Read the Bible with Me!

Welcome to the Pauline Family's "Year of the Bible"! I'm reading the Bible clear through this year, and I invite you to read along with me. But first, let us pray: 

I praise you, my God, with all people.
May they thank and adore you!
You have written your greatness in creation,
your Law in consciences,
your eternal promises in the Bible.
You are eternally faithful and always lovable!
As I read Sacred Scripture today, open my mind to hear your voice and understand your loving message.
Amen.

Today's three chapters are Genesis 7-9.

Noah's Ark provided the early Church with one of its first images to explain the sacrament of Baptism. That makes Noah's Ark a "type" or prophetic anticipation of Baptism. St Peter will explain the meaning of today's story in a passage in which the New Testament explicitly interprets the Old: "God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now." (1 Pet 3:20-21a). The Ark itself is also a symbol of the Church!

Start reading here: Genesis 7.

If you are looking for a solid but approachable companion to the Bible, I can wholeheartedly recommend A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by Brant Pitre and John Bergsma. Although the authors are top-level Scripture scholars, they write for "real" readers. Notes include recent findings from archaeology and ancient manuscripts.

Heads Up for Advent or (more likely) Lent

I've had Advent on my mind lately because I am working on an Advent series of articles for our Discover Hope Newsletter (don't subscribe yet?). And now I have news that could make a difference for your Advent. Or (given the general busyness of December) Lent.

When I was stationed in Chicago, we made great use of the wonderful group Bible study programs from Ascension Press, starting from their 20-week overview program The Great Adventure: The Bible Timeline (complete with color-coded bookmarks and bracelets). Saturday after Saturday, a group of about 30 came to our bookstore for the video series by Jeff Cavins. The year after that, they came for the 20-week program on the Gospel of Matthew, and after that, programs on the Acts of the Apostles, the Book of Revelation and the Book of Psalms.

This summer I received a review copy of a new program from Ascension Press that follows the same format, but in a more compact way. Follow Me: Meeting Jesus in the Gospel ofJohn is an eight-session DVD series led by Dr Edward Sri. Each of the video lectures considers a section of the Gospel of John, and focuses on one person with whom Jesus enters into conversation. The words Jesus speaks with his interlocutors in the Gospel are also meant for us, and Dr Sri's warm approach allows us to hear them that way.

The 30-minute talks by Dr Sri presume no academic background in Scripture study. (The Leader's Guide contains information like “How do I find a Scripture Reference in my Bible?” and “Why are Catholic and Protestant Bibles different?”) Practical suggestions for conducting a group study are also included, and in detail. The Leader's Guide offers well-formulated content related to some of the study questions, and also suggests a variety of approaches for a study group's prayer: vocal prayers, imaginative prayer, hymns... As with the other programs from Ascension Press, there is also a participants' workbook with outlines, summaries, discussion and reflection questions, life application suggestions and ample room for notes.

Blessed James Alberione would have loved the approach: not simply “informational” but a real invitation to discipleship, to a relationship with Jesus through his Word. The inclusion of well-chosen full-color artwork in the handbooks adds the dimension of beauty, which is so pivotal for a fully human appreciation of Truth that includes the imagination. The eight-session structure means that this series can easily be used as a parish program for Lent (just start about two weeks early so you finish before Holy Week).

While I highly recommend that you bring this program to the attention of your pastor and parish adult faith coordinator, why not form your own study circle with a group from your neighborhood and extended family? Just so you know: These lectures are so good, I used them in chapel as part of my prayer. Maybe you will, too.

I received a free copy of the program mentioned above in view of my posting a review. I am committed to giving as honest a review as possible, as part of my community's mission of putting media at the service of the truth. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Responding to Ray

As a Catholic, you've probably noticed more people willing to bring up questions or experiences involving the Catholic faith or the Church in general. Pope Francis has piqued a lot of people's interest, and his celebrity has made it socially acceptable, and even comfortable, for people to speak about religion in public. He has also prompted a number of somewhat lax Catholics to begin to work their way back toward a full Catholic life.

One of those coming-back Catholics is a guy I will call "Ray." Ray knows that his understanding of Catholic teachings is a little, shall we say, vague. But he wants to start doing something about that, and he wants to begin in a very good place: the Bible.

I would like to start reading the Bible - what are your recommendations on a version - there are sooo many different ones?  I downloaded an app to my tablet (free app, of course) and it has so many different versions - I am not sure which I should use.  Once I settle on that - where is the best place to begin?  I am not sure if reading from Genesis on is the right way to go.

Photo credit:pasotraspaso Foter (CC BY)

So, the Bible.

Since there are two questions here: which translation would be best and where (how!) to begin. I'll just deal with translations in this first post.

My personal preference in terms of translation is the New American Bible. This is a clear, basic English translation--in fact, it is the same one you hear at Mass in the United States. For me, reading and hearing the same version is a big help toward recognizing Scripture and even memorizing the most important sections. I also like that the recent revisions make this translation much closer to the original Hebrew and Greek that Jesus and the Apostles would have been familiar with. The abbreviation most often used for the New American Bible is NABRE (New American Bible, Revised Edition). You can get the NAB for your i-device on iTunes for $1.99; not free, but not bad. (I haven't used this app, so I can't really recommend it; you can get a highly rated NAB app for $7.99 that might work more smoothly.)

Another major Catholic translation that is unlikely to be on a free app is the Jerusalem Bible, also updated as the New Jerusalem Bible. This is used for the Mass in Canada  [see comment below]. It was translated from the Hebrew and Greek, and then confronted with a high-level French translation. An interesting tidbit about the Jerusalem Bible: "Lord of the Rings" author JRR Tolkein was on the editorial committee!

Your app may not feature these translations because of copyright issues. The closest thing to the NABRE among the commonly used Protestant translations is the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (RSVCE). There is also a "New" Revised Standard Version, which has some unfortunate concessions to political correctness. I use it sometimes for convenience (I have a teeny little New Testament for travel and it is NRSV), but because I am familiar enough with the text to know where they are fudging on the words. I don't recommend the Good News (also called "Today's English Version") because the language is so casual (it is a paraphrase more than a translation), but that's just me. For someone on their first go-through of the Bible, it may hit the spot.

Is my insistence on using a Catholic translation a bit narrow-minded? Actually, you may already know that Catholic Bibles include quite a bit more (very interesting!) material than the typical Protestant edition. These books (Sirach, Tobit, Wisdom, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Baruch--along with amplified versions of Daniel and Esther) are called "deuterocanonicals" because they were recognized as Scripture a little later than books like Psalms or Isaiah. (We're not talking 313 AD late, but more like 100 BC-90 AD late). Some Protestant Bibles will include them, along with other ancient writings, in a section called "apocrypha," where they are indistinguishable from books that have no biblical status at all. (So I think it is better for a Catholic to stick with a Bible that makes it very clear which books are accepted as divinely inspired!) 

Catholic Bibles are also required to have explanatory footnotes: a real help to grasping what a passage means, which other passages it is connected to, and what place it has in connection to the whole of Catholic teaching.

I'll be back again with some thoughts on how to get started--and where! Meanwhile, here are some free resources for Catholic Scripture study (a few places to start):

Scott Hahn's (free!) self-guided Scripture study courses: you have to register first, but access is free. Take your pic of introductory overviews or detailed studies of themes or books. (Hahn's story is interesting; he became a Catholic because he recognized that the Mass was the Bible in action!) 

Understanding the Scriptures podcast: 30 (free!) audio lessons on the Bible, prepared as an accompaniment for a textbook, but you don't need to have the text to benefit from the lessons. You can get this on iTunes, as well. 

Catholic Education Resource Center is a good overall Catholic questions/answers site. I have this link set to a search for all the bible-related questions.

Year of Faith Resources (more!)

I just got back from the second session of a monthly downtown Scripture program organized by Chicago attorney Linda Weaver. (The first session was so successful that Linda got a grateful phone call from the Cardinal!) This evening's program was on the Gospel of Mark, with a presentation by the most enthusiastic Scripture scholar you ever will meet, Father James McIlhone. I filled my handout sheet with notes in all the blank space and even in between the lines of type on the page.

If you're in the Chicago area, it behooves you to schedule in a monthly trip to the Loop for this ongoing series that combines networking, nibbles and solid food for reflection. All the more since the December 11 presenter (on the Gospel of Matthew) will be Father Donald Senior,  a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. As the date gets closer, you'll find the details and registration info here. (I was delighted to learn that one of the people who attended this evening learned about it from my radio broadcast on Friday!)

If you can't make it to Chicago, you can still follow an online program by Father McIlhone; in fact, you can follow more than one. I suggest his current series, "The Biblical Roots of the Mass," which just started in October. (It is the Archdiocesan "Year of Sunday Mass," which when you think about it, is another way of saying "Year of Faith.") Once you catch up on the first talks, you can just keep up as the nine-part series continues.  (He also offers a program on the Gospel of Luke and one on the Gospel of Mark--of which we got the tantalizing one-hour summary this evening.)

What other helpful online adult faith resources have you found worth recommending?

Online Bible study

If you're one of those people who is always saying that "one day," you have got to take a Bible study course, Fr Jim McIlhone, longtime Scripture professor at Mundelein Seminary, has put together a full study of the Gospel of Mark, and you can start it, well, today! This is seminary-level Bible study, not something "dumbed down," so if the time has come for you to actually study the Bible, take advantage of this free course!
16 video sessions online, with downloadable handouts and discussion questions. A helpful resource!
wordmadeclear.org

Be it Resolved...

Do you remember, way back around January, making a New Year's resolution that had anything to do with getting to know the Bible better?
In case you did, I have two suggestions for you. My first is always to read the Bible with the Church by following the daily Mass readings. (Even better, go to daily Mass!); my second comes as a result of my weekend in Kansas City, where I met the creator of a 30-session Catholic Bible study program in podcast format. You can get through the whole Bible by Christmas, just listening to the sessions every other week or so!
I haven't test-driven the program yet; I'm recommending it on the basis of its creator being Associate Director of New Media Evangelization for the Diocese of Sacramento. Seems like a pretty safe bet.
Just wanted to spread the word.