“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)

Long before the words of Scripture were committed to paper (or rather, papyrus and vellum!), the contents of the Bible originated within communities of faith and were passed along by oral tradition. Likewise, it is in this context of the faith community of Our Lady of Perpetual Help that we have formed a small group of parishioners who seek to share with one another the meaning of the Word of God. Our purpose is to reflect on a given Bible passage or story and share with one another how that passage impacts us and speaks to us. Some of the questions we ask ourselves are:
 
When, where, and why was the story or passage written?
What did the particular reading mean to those who first read it?
What was the author trying to say to his or her audience?
What does the passage or story mean to us today?

Our group is not a formal Bible study but rather a mutual sharing of how God’s Word applies in our lives today and how we make connections to it. Some of us bring background information for a passage to help bring the Word alive and to give us a richer understanding of it.

Our group meets in St. Joseph Hall every Thursday morning starting at 9:00am (with coffee and…) and continues with prayer and sharing until 11:00am. The meeting is not a classroom-type setting; rather, we let the Holy Spirit guide us, and we share and discuss the Bible based on the Spirit’s promptings. All parishioners are invited and welcome to attend. You do not need any prior training or experience to participate, just an openness to God’s Word in your life.