Mind, Soul, Strength, Heart: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here is another installment of the Bible study I'll be leading this fall at St. David the King: October 18th. I welcome all suggestions, comments, questions, etc.

Mind, Soul, Strength, Heart: 27th and 28th Sundays in Ordinary Time

Here are two Bible studies for later in the year: October 4th and 11th. If anyone has feedback on them, I'd be happy to hear suggestions, comments, questions, etc.

Mind, Soul, Strength, Heart: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your strength, and with all your mind. (Luke 10:27)

You can download a sample MSSH study session (MS Word, 50 K, 4pp) that I developed over the past few days. It's designed to last between 60 and 90 minutes. It covers the First Reading and the Gospel for next Sunday; the Psalm is incorporated (although it is not "studied"), and the Second Reading is mentioned briefly. (I think trying to cover all four passages of Scripture — or three, if you leave out the Psalm — is a bit much for a 60 or 90 minute study, especially when the Second Reading is often not thematically related to the First Reading or the Gospel.)

I came up with the logo, the letterhead, and the layout myself. I think it's pretty neat.

A New Model for Bible Study

Catholics love numbers. What I mean by that is, Catholics love lists of things, enumerating things to help remember them. 10 Commandments, 7 Spiritual Works of Mercy, 7 Corporal Works of Mercy, 9 Beatitudes, 3 Theological Virtues, 4 Cardinal Virtues, 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit, 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Here are some important 4s for you to memorize:

The Four Ways to Love God (Luke 10:27)
1. Heart
2. Soul
3. Strength
4. Mind

The Four Senses of Scripture (CCC 115-119)
1. Literal (the meaning conveyed by the words)
2. Allegorical (their relation to Christ and the Paschal Mystery)
3. Moral (how they instruct us in right living)
4. Anagogical (their relation to eternal realities)

The Four Pillars of the Catechism
1. The Creed
2. The Sacraments and Liturgy
3. The Moral Life
4. Christian Prayer


What does this have to do with "a new model for Bible Study"? And why is Jeff advocating yet another "model for Bible Study" when we already have great systems like the Great Adventure Bible Timeline and Catholic Scripture Study International?

Don't worry. I'm not supplanting or competing. Rather, my suggestion has to do with HOW you use those or any other models for studying the Bible. I would say that GABT and CSSI are very close to this model already.

My model is a combination of those three sets of four.

1. Mind refers to information, intellectual knowledge of the faith: The Creed, the literal sense
2. Soul refers to formation, spiritual understanding of the faith: The Sacraments and Liturgy, the allegorical sense
3. Strength refers to right action, moral living: The Life of Faith, the moral sense
4. Heart refers to intimate union with God: Christian Prayer, the anagogical sense

I'll explain this more in detail later, and provide a couple sample studies.