciate the efforts that you make during the year to stick with the lessons. If asked, I'm sure most of us would say that the group discussions are our favorite part of the study, but I'm convinced that the work we all do at home brings about the most benefit.

Thanks again, and I hope to see you back in the fall.

Lesson Twelve: Focusing on the Eternal

It might be tempting to gloss over the last lesson of the year, but resist temptation! The final verses of Paul's Letter to the Galatians offer some excellent food for thought, and the review at the end of the chapter is helpful in putting the entire study into perspective.

Even though I mentioned it on the study guide, I'll mention it again here. Before you begin to answer the review questions, it's worth taking the time to re-read the letter from start to finish. In our weekly lessons we get so focused on one tiny section of the letter that it's easy to forget how it fits in context with the rest of Paul's message. Reading it in its entirety should help get that perspective.

Study Guide Lesson Twelve (basic)

Study Guide Lesson Twelve (formatted)

I don't know what I was thinking, but when I made out the schedule last year in addition to our lesson and the review, I also assigned a chapter in the US Catholic Catechism for Adults. Oh well, suck it up. You've got all summer. This week it's Chapter Ten which is all about the Church.

By the way, if you look at the post just below this one, I've included a link to an excellent article by Archbishop Timothy Dolan about the Sacrament of Penance that you might be interested in reading.

Update

As we approach the end of our Bible study, it's time to look ahead to the fall. At our last meeting I handed out a sheet of announcements. If you missed it, be sure to ask me for the information at our final meeting on April 21, or let me know and I can email the document to you. It covers our summer reading assignment, the date of our first meeting in September, and a request to show our support to the church for giving us space for our meetings.

At Thursday's meeting we had a brief discussion about the Sacrament of Penance. Once I got home, I continued to think about this great Sacrament and how important it is for us to take advantage of it when we can. I did not mention this while we were together, but participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year is one of the precepts of our faith--those most basic requirements of the faithful in maintaining a relationship with the Body of the Church.

On March 17, Archbishop Timothy Dolan released The Altar and the Confessional where he writes,"Our culture does not need to be taught how to confess; it needs to discover where forgiveness can be found. Our culture does not need to further expose the stain of its sinfulness; it needs to discover the only One who can wash it away. We Catholics have the blessing of teaching our “confessional culture” about true mercy, but we cannot give what we do not have! I challenge the Catholics of the Archdiocese to make a good confession this Lent and then to tell one other person – perhaps a friend or relative or colleague who has been away from the sacraments for a long time – about the liberating joy of God’s mercy!"

Making a good confession takes preparation, takes time, and takes courage, but it's so worth it! If you fell off the wagon on every single intention and sacrifice that you had planned for Lent, but you finish Lent with a good Confession, you've had a good Lent.

Lesson Eleven: Keeping On Track

It's hard to believe that we'll soon be coming to the close of another year of Bible study. Our next lesson will be the final one for the year.

This penultimate lesson is a very satisfying one because in it Paul gives us some completely practical advice about how we are to live out the law of Christ. It's been leaning to the philosophical and theological up to this point and now the rubber finally hits the road. Not that there's anything wrong with being philosophical or theological. You know I love that as much as anyone, but it's good to know what I'm supposed to be doing.

Study Guide Lesson Eleven (basic version)

Study Guide Lesson Eleven

See you on April 7.

Lesson Ten: Living by the Spirit

At the end of our last lesson, we found out that love is the new law for Christians. Not an easy law to keep by our own efforts, is it? So how do we learn to love as Christ loves? How do we avoid the pitfalls of sin?

This is a good lesson to work on during the season of Lent. During the rest of the year, we can fall into the trap of thinking we're not so bad. While we might be making progress, Lent reminds us that we still have a long way to go before we learn to love with the kind of self-less love that Christ shows us on the Cross.

Study Guide for Lesson Ten (Basic Version)

Study Guide for Lesson Ten

Note: Our next meeting will not be held until March 24. There's an extra week between lessons for spring break.

In addition to our scripture lesson, at that meeting we will also be discussing Chapter 8 in the US Catholic Catechism for Adults. On pg.93 of that chapter, the authors mention an icon of the Eastern Churches depicting the risen Christ reaching into the realm of the dead for Adam and Eve. I found a few different versions of this icon online and thought that you might like to see them for yourself. These are the images that you see throughout this post. You may click on each icon to see a slightly larger version for more detail.

Enjoy your extra week of break, and we'll see you back on the 24th!

Lesson Nine: Christian Freedom

Word to the wise...don't wait until the last minute to pick up this lesson. There is a lot to consider in just a few short verses. I had a tough time limiting the topics we could discuss to make it manageable for the time we're allowed.

Freedom is one of the most fundamental rights that we have as Americans. It truly is an inalienable right from God. Unfortunately, we have twisted and corrupted the meaning of the word. The modern idea of freedom and Christian freedom are very different.

In case you missed it last time...Since some people are having a hard time printing the guide, I have started posting it two ways. The basic version is just that--basic. Nothing fancy. The second version is fully formatted in Google docs and will look all purty for you. You decide.
Study Guide Lesson Nine Basic Version

Study Guide Lesson Nine

We will also be discussing Chapter 7 in the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.

Since Lent is just around the corner (Ash Wednesday is March 9), I have put a few online links in the column on the right. If you find some that you like, let me know and I'll add them to the list.

See you March 3.

Lesson Eight: A Choice of Allegiance

It was good to be able to stay home on such an ice cold day and work on our Bible study. In this week's verses, Paul continues to challenge each of us to consider where our loyalty is placed. We know that God is always loyal to us; now we must make a choice of our allegiance.

This week I will give you two options for printing out our guide. I am hoping this will resolve the issues that some of you have had. The first link should allow you to print out the lesson, but it won't look very pretty. The second link will bring you to the Google page that will allow you to download and print a document that will be fully formatted.

Study Guide: Lesson Eight Basic Version
or
Study Guide: Lesson Eight

If you have the time, I would encourage you to follow the link on the right to a piece about Football & Faith. It's an interesting look at our passion for fun and our passion for our faith. Even if you aren't a sports fanatic, I think there are some lessons to be learned about how we spend our time and attention.

See you on February 17th!

Lesson Seven: The Rights of a Son

Like many of the lessons from Paul's letters, this one appears deceptively simple, but it asks a complex and difficult question. Why, as children of God, do we often settle to act like slaves? What's in it for us to cling to our old selves when we are given the chance to become new again?

Certainly something to think about, isn't it?

As luck would have it, our catechism lesson also fits in well with the scripture part of our study, so we should be able to have a good discussion.

Study Guide: Lesson Seven

See you on February 3.

Lesson Six: The Priority of the Promise

It's tough getting back to business after such a long break, but the rest was welcome. We should all be ready to go in the New Year.

This lesson is a good one to ease us back into the discipline of our study. The amount of scripture that we cover is small and quite objective. As a bonus, the chapter in our catechism fits in perfectly with this particular portion of Galatians. We should have a good discussion.

Study Guide: Lesson Six

If you haven't been to the site for awhile, do yourself a favor and scroll down and watch the video "The Christmas Story." It's so sweet; it will do your heart good.

See everyone on January 20. Lots to cover, so we start at 9:00 sharp!