EASTER MINI-COURSE

Objective: To help Christians to see Easter as the crowning season of the liturgical year rather than a single Sunday.

The intensity of Lent often leaves Christians in the mood to lighten up. As a result, structured study tends to end until autumn. That's unfortunate because Easter is the foremost event in Christian history and its greatest celebration. The seven-week Easter season is even longer than Lent, culminating in Pentecost, sometimes termed the Church's birthday. To ease the study schedule and still take a good look at this pivotal period, this four-week course could be slated alternate weeks: the first, third, fifth, and seventh weeks of the Easter season.

Resurrection Stories: Catching the Light of God's Love By Hilarion Kistner, O.F.M. N0394

Belief in the Resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith and the heart of the Good News. "The story of the Resurrection is told in all four Gospels, but all of the writers choose different ways to express the inexpressible, catching the light of the Resurrection and throwing it out to the world in a rainbow of God's love," Kistner writes.

The Acts of the Apostles: Luke's Dramatic Sequel By Elizabeth McNamer. N0497

During the Easter season, the Lectionary readings explore the stories of the early Church recorded in Acts, seeing how the apostles responded to the Good News of the Resurrection. McNamer offers a concise and readable overview of Acts, explores the history and literary forms of the times, and explains the great issues and persons of the early Church.

From Spirit to Holy Spirit in the Old Testament By Leonard Doohan. N0499

Doohan refers to the Messianic Spirit of God found in the Hebrew Scriptures as "switching on the power." In this issue, Doohan tells us, "...the major Church teachings on the Holy Spirit did not come until around the fourth century....Our task is to go back even further, asking how did the Chosen People understand the role of the Holy Spirit?"

The Holy Spirit as Paraclete: The Gift of John's Gospel By Raymond E. Brown, S.S. N0598

In this issue, a preeminent scholar looks at the unique contribution John's Gospel makes to our understanding of the presence and role of the Holy Spirit in the Christian community through the role of Paraclete or Advocate.

Scripture from Scratch Mini-Courses