Not Your Fathers' Bible Study Class!
The Book of Acts May/June, 2001

Most people would agree that the liturgy at St. Joan of Arc is "not your fathers' mass" (to borrow an old advertising slogan). When you see that St. Joan's has a bible study group, one may wonder how it fits into the mission of the parish. We encourage you to attend...and be assured...this is not your fathers' bible study either!

The group has just completed a study of the Book of Acts and will proceed with other bible readings and probably some other related (and possibly some unrelated!) material. Regardless of what reading is chosen, we can be assured spirited discussion, lively interaction, and plenty of food for thought. This article will endeavor to give a review of what we learned from the Book of Acts as well as describe what we do, and invite and encourage folks to join us.

The book of Acts is the first to follow the four major gospels, and is written by Luke (or the same author as wrote the gospel of Luke). It talks of the first communities of believers following the death of Jesus, the Pentecost event and the delivering of the Holy Spirit. It follows Peter, and the trouble of delivering the message of Jesus (there's no shortage of arrests, beatings, and other challenges). It also contains the story of the conversion of Saul to Paul who brings the message of Jesus to other Jews and then, more significantly, to the gentiles.

You will likely remember from catechism the story of Saul: a Roman Jew who helped with the beatings of early Christians and who, while riding his horse, was knocked down by a light and the words of God telling him to stop his persecution and to spread the news of Jesus. He is blinded, but when he recovers he takes the name Paul, and sets out to become the most significant messenger of the Jesus-as-Christ story. He travels extensively establishing communities of believers, both Jew and gentile, from Near Asia to Greece, Rome and the entire Mediterranean region.

There are numerous parallels between the tribulations of Paul and the final days of Jesus. The Jews are always trying to remand him to the Romans for blasphemy, and the Romans aren't quite sure how to deal with Saul/Paul. Here is one of their own telling stories of a Jewish Prophet, espousing a new lifestyle, and proclaiming stories of resurrection (of both Jesus and believers). Paul becomes increasingly frustrated with spreading his message to Jews, and ultimately hears God's message to deliver the news to the Gentiles. He tailors his story to the citizens of Athens (addressing the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology), and to other communities as well.

Acts provides an interesting look at the challenges of the early Christians, and allows a look at the Christianity of our day as well. The group explored questions about how we got from then to now, the true message of Jesus, the role of Judaism in shaping our faith, and challenges to today's church. We often (in true St. Joan's fashion!) confronted the limits of fundamentalism and hypocrisy in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. But we approached such issues with humor, understanding, and reassurance, as well as respect.

We have been meeting on Tuesday evenings for 2 hours in a loosely-formatted schedule starting with an opening reflection, a review of the material covered in that given week, followed by both large- and small- group discussion. We reconvene to share ideas some more, and close with a meditation. We have also experimented with reading the scriptures aloud in acknowledgement that they come from an oral tradition. I should mention that fabulous treats have become another oral tradition of the evening as well!

Catholics traditionally have not been avid bible readers, and the goal of the group is not to become scholars (although sometimes we sound pretty darn good!). But attending does provide stimulating conversation, enlightening reflection, and inspiring thought. It is common that our discussion will involve other events in the news, or at St. Joan's as well. Many of us attended the Michael Morwood address in place of our regular meeting (the subject matter fit in nicely with our discussions...you can see a review of that speech by this author here on our SJA webpage).

This is certainly not a dark, tedious, slow, or dull meeting. The bible can often be a bit intimidating, and yet this group is not that either. It can even lean a little to the irreverent at times. But we hope to make it inviting. We encourage all to try it sometime...be watching the bulletin and the webpage for information on upcoming meetings. And don't hesitate to join mid-book, or come even if you've not read the bible that week...or ever! It is a good place to visit...wherever you are on your journey!

David Rotert is a communications technician. He, his wife Sue and two boys used to walk to SJA each Sunday. They since moved to St Louis Park, but are now happy to make the drive. David and his family have been attending SJA for over 10 years. You may see him serving host or wine on Sundays, and doing the readings whenever he can help. He is also always game for a good philosophical discussion.

Janice LaMere is a self-professed (and sometimes publicly acknowledged) girl-geek. She does computer technical support and training, and is a writer, college student, mother of three and grandmother of two. She likes to read, learn, listen to music, walk with her dog (Lady Isabella Augusta, AKA Auggie Doggie) and watch old movies. She can be found on the Internet atwww.janissima.com, or email to lamere@janissima.com.

Read about Saul in the Book of Acts online.