Great adventure awaits

Today marks my first day in Bible Study called Great Adventure Bible Study by Jeff Cavins. I first meet Jeff virtually in his book, “My Life Upon the Rock.” I become interested in his story as he returned to Catholic faith after 15 years of being a Protestant pastor.

In my Opus Dei journey, I was introduced to a group bible study using Jeff Cavins' material. It excites me as I expect myself to finally have this accountable and consistent facility in understanding the Bible. I have many failed attempts in the past. Every year, I would make finishing the Bible as one of my goals but somehow in the middle of the journey, I missed it and lost. It frustrates me. I asked God, “Lord, how can I understand you?” Also, one of the reasons I fall out is that when I'm already in the book of Numbers, things are not making sense to me, so yes, my tendency is to put the Bible aside and go to another book. It makes me sad. Then, I fear to go to the book of Revelation as almost everything is figurative and not making connection. At least that what’s I thought. With the height of questioning era, Christians falling out of the faith and all other questions about God and Bible, I’m thinking that this is best time to do it. And also, I have this bizaare dream to become a teacher of the Bible and Catechism, so I pray that God will give me wisdom and patience to carry through the whole bible study journey. I post in my twitter my significant learning and tagged it as #roadtocatechism and #michdontgiveup to remind myself of the reason why I do this.

Since I was late in joining the group, I took the first 3 sessions (each session is about 2 hours) all in one sitting. [thank God for the fortitude!] I would list significant learning per session.

Session 1 is all about Bible introduction. It seems that Bible is like a mystery book, not easy to understand, full of figurative language, written in the context of foreign culture, to some, it's like a fiction due to supernatural events, etc. There are lot of books and stories inside it and somehow we may think that how the stories would interrelate to one another. What’s the purpose of each story? What is the major story the Bible would want to tell?

With all the perception of the Bible, Jeff reminds us that we should not be discouraged in studying it. One can read and understand it provided that he will be equipped with the right tools. The Bible is not a chronological story that we need to read from first to last.

If we will not use the Bible, the world will offer a plan of life to us. God did not use talk shows to let us know of his plan, he used the Scriptures.

We are engrossed by the story of Jack and Rose of Titanic. At some point, many of us would like to have someone like Jack to love and risk his life for us. We like this kind of story. But we have a better story: Jesus loving and saving us. This is the story of the Bible. What then is the significance of this love and salvation of Jesus? To be honest, I did not understand this in the past. I have long moments in my life I find it hard to picture God’s love for me. I thought in the past that God only loves me when I obey him. Maybe because I grew up feeling short of example of love from my own father. [I thank God that now my heart and mind are open to realize my father’s love for me in all his possible ways, this is a work of the Holy Spirit, it takes time!]

When I actually read Session 2 covering the Creation and the first man and woman, there it imprinted an impact I just got from that moment. It seems that my eyes are opened. I have seen how God wanted to create a world and man in it. It did not increase his being of God. He can be God without creating anything but in his goodness he wanted that man will partake in his love. He gave them the freewill because he wants man to love him out of their love for him. [He could have withheld this freewill at the onset so man will always say yes to him but this cannot be love and God is not a senseless God]. However, man chose himself rather than God which resulted to sin. When sin comes in, the unity with God was broken. God should have plan B. As we progress to next sessions, there I see how God keeps on having plan – plan C, D, E, F and so on in his desire to keep man into his communion. He loves man even he does not need man. He keeps on chasing him. There, I see God’s love, somehow things are making more sense.

I’m very excited to know how the story will unfold in the next sessions. If in case you want to join in this Bible Study group, please let me know, yes please let me know via email,

michellepalma33@gmail.com

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It is our desire as a group to culminate the bible study with a Holy Land tour [what a great experience to walk on the roads that Jesus walked!]. I hope we altogether learn the plan of God for man and how can we get into that plan.