Structure of LBS – LITURGICAL BIBLE STUDY

Live the Word through the Liturgical Bible Study.

The Holy Bible is our greatest tool of experiencing God in our life as it holds testimonies and manifestations of God’s unconditional love for us. It is our instrument to learn more about our Catholic faith, thus it is very important that we learn from it, and use it.

The Liturgical Bible Study (LBS) is a tool that will surely lead us to this. The LBS is ideally done once a week that would focus on the readings of the upcoming Sunday mass. It will go through a process of dissecting the Gospel, 1st reading and 2nd reading, to get the central message of the readings and how it is applicable to our lives.

STRUCTURE OF LITURGICAL BIBLE STUDY

(By Fr. Arlo Bernardo S. Yap, SVD)

I. OPENING PRAYER OR SONG
The assigned facilitator or leader opens the Liturgical Bible Study (LBS) with a prayer or an appropriate song like “Come Holy Spirit, I Need You”, or “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”. A short praise and worship for the group can certainly animate the group, leading into the promptings of the Holy Spirit for the Liturgical Bible study.

II. LITURGICAL BIBLE STUDY PROPER
After the prayer, the facilitator or leader reminds the members that today’s texts will be taken from the readings of the coming Sunday. He/she will announce or write on the board the Sunday readings, starting with the Gospel. The members of the group will locate from their Bibles the Sunday Gospel. It is encouraged to highlight the readings with a fluorescent pen.

A. Gospel

1. Reading of the Text
A member of the group reads the text. Everybody stands to honor the Gospel.
Intro: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to…chapter…verse
People: Glory to You, O Lord.
Extro: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Understanding the Text
The facilitator encourages the group to explore the Gospel text. The facilitator, thus, leads the group to go into the details of the text, decoding it verse by verse, by asking questions based on the text, and encouraging them to visualize the text. The members of the group then look for answers from the text or verses that will shed light and understanding on the reading.
3. Summary of the Text
After exploring the text, the group will make a summary of the reading. When a member of the group summarizes and retells the story, that story becomes his/her own, the learning process is deeper.

B. First Reading
The members of the group will now locate from their Bibles the First Reading. It is again encouraged to highlight the readings with a fluorescent pen.

1. Reading of the Text
Another member of the group reads the text as he/she stands and the rest seated.
Intro: A reading from the Book of…chapter…verse
Extro: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
2. Understanding the Text verse by verse
3. Connecting the Gospel with the First Reading
The facilitator will ask his members if there are connections, similarities or significant relationships between the Gospel and the First Reading. The members will now express their insights regarding what they see as connections between the two readings.

C. Second Reading
The members of the group will now locate from their Bibles the Second Reading. It is again encouraged to highlight the readings with a fluorescent pen.

1. Reading of the Text
Another member of the group reads the text as he/she stands and the rest seated.
Intro: A reading from the Letter of…chapter…verse
Extro: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
2. Understanding the Text verse by verse
3. Connecting the Gospel, First Reading and the Second reading.
The facilitator will now ask the members the connections from the three readings.

D. One Thread Message
The group formulates a ‘one-thread’ message using the connections of the readings. We call this message hibla (fiber). The ‘one-thread’ message or hibla expresses the unity of the three readings. The group draws their insights and reflections from the readings with the facilitator guiding and animating the members. This ‘one-thread’ message may be affirmed by reading the Responsorial Psalm (just the response) before the group.

III. ACTUALIZATION/ APPLICATION
The biblical texts have now become the Word of God, a source of spiritual life and an inspiration to live by. The group has just released the power of the Word as it speaks to the members. This part of the LBS puts the Word of God into concrete lives and experiences. The facilitator will ask a question to the members based on the group’s insights. For example, “Based on the readings this coming Sunday, did you experience the healing love of Jesus? When and how?” The facilitator may acknowledge two to three members to share their experiences, responding to the questions. On the next LBS of the group, the facilitator may acknowledge other members to share their experiences, based on the group’s future insights.

IV. CLOSING PRAYER/SONG
The facilitator concludes with a thanksgiving prayer for the wisdom and enlightenment, for the participation of the members, but most of all for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The group glorifies God for all the blessings.