Priest Hopes Bible Study Will Bring Participants Hope and Calm in Chaotic Times

WASHINGTON, DC – Father John Kartje, rector of Mundelein Seminary at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Illinois, is hosting an online Bible study this summer called “Living on the Edge of Chaos: Finding Hope in the Face to fear. “

The current events that have devastated the world have left many people confused and desperate. This Bible study, which now has over 1,500 participants, aims to help that.

The self-guided series is accessible by registering on www.usml / edu / chaos and will be distributed as a series of four weekly electronic messages. Once they have registered online, participants will immediately receive the first session by email and each subsequent session will be sent for the next three weeks on the day of their initial registration.

“Obviously, there’s a lot going on in the world these days,” Kartje said in an interview with Catholic Information Service. “But I teach the scriptures, it’s just my love; And I often find there is wisdom in the scriptures in a very pragmatic or practical sense that is not always appreciated.

The goal was to provide a true Bible study that examines the scriptures, while analyzing how these passages reflect our current experiences and become a tool for dealing with them.

“The stress of uncertainty, you know, the stress of illness, fear, shame and discouragement, all of these types of emotions and feelings are not unique to our time,” said Kartje, priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

“So, looking at a series of characters and stories from the Old and New Testaments, my hope was (that this) might help people actually see their Bibles and see the Scriptures as a real resource for finding (and ) interact with God in the midst of not only the chaotic situations of this spring and summer, but wherever that kind of stress might surface in their lives, ”Kartje said.

“Obviously there are beautiful prayers, powerful psalms and so on (that in the midst of chaotic times someone could use as a prayer resource,” the priest added, “but there is also all kinds of cases of people facing types of things people are facing today (in the Bible).

Study sessions include audio meditations recorded by Kartje with Bible passages, spiritual exercises designed to inspire reflection, and a virtual question-and-answer session for participants on August 8.

“My hope, really, my desire, is that it (the scriptures) will be a resource that people can use in the face of any stress they are facing now, but that it can also help open the door to the beauty of the scriptures. “