1 Peter, Lesson 3 and Lesson 4

This week's posting includes notes and links from our last two sessions during which we discussed 1 Peter, chapters 3 and 4, Lessons 3 and 4.  Now that we're all caught up, we're ready to move on to Lesson 5, which covers the final chapter of Peter's first letter.

In addition to the notes for each lesson, I am also including a couple of links that I had promised...

The first is a book recently made available on the FORMED website in preparation of the Lenten season. The file is available for download in several formats.




Meditations for Lent







The second is a link I had provided once before, but the subject came up in conversation again, and I wanted to make it easy for everyone who hasn't had the opportunity to watch this program to do so.  It is a recording of the program, Faith and Reason, out of Franciscan University.  The episode is called "Islam and ISIS" and features Robert Spencer, the director of the organization Jihad Watch. This panel discussion is extremely informative, and I promise will be an eye-opening experience to the very real threat we face and yet seem, as a country, to be unable to speak truthfully about out of a fear of seeming intolerant, I guess.  If you watch it, please let us know what you think.

"Islam and ISIS"

And finally, here are my notes from Lessons 3 and 4.  I am also including some extra notes that I had taken from various sources for Lesson 3 regarding the meaning of the word "submissive."  I knew that the discussion about 1 Peter 3 would focus on the opening passage about the relationship between husbands and wives, and I wanted to be prepared!

Lesson 3
Lesson 3-Notes on "Submissive"
Lesson 3 Conclusion and Lesson 4
See everyone next week as we conclude 1 Peter!

1 Peter 2:4-25

We all seemed to agree that this was a difficult lesson.  Maybe it was the lesson.  Maybe we all have those mid-winter blahs that can make it hard to concentrate!  After our discussion, I think that we all have a better idea about what Peter is trying to convey to his readers in this early chapter.

We concluded by agreeing on two things:
1. As part of a spiritual and literal house of God, we truly must be living stones!  (Of course, we can only be like living stones, as we fall far short of the Living Stone!)  If we are part of a structure where one building block leans upon the next to make a strong whole, we must do our best not to be the weak link.  And we must be forever reliant on the strong foundation of that cornerstone--the real Living Stone, Jesus Christ.  That means that we have a real relationship with Jesus, that we are active members of the community of God--in worship and prayer, and that we be continuously present for the rest!
2. As citizens of a country where we are free to practice our faith--to worship freely--we must do so!  The sad truth is that there are people in the world who still face arrest, torture, even death for their Christian faith.  The inspiring truth is that there are many people in the world who believe it is worth it to take that risk.  It's such a common thing for humans to take for granted their freedoms.  Let's not be those people who take for granted the freedom we still have to live as Christians.  Will we be ridiculed?  Perhaps.  Will we be mocked, thought fools, perhaps even verbally or physically attacked? Maybe.  Most likely, however, the only stumbling blocks to our fully living the faith will come from within.  Let's not let those voices win.

In case you missed class or are simple interested in having them, here are the notes I made for this week's lesson:
Lesson 2, 1 Peter 2:4-25.

Don't forget, we have next week off.  We will be back together on February 16 to discuss 1 Peter 3.  See you then!

1 Peter 1:2-2-3

Excellent! We had so much to cover this week, and yet we managed to get through all of it--and did so with few distractions and a feeling of a good grasp of the history of 1 Peter, Peter himself, and the first chapter (and a bit of the 2nd) of this letter. Great job everybody!

As promised, here is a link to the Franciscan University program, "Islam and Isis," that was recommended to us by Kathy F. At posting I have yet to view the program myself, but I feel confident to post it with good recommendations. I will do my best to watch it this week.

Here too is a link to the discussion I mentioned that is part of the Lectio: Eucharist series available on the FORMED website that is presented by Dr. Brant Pitre on the Lamb of God, which we discussed for 1 Peter 1:19. (By the way, I highly recommend this Lectio series.  It's very well done!)

In case you missed our meeting or would simply like to look over the notes I made for our discussion, I will always try to include them in the post for each meeting.
Lesson 1, Ransomed By Grace, 1 Peter 1:1-2:3

See you this Thursday, February 2 to discuss Lesson 2 on 1 Peter 2:4-25.

First Meeting: Introductions and Book Reviews

As is our custom, we started our first meeting with a bit of business: distributing materials, discussing the class schedule, and reviewing the rules of our group study. If you were unable to attend, you may pick up your packet in the office, so that you're prepared to discuss our first lesson, or get your materials at Thursday's meeting. Also, if you would like to participate but didn't get around to registering by the deadline, I believe there are extra copies of our study guide. Stop by or call the office and speak to Linda, and she'll get you set up. Don't wait too long. It's too easy to fall behind in a weekly study. 

It is also our custom to have our members give a brief book review of a book that has been read over our break, or a favorite Catholic book that they would like to share. There was a good mix. Fiction. Non-fiction. Inspirational works. And prayer guides. There was quite a bit of discussion about a book of private revelation by a woman who goes by the moniker of Anne the Lay Apostle. When I got home, I did a little reasearch about Anne and found a blog post on the "Women of Grace site that I thought you might find interesting. It's called "The Controversy Surrounding Anne, the Lay Apostle."   The article was written in 2011, but since the Church takes its time regarding the approval of private revelation, I doubt much has changed in the meantime. The article is fair and well researched. I was surprised to find out that "Anne" is only in her mid-fifties and an American citizen living in Ireland. It's good to remember that, as members of the body of the Church, we are never required to believe private revelation. And while there may be little harm, and even great comfort and spiritual help in reading materials from these private revelations, one might be well advised to consider reading from the vast library of materials that has already been approved by the Church, most especially as one who might be just beginning their journey of mature faith formation. 

On Thursday, January 28 we'll be covering the introductory materials and Lesson 1 that covers 1Peter 1:1-2:3. See you then!

2017: 1&2 Peter and Jude

Welcome!

Beginning in the New Year, our Solid Grounds Bible Study will be reading 1&2 Peter and Jude.  These are three letters that are a part of scripture known as The Catholic Letters--seven books of the New Testament not attributed to the Apostle Paul.

A common thread among the three letters is that they were written to both encourage and admonish, to point out the joy and suffering of being a follower of Christ, and to remind all Christians we are called to live a life that is distinctly different, distinctly unique—one centered on faith, hope, and charity.

Our 10 week study of 1&2 Peter and Jude will run from January 19-March30* .  (*We have one week off.  See the entire class schedule in the column on the right or the calendar below.)  Meetings will be held weekly at St. Patrick Catholic Church at 9:00am.  To register for the class, fill out the Registration Form and drop it off at the church office or information desk.  The registration fee for this class is dependent on the number of textbooks each participant will need for the class.  Those who participated in our fall study of the Letter of James have already purchased the complete commentary used for this study and will only require the study guide, while new registrants will be required to pay the higher fee for both texts. The registration fee for those who will need both textbooks is $33, and the fee for those who only need to purchase the study guide for 1&2 Peter and Jude is $14.  Prepayment of the class fee to cover the cost of the textbooks needed must be made with registration. The registration deadline is January 13. Information is also available at the Solid Grounds page on St. Patrick's website.

In addition to the textbooks covered by the class fee, we strongly recommend that each participant purchase a copy of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible.  This is the translation that we use in our study, because in addition to the words of scripture, it also has notes and commentary that truly enrich the meaning of God's Word for Bible students of all ages!  The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is available at several price points and is published as the complete New Testament as well as its individual books.  Bring proof of registration to St. Patrick Book & Gift, and you'll receive 15% off the regular retail price of the Ignatius Bible used in our study.  You may also wish to purchase a journal or notebook to record the answers to the questions posed in our lessons or record any additional notes or questions you may wish to have addressed during our meetings.

The books used in our study are The Early Christian Letters and 1&2 Peter and Jude: A Bible Study Guide both by acclaimed New Testament scholar, N.T Wright.  Dr. Wright is often hailed as a modern-day C.S. Lewis due to his ability to write about deeply theological and philosophical topics and make them easily accessible to everyone.  His appeal?  Wright is a storyteller and teacher at heart.

The Early Christian Letters is the main commentary text for this study.  If you participated in our fall study of James, the fee for the class has been adjusted downward to reflect the cost of the purchase of the workbook, 1&2 Peter and Jude: A Bible Study Guide.  The study guide divides the letter into nine weekly lessons providing questions for discussion and prayer to reflect upon the scripture passage covered.

Please join us in the New Year for our study of 1&2 Peter and Jude.  Register, and we will see you on January 19.  Our first meeting will give us an opportunity to get to know one another and learn more about our plans for the coming weeks.  We have made it a tradition of reading a book over our breaks and discussing that book at the first meeting of a new session.  Read a book of your own choice, and at our first meeting we will each take a few moments to share our impressions of the book with the rest of the group.  If you have registered late and do not have time to read a book prior to the January 19 meeting, please consider sharing one of your favorite books about our faith.  The idea is that we get a chance to learn more about the faith, and we get to go home from our first meeting with a list of great book suggestions to keep us reading for the weeks and months ahead!

See you on January 19!

James Catch-Up and Conclusion

Thanks to all those who participated in our fall study of the Letter of James. I was so impressed by the work everyone put in to their home study--most weeks, right?--and the level of discussion we had with every chapter.  I just love hearing the different ways that we all hear the Word and, no doubt, do our best to apply it to our lives.  James' brief letter gets to the heart of our biggest temptations and gives us a wake-up call to remind us that today  is the time to repent, turn back to God, and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I'm sorry that I've fallen behind on posting my notes for each of our chapters.  In this final posting for our James study, I have added the remaining files.  You'll note that there isn't a link for Lesson Five.  That is the week that I was unable to make our meeting, and I wasn't feeling well enough to compose my notes during the week.  Eight out of nine isn't bad, right?

Check back in December for the information for our next study that should begin in mid-January of 1&2 Peter and Jude.

Thanks again to all!

Lesson Six: Taming the Tongue

Lesson Seven: Humility and Faith

Lesson Eight: The Rich and the Suffering

Lesson Nine: Praying in Faith

James: Lessons 3 & 4

Falling a bit behind in posting my notes.  So sorry.  Better late than never, I guess.

Right from the very start of the Letter of James, we are called out on two of our biggest temptations: speaking before thinking (or the power of the human tongue) and judging others.  These are sins we often commit without thinking, which some would excuse as not being sins for that very reason, but James, through the "royal law" of Jesus Christ, holds us to a higher standard.  If we follow Christ, we should know better, right?  We should know enough to think before we speak or act.  We should know right from wrong.  We should, but...

Notes for Lesson 3

Notes for Lesson 4

It's been a tough few weeks, so I will post my notes for Lesson 5 when I've completed it.  I apologize for getting behind and having to miss our last class.  I am hoping that this won't happen again, or at least, very often.  I'll do my best.

Have a great weekend, and I should see you next Thursday, October 20.