• Say something like: Catholics say that the Bible is the Inspired word of God. We also say that it is true and inerrant in matters of faith. This is very rich and nuanced statement that is worth a second look. Let’s do so together!
• Call forward a member of the group as a volunteer. Have fun asking them a few silly questions, like: How’s your day going so far? Do you know what you’ve just volunteered for? Are you nervous at all?
• Now say something like: I’ll bet that there a variety of different people who would say they know (volunteer’s name). Let’s think about some of those people. I can think of a few: Parents, spouse, work colleagues… who else can you think of that might say they know (volunteer’s name)?
• As different types of relationships are named, jot these down on the board for reference. Try to get a wide range or relationships surfaced including some of the following (Doctor, teachers, children, Facebook friend, employer, etc.)
• Once the list is reasonably full, ask the group consider what kinds of information each of the different people on the list might be able to tell us about (volunteer’s name). Be sure to point out the differences in the kind of information that different people would be able to share.
• After exploring the different kinds of information people could share, thank your volunteer and invite them to sit down.
• Now say: Let’s assume that everyone we polled about (volunteer’s name) is honest with us, it would be fair to say that everything we would learn about him/her would be true right? But would it all be the same type of information? We might consider the fact that there are different kinds of truth, and that those different kinds of truth serve different purposes. For example, Mathematical truth is quite different from Historical truth. Scientific truth is quite different from Moral (as you name these different types of truth, write them on the board). Be sure to note that all these forms of truth are certainly related but it is crucial to acknowledge that they serve different purposes.
• Ask the group, What kind of truth is the Bible interested in?

• Field some answers and help the group to land on the suggestion that what we seek when going to the Bible is Religious Truth, something altogether different than any other type of truth – and something which gives meaning to all other types of truth.
• This is what we mean when we claim that the Bible is true and inerrant in matters of faith. We are not saying that the Bible is a good science textbook, or that it contains mathematically precise accounting. We are saying that it does not lead us astray in matters of faith, that it accurately portrays the story of Salvation History, and rightly describes our place within that history, such that we know who we are, whose we are and what we are to do in light of this truth.

. Biblia: The word Bible is derived from the Greek word Biblia which means a library or collection of books. The Bible is a library of different books, different genres of writing.
o 2. Scripture and Tradition: Catholics recognize that God reveals God’s self through the written word of God, as well as through the lived tradition of the people of God, which includes the teaching magisterium.
o 3. Divine Inspiration: We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. This does not mean that God dictated the words of Scripture to the Sacred Authors, but that the Holy Spirit inspired the whole process by which we have received the Bible.
When we talk about the Bible as the inspired word of God, we mean to say that God has inspired the telling of Salvation History and has worked through the human process of passing down the stories in order to bring the Word to us in time. By Inspiration, we do not mean that God spoke into the ears of the authors who simply transcribed God’s words. Rather, God works throughout history, through human processes and relationships to speak to us.
o 4. Authorial Intent: Catholic teaching holds that we must be attentive to the intention and historical situation of the Sacred Authors. This gives us the ability to understand more fully what God is revealing to us.

Paragraph 12 goes on to say that we must also have regard for literary forms. For truth is proposed and expressed in a variety of ways, depending on whether a text is history of one kind or another, or whether its form is that of prophecy, poetry, or some other type of speech. ...due attention must be paid to the customary and characteristic styles of perceiving, speaking and narrating which prevailed at the time of the sacred writer, and to the customs men normally followed at that period in their everyday dealings with one another.

In other words,• Each author was writing to a particular group of people in a particular time for a particular purpose, which is why we sometimes get several different accounts of the same thing, like two different accounts of the story of creation in Genesis (chapters 1 and 2) or different variations on the life of Jesus from the four gospels.
• That is why it’s important to know the context the book or story or psalm was written in by asking ourselves, What do we need to know in order to “get” this story (or parable or psalm)?
• Some Christians choose to read the Bible literally as if it means exactly what it says. But since the Bible wasn’t written as a history book, a literal interpretation can lead to misinterpreting Scripture and/or applying it to present day situations that it was not meant to address.
• This is why Catholics and many other Christian denominations read and interpret the Bible from a particular context, which means we must understand who wrote it, when, and why.
•
Did anyone read the paper this morning or watch the morning news? What was the headline or the lead story?
How might this story be written if it appeared in another part of the world?
• Or, how might it change if you were writing this for a group of 10 year olds? A group of only women? For someone from a communist country? Or someone who was waking up from a coma after 20 years?

The fact is, that while the central “truth” of the story remains, the details involving how the story is told, and who or what is highlighted will change based on the audience and the current events they are experiencing.

Whether Jesus spoke the beatitudes at the Sermon on the Mount (as in Matthew 5) or as part of the Sermon on the Plain (as in Luke 6), doesn’t change the truth of the words, but it does matter to the audience who it was directed at. Matthew’s gospel was written for a Jewish audience who saw mountains as a sign of closeness with God, so Matthew wanted to portray Jesus on a mountain to show that he was the Son of God.

Luke’s gospel was written to Gentiles (non-Jews) who knew nothing of the symbolism for mountains. Luke wanted his audience to understand that Jesus came for all people, not just the Jews, so he places Jesus preaching on level ground as a sign of being one with them, not separated from them. Different approaches to the same story.

Reading and understanding Scripture from a contextualist view is not the easiest; it requires knowledge and openness to learning new things, but it should not stop us from reading and praying with Scripture on a regular basis. Indeed, one does not need to know everything about Scripture before they start to read it (or we would never start!).

Ask if anyone knows what the word Pentateuch means. Any math or science teachers in here? What does the prefix "pen" mean?

“Pen” is a prefix that means “five”—Pentateuch is a Greek word that means “five books.” This first section of the Old Testament contains Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This section is also referred to as the “Torah” or “Law.” In these books of the Bible, we read about God’s invitation to Israel to become the chosen people and enter into a relationship of covenant love.

God is a single divine being who orders all things out of love. All that God created and imagined was rooted in love.

Clue #1: How does the book of Genesis convince us that God was pleased with his creation?
Hint: Genesis 1:1-23:

This is the first and most important theme. God is a single, divine being who orders all things out of love. For ancient peoples, who worshipped many gods and attempted to control and manipulate their gods, this was a truly radical notion. As “One,” God is creator, shepherd, King. God is holy above all things.

Theme Two: God is Active in Human History
Our God is not a God who created us then watched us from a distance. Rather, our God actively guides, protects, cares for, and is involved in human history.

Clue #2: In Jacob’s dream at Bethel, what did the angels use to ascend and descend from heaven?
Hint: Genesis 28:10-15:
God actively guides, protects, cares for, and is involved in human affairs. The history of the ancient Israelites shows this to be true. Theirs is a “salvation history.” God operates in the world in a loving way for the good of humans. God is Liberator and Savior, time after time delivering the people from their troubles.

God invites us into relationship—Adam and Eve, Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Rachel, Aaron, and so on were all invited into relationship with God and responded to his invitation. Sometimes they responded willingly, sometimes reluctantly, and sometimes not always understanding what God was doing.

Clue #3: Noah said yes to build an ark, and saved his family and many living species from death by drowning. What bird did Noah first send out at the end of the forty days?
Hint: Genesis: 8:6-9:

Our response to God’s activity in the world is important. Our response to God comes in the form of friendship, loyalty, and obedience. We must express ourselves fully before God.

Prayer and praise to God begins in the Pentateuch, and continues throughout the Old Testament. God does great things, and when people pay attention they stand in gratitude before God singing and praising all of God’s goodness.

Clue #4: Who is credited with being the first woman prayer leader mentioned in the Old Testament?
Hint: Exodus 15:20-21:

The psalms are explicit in their prayerful praise of God. All the actions, stories, and history of the Israelite people are an expression of praise and gratitude to the One, true God. We should offer explicit prayer and praise to God, but so should all our actions express praise and gratitude.

Tradition is important to who we are as God’s people. Remembering and re-telling the stories of our history keeps us connected to the covenant of love with God, and keeps our community alive. The Old Testament, beginning in the Pentateuch, tells and re-tells the stories of God’s people, that we may not lose their power and importance.

Clue #5: From what did the people hear God’s voice declaring his covenant to them?
Hint: Deuteronomy 4:9-14

Tradition keeps the community alive. Remembering and re-telling the stories of our history keeps us connected to the covenant of love with God. We have an obligation to keep the tradition alive and pass it along to the next generations.

The Old Testament has a pretty clear pattern to it: God seeks covenant relationship with his people, his people agree to it, the people make bad choices and break covenant, God seeks out the people again to renew the covenant. Abraham, Moses, David, and ultimately in the New Testament, Jesus, forge covenants with God, on God’s initiative.

Clue #6: What happens to the first person engaged in celebrating covenant with God?
Hint: Genesis 17:1-8

God pledges everlasting and faithful love to the people. God chose the Israelites as God’s people.
God made covenant with the people—through Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. God is like a person—seeking relationship and connection with others. The covenant demands that we not only love God, but also our neighbor.

Theme Seven: Justice and Morality are Possible
Again and again in the Old Testament, we see that it is possible to live just and moral lives. We see again and again that NOT living just and moral lives results in war and unrest.

Clue #7: What was to be done to the fields and vineyards so that the poor and those in need could find food?
Hint: Leviticus 19:9-10:

There is a tension between God’s perfect will and our sinful and selfish response. As humans, we are made with rational minds and free choice. We are confronted with moral choice, and we cannot escape moral responsibility. God shows the way, for God is holy. We must seek to obey God.

There were some cloudy times encountered by the Hebrew people—some which were not of their making, some which was of their making. No matter the situation—slavery, famine, poor leaders—God always provided his people with hope for the future.

Clue #8: What were the meat and bread that God gave the Israelites to eat in the wilderness of Sin?
Hint: Exodus 16:9-15:

In the midst of struggle and strife, there is optimism about the future. There is hope of a Messiah who will deliver us from all evil. Remember that God created the world, and saw that it was “good.”

We are invited into faithful relationship with God, though we do not fully know and understand all of God’s ways. What seems the right path to us in our humanity, is not necessarily the path that God would take. “Knowing” why isn’t what is most important, knowing God and trusting him is.

Clue #9: What did Jacob sneak away from his oldest brother?
Hint: Genesis 25:1-29

While we are in covenant with God, we cannot fully know and understand all of God’s ways.
The Bible is a source of wisdom and insight into the ways of God. We seek to align our ways with God’s ways, as best we can.

Genesis is rigorously faithful to Israel's belief in one God. Gen 1-2 tells two stories of Creation that portray the beauty and wonder of the natural world and emphasize the goodness and harmony that God intended in Creation. Creation culminates in human beings made in God's own image. Those first human beings, Adam and Eve, live in a wonderful garden in harmony with God and each other. But in chapter 3, sin enters the world, and as a result, Adam and Eve will experience separation, suffering and ultimately death.

And sin spreads to the first family through Cain and Abel in chapter 4 and then to all society as we read in chapters 6-9 with Noah and the flood. Even after the flood and God's covenant with Noah, the story of the tower of Babel demonstrates that sin pits nation against nation.

Divine election, promise of a son, land and greatness characterize this part of Genesis.

Here we find the origins of the Israelite people. The story begins with Abraham and Sarah (originally called Abram and Sarai) and continues with Ishmael and Issac and with Isaac and Rebeka's sons, Esau and Jacob. Genesis ends with Joseph, one of Jacob's 12 sons, cleverly saving Egypt and Israel from famine. These sections introduce the covenant God makes with Abraham and remind us that God's plans will overcome human sin and weakness

Here we hear the story of how God saves Israel and begins fulfillment of the promised land

Exodus literally means dearture and this books central story is of how God liberates the people from slavery in Egypt. Moses is chosen by God to become God's voice and the instrument of God's power.

We begin with the Israelites enslaved in Egypt and prohibited from worshiping their God. Israel cries out to God, and God answers by sending Moses. When Pharaoh refuses to let the Israelites go, God sends ten devastating plagues and Pharaoh finally gives in. Later, Pharaoh changes his mind and chases the Israelites only to have his army destroyed after the Israelites escape through the Red Sea. This section ends with the people wandering through the wilderness, sustained by food and water miraculously provided by God.

The Covenant binds God and people forever and establishes Israel's way of life

These sections occur on Mount Sinai. There, God enters into a covenant with all the people. God's part of he Sinai Covenant is to guarantee continued protection. Israel's part is to be faithful to God alone, a faithfulness marked by special laws and special worship that unite them as a people. Exodus ends with Israel still encamped at Mount Sinai, struggling to become a people of the Covenant.

The stores in Exodus are at the heart of both Jewish and Christian belief in a God who saves, a God of freedom. We cannot fully appreciate the meaning of Jesus' life, death and Resurrection without knowing these stories.

Although the book of Numbers is named for the two censuses mentioned in it, the books original Hebrew name, meaning "in the desert" describes it better. Numbers picks up the story of the Israelites where Exodus leaves off, The first section begins with a census at Mount Sinai to determine who is eligible for military service. As the people prepare to enter the Promised Land, their leaders review the laws and regulations with them.

In the second section, the Israelites begin their journey to the Promised Land. Unfortunately, they have not learned to put their faith in God, and their journey is marked by grumbling, rebellion and even idolatry. When the first army refuses to enter the promised land because of reports it is inhabited by a race of giants, God decrees that none of the older generation who left Egypt may enter the promised land. So the Israelites begin their desert wandering, which lasts 38 years.

The 3rd section paints a more hopeful picture. The people of the new generation are faithful and obedient as they prepare to enter the land. They experience victory against the Midianites and conquer the land east of the Jordan. The God who liberated their ancestors from Egypt, sustained and led them through the wilderness with Moses, is the same God who now makes ready to fulfill the promise of Land to Israel,

Numbers was written by priestly scribes hundreds of years after the events, after the people had lost the promised land to the Babylonians. They fully appreciated the gift of the land only after they had lost it. For the Israelites in the Babylonian exile, Numbers portrayed the hopeful, grateful and faithful hearts required of those whom God blesses.

The book of Dt describes 3 speeches Moses gives to the Israelites as he lay dying.

Moses' first speech looks at the past, reminding the Israelites of God's wondrous works and their own struggles since leaving Egypt. Moses second speech addresses their present situation - their preparation to enter the promised land. In this speech, Moses reminds them of God's law and expands on the First Commandment. He encourages the Israelites to make the choice to live and worship as one people, faithful to the one, true God. Moses stresses both the blessings and consequences of that choice. Moses third speech contains his final instructions, a song from God and Moses' final blessing to his people.

Dt concludes with Moses' death. A new generation is now ready to enter the promised land, the symbol of God's blessing and favor and the fulfillment of God's promises in the covenant.

I want to spend a little more time on this idea of covenant. How would you define a covenant? With a partner, share what you think a covenant is. How does it differ from a contract?

A covenant is a relationship between two partners who make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal. They’re often accompanied by oaths, signs, and ceremonies. Covenants define obligations and commitments, but they are different from a contract because they are relational and personal. Think of a marriage—a husband and wife choose to enter into a formal relationship, binding themselves to one another in lifelong faithfulness and devotion. They then work as partners to reach a common goal, like building a life or raising children together.

Because we are talking about matters of faith, I’m going to ask us to use our Bibles to see two covenants. The first is a covenant that God made with someone and the second is a covenant between two people.

After the scripture has been read, point out the following:
God made a promise to Abram
That promise is fulfilled
There are an estimated 14 million Jews in the world, 1.8 billion Muslims, and 2.3 billion Christians, all of whom revere Abraham as the father in faith
God said the covenant would last forever
God asked for Abraham and his descendants to walk closely with God and to be “blameless”
Despite Abraham’s descendants’ not following the covenant, the Bible is the story of God keeping the promise he made in the covenant

By the time we come to the story of Noah, sin has enveloped the whole world, sending it back into pre-creation chaos. In response, God sends a flood, making way for a restored creation that will begin with Noah and his family.

God enters a formal relationship with Noah and all living creatures, promising that, despite humanity’s corruption, he will never again flood the earthHe will instead preserve the world as he works toward keeping his promise to rescue humanity and creation through the “offspring of the woman”. God then invites humans to partner with him in filling and ruling his world. God’s covenant with Noah is unconditional, and his promise is accompanied with a sign of his faithfulness, the rainbow, to remind future generations of this covenant
Exodus opens with Abraham’s offspring multiplying rapidly in Egypt, which threatens the new Pharaoh’s ego. He enslaves God’s people, and they cry out to God to rescue them. God hears them, sending Moses to be his instrument of divine power to lead the people out of Egypt and toward the land God promised to Abraham.

After a harrowing escape, the people reach the foot of Mount Sinai, where God shows up to revisit the promises he made to Abraham. Acting as the representative for Israel, Moses ascends the mountain to hear the terms of God’s covenant with the people. God promises to make Israel into a holy kingdom of priests that will spread his blessing and glory to all the nations.

God instructed Israel to obey all the laws given at Mount Sinai, promising to bring blessings if they followed his commands and curses if they ignored themIsrael’s allegiance to Yahweh will be outwardly reflected in the way that they live, keeping the commands and, most notably, observing weekly Sabbath rest

Prayer Leader: (begin with the Sign of the Cross)

Creator God, your love created earth and loved us into being.
Thank you for choosing us to be your people, may we learn to live in faithful relationship to you. Amen.

Listen
Invite a volunteer to proclaim Deuteronomy 30:11-20. Allow for a few moments of quiet meditation.

Respond
Prayer Leader:

Voice One:
Adam and Eve, you were created in the image of God and all humanity was created good… Thank you, God of life.

Voice Two:
Noah you believed in God’s promise of life to you, and God made a covenant of faithfulness with you… Thank you, God of life.

Voice Three:
Abraham and Sarah, you trusted that God would bring forth off spring from you, and great nations were created… Thank you, God of life.

Voice Four:
Jacob, as you departed your home and all that was familiar, you trusted in God to show you the way… Thank you, God of life.

Voice Five:
Joseph, despite being treated so poorly by your brothers, you helped them out in their time of famine and need… Thank you, God of life.

Voice Six:
Moses, you were an unlikely leader, and were awestruck at God speaking to you through the burning bush, but you said yes… Thank you, God of life.

Voice Seven:
Miriam, you lead the people in prayer and praise after they safely crossed the Red Sea… Thank you, God of life.

.

Voice Eight:
Joshua, you obeyed God by respecting Moses, thank you for listening to your call to be a leader… Thank you, God of life

Go Forth
Prayer Leader:

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you; and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”
Amen.