1. Bible reading is for Catholics. Our church encourages us to make reading the Bible part of our daily prayer lives. Reading these inspired words (the word of God) we can grow deeper in our relationship with God and others.
2. Prayer is the beginning and the end. Reading the Bible is not like reading a novel or a history book. We should begin with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to the word of God. What does the story mean? How does the story applied to my life? We want the message of the Bible to change our lives for the better. Peace, joy, love, kindness, patience, understanding, gentleness and self-control will be the fruit of our prayerful reading.
3. Selecting a Bible. Look for the New American Bible (Catholic edition). A Catholic edition will include all 73 books of the Bible along with introductions and notes for understanding the text. This translation of the original Hebrew and Greek texts, is the one we use at mass.
4. The Bible is a library of books. The Bible is a collection of 73 books written over the course of many centuries. The books include poetry, history, fables, prophecy, Royal history, and some unique forms of writing like a ‘gospel’. The Bible contains challenging letters in the New Testament to struggling faith communities who have just heard about Jesus. Knowing the genre (type of literature) of the book you are reading will help you understand the meaning the author is trying to convey.
5. The Bible is not a history text, a science book, or a political manifesto. It is the story of God's loving relationship with the people he has called to intimacy with himself. It is not intended to be read in a literal way. It is not accurate in offering us scientific or historical information. It is accurate in teaching us the truths that we need to know for the sake of our salvation.
6. Do not take passages of the Bible out of their context. What happens before and after-even in other books of the Bible-helps us to understand the true meaning of the text.
7. The Old and the New Testaments are related. The Old Testament, sometimes called the Hebrew Scriptures, and the New Testament, sometimes called the Christian Scriptures, shed light on each other. The New Testament writers are often trying to bridge the gap between God's revelation to the people of Israel and the coming of Jesus Christ, his life death and resurrection.
8. We do not read the Bible alone. We are joining those faithful men and women who have meditated on God's word in the Bible, taken it to heart and put it into practice in their lives. We read a viable within the tradition of the church and benefit from the holiness and wisdom of all the faithful living and deceased.
9. What is God saying to me? The Bible is not addressed only to long dead people in a faraway land. It is addressed to each of us in our own unique situations. When we read and reflect, we need to understand what the text says and how the faithful have understood its meaning in the past. In light of this understanding, we then ask: "what is God saying to me?"
10. Reading isn't enough. The Bible is not just words on a page. Our work is not done until the word of God changes our perspective and draws us into action in our lives. Then the word of God is living and effective.

Prayer Method called Contemplation.
In this style of prayer, the retreatant is encouraged to use their imagination to place themselves in the Gospel scene. Our senses are used imaginatively. Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling in our imaginations helps the gospel passage come alive within us.
 

1. Choose a passage from one of the Gospels when Jesus is present and interacting with others. For example, last weekend we heard the story of the Samaritan woman in St. John’s gospel, who meets Jesus at a well where she is drawing water at noontime. John 4:5-42.
2. Read the gospel passage meditatively. Read it a second time so that the details of the story become very familiar.
3. Next, close your eyes and reconstruct the scene in your imagination. What is going on between Jesus and the woman at the well? Can you feel the heat of the sun? What does Jesus look like? How does the woman react to his questions. “Give me a drink.” How does she feel as he initiates the conversation? Are you thirsty for Jesus? He is breaking the taboos of the ancient world speaking to a woman in public.  He is drawing her to faith in him. Is He speaking to your heart?
4. The woman moves from calling Jesus ‘Sir’, to referring to him as a ‘prophet’ to thinking He might be the Messiah. As you enter into the scene is your faith beginning to deepen into a close friendship?
5. Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
6. Imagination differs from person to person. Don’t be discouraged. Simply the desire to pray is already a prayer. God will change your heart and draw you close.
7. At the conclusion of the time you’ve set aside for prayer, speak to Jesus from your heart. Perhaps you may want to thank the Lord.
8. Like the woman at the well, you may want to bring others to faith in Jesus.

Resources
Outside of Parish

Our Lady of Grace Center – 29 Shelter Rock Road, Manhasset NY 11030
516-627-9255
•Overnight retreats
•Day programs
http://www.olgmanhasset.com/

Tabor Retreat Center – 60 Anchor Ave., Oceanside NY 11572
516-536-3004
•Overnight retreats
•Day programs
http://www.taborretreatcenter.org

Inisfada Spirituality Center – St. Peter of Alcantara Church – 1327 Port Washington Ave.
Port Washington NY 11050
516-883-2782
•Special programs and presentations
http://www.inisfadaministry.org/

Cenacle Retreat Center – Cenacle Sisters – 310 Cenacle Rd., Lake Ronkonkoma NY 11779
631-588-8366
•Retreats
•Spiritual direction
•Day programs
https://www.cenaclesisters.org/ronkonkoma

http://www.beth1160@optonline.net

Diocese of Rockville Centre - The Pastoral Formation Institute for lay leadership formation.
http://www.drvc.org/

Cursillo - a weekend long Retreat held at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston. Cursillo is for men and women, introducing them to Christ through prayer and small groups.

At the heart of the encyclical: “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?”
What is life’s purpose? Why are we here? What is the goal of our work and our efforts? Does the earth need us?
We must examine our consciences to include the question “How am I living with all creatures and nature?”
*Principal concepts of the encyclical:
 

1. The intimate relationship between poor people and the fragility of the planet
2. The conviction that everything in the world is interconnected.
3. A critique of new paradigms and forms of power that are derived from technology.
4. A call to seek other ways of understanding the economy and progress.
5. The value that is proper to each creature.
6. The human meaning of ecology.
7. The need for forthright and honest debate.
8. The serious responsibility of international and local policymakers.
9. A throw away culture and the proposal of a new lifestyle.
10.  

1. The light that is offered by faith: spirituality and religion are needed in the dialogue.
2. The wisdom of the biblical accounts: disharmony/creation accounts. A trifold disharmony: God/neighbor/earth- broken by sin.
3. The mystery of the universe-“…(the universe) can only be understood as a gift from the outstretched hand of the Father of all.”
4. Every creature, human and animal and plant, has a part in the harmony of all creation. “Every creature has its own purpose. None is superfluous. The entire material universe speaks of God’s love.”
5. A universal communion- all people are linked together. There is a kind of universal family.
6.  The common destination of goods- “The earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone.”
7. The gaze of Jesus encompasses all- “The destiny of all creatures is bound up with the mystery of Christ.”

Some thoughts in reference to the encyclical:

Why does it matter? What impact will it have? Why is he getting all this attention?

Papal encyclicals of the past have been academic compositions.

This encyclical is very readable, in a journalistic style.

It is an invitational document. It does not claim to have all the answers, but it does pose many of the important questions.

It calls for an action plan by the leaders of the world’s nations. It calls for a peaceful revolution and change for everyone.

It is a hopeful document trusting in God and the Holy Spirit.
 
(The Encyclical, about 200 pages in length is available on the Vatican website). www.vatican.va.com