My first "Bible study"

[Preachers12]

Peace be with you.

A group of co-workers, all non-Catholic, get together every Wed to do some Bible study before they start the work day.  I have always contemplated going, but have never been to one of these.  My studying has always been on my own, through the Mass or with fellow Catholics.  I will admit to some fear, though I am expected by Jesus to rejoice for being attacked in my beliefs.

I asked if I could join them and they welcomed me. 

"What passage are you going to study?" I asked. 

"James 2" they responded.

My heart sunk.  James 2:14 is a common point of contention between Catholics and non-Catholics on the issue of salvation as a result of faith and works versus faith alone!  And we have all seen how that too often ends up here.  Now I may be facing the same thing not only live, but among co-workers!  Why couldn't it be something less controversial for my first time!!!  Oh, how the Spirit guides and tests us sometimes! 

So I come to you, my friends in Christ, to ask for your prayers.  That the Holy Spirit may guide my tongue.  That I may remain calm amidst the attacks and show, through my words and actions, what it is to be a Christian and a Catholic.  That I may know when to speak and when to remain silent.  That those with whom I am studying the Word of God may also be open, calm and act in a Christian manner.

I won't have time to really prepare between now and then, so I will have to "wing it" for the most part.  If you have thoughts on James 2 which you feel could be of use to me, please share them.

God Bless and stay safe.

 

 

[nyj]

"Catholics can speak of justification by faith or even of justification by faith alone insofar as they teach, as do Lutherans, that nothing prior to the free gift of faith merits justification and that all of God's saving gifts come through Christ alone. Catholics stress, however, that the indwelling Holy Spirit brings about in believers not only assent and trust, but also a loving commitment that issues in good works." - Justification by Faith, Lutheran/Catholic Dialogue Group 1983

I too was involved in a Bible Study that studied James and I too thought there would be a huge knock-down, drag-out argument over faith v. works. Couldn't have been further from the truth. When it got right down to it, I think we all agreed with the statement issued above.

 

[seebs]

We'll pray for you, but remember, a lot of this comes down to your choices about how to approach this. Good luck, and may God guide you.

 

[isshinwhat]

You will be in my prayers.

 

[ZooMom]

That's tomorrow morning! I'll say a prayer for you and your coworkers tonight and in the morning. I hope that you will be pleasantly surprised in your communion with them. Let us know how it goes!

The Peace of Christ be with you!

 

[geocajun]

if they are on James chapter 2, then they will have made it through the very Catholic James chapter 1
if you struggle, remember to count it as Joy!! (James 1:2)

I look forward to hearing how it went, be sure to report back here

 

[Preachers12]

Peace be with you.

Thank you all for the words and, more importantly, the prayers.  I was not able to log-in here until now (after the Bible study).

I knew there was a reason that the Holy Spirit led me there.  It was too sudden and too interesting (and controversial) a passage to mean anything but the work of the Holy Spirit.  I think I know why now and will share that with you at the end of the post.

There were four of us.  The person leading it opened with a prayer and then went to James 2:14.  The difference was immediately apparent when I quickly realized how very different the passages were between the Bible version that they were using and my own. 

The group leader prefaced the reading by what he generally thought this passage means.  He said that this passage was often misinterpreted by other religions to mean that something more than faith was required to be saved. 

He then went through line by line, pausing after each to reflect on it and say what he believed it to mean.  Overall, we all agreed that our faith is demonstrated by our actions. 

The others each spoke about the passage, both in what they felt the meaning was and in applying it to our daily lives.  I remained quiet, forced my inner voice to be still and listened.  Most of what they shared was very well done and I gained from hearing it.  One person in the group, a regular, was more quiet than the others.

I waited until the very end to speak.  Some comments indicated some slight animosity towards the Catholic Church.  It was very subtle, but I know it was not in my head (meaning that I expected to hear it and therefore did hear it).

I first thanked them for welcoming me to join them.  I then said straight out that I am a Catholic, that I was not easily offended, and that I really enjoyed this.  I pointed out how this was my first Bible study like this, but certainly not my first time studying the Bible. 

I only added to the discussion of the reading that it is EVERY action, both in thought and deed, that reflects our faith.  For example, smiling at someone and wishing them a good day.  That our actions were not limited to overt actions such as working at a "soup kitchen", etc... which was something earlier brought up.  Absolutely everything we do and think.

I expressed that we believe that our salvation is not assured by Jesus' sacrifice alone and that we believe that we must earn our salvation. That it is not faith alone or works alone which save us.  That we believe it is both.  I did this in a way of sharing. Not preaching or criticising.  It seemed well received.

Then I offered to be available to them anytime.  That should they have any questions about Catholicism, to ask me and not ever feel that by doing so that they might offend. I highlighted some key areas which are often mis-understood, such as our looking to Tradition and Scripture, how we worship only God (as opposed to idols and Saints) and how, again, we believe we must earn salvation.  Several said they would love to talk about those topics, as they didn't really understand them.

We closed with a prayer.  As I was walking out, one of the group came up and said that he too was a Catholic (he was the more quiet one in the group).  That he really enjoyed what I said and that he didn't really understand the reasons behind some of the things which we believe.  He was very happy that I had joined the group and we spoke for some time. 

He mentioned that one of his children was receiving the Sacrament of Forgiveness of Sins ("confession" or "Penance") this evening and how he and his wife (a baptist) often had discussions (disagreements) about that Sacrament.  In those discussions, he realized that he didn't really understand the Sacrament that well himself.  We spoke about that briefly. 

I think he was the reason I was brought there.  Not only so that I might be able to enlighten him on our faith, but that through trying to do so, I too might be enlightened.

Overall it was a very good experience.  I learned from it and hopefully, helped others learn something.  I look forward to the next one (James 3).

Thanks again for the prayers.

God Bless and stay safe.

 

[KC Catholic]

Wow...Preachers, you were definitely meant to be there and it sounds like the Holy Spirit was leading your words.

See, that is the point I try to make here...it's not necessarily the non-Catholic folks who have misconceptions about our faith that we should focus on when posting here. It's the Catholics who may be lurking and not be aware of what the teachings of our Church mean that we need to focus on.

There are so many cradle Catholics who have grown up in the faith but not made the effort to learn the faith and understand our beliefs. Those are the folks I want to help.

Anyway...sounds like you had a blessed opportunity and did well.

Peace be with you.

 

[geocajun]

great work Preacher!

 

[Preachers12]

KC and Geocajun, Peace be with you.

Thanks, but it really is not me that deserves any pats on the back.  Thanks to all of you for your prayers and to God.

KC, I very much agree with you about Catholics not really understanding and embracing Catholicism.  I was (and to the extent that my journey is life-long, still am) one of them up until not all that long ago. 

I was educated from 1st through 12th in Catholic schools where religion was a major subject.  I learned the Sacraments.  I learned about Jesus.  I learned about the Saints and the Virgin Mary.  But the education was sort of superficial.  It was never really all woven together or explained in a theological way.  It was sort of like learning the "whats" without the "whys."

So many Catholics just accept Catholicism without scrutinizing it, AS THE CHURCH ASKS US TO DO.  We are not expected to simply take the Church's word for it.  So when we are confronted by non-Catholics about our faith, we are often at a loss to really explain it. 

Compound that with those attacks often being citation after citation from Scripture which are presented in an anti-Catholic way and structured to support a certain point of view and we are in real trouble to explain.  Catholics typically cannot quote Scripture in the same manner as so many non-Catholics can.  I think part of the reason for this is because we look at Scripture as a whole and in light of Tradition, so we tend not to focus on passages and citations.  Many too, only get their Scripture from attending Mass (which as you know, presents the entire NT and much of the OT over a three year period), so we tend not to focus on any particular passages.  And lets face it, a homily is not a real Bible study.

To those people scanning through these threads (I don't like the connotation of the term "lurkers") but not participating, let the Spirit guide you.  Don't be afraid to ask questions or to question your faith.  For it is only through questioning it, praying about it and studying it that you can truly come to embrace and appreciate how beautiful and special it is.

God Bless and stay safe.