Department of Pastoral Ministers & Pastoral Services

Will you be left behind? This seems to be a key question for many people these days. With all the interest in best-selling novels and television programs about the rapture, many Catholics are asking questions about the Catholic understanding of the "end times" and the Book of Revelation.   

To help people in our mission areas understand the Catholic approach to this other questions about Scripture, Glenmary's Department of Pastoral Ministers and Pastoral Services is cosponsoring this workshop along with Margaret Nutting Ralph, Ph.D. who is the presenter. Dr. Ralph is currently the Director of the Master of Arts program for Catholics at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Ky.

At a "Will You Be Left Behind?" workshop held at Morehead State University, Dr. Ralph led a group of 60 participants in using the Catholic approach to Scripture to discover what the Book of Revelation really teaches about the end times. As Catholics, we use the "contextualist approach" when reading Scripture. In other words, we are to read a Scripture passage in the context in which it appears in the Bible if we are to understand the meaning of that passage.  

When we read a Scripture passage, we need to ask ourselves three questions: What is the literary form? What are the beliefs of the time? How does this fit into a process of revelation?   

We believe, says Dr. Ralph, that the Bible "teaches us what we need to know to be in right relationship with God, to know that God loves us, and to know what God would have us do to build up God's kingdom rather than to tear it down." If we misunderstand the form, we misunderstand the meaning, and we may misunderstand what Scripture is trying to reveal.

As one who has taught for many years and on all levels—grade school through graduate school—Dr. Ralph is a gifted educator and greatly in demand as a speaker. Her love of and fascination with Scripture, along with her sense of humor, make her workshops a time of grace and renewal for the soul.

Workshops are scheduled for: St. James Church in Tupelo, Miss., on Feb 16-17; St. Matthew Church in Statesboro, Ga., on March 3 and at Jubilee House Retreat Center in Abingdon, Va., on March 10.

Contact Liz Dudas for further information.

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For more information, contact:
Pastoral Ministers &
Pastoral Services
1312 Fifth Ave., North
Nashville, TN  37208
615-256-1900
dps@glenmary.org