Breaking Open The Word

Frances called me a couple of weeks ago and said that a few St. E's folks were finally going to get together at her house for scripture sharing like we used to do a few years ago and I was invited. These gatherings have been in the works for a couple of months now but for various reasons, the time was never right to begin. Well, the time had come!

So one night last week, we gathered in the Pope's living room with our "At Home With The Word" books and our bibles to pray, read and meditate on the next Sunday's readings. Frances had asked me to lead the group for that week and so we began.

So how do you go about starting up one of these bible study groups? It's easy. Get a half dozen (more or less) of your interested friends together. What Frances did was to ask people who lived closer to her. Another scripture group that started before Christmas draws St. E's folks from the Highland Park area.

The person who has been asked to lead the group that particular evening plans what they want to do for the hour or so that the gathering lasts. Here is what I did that evening. We started with an opening prayer, made up on the spot. Then I asked the participants to volunteer to read one of the Sunday readings. When the readings were done, we reflected on what the readings meant to us and how they could affect our lives; what the readings had in common with each other. Questions about Biblical history also found their way into our discussions.

These groups usually end with a closing prayer; but instead of that, I had brought my cd player along and a song that the choir may learn sometime. The song seemed very appropriate for these particular readings and I had thought of it as I was preparing for the gathering. "All of My Help" was the perfect ending for this evening.

Frances asked Vivian to lead the next gathering and she may decide on a different format. However, the main reason for meeting is to read and reflect on the Sunday readings to deepen our faith through our connection with each other and our God.

We set a date for the next gathering and afterwards, Frances had some light refreshments for us. Though refreshments aren't a necessary part of the evening, sitting around the table gives us an opportunity to catch up on our lives and to draw us closer together.

So how often do groups like ours meet? Some meet weekly; some monthly. Some meet during the day; most in the evening. We plan to meet every other week and for the time being, we will meet at Frances' house.

If you have any questions about setting up a scripture group yourself, that haven't been answered in this article, ask away!