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He was praying in a certain place. (v. 1)
“What is prayer?” I asked a small child. After a moment’s hesitation she gave her answer, “It’s when you climb into God’s heart and go to sleep.” Startled by this unexpectedly confident answer I pressed her further, “And who taught you that?” I asked. “I just know it,” she said.
Musing on this after all these years I wonder if that child was taught by God. As an adult, I question the “going to sleep” part. On further reflection, though, I believe going to sleep could be a synonym for trust—the candid trust of a child for a parent! I think this definition of prayer is worthy of consideration. Perhaps we should all climb into God’s heart to test the waters of trust.
For myself, I am slightly rearranging the words at this stage of my life. “Prayer is climbing into the heart of God and waiting.” Either way it is God who teaches us both to trust and to wait. Could this be what Jesus’ disciples were longing for when they asked him to teach them to pray? The gift of trusting and waiting! The text reads that Jesus was praying in a certain place and when he finished his prayer one of his disciples pleaded, “Lord, teach us to pray.” The request addressed to Jesus could just as easily read, “Lord, teach us to trust, teach us to wait, teach us to climb into God’s heart and go to sleep.”
Although, of course, we can pray anywhere and everywhere it is interesting that Luke’s gospel reads, “He was praying in a certain place.” I wonder where that certain place was. Was it in the temple, by the seaside, in the Judean hills, in the garden? It doesn’t really matter I suppose but I find the mention of a certain place thought-provoking. Place and space are important. When we pray it is good to consider the place of our prayer as sacred space.
Jesus often went away alone to pray but it is obvious that, at this time, his disciples were with him. If they were moved to ask him to teach them to pray after being in his presence during his prayer, there must have been something noteworthy in his appearance as he prayed.
Jesus’ instruction to his disciples begins with some suggested content for their prayer requests to the Father. This is in the form of the shorter Lucan version of the Lord’s Prayer. (See also Matthew 6:9-15.) His teaching reaches beyond the content of the Our Father as he shares a story that suggests the importance of perseverance in prayer. He then continues with assurance that the one to whom we pray will open the door. Now let’s take a meditative look at each of these instructions on prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer
Jesus tells us that the name of the one we address in our prayer is holy. It is hallowed so let us acknowledge the name as sacred. We pray that the realm of the Holy One constantly surrounds us and that we may be empowered by the name of God. We address our prayer to the Father and we have the humility to ask for forgiveness. We, too, are to forgive. Finally we pray to be protected from all that is evil and to be guided through the final test.
The Story of a Friend Who Needs Bread
In Jesus’ instruction on prayer he goes beyond teaching them the Our Father. He tells a parabolic story of a friend who comes in the middle of night asking for bread. Having bedded down for the night, the friend is reluctant to get up and offer his bread. In Jesus’ day this probably meant that children were sleeping on pallets on the floor. Getting up and walking through one’s sleeping family and kin was not easy. The lesson here is on perseverance in your petitions of prayer. He finally gets up not because he wants to but because of the persistence of the one who is asking.
Ask and You Shall Receive
Jesus further illustrates the need for confidence in prayer by using the metaphor of knocking on the door. “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (v. 9) I’m sure we all remember times when our asking, seeking and knocking seemed futile. Perhaps this is when we need to listen to the child’s description of prayer. Just climb into God’s heart and go to sleep. When we awaken, the answer to our prayer may awaken with us. Finally Jesus highlights the truth that God is good and will give us the best gift of all, the Holy Spirit, if we just ask. So let’s ask!
Your next word to romance is: John 3:1-21
Jerome Kodell, OSB
This is the second of a two-part series written by Jerome Kodell, OSB, the abbot of Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas. Abbot Jerome is a retreat director, Scripture scholar, and writer. He authored all of the original study materials for LRSS and has remained a valued advisor to this ministry. His most recent book is Life lessons from the Monastery: Wisdom on Love, Prayer, Calling and Commitment.
At the end of the first of these two articles on lectio divina, I mentioned the traditional steps associated with the practice—reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation—and I noted that these are really not steps so much as doorways into prayer, any of which may be entered depending on the inspiration of the day.
When Guigo II, a Carthusian abbot of the 12th century, first described lectio divina with these ingredients, he was trying to make understandable and accessible for his own time a prayer practice which had already been in the monastic tradition for about 800 years. The various steps he separated for analysis were parts of a spiritual practice that was experienced as a fluid movement of prayer without an emphasis on steps.
When lectio divina began to be popularized about fifty years ago in conjunction with the renewal in biblical spirituality, it was the steps which captured our attention. We treated the progression of steps as the lectio divina formula for praying with the Bible: read a passage, reflect on it, formulate a prayer based on it, and then rest quietly in God’s presence. This is a very good method of biblical meditation and prayer, but it is only one of many ways to do lectio divina, and compared to its typical use in early times, is very busy and intellectual.
Much of the difference comes from the word “meditation.” In the past few centuries, meditation has come to mean reflection on an experience, an image, or a spiritual truth, but in lectio divina meditation means something different. It means repeating a biblical word or phrase over and over, enjoying the sound and imagery, being aware of the meaning of the words but not attempting to analyze them. Often this was done out loud. St. Jerome reported on a letter from one monk to another, telling his friend he was having a hard time with lectio because of a sore throat.
A synonym for the Latin meditatio was ruminatio, which describes the action of a cow in chewing its cud. Meditation in the original sense was the practice of repeating the word over and over again to enjoy its flavors and to keep one’s focus on the Author of the word. This tradition is still very much alive in the recitation of the Rosary.
The different approaches to Scripture of lectio divina and spiritual reading are parallel to the different approaches to the sacred art of icons and statues. Unlike statues and other representations of saints in our western art, icons are not meant to be portraits giving accurate representations. Rather they are understood as thresholds into the reality behind the image.
Similarly, lectio divina invites us to enter into the world of grace and communion with God opened up by the biblical word, using various doorways. The Bible is used as an icon, not a book. Some days, this may mean we need words to keep us focused, and so we will read a passage and revolve the words around on our tongue or in our mind. This may require one passage or several. On other days, we will have no time for words. We already have the word of God in our heart through years of living with word and sacrament in the Church, and we need only rest in God.
Sometimes lectio divina works backwards, in the sense that a life experience sparks a connection with the word of God that leads to a special kind of prayer communion. Years ago I picked up a middle-aged man who was hitchhiking to find work. He had lost his business in trying to take care of his father and his wife’s mother, both of whom had died recently. Now he was going to travel 150 miles on the chance he could interview for a truck driving job, and then return in order to be with his wife and their two children. “I could stay overnight with the Salvation Army,” he said. “But my family needs me with them. They are worried right now. They can count on me. It’s bad now, but something will show up. God has always taken care of me and he will be with me in this.” His love and faith moved me deeply. I thought to myself, I have just met Abraham. His image stayed in my mind for many weeks and moved in and out of my prayer.
Catholic historian Eamon Duffy has captured the sense of the lectio divina approach to the Bible in describing it as “loitering with intent.” We are responding to the invitation of God to spend time with him in the same way he invited Moses to join him: “At dawn come up Mount Sinai and wait for me at the top of the mountain” (Exod 34:2; NJB).
In the next three issues of the newsletter, we will explore several important areas of Leadership Training, hoping to encourage you to use the material to strengthen and renew your Little Rock Scripture Study groups.
One of the strengths of Little Rock Scripture Study is the Leadership Training material provided to ensure the effectiveness of your experience with Bible study. Using the Coordinator’s Manual, a sample week of The Acts of the Apostles study materials, and recorded materials for the training sessions, you will discover:
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Hopefully, you are already familiar with the LRSS Coordinator’s Manual containing all the guidelines and handouts for Leadership Training. You may even be aware of our frequent reminder that Leadership Training is a must for those beginning LRSS, or even for those wanting to expand their program.
Unfortunately, some LRSS buyers, in a rush to dive into the Scriptures and use the attractive commentaries and Study Guides aren’t aware of these valuable and much needed lessons. Others may have experienced the training in the beginning but have long forgotten much of what they learned. This is an invitation to take a second look.
The small group experience is the heart of LRSS. It is in the small groups that the goals of LRSS grow and develop: biblical literacy, deepened personal relationship with Christ, and growth in Christian community. Each small group needs the benefit of well-trained facilitators in order to be successful.
The four two-hour sessions of Leadership Training build on the gifts and skills of those who may facilitate small groups. It provides a hands-on experience of each element of LRSS: daily personal study, weekly small-group sharing, the wrap-up lecture, and prayer, especially conversational prayer which is recommended for the success of the small groups.
Each session is carefully outlined and includes an opening prayer service, handouts for all who are participating in training, and outlines for the recorded presentations. Those who are coordinating the parish’s Scripture study efforts and training leaders can stay one step ahead, follow the directions, and then jump in and be part of each training session.
A trained facilitator for each group of eight to twelve people will help things run smoothly. Their tasks include guiding the group experience of conversational prayer, leading the discussion, and keeping the group focused and on schedule. It is helpful to train enough people so that each group has an auxiliary facilitator to share the responsibility. Ultimately, as the group evolves, all members realize they have a stake in the group’s success and all become aware of the best ways for a group to accomplish its purpose.
If your parish is new to LRSS, consider who would come to Leadership Training. The LRSS Coordinator and Core Team could hand-pick a group of people who have qualities outlined in the Coordinator’s Manual, inviting each one to come to training. An alternative method is to invite all parishioners interested in Bible study to attend the training sessions. As the training concludes, it will become obvious that some may serve best as facilitators while others may take on other important tasks such as publicity, registration, setting up facilities, etc. This is a great opportunity to discover some untapped skills and talents in the parish community.
If your parish is a veteran user of LRSS, make a purposeful effort to find potential new facilitators in the already existing groups. Current facilitators should be encouraged to keep an eye and ear open as their group members interact. Personally invite one or two participants in each group to consider being trained for future small groups. It may be just the ticket to insure that new life is always being introduced in your parish Bible study program.
Take some time in the next few weeks as you prepare for your gathering in the fall, to review the Coordinator’s Manual and remind yourself of the many tools that can help your groups make the most of their time together.
Michael Siedlecki
St. Stephen, Martyr Catholic Church
Chesapeake, VA
Like all good things, our Little Rock Scripture group took time to come into its own.
In the beginning, it was a little awkward going through the questions, one by one.
Gradually, a few people started talking about how the Scripture related to their daily lives.
For one woman, with a new position at work that she didn’t even want, it became a call that God needed her there. The nagging wonder of whether God was listening to prayer, and the unexpected answers received, were part of a divine journey. The illness that brought tears also drew one member closer to God.
The ancient struggles and journeys of Jesus and Paul and Matthew were reflected in our daily lives.
Gradually, the format became more free-flowing.
It was the sum of the parts that brought a power to the session. Everyone brought something different to the table—whether it was Scriptural knowledge or moments of doubt—to become an amazing tapestry. Sometimes one simple reflection at a session’s end brought everything together.
Often, members would say how a reading related to a difficulty in their lives. The next day, we’d get an email about a resolution that dovetailed exactly with the discussion the previous night.
Those words would help us in the days to come as we tried to be better, more spiritual people at work and in our family: the cheerful words that defused strife; the caring suggestion that stopped a gossip session; a spate of envy dissolved by the recognition that we were face-to-face with a beloved child of God; the simple appreciation of an autumn tree and the voices of next-door children.
Some members went to a Christian concert together. Others watched The Passion in another member’s living room. We contributed to food baskets for needy families at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The group’s facilitator, who had gotten involved in a prison ministry, helped members become Scripture “study buddies” with prisoners.
The Little Rock series was the home base. It was like going to a particular beach week after week, and noting different shells and sea life. Each week there were different challenges and difficulties, joys and glimpses of the kingdom. But also, some things, like the ocean tides, were comfortingly the same, the rock-solid, centuries-old Scripture readings, the safety of fellow parishioners and the spirit of God.
Rita Da Corsi
St. Paschal Baylon
Thousand Oaks, CA
Our Bible study (which we call Journey Towards Freedom) has been meeting for the past sixteen years; and we have used Little Rock Scripture Study. It is so wonderful to see adults with no Scripture background plunge into the word of God and emerge with a clearer understanding of God’s plan for salvation and a deeper love for the liturgy and Eucharist.
I started coordinating this Bible study group after I took the three-year study at the Bible Institute through Loyola Marymount University, plus other in-depth classes and programs.
The study is open to both men and women and many come from other parishes. I have lengthened the lessons so they last one full year—from September to the beginning of May. We usually have around thirty to thirty-five participants who begin in September, with a few who drop out by May.
Because we live in the Los Angeles area, we sometimes have access to more well-known guest speakers. Two of our wrap-up lecturers have been: Fr. Patrick Mullen, author of The Bible Says What?: Dealing with Difficult Scripture Passages, and Kay Murdy, author of From Pharaoh to the Father: A Journey Toward Freedom Through The Lord’s Prayer. We always end our year with a meal and our own Bishop Thomas Curry.
We have used all of the Little Rock Scripture studies and are starting over again in September with the gospel of John. Starting this September, we are expanding this study to Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo, California.
As the coordinator of the Bible study, I am looking forward to continuing our studies with Little Rock and I am sure our members are also.
“Studying Scripture has grounded me in faith, and given me an appreciation of how involved the plan of redemption actually is. The depth of God's love for us is an example of what we are called to express to all.” |
Cackie Upchurch
October 11 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the opening of the Year of Faith for the church today. We gratefully acknowledge the spirit of freshness that the open windows provided as the council began.
I want to recommend the following title as a way to prepare for and enter into this season of renewal: Keys to the Council, Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II (Liturgical Press). The authors, Richard Gaillardetz and Catherine Clifford cull all of the documents and identify twenty key passages that set the tone and capture the vision of the council. After a brief historical context for each of these passages, the writers explore the meaning and impact of these key teachings. I appreciate the academic expertise, clear writing style, and obvious love for the church in the work of these authors.
One result of Vatican II was an increased appreciation for Scripture in the lives of all Catholic believers. As a result, various biblical ministries emerged around the world, including our very own Little Rock Scripture Study. Happily, we welcome the church’s continued teaching on appropriate methodologies for biblical study and prayer, as well as growing encouragement for all the faithful to be engaged in prayerful study of the Bible.
Most recently, the role of Scripture in the church was explored in the Synod on the Word of God. This Synod, and the papal exhortation that resulted, Verbum Domini, is the subject of a new book by James Chukwuma Okoye, CSSp: Scripture in the Church (Liturgical Press). Various tables accompany the text, and each chapter ends with questions that could be used for discussion or personal reflection.
A small and deliberately quick and delightful book on Scripture was written this year by Mary Elizabeth Sperry. Bible Top Tens, 40 Fun and Intriguing Lists to Inspire and Inform (Our Sunday Visitor), includes seventeen annotated lists of biblical characters (e.g., top ten unsung heroes, sibling rivalries, underdogs), ten lists of places and events (e.g., top ten miracles, battles, water events), nine lists of sayings (e.g., top ten promises, punishments, symbols), as well as lists to help Catholics approach the Scriptures with good information, the right attitude and to avoid misunderstandings. There’s even encouragement to come up with your own top ten list from the Bible.
Cackie Upchurch
Like his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, our current Pope Benedict XVI has called for a “New Evangelization.” Religious educators, pastors and bishops, as well as publishers, are making use of resources to allow our Catholic people to experience a fresh surge of appreciation for what it means to be a follower of Christ.
Efforts throughout this season of evangelization will be directed at Catholics who have “lost a sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church” (Redemptoris Missio, no. 33). The Year of Faith which is to begin in October is a core part of the endeavor to reach out to Catholics in the pews and Catholics who no longer find themselves inside our parish churches. Our own efforts to proclaim the Good News of Christ in our world can only be as effective as our own embrace of a living and active faith in our personal lives and the lives of our communities.
The good news for us is that we have experienced the transforming power of God’s Word in our Scripture study groups. The challenge for us is to find ways to evangelize, to invite our parishioners and neighbors to join in this process of renewal.
The key is to be inviting. Consider personally inviting a neighbor, a co-worker, a parishioner who shares the Sunday pew with you to come to Little Rock Scripture Study with you when you start up your next parish Bible study.
What about using the summer months to provide some “come and see” sessions? Consider downloading the free articles on our website under “Related Links.” These series of articles are brief, would require no “homework,” and supply the group with four questions for discussion. For example, choose some of the articles under “Hearing the Good News” and invite anyone interested to come to just one or two sessions after Sunday Mass on a given date. This could interest them in a more in-depth study of one of the gospels in the fall.
Let’s become bearers of the Good News.
Our new study, Life Eternal, will be available in August. It consists of seven sessions which address the following theme: The biblical promise of eternal life appears late in Scripture, but it blossoms into fullness with the resurrection of Christ. Explore the growing nature of hope of those who have called upon the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the past, and the crystallization of our hope for eternal life in the victory of Christ over death. Lecturers: Judy Hoelzeman, David LeSieur, Catherine Upchurch, Karen Wenzel, Clifford M. Yeary. (The commentary, And the Life of the Word to Come is written by John Craghan.)
A Year of Sundays/Un Años de Domingo 2013 will be available in August for the usual price of $2.00 per single copy. Plan now for the new liturgical season by purchasing before Advent begins. Bulk discounts are available. Current copies (2012) of this handy book of reflections on the gospels of Sundays, Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday and the Triduum are now on sale for $.50 each.
The Deluxe Little Rock Catholic Study Bible is available in limited quantities ($59.95). Enhance your Bible study with this elegant, limited edition of the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible with a beautiful embossed, brown, leather-like cover. Gold, gilt-edged pages, ribbon markers, plus a presentation page and three family tree pages also make it a perfect family Bible or gift. To read more about the Study Bible in paperback, hardcover and deluxe edition click here.
Looking for a short (one page) Bible study to use with your adult formation group, or even as part of a regular meeting of a parish council or other parish group? Print off a free copy from the LRSS website or the Diocese of Little Rock website. A Cloud of Witnesses is a thirteen-part series from Little Rock Scripture Study that explores characters in both the Old and New Testaments "whose lives bear witness to God and what it means to be a disciple."
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 numerous parishes. For more information, contact: Susan McCarthy, RDC, P.O. Box 7565, Little Rock, AR 72217; (501) 664-6102 or (501) 366-5691; or by email at smccarthy@dolr.org.
September 8, 2012
Informational Workshop
Richmond, VA
October 6, 2012
Informational Workshop
Springfield, MO
October 13, 2012
Informational Workshop
Cape Girardeau, MO
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Direct editorial questions or ideas to:
Susan McCarthy, RDC
LRSS Office
P.O. Box 7565
Little Rock, AR 72217
Editor: Susan McCarthy, RDC
Managing Editors: Monica Schulzetenberg, Megan Wagner
Contributors: Rita De Corsi, Jerome Kodell, OSB, Susan McCarthy, RDC, Michael Siedlecki, Cackie Upchurch, Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB
Translators: Maria Teresa de Bourbon, RDC, Rosa Maria Icaza, CCVI
The material in this newsletter may be reproduced only with the consent of Little Rock Scripture Study.
Copyright © 2012 Little Rock Scripture Study. All rights reserved.