Bolin to Discuss Disability and Illness in Scripture for USCCB

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is set to release a series of videos by Catholic biblical scholars at the end of January. Among the contributors is Thomas Bolin, a professor of theology and religious studies at St. Norbert College, who expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity.

“It means a lot because when you study theology, you often are doing that out of some sort of personal kind of motivation … being a biblical scholar, and not just being a biblical scholar, but being a Catholic biblical scholar matters to me. And so part of that is being able to be of use to helping Catholics understand the Bible better,” Bolin emphasized.

Bolin was invited to provide a biblical reflection titled “Challenging Misconceptions: Understanding Disability and Illness in Scripture.” The topic, he noted, has not only deepened his own understanding but also shaped his hopes for the audience. He emphasized three key takeaways:

1. The body matters
“In the Bible, and then in Christianity, the body matters. The body is not something you're stuck in until you get to die and go to heaven. Our bodies matter because … it's how we express our identity in the world,” said Bolin. 

2. The Bible is ancient and foreign
“When we read the Bible, we must remember the Church teaches that the Bible is the word of God, but it's also written in human language by people who lived a long time ago … you have to negotiate between the fact that the Bible has an enduring relevance in the lives of Christians, but also is ancient and foreign,” Bolin added.

3. Allow space for independence
“We shouldn't put a burden on people with disabilities, for example by expecting that they have to be inspiring to people without disabilities, because people with disabilities don't exist to make everyone else feel better … and we have to create space for that. We have to think about how people with disabilities are sometimes put in worse situations by how our social structures and the way we think impacts them,” Bolin concluded.

In his reflection, Bolin emphasized the importance of bodily integrity and the universal needs of all people.

“Disability is something that isn't simply a situation a person has to face. But it's really about an entire societal structure, how we think about people, how we try to be inclusive of them, and how we need to keep people in mind,” Bolin explained.

The lecture serves as a poignant reminder of Christians’ moral obligations and the call to love one’s neighbor. Bolin reflected on the concept of the common good, which he sees as especially vital today.

“In Catholicism — we talk about the common good — which means that it's not enough for me to live and let live. I am morally obligated by the Gospel to care, to love my neighbor as myself,” he said. “Thinking about disability studies and thinking about, in a very conscious way, people with disabilities and how Jesus interacts with them in the Gospels, is something I talk about that will hopefully get people thinking more about this idea of the common good than apparently we seem to do now. It seems now that when people in power appeal to us, they seem often to  appeal to our baser instincts.”

Through his contribution to the USCCB video series, Bolin hopes to spark deeper reflection on the intersection of faith, scripture and social responsibility. His insights challenge misconceptions and encourage a more inclusive, compassionate approach to understanding disability in both scripture and daily life.

Here is Bolin's full lecture. Each video will remain accessible on the USCCB YouTube page and on Catholic.Bible. The videos will be accompanied by downloadable discussion guides.

Jan. 16, 2025