Year of Faith series commences
By Kiply Lukan Yaworski
SASKATOON — The Catholic understanding of Scripture was explored Sept. 10 in “Thinking biblically” the first session of a four-part “Thinking Catholic(s)” series in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon.
Organized through the diocesan Foundations: Exploring Our Faith program, the faith enrichment series coincides with the start of the Year of Faith, which begins in the Catholic Church on Oct. 11, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.
The impact of Vatican II on biblical understanding and scholarship
in the church, as well as on ecumenical dialogue, was one of the
topics 
tackled
by speaker Nicholas Jesson, ecumenical officer for
the Diocese of Saskatoon, and a religious studies lecturer at St.
Thomas More College.
Vatican II documents such as Dei Verbum, which describes teachings about revelation and the Word of God; the Decree on Ecumenism and Gaudium et Spes on the Church in the Modern World were cited by Jesson throughout his talk.
Christ as the summit of revelation is the starting point of how Catholics think about the Bible he said, describing it as a “document of revelation.” The church is understood to be the “bearer of revelation,” with tradition and Scripture “making up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the church,” he related.
The Decree on Ecumenism calls for Catholic theologians to proceed with “love for the truth, with charity, and with humility,” and it described the concept of a “hierarchy of truths” which has assisted with ecumenical dialogue, Jesson said.
The concept that the church continues to “read the signs of the times” and interpret them in light of the Gospel is also part of Catholic understanding of Scripture and its ongoing interpretation by the church, he described.
The evening concluded with questions and discussion. Sessions in the Thinking Catholic(s) series will continue Oct. 1 with “Thinking sacramentally;” Nov. 5 with “Thinking communally;” and Dec. 3 with “Thinking faithfully.”
Foundations: Exploring Our Faith Together is an adult faith enrichment program co-ordinated by Sharon Powell at the Catholic Pastoral Centre in Saskatoon. Through the diocesan program, parishes and organizations can book presentations on a range of topics presented by local speakers. In recent years the program has also offered more in-depth series of talks on a particular topic (for example the writings of St. Paul or a look at salvation history).
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