Ruth

In between the book of Judges and 1 and 2 Samuel is the story of Ruth.  It has been called a "delightful" little story, but upon a careful reading, we may find it full of meaning both for its time and in ours.  It is the story of a couple, Naomi (my delight) and Elimelech (my God is king), who leave Bethlehem in Judah during a famine and migrate to the land of the Moabites, former oppressors of the Benjaminites.  Their two sons marry Moabite women, Ruth (she who comforts) and Orpah( she who turns her back).  The men in the family, die and Naomi is forced to return to her home.  She implores her daughters-in law to remain with their people, for there is nothing to bind them to her any longer.  Neither daughter-in-law wants to leave Naomi, but she insists and Orpah goes.  Ruth remains by her side, and her words have become memorialized in weddings ever since. Entreat me not to leave you or to return from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God; where you die I will die, and there will I be buried.  She continues with an oath,  May the Lord do so to me and more also if even death parts me from you. Ruth 1:16,17.

In the context of its time, the story of Ruth occurs when marriage between Jews and foreign women was discouraged, precisely because the fragile Jewish identity needed to be preserved and protected from pagan influences. It is interesting that for some reason or other, marriage between races, religions, and cultures has only recently become accepted in our own day.  Those who objected often pointed out  problems that would have to be overcome within the families of such unions. Often objections were the result of intolerance of one another. The Book of Ruth serves to illustrate that God intended all humanity to be a part of His divine plan. Like the benevolent father that He is, He guides His children through all manner of life events, unfolding His plan as life goes on.

As the story goes, Ruth and her mother-in-law reach Bethlehem during harvest time.  Ruth goes immediately to work, gleaning after the harvesters.  Her demeanor is humble; her work is meticulous and careful.  She is noticed by Boaz, a relative of Elimelech, her former father-in-law.  Intrigued by her loyalty and humility, Boaz decides to become responsible for her and ends up marrying her.  So it happens that Ruth, a foreigner, becomes the great grandmother of King David and ancestor of Jesus.  Because she chooses God and remains faithful to her promise, Ruth plays a key role in the history of Salvation, all according to God's divine plan.

Ruth's memorial words to Naomi remind us of the importance of family, of loyalty and of faithfulness to the oaths we take.  She is a model of perseverance in hard times which come to us all on our pilgrim journey through life.  Ruth reminds us also of the words of St. Paul, Your life is hid with Christ in God. Col 3:3  God is present in everything that we do, and in everything that happens, and even in the smallest detail of our lives. We need only to remain true.

Judges

Judges begins with the arrival of the Israelites in Canaan and their gradual settlement of the lands they have been assigned.  The main problem, persistent throughout salvation history, is that this generation has failed to know God. They have failed to honor their commitment to serve the Lord as promised to Joshua, The Lord we will serve and His voice we will obey. Josh.24:24.

In Judges we continue to see the basic theme of Salvation History: sin, punishment and salvation, and we witness God's unending faithfulness.  He remains patient and true amidst the corruption and weak will of the people, and in times of great difficulties, He offers His divine protection by raising up charismatic leaders, the "judges" to save His people.  God calls each of them to fulfill his divine purpose in leading His people out of the conditions in which they find themselves as a result of their sinfulness and infidelity. Those of us who are reading judges get a good idea of the saying, "God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called," when we read of the exploits of each judge.

While there are twelve judges, one for each tribe, only six are written about at length in the book.  They are far from being perfect people. Gideon questions God as we all tend to do. Pray, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this befallen us? Judg. 6:13.  And God says to him, Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you? Judg. 6:14. Just like us, Gideon offers one excuse after another. Pray, Lord, how can I deliver Israel?  Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. Judg. 6:15  Gideon has the audacity to ask the Lord for a sign. If thou wilt deliver Israel by my hand, as thou hast said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that thou wilt deliver Israel by my hand as thou hast said. Judg. 6:37. God responds with tangible proof. Then Gideon pushes further.  Let not thy anger burn against me, let me speak but this once; pray, let me make trial only this once with the fleece; pray, let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew. Judg. 6:39.  Our ever patient God complies.

We can certainly see ourselves in Gideon.  God calls him to the task as he is going about his usual day.  He is an unremarkable man from an unremarkable family.  When the call comes, he is grinding corn.  How mundane is that?  Gideon does not perceive himself worthy of the task.  He makes excuses.  We make excuses. We are not qualified; we are too old, too young, too weak.  We ask for signs. We want proof.  We fail to trust.  But God has a plan for all of his creation. In this example, God's choice falls on Gideon who would have never expected such a vocation as to be the leader of his people. The call of Gideon is God's initiative. God is in control.  It is not Gideon's doing. God alone, qualifies the called.

The judges that God calls are far from perfect and they are the least anyone would expect to lead.  Deborah is a woman, called by God at a time when women were not leaders outside the domestic realm.  By this action, God shows that He counts on the cooperation of women in his plan of salvation.  He is revealing in this gradual way that women too will be called to help in His plan.  Deborah is a prophetess and proves herself a skillful organizer against a powerful adversary.

Yet another of the judges, Jephthath makes a rash vow and suffers dire consequences when the time comes to keep it.  God expects his people to be faithful  to their vows and not to make them lightly.

Samson's vocation is set even before his birth.  God endows him with great physical strength and designates him as savior to his people. We all know the story of Samson.  His personal behavior leaves much to be desired. He does not follow God's law.  He marries a nonbeliever. He flaunts his great strength.  He allows himself to be seduced by Delilah into revealing the secret of his strength.  After his capture by the Philistines, he realizes his mistake, he repents and makes amends. Though it costs him his life, he fulfills God's purpose.

As we read and ponder God's Word, we become aware of God's great love for us, His patience and His unending mercy.  The people we encounter in judges are the products of their time.  They live in a world that has failed to live up to the commandments God gave to their ancestors. A whole generation has grown up without knowing HimIn those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

.

Upon reflecting on these stories from the book of Judges, we can see that we are living in times very similar to these.  Many in our generation have grown up without a knowledge of God, every man doing what is right in his own eyes.  Today's world is fraught with violence, pain, and sorrow that is much the result of our doing.  The book of Judges, reassures us that God is merciful, patient, loving and kind.  He has a plan we can trust.

The Book of Joshua: Conquest and the Sin of Self-Reliance

The River Jordan

The first part of the book of Joshua deals with the conquest of Canaan.  It is a brutal saga of war and destruction. Then they utterly destroyed all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, asses, with the edge of the sword.  Josh 6:22. God instructs Joshua to destroy everything except what can be devoted to Him.  Many first time readers of the Old Testament wonder why so much collateral shedding of blood.  What kind of God would instruct his armies to leave no one alive?  It helps to look at the story in its historical context.

God  promised His people the land. To give it to them He must get them there.  He sent Moses to liberate them from slavery in Egypt so that they might go to Canaan.  But the Israelites were in Egypt for four hundred years, more than enough time to take on some very bad habits and sinful ways. They had not learned to trust God, and they fell into sin so much along the way that it took them forty years to go a distance that should have taken a few days. We can only imagine the patience of God as He dealt with His people, then and now!  Ever the good Father, God took them to their destination, but He did not give freely. There were contingencies.  Chief among them were fidelity and obedience.

 The consequences of disobedience were dire. Because of their many transgressions, most of the early generations did not live to see the promised land, including Moses.  The privilege fell to Joshua, Moses' successor.  Joshua proved to be a faithful leader who followed God's word to the letter.  One important theme of the book of Joshua is that Faith is the key to the success of any endeavor and disobedience results in death.

After the conquest of Jericho, the Israelites move toward Ai. All appears to be in order until we learn that Achan, of the tribe of Judah,  disobeys God's command, keeping for himself some of the booty that should be designated for God. This act ignites God's ire. Later, when Joshua sends men to spy out the land of Ai, they are filled with over confidence and report that taking the land will be an easy task.  They do not count on God's help, relying instead on their own abilities. This further angers the Lord. As a consequence, they fail to take Ai, and lose thirty-six men in the battle.  Thus, the battle of Ai is a recipe for how NOT to fight a battle, and the point God makes once more is that obedience brings victory and disobedience brings defeat.  The over-confident strategy failed to work because the Lord was not brought into the plans for battle.

The great lesson of the book of Joshua is that fidelity and obedience are key. God Himself is the model of fidelity. Fidelity for His children demands obedience. He keeps his promise to deliver the Promised Land into their hands. To keep it, they must obey.  Furthermore, the message of Joshua is that God wants to maintain the covenant relationship with his children. In the story of war and conquest we learn that the key ingredient, faith, supersedes military might.  God calmly tells Joshua not to fear.  He will deliver on His promise. Joshua believes Him and does as God commands. God delivers.

Another powerful example of faith in Joshua is Rahab, the prostitute who is made a member of Israel for her kindness to the Israelite spies and for her great faith in the God of Israel.  St. Paul recognizes her faith, supported by good works in the book of Hebrews 11:31.  According to Church Fathers, Rahab foreshadows the Gentiles who will later win salvation when they accept the Christian faith.

The Ark of the Covenant is a representation of God for the Israelites.  God instructs them to carry the Ark before them as they cross the Jordan and go into battle.  As long as the Ark is before them, they will be successful.  This is the relationship that God wants with His people to this day.  As long as we place God before all our needs, we will receive what we desire.  The requirements are fidelity, obedience and placing God in the forefront of all our endeavors.

Joshua: God's Faithful Man

Reading the book of Joshua, we might wonder what qualities Joshua possessed that God favored him with finishing the task of leading the Israelites into the promised land. Joshua was the son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim. We may recall from Genesis that Ephraim was the second son of Joseph and that Jacob adopted both Ephraim and Manasseh as his own.  It is also interesting to note that Jacob preferred Ephraim to his older brother in giving his blessing. Gen.48:14-16.  The tribe of Ephraim became the most powerful and influential  of the tribes of Israel after Judah and was credited with achieving and maintaining unity among the Israelites prior to the Kings.  Joshua, true to his lineage, distinguishes himself by faithfully obeying God's commands.  God rewards him by remaining by his side and selecting him to be Moses' successor.

Joshua's name was originally Hosea, meaning "salvation."  Moses changed his name to Joshua, Num 13:16  "The Lord is salvation" in recognition of his loyalty to the Lord.  Interestingly, the name Joshua is a form of Jeshua or Jesus. Thus, in Joshua, we have a figure who is a type.  That is, he prefigures Jesus, the One who is to come.  Once again we are struck by God's hand in all that occurs in Salvation History. His perfect planning.  Before Joshua is even born, God  has designated him to lead His people into the promised land.

From the moment that Joshua begins to distinguish himself and then throughout the book of Joshua, God reiterates the promise he had given to the Israelites through Moses, No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.  Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Joshua 1:5-6.

God does not forget His word.  He is true to His promise, but He does ask this of Joshua, Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. Joshua1:7-8.  

Reading the first chapter of Joshua gives us a glimpse of God's faithfulness.  It also should reassure us that we too will be rewarded for our faithfulness to Him. Joshua's task will not be easy.  The book of Joshua is about conquest in battle.  The land will not simply be handed over to the Israelites; they must win it.  And so it is with all of our endeavors.  Success does not come easy.  There are many pitfalls along the way.  There is always the temptation to take short cuts.  There is the danger of despairing when times get tough.  We can take heart from reading this first chapter of the book of Joshua.  God has given us the law which we must follow.  We must not deviate to the left or to the right, but follow it straight, meditating upon it night and day. As God said to Joshua, He also says to us, Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9/

We can gather from Salvation History that God supports those who act in His service and not for their own glory.  He requires absolute faithfulness.  That is the quality that Joshua possessed.

Marker placed at the entrance to Jericho

Desert Wanderings

We recently resumed our Bible study after a long break that began in late spring.  It was an unforeseen break.  Life intervened in our schedule with surprising and critical events, the kind that test your faith and force you to confront the inevitability of death.  Our first day back in our group, we offered prayers for our loved ones, for the world which is always at war, and for the souls of those departed---now one of us counted among them.  We also thanked God for the many blessings of our lives, and we called upon the Holy Spirit to guide us as we continue our studies.

So where did we leave off?  We asked each other. One class had just begun the book of Exodus; the other started Numbers or when did we read Deuteronomy?  Could it be we have forgotten?  So soon? We realized as we pondered where to start, that the Word of God continues to reveal new and wonderful truths even as we read and re-read, and especially in the light of the many crises of our lives. And we turned to the book of Exodus.

Sinai Desert

If you ask anyone what they know about the book of Exodus, he will probably tell you that it is about the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt. He may tell you about the ten plagues that God rained upon the Egyptians or he may know about the Passover, the event that is still commemorated today. Thanks to Hollywood and Charleton Heston, many in our group at least were well aware of those important events in Exodus, but as we re-read Exodus, we focused on the Call of Moses and on God's Promise.  Now here is where the Holy Scripture becomes relevant in our lives today!

Moses, our unlikely hero, is an ordinary man to whom God gives an extraordinary task.  Through God's intervention, he has survived the infanticide of Hebrew boys by the Egyptians, and he is raised in luxury as the adoptive son of Pharaoh's daughter.  As an adult, he kills an Egyptian and is forced to flee to Midian.  He marries Zipporah the daughter of a Midianite priest, and lives a fairly mundane life, until one day, he sees the Burning Bush and hears God's call.

As we read, we find that it takes God a great deal of patience to convince Moses that he is up to the task.  Moses first responds (to God no less!) with, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?" Ex.3:11  God responds, "I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you when you bring my people out  of Egypt, you will worship on this very mountain." Ex.3: 12. "But, says Moses..."if they ask me,' what is his name?' 'What shall I tell them?'"

It doesn't end there.  Moses has other objections. He is not gifted in speech.  He is not eloquent.  He cannot possibly be convincing. God answers, "Who gives one man speech and makes another deaf and dumb? Or who gives sight to one and makes another blind?  Is it not I, the LORD? Go then! It is I who will assist you in speaking and will teach you what to say." Ex.4:11-12.  

What does Moses say? "If you please, Lord, send someone else!"  God becomes angry and says, "Have you not a brother, Aaron the Levite?" "I know he is an eloquent speaker." (Of course he does!) Ex.4:14

We can draw many, many parallels to our own lives from the first chapters of Exodus.  No matter what the circumstances of our births, we are all ordinary people called by God to do extraordinary things. The question is, do we listen to God's call and trust in His promise to be with us in all things done for His glory? 

Deuteronomy: The Second Law

Looking out at the Dead Sea

When we were children, our parents often had to give us the "law" more than once, especially as a consequence or a punishment.  We may have wondered at the time why they were repeating the rules that we already claimed to know, and we may have rolled our eyes in annoyance as they meted out our punishment and reminded us of past offenses. Similarly, throughout Salvation history, we children of God have failed time and again to follow God's commandments. We sin knowingly, and  our conscience disturbs us until the Sacrament of Reconciliation restores our relationship with God. Like the loving parent, he welcomes us back to his loving embrace, but there are always consequences which we must face.  Atonement must be made.  The rules for remaining in God's favor are the same commandments given to  Israel.  To gain our promised land, we must obey them.  Too often we fail and we must be restored to grace.

This is the essence of the Book of Deuteronomy.  God's chosen people had been wandering in the desert for forty years, and they were on the verge of entering into the promised land, but time and again they had sinned.  They had rebelled. They had turned against Moses and God.  They suffered consequences. They turned back to God and were forgiven. But there was a price. The older generation would not get to enter the promised land.  In fact, not even Moses would enter the Promised Land.  Only their children would enter, if they learned their history. If they lived by the commandments.  If they acknowledged the One true God.

Deuteronomy is divided into three parts.  In Part One, Moses recounts the story of Exodus, recalling point by point to them all that they had been through and all they had done and ending by exhorting them to be grateful for all that God had done. Doesn't this sound like a parent, "After all I have done for you...?"  "Remember what I did for you when...?"  "How many times do I have to ask you to..."

Part Two is the main part of the book.  It begins with the Ten Commandments and follows with a call to be faithful to God and to make a profession of faith. Moses reminds the people that they are God's chosen people. He reminds them of their infidelities, the punishments meted out by God and also all the times that He has won victories for them.  The key theme should not surprise.  It has been told over and over. God is the One God. They must be faithful to Him alone.  There will be blessings on those who fulfill the law and curses on those who do not.

Part Three reiterates Parts One and Two.  They are reminded of their escape from Egypt (again) and of the Covenant they have made with God.  They are urged to choose Life (the right path) over Death ( the wrong path).  I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.  DT.30:19-20.

The Book of Deuteronomy reminds us of God's eternal and patient love for us and admonishes us to choose Life over Death, to learn from our past mistakes, and to remain faithful to the One true God. And yes, sometimes we have to hear it over and over in order to learn.

Qumran

In the Wilderness

Yucca in bloom

Numbers

The Hebrews referred to the book of Numbers as the "Wilderness."  Both titles are significant.  One refers to the census that Moses took of the tribes just before they departed for the Promised Land; the other refers to the the forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the desert when they might have arrived in just eleven days if they had trusted and obeyed God.

Looking back over my long life, I can now see clearly which were the years of my own wilderness.  Hindsight is always 20/20.  One somewhat comforting thought is that I was not alone in my wandering.  I was accompanied by scores of people who, like the thousands with Moses, were also wandering in the wilderness of life trying to find themselves and God, totally blind to his presence during the entire journey.  A more comforting thought is that we (those of us who think we finally get it) can begin to anticipate that we might someday arrive at our promised land.  But we have to let God be our guide, rather than to try to control the outcome of all our endeavors, as we are so apt to do.

On Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments with particular emphasis on the first one, Thou shall have no other gods before me.  They accepted them; then they fell back to their ways and sinned; they could not let go of their golden calf. Repentant, they began again, but their journey was not easy. They lost their way and began to wail for the life they had known before.  For forty years they grumbled and complained; they despaired and lamented. They blamed Moses for their plight, forgetting that God was directing their path. They wailed for food; God gave them manna to eat, and then they complained that there was no meat!

Like Israel, we also proclaim our loyalty to God, giving our halfhearted "yes" to His command; then we fall back  to our old ways, worshiping the material things that money buys. The golden calf has taken other forms. We complain and despair.  Yet God is ever patient, waiting to be discovered. We may be foolish enough one day to say we found God, but He's been there all along.

 From the book of Numbers we may learn a thing or two about our own journeys. We are all searching for the Promised Land. Arriving there will depend on whether we learn to trust God and obey His commands. Trust and obey.  Little words, big meaning.

Good Friday

the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

Good Friday is the only day of the year when there is no Mass anywhere in the world.  We follow Jesus in the Stations of the Cross and recollect His passion and death. As we follow in procession, we reflect upon our sins and ask forgiveness for being the cause of his suffering and death on the cross.  At the same time, we are filled with a great hope because we understand this had to be and it is the means of our salvation.  Here is the Son of God making the ultimate sacrifice for us!  The Stations of the Cross remind us of the price He paid and they fill us with anticipation. In the midst of our sorrow, we promise to live our lives for Him.  In just two days we will rejoice and say, "the Lord is Risen." "He is risen indeed!" 

Dungeon in the house of Caiphas where Jesus was scourged

Following the Way of the Cross in Jerusalem

Sacrifice

I walked into a shop the other day to buy a gift for a friend and ended up buying something for myself too. The salesperson pointed out a St. Benedict bracelet, suggesting it would make a nice gift. "But my friend isn't Catholic," I said.

" Neither am I" she replied, holding up her wrist to show me an identical bracelet.  "They have become very popular."

Feeling a little self-righteous, I asked whether she even knew who St. Benedict was. Yes, it turns out she did. Pointing to the information on the package, she noted that St. Benedict had lived during the fifth century. He wrote the prayer on the medal to be reminded of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for the sins of humanity.  "The Holy Cross be my Light," is found on one side of the medal. She continued reading, " The wearer of the medal is reminded that each of us has the chance to make the world a better place, to choose good and avoid evil."

I bought the bracelet and have been wearing it since, and I was more than a little embarrassed that it took a non-Catholic to remind me of one of the primary reasons we Catholics wear our beautiful sacramentals.  It is not in wearing them that we are protected but in remembering the sacrifice of our Lord that we become strong.  May the Holy Cross be my Light! 

The Flood

I love a rainy day, but whenever it rains continuously for several days, I find myself thinking enough already. Give me cool fresh breezes and sunny days. Yet, there is no denying that the rewards of rainy days are beautiful gardens and verdant pastures, especially in Texas where you see miles and miles of wildflowers growing along our highways in every direction in the spring after a rainy winter.

As we read about Noah, we are struck by the faith of this righteous man.  God gives him specific directions for building the ark, and Genesis simply says, This Noah did; he carried out all the commands God gave him. Gn. 6:22  Then God commands him to get into the ark together with his family and a menagerie of animals, and this he obeys as well.  God says, for you alone in this age, I have found to be truly just. Gn. 7:1

How  sad then and now that only one man was found to be truly just.  We know the story. God destroys the earth, but Noah the righteous man survives, and through him God renews his covenant with mankind. 

After a hard rain, we see the rainbow, the sign of God's covenant with Noah and with us. There will be wildflowers in the spring. We have only to believe.

In the Beginning

Genesis: Chapters 1-5

We began our study in January, and it is now April.  We are still in Genesis. We've had a number of interruptions, to be sure.  Life goes on and things get in our way, but we have managed to find the time to meet if not weekly, then bi-monthly during this early part of the year.  It is now the week before Holy Week, and yesterday, we agreed not to meet again until Easter Monday.

So what have we learned thus far in our study, that we can apply to our daily lives at this point in time? I for one have been reminded of the faithfulness of God. Since Adam and Eve, the human propensity for sin continues. Man, chief among creatures, resorts to violence, hatred, injustice, manipulation, and deceit, yet God is ever loving and ever constant. Like a good parent, he gives us freedom to choose to obey or to suffer the consequences of our actions. The choice to believe is ours. We are not forced to love.  There is so much to be learned and reflected upon in Genesis.

Through the study of Genesis, we are introduced to God's covenants. We are given models of faith in Noah and Abraham.  The standard is high but there is redemption on the other side of failure if we turn back to Him.

In Genesis God makes His first covenant with us, the marriage covenant, one holy couple in Adam and Eve.  Of course, it is broken as so many marriage covenants are today. Adam and Eve break the covenant with God, lose paradise and gain death.  The relationship they destroy is the family relationship with God and the consequence is suffering.  Some things we never learn.

As we read, we discuss, we question, and we reflect.  There is so much to learn! Someone comments on God's organization!  We are awestruck at the Creation event and as Catholics we have no quarrel with science.  God's day is not the same as our 24 hour day.  Still we are amazed!  We talk about his Covenant sign, the Sabbath, and lament that we live in a world so fast and furious that it no longer fully observes it.

Of course, we eat!  This Lent we've had delicious meals, not all meatless since we meet on Mondays and not Fridays.

Introductions

Who we Are

We are a group of Catholic women who meet once a week to study the Bible and to learn more about our Catholic faith.  We've attempted different approaches through the years, reading through one or more of the gospels one year, focusing on the Blessed Mother and praying the rosary, and studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church as we go along.  Our group is never static.  Those who cannot attend one week are sure to attend the next.  We get new members every week, and some of our old members sometimes take a break during the summer months but return to us at the start of September. We welcome all to join us in acquiring the food for our soul, the Word of God as we journey through life.

We always meet at my farm, La Vivibella, in a small house that sits on two and a half acres.  On the farm live four cats, overseers in my absence. A number of chickens belonging to the neighbors roam around, and several horses keep the pasture clipped. My dogs visit when they can. The farm is our retreat, and it is perfect for reading and contemplating the Word of God.

We meet early and share breakfast or brunch, which is always delicious.  No one plans what to bring, and we always have leftovers to take home. This year we have decided to read the Bible from the beginning, a daunting task were it not for the scripture studies of Jeff Cavins and the sermons of Father Barron to help us along the way.