Talks to focus on women in scripture

Completing a year-long series of talks about women in the Bible, the Consultation Center of the Albany Diocese will present two final installments of "Discovering Self through Women in Scriptures" on April 27 and May 25.

The April workshop will center on the three wives of King David (Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba); the May workshop will discuss the Blessed Mother and her cousin Elizabeth, who was the mother of St. John the Baptist.

The talks will be given by Annette Brooks, pastoral manager at St. Ambrose Church in Latham; she is also a certified spiritual director.

Scripture's women

Mrs. Brooks said the idea for the workshops grew from some of her previous writings.

"I'd been asked to write some spiritual reflections, and I thought of the women in the Bible," she explained. "I recalled their rich stories, and how they affected me when I first read them and how they continue to affect me."

She said that relationships between women like Sarah and Hagar, Ruth and Naomi, Rachel and Leah, and Jochebed and Miriam in the Old Testament, and Martha and Mary in the New Testament were ones that people today could easily relate to.

Pairs of women

Mrs. Brooks added that "each of the 'pair stories' of women tells of their relationship not only to each other but also to God. They are stories we can relate to today because we all have the same needs, traits and tendencies. Even though situations and times change, people really don't.

"These are all stories about courage, strength and real feelings that we have experienced, [such as] jealousy, the yearning to be forgiven, to be loved. The stories are about our relationship with a loving God.

"The fact that we are connected to these women from long ago in our own situations tells us that we can learn from them and their stories."

Connections

Mrs. Brooks came to realize that "the women, who were powerless in the patriarchal society in which they lived, found strength and courage through their relationships with each other but also through some of their relationships with the men in their lives. Most importantly, it was what they did and how they reacted to the intervention of a loving God that made the difference in their lives.

"As we study them, we begin to see what they learned from their own experiences; and we understand, through that experience, what we can learn."

Mrs. Brooks noted that some of the women's stories are very meaningful today.

"I think of Ruth and her journey with Naomi," she said. "She left her entire family behind. Today, we live in a very mobile society, and often family members are separated. Ruth's story has profound meaning for someone struggling with separation from loved ones."

(During the presentations, participants will have an opportunity for reflection, sharing, group study and questions. The workshops will be held at 7 p.m. in the Consultation Center in Albany. Registration is required; there is a $10 fee for each session. Call 489-4431.)

(4/20/06) [[In-content Ad]]