November 13, 2017 Chapter 12 The Stories That Shape Us
Whenever I teach a session on the Bible I always encourage participants to ask the question: what does this story tell me about my relationship with God? McLaren seems to take that a good bit farther with his three-fold approach of critical research, the artist's eye, and a humble, teachable heart. In many ways I think it is that last one that might be the most important for me.
This past weekend at the 11:15 a.m. Mass, my fourth Mass of the weekend, I heard something in the first reading that I had missed at not only the other three Masses, but also each time I had read that reading in preparation for my homily this weekend. What I heard was this...not only does God invite us to search for wisdom, but wisdom is searching for us at the very same time. Somehow I had missed that. Wisdom is searching for us...
I tell that story because it reminds me of the need for a humble, teachable heart. You see, too often I gloss over the readings as I prepare to preach. I'll look at a reading for the next weekend and I'll read a couple of lines and I'll think to myself, "okay, I know that story..." and I'll stop reading. It is as if I already know all there is to know about that story. My heart is not humble nor do I allow it to be teachable...because I think I already know the story.
It is challenging to let the stories come alive again. It is challenging to think that a reading I have read and heard literally hundreds of time still has something new to teach me. And yet it does and it did this past Sunday.
I pray that I can have a humble, teachable heart!
I also connected with the three-fold approach. I'm usually baffled with blind-faith believers. Those individuals who take Bible teaching and the teaching of the Church at face value.
ReplyDeleteWhile there's nothing wrong with this approach, I have always felt that approach to be lacking. Without critical thinking and faith based in understanding, any type of questioning from others may very well break the paradigms of our faith.
I tend to think critical thinking is necessary in order for me to teach someone else about my faith. Otherwise, I'd be simply repeating information.