Exploring the Wonders of the Bible
Running out of things to read? The Bible has been around in one form or another for 5,000 years, and we haven’t stopped reading it yet! Let's walk through it - either with your own bible or with an online version - and learn new ways to understand and make sense of it by watching another entertaining 8-minute episode of Catholic Central.
The Bible explores the origin of the most important collection of literature in Christianity. We explain how the books of the Bible came to be, who decided which writings should be included (such as those six “extra” books in Catholic Bibles), and how we should interpret what we read there. You can watch the video below, but if you want all the great online resources that go with it, go to CatholiCentral.com.
Diving Deeper
- Some stories convey truth with historical fact. Other stories convey truths about life in images and poetry. Think of a work of fiction (book, movie or TV show): What truths does it convey? Have you ever wondered if the stories in the Bible are true? What does it mean for something to be true?
- Have you heard the stereotype that Catholics do not read the Bible? What do you think about that now? Do you have a favorite book or passage of the Bible?
- “The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12? In what ways have you experienced that Scripture is alive, that it has something to say for today? What are ways you could experience the Bible more as “living and effective”?
- If you have never read the Bible, pick one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) and read it the whole way through. What do you learn about Jesus in this?
Activity
Open up a Bible. Let’s take a little time and look at what the Bible says about why people of faith read the Bible! Go to USCCB.org/bible or use a Bible you have at home. Start with Psalms 119:105. Psalms refers to the book of the Bible, Book of Psalms; 119 refers to the chapter; and 105 refers to the verse (a sentence or group of sentences).
- “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.” Psalms 119:105 What does this verse tell us about Scripture? Have you ever struggled with a decision? Where do you normally look when making decisions? How do you think the Bible could ever help give “light” to our decisions?
- “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35 What does this say about what Catholics believe about the Word of God?
Reflection by Father Vince Kuna
Perhaps your home parish livestreams Mass. Or, at least, some other parish livestreams its Mass, as the media format becomes more and more ubiquitous. You can also watch live daily and Sunday Masses on CatholicTV.org and EWTN.com (these are also available on some cable systems and via apps). The daily Mass from the Father Peyton Center is also streamed live each weekday at noon EDT (or watch later on demand) at Facebook.com/FamilyRosary.
Read the Mass readings prior to watching Mass online. Listen to the proclaimed readings and the homily that follows. After Mass concludes, re-read the Mass Scriptures. Reflect upon how the readings and/or homily apply to your current life and situation.
Please come back to this post and let us know what that experience was like!