VCII: Gina Hens-Piazza

This fall, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the convening of Vatican II, St. Ignatius Parish will host a six-part series looking at the teaching of the Council and the continuing effect (and controversy) it has sparked in the Catholic community.

In this session, which takes place from 6:30-8:00pm in-person at St. Ignatius church and via livestream followed by a reception, Gina Hens-Piazza, holder of the Charles S. Alemany Chair in Biblical Studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, will discuss the Constitution on Sacred Scripture. 

This presentation will be followed by time for dialogue and questions. Registration is not required, though we ask that you RSVP below so that we can prepare the event accordingly.

RSVP

Professor Gina Hens-Piazza holds the Charles S. Alemany chair in Biblical Studies at the Jesuit School of Theology (JST) of Santa Clara University and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. For the past 30 years, Hens-Piazza's writing has focused primarily upon the prophetic traditions and the Deuteronomistic History. A frequent lecturer nationally and internationally, Hens-Piazza along with three other scholars served as an editor for the New Jerome Biblical Commentary for the 21st Century which was published in March 2022. For the past two years, she has served as president of the National Catholic Biblical Association of America.

How We Encounter God in the Bible

The Constitution on Sacred Scripture (Dei Verbum) declared, for the first time, the need for Catholic women and men to engage Scripture as a living expression of God’s revelation. No longer reserved to the clergy or to experts, Scripture is central to our knowledge of God’s love and work in the world.

1. What are we looking for in encountering Scripture? Is everything in Scripture literally true, or is it all just metaphor and story (and so not “really” true)?

2. Why do Catholics need to read the Bible at all, when we have things like the Catechism and religious teachers? 

3. How can I encounter Scripture fruitfully, in a way that matters to my life?

Background Reading

Various writings: U.S. Catholic