The St Arnold Janssen Chapel community at Marsfield celebrated Bible Sunday this month with Mass followed by refreshments and fun activities, with the highlight being the ‘graduation’ of seven participants in the Bible Timeline study program.
Fr Dom Flores SVD says it was a wonderful occasion to celebrate the commitment of those who had undertaken the study program at Marsfield and also at the SVD parish of Macquarie Fields.
“As Divine Word Missionary communities we always celebrate Bible Sunday in some way,” Fr Dom says.
“So this year, here at Marsfield we had Mass together and then we had some morning tea together and Bible-related activities, like a Bible trivia quiz and Bible songs. It was a lot of fun.
“And we also gave out certificates for the seven people who have finished the first module of our ‘Bible Timeline – The Great Adventure’ study program.”
Fr Dom says the Bible Timeline program is a Bible study designed specifically for Catholics and the first unit provides a comprehensive overview of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
“It is a program that is designed to be facilitated by regular Catholics,” he says. “So it’s more pastoral than academic.”
In the introductory unit, participants studied the five books of the Torah in the Old Testament, as well as the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament.
“Before this, our Bible studies have been a bit hit and miss,” Fr Dom says. “We’d choose a book here or a book there to study from the Bible, but this gives a very organised and systematic way of learning more about the Bible. We’ve been very happy with the program.”
The Bible Timeline has been implemented with three Bible study groups at Marsfield and one at Macquarie Fields, as well as some groups in SVD parishes in New Zealand.
Fr Dom says an inspiring part of the Bible Sunday events was hearing testimonies from some of the people who’ve undertaken the Bible Timeline study.
Lou Youssef was one of the seven people to receive a certificate, having completed the first module of the Bible Timeline program, and says the experience changed the way he looked at the Bible.
“I used to look at it as one book,” he says. “Then I found out through this Bible Study that it was a series of books.
“I learnt that throughout the Old Testament, God continued to look after his people, no matter how unfaithful they were and then in the New Testament, God sent his Son to his people.
“It showed me that the Bible is not just history and not just literature, but it’s talking to me directly. When God talks to the people of Israel, he’s saying ‘Lou, I’m talking to you’.
“That was a personal revelation for me.”
Fr Dom says the Bible Timeline study program involves a two-hour commitment, once a week, over several months, similar to a book club, but guaranteed to be more life-changing.
“With a book, you might be inspired, but the Bible speaks to you personally and then transforms you,” he says.