Course: Bible and Spiritual Life

The School of Mary

Intermediate Course First Level

Bible and Spiritual Life

London - September – November 2016

Lecturer – Jean Khoury

Many catholics are encouraged to use their Bible with fervour and to practise Lectio Divina. This is not an easy task! It takes time and practice! Support is needed as finding the Lord's light or "our daily bread" in the Bible can be a challenge – albeit very worthwhile.

This course is about deepening the relationship between the "Bible" and our "Spiritual Life": in a word, it aims at helping us view the Bible as the source of our daily nourishment.

What makes this course unique is, first, the choice of topics (substantial and rarely addressed topics) and, secondly, relating them to our Spiritual Life!

As always, Our Lady continues to lead us on our journey.

The classes will take place on Wednesday from 10am – 12am in the parish house of St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church, Moorhouse Road W2 5DJ. The entrance is located to the left of the church entrance.

Everyone is welcome to the course, also those who have not attended the First Level Course as the material is enlightening in its own right.

Cost: £120

For registration please email schoolofmarylondon@gmail.com with your name and contact details and we will be in touch with bank details OR send a check including your name and contact details made payable to Jean Khoury, sent to Maartje Skare, 3 Hereford Square, SW7 4TT, London.

Dates and Topics of classes

Wednesday 14 September	The new prophetical life inaugurated by Jesus for every human being: God makes of us a friend and wants to talk to us. The practical meaning and the fruitfulness of this new prophetism.
Wednesday 21 September	The relationship between the Theory of Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures and our Spiritual Life. The action of God in the human author and its practical consequences for us.
Wednesday 28 September	Structure and meaning of the Gospel in relation to our Spiritual Life. Reading and analysis of key passages from the Gospel.
Wednesday 5 October	Continuation of analysis of key texts and foundations of our spiritual life.
Wednesday 12 October	Questions of exegesis: The Holy Spirit Exegete of the Bible. The intelligence of Scripture in the Fathers of the Church.
Wednesday 2 November	Questions of exegesis: Examples from the Fathers of the Church. The relationship between the Old and New Testament. Rules for our spiritual life.
Wednesday 9 November	Mary and the Word of God. Mary as our model and help in our relationship with the Word of God.
Wednesday 16 November	The Bible is the soul of God's Revelation to us. The Bible is a treasure one learns to draw from on a daily basis. Practical advice.
Wednesday 23 November	Difficulties when confronting an archaic text, a different language and culture. What is to be done with "modern" exegesis? The Bible: doubt, power, pleasure and possession. Conclusions.

Solid Foundations Course Lent-Easter 2016

Exciting new course to for those looking to build solid foundations for spiritual growth…

Dear friends,

We are delighted to let you know that the School of Mary will be running an introductory course to the spiritual life starting in February 2016. 

Solid Foundations (previously known simply as “the first level course”) is for all of us who have found our feet in starting to practice our faith (weekly Mass, some prayer) but who now want to know “is there something more?” and “how can I start to draw closer to the Lord?”. 

The Solid Foundations course draws on the insight and practical advice of the great spiritual writers including St John of the Cross, St Teresa of Avila and St Therese of the Child Jesus to help us understand the basics we need to put in place and the part we are invited to play to begin to grow in our relationship with God… and how much more lies in store!

The course has been broken into three sections so that those wanting to complete the full course in one year can do so, but equally those who can only do a more limited number of Saturdays can choose to do just one or two of the sections now and the rest at a future point:

· Solid Foundations – Praying with Scripture will run on 27^th February, 5^th and 12^th of March

· Solid Foundations – How the spiritual life works takes place on the 16^th and 23^rd of April

· Solid Foundations – Praying with the Heart will happen on the 11^th, 18^th and 25^th of June

The course will run at St Mary of the Angels, in Bayswater and, as the venue has limited capacity and we expect demand to be high, participants will need to register and pay a deposit in advance.

Please see below for further details on the course and how to register. If you have any questions then please do contact us on schoolofmarylondon@gmail.com.

The School of Mary

_____________

What topics does this course cover ?

This course looks at how we can grow in relationship with God, what gets in the way and what can help.  Participants will have the opportunity to put the teaching into practice for themselves and there will be time for question and answer sessions in each section so that people can make sure they grasp the content and begin to make it their own. 

What topics are covered?

The course draws on the teachings of three Doctors of the Church who focus on the spiritual life – St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross and St Therese of the Child Jesus – and focuses on three key areas:

1. Praying with Scripture: understanding how to pray with Scripture, what to expect when we begin to pray in this way and the opportunity for some hands on practice

2. How the spiritual life works: looking at the shape of the spiritual life, the role of Our Lady and the guiding principles which we need to understand in order to start to co-operate more easily with what God is inviting us to

3. Praying with the heart: finding our bearings with contemplative prayer – what it is, how to pray in this way and what to bear in mind as we find our feet… as well as the chance to put it all into action

Where and when will the course be taking place?

The course will take place at St Mary of the Angels, Moorhouse Road, Bayswater, London, W2 5DJ from 10am to 4:30pm on the following Saturdays: 

· Solid Foundations – Praying with Scripture: 27^th February, 5^th March and 12^th March 

· Solid Foundations – How the spiritual life works: 16^th and 23^rd April

· Solid Foundations – Praying with the heart (moving into contemplative prayer): 11^th, 18^th and 25^th of June

The course will be taught by Jean Khoury, a theologian who has studied and taught Spiritual Life in the Church for over 20 years. As well as lecturing world-wide on spiritual life and meditation, Jean is the author of several books, articles and studies on spiritual life and the founder of the School of Mary, a 3 level formation in spiritual life (www.amorvincit.com). Jean obtained a degree in Philosophy from the Institut Catholique de Toulouse (France), a Licence in Theology from the Teresianum (Rome) and a Masters in Spiritual Theology from the Institut Catholique de Toulouse (France). He is currently completing his PhD in Spiritual Theology at the Angelicum (Rome) with Monsignor François-Marie Léthel. 

How much will the course cost?

The cost for the course is £25 per day / £200 for the full course. As the venue has limited capacity and we expect demand to be very high, participants will need to register and pay a deposit of £75 in advance with any remaining balance to be paid on 27th February.

Please email schoolofmarylondon@gmail.com to register your interest and we will send on details of 
how to make payment by bank transfer or cheque.

Should you have any questions about the course then please don’t hesitate to contact us by email at schoolofmarylondon@gmail.com

www.amorvincit.com

November Course: Ensuring Steady Growth

A new forthcoming course by the School of Mary will be held this autumn.

What is this course about?

God invites each person to co-operate with Him from the moment they have made the commitment to put Him first in their life and to follow Him in a closer way. This course looks in detail at the practicalities of what this means for both our prayer and daily life in order to ensure our relationship with the Lord steadily grows deeper and richer .

What topics are covered:

            The course focuses on three key areas: 

• Finding our bearings: understanding how this stage fits within the overall spiritual journey.
• What it all means: exploring the specific characteristics of this stage and its meaning.
• Understanding what to expect and how to respond: looking at this stage through the lens of Scripture, the Doctors of the Church and spiritual classics such as The Imitation of Christ. This will help us understand what is happening and the new part we are being invited to play in order to ensure steady growth towards union with Christ, with the help of Mary.
  
  
  
  Where and when will the course be taking place?
  
  The course will take place at St Mary of the Angels, Moorhouse Road, Bayswater, London, W2 5DJ on Saturday 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th November from 10am to 4:30pm.
  
  

  
  

  Who will teach the course?
  
  The course will be taught by Jean Khoury, a theologian who has studied and taught Spiritual Life in the Church for over 20 years. As well as lecturing world-wide on spiritual life and meditation, Jean is the author of several books, articles and studies on spiritual life and the founder of the School of Mary, a 3 level formation in spiritual life (www.amorvincit.com). Jean obtained a degree in Philosophy and a Masters in Spiritual Theology from the Institut Catholique de Toulouse (France) and holds a Licence in Theology from the Teresianum (Rome). He is currently completing his PhD in Spiritual Theology at the Angelicum (Rome) with Monsignor François-Marie Léthel. Jean is based in the Archdiocese of Westminster, London, UK.
  
  
  How much will the course cost?

  
  The cost for the course is £25 per day / £100 for the full course. As the venue has limited capacity and we expect demand to be very high, participants will need to register and pay a deposit of £50 in advance with the remaining balance to be paid on 7th November.

  
  

  
  

  HOW TO REGISTER

  
  

  Please email schoolofmarylondon@gmail.com to register your interest and we will send details of how to make payment by bank transfer or cheque.

  
  

  Should you have any questions about the course then please don’t hesitate to contact us by email at schoolofmarylondon@gmail.com or call 07908513762.

Newsletter: Coming Courses in the School of Mary

Dear All,

We hope this post finds you well. We have some exciting announcements regarding some courses which will be taking place over the next months.

1. Bible & Spiritual Life Course

This is the intermediate course between the 1st level course, Initiation into Spiritual Life, and the 2nd level course. It will help to strengthen our knowledge and practice of Lectio Divina, which we gained in the 1st level course. The course is highly recommended!

This course will start on Sat 27th September and will continue on Sat 4th October, Sat 18th October and Sat 25th October. The venue is St Mary of the Angels Parish Hall, Moorhouse Rd, Notting Hill, W2 5DJ.

Spaces are limited and it is important to book!

Please open this link as it contains more information on the course including payment and contents of the course.

2. Lectio Divina and Prayer of the Heart Workshops

The School of Mary will run some workshops on Lectio Divina and Prayer of the Heart. These will be held on Sat 8th November, Sat 15th November, Sat 22nd November and Sat 6th December. We will provide more information on these soon.

3. 1st Level Course - Initiation to Spiritual Life

The Initiation into Spiritual Life course is being held on Mondays, starting on 6th October. The course will be from 10.00am to 12.15pm. The venue is St Mary of the Angels Parish Hall, Notting Hill. If you may know somebody who would be interested in attending, please ask them to contact us.

In Easter 2015, the course will be offered again but this time over 7 Saturdays. We will provide further details on this course before the end of the year.

4. 2nd Level Course

The 2nd level course will be held in Lent 2015 and will take place over 7 Saturdays. We will provide further details before the end of the year.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Bible and Spiritual Life course. We could not recommend the course highly enough!

Please do contact us should you have any questions on the forthcoming courses.

In Mary

Leonora and Rufaro

London-UK Course: "Introduction into Spiritual Life"

School of Mary, London-UK

Introduction into Spiritual Life

1st Level Course in Spiritual Life

with Jean Khoury

* Discover the necessary foundations for a strong spiritual life

* Learn to connect with God directly in order to efficiently receive His graces daily

* Develop your personal relationship with Jesus

* Understand the action of the Holy Spirit in you

“Very inspiring with a fresh approach to ideas and some wonderful new insights for me.”

“Delightful delivery. Always arresting and respectful of the audience.”

‒ Previous participants

Venue: Shannon Board, St Mary’s University College, Waldegrave Road, Twickenham, TWI 4SX. Nearest Station: Strawberry Hill (from London Waterloo/Vauxhall)

Dates: The sessions will take place on the following Saturdays between 10.00 ‒16.30: 29^th June, 6^th July, 13^th July, 20^th July, 27^th July, 3^rd August and 10^th August

Cost: £20.00 a day (£10.00 for students and unwaged). The fee includes services of tea and coffee. Participants are to bring a packed lunch or buy from the canteen.

Contact: To register or for further enquiries please email: schoolofmarylondon@gmail.com

Call: Leonora Butau on 07908513762 Website: www.amorvincit.com

This Course has received the approval and blessing of H.E. Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark.

Please see as well: http://www.amorvincit.com/course.htm

12: Praying with a book?

My friend sent me a second question:

“In spiritual direction, I was advised that it is always good to take a spiritual book of some sort when one is going to pray. I think it is said that St Teresa of Avila never went to pray without a book to help her. What are your thoughts on this? Is a book something that is used for those further up the journey in their spiritual lives (of which I am only beginning really)? At present I do not particularly feel the need for a book.”

These are practical, down-to-earth, questions.

First of all, let me say that, implicitly, my friend is speaking here only about “the prayer of the heart” also called "mental prayer" (it has as well many other names). Because if we are doing for instance Lectio Divina, we would be taking the Bible, the two readings of the Mass. The “Prayer of the heart” is a quieter moment, where we are rather in silence, at least with no audible sounds. Yes the mind/brain can very easily be rambling and muttering, but normally we are invited to, rather, be quiet and essentially receive the gift of God: God Himself pouring Himself in us.

(For greater details on how to do “Prayer of the heart”, have a look at this lesson in 4 parts: part I,   part II,   part III,   part IV)

Let me stress a lot on that point: The Prayer of the heart is not the only way of praying, and we have first “Lectio divina”, as in the Mass we have the Two Tables: the Table of Word of God, and the Table of His Body and Blood. So, we have already food for our mind during the lectio divina (which is the extension of the Liturgy of the Word). It is not that our mind is left alone, rambling, with no food. Ok?

The extension the Communion (in the Mass) is the Prayer of the heart. It is like coming back to that very moment of “com-union” with Jesus, just freshly received.

Question: while in this very deep and strong moment of Union with Him, would you take a book and read? The answer is: no.

If you are faithful to the Lectio divina, fervently faithful and doing it well, your Prayer of the heart will be extraordinary boosted as stated in John 14,23: the one who loves me, puts my words into practice (Lectio), then, the Father will love him (this is how the Prayer of the heart finds its origins: the love of the Father) then we will come in him and dwell in him (the Prayer of the heart).

The answer to the initial question of my friend is: Yes, the clear advice is to have a book with us. The important thing is to understand the goal of having a book with us: it is not in order to read, but in order to help us recollect our heart’s energy around Jesus himself who wants to give Himself to us. So while praying we are not in a quiet library where we are supposed to read. It is not “reading time”. It is only in the very case of emergency, were the distractions can be overwhelming. So the “use” of the book is very specific. I often saw my masters (the French Carmelites) taking the Bible with them. I personally always take the Bible with me.  But watch me, do I open it? Seldom. It is just the presence of the Bible at my side to scare the distractions. :-) You are right that, at least for a long period in her life, saint Theresa did always take a book with her for the Prayer of the heart; but for her, the book helped her recollect her mind, in order to focus on Jesus.

Let me add: we addressed the issue of distractions during the Prayer of the heart lessons. You remember certainly that the main “tool” we use in order to protect the Encounter happening in our heart from the distractions happening in the mind, is the repetition of a short prayer that bears the Name of Jesus and/or the name of Mary. (I do simply say Hail Marys, quietly, with no mental effort, since THE Mystery is HERE, in the heart) The rhythmic repetition goes with the natural quiet rhythm of our breath, preferably holding our own rosary in our hand.

I do believe that if we understand all the elements, things will fall into their right place and we will have peace and our spiritual life will be boosted.

I hope this helps. How are your “taste buds”?

Jean