Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Catholic Bible Study Resources

You may have noticed the Scripture Resources section featuring the links for St Jerome Biblical Guild (SJBG) and the Agape Catholic Bible Study (ACBS). These two sites are absolutely fantastic for anyone wishing to do some serious Bible Study, whether you're a homeschooling mom or a PhD theologian. And they are FREE. I do not receive any recompense by recommending them, and they did not ask me to do so, either. It is only because I consider them excellent resources, and I use them in my personal Scripture studies as an essential component of religious life, that I have provided the links.

Scripture reading is essential for our spiritual development. Simply hearing the Word proclaim at Mass is not enough. If you're so busy you only have 5 minutes per day to do some spiritual reading, please, read the Scriptures. All our Doctors of the Church, all our saints, based their spirituality on the teachings contained in Scriptures. Some passages are a little bit more difficult to understand than others, but with the aide of study guides like the SJBG and ACBS, it can be a very rewarding, and even addicting, experience. Moreover, a deeper understanding of the Scriptures will help you understand the wisdom and the spiritual wealth of the Magisterium of the Church.

One does not need to start with Genesis and finish with the Book of Revelations (Apocalypse). If you would like to keep track of your reading to try and read the Bible in a year (yes, it is possible and doesn't take much time per day), print a copy of the brochure
Read the Bible and the Catechism in a Year published by Coming Home Network.

So take the dust off your Bible, grab a cup of tea or coffee, and start reading. Your relationship with Christ and your love for the Church will grow much more than you ever imagined. By the way, the shortest Gospel is Mark's and its main theme is the Divine Sonship of Christ.

I am grateful to Mr Salvatore "Sal" J Ciresi and Ms Michal E Hunt for permission to reproduce the description text from their websites.

"The St. Jerome Biblical Guild propagates the study of Sacred Scripture with fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Our apostolate takes its name from St. Jerome, "The Father of Biblical Studies," and labors by God's grace to accomplish the following -- [1] explain the various Bible study tools and academic resources; for individual research or study clubs and groups, [2]present studies from Scripture on specific books (e.g., the Gospel of St. Luke) or general themes (e.g., the Biblical roots of home-schooling), [3] promote the classic exegetical methods and insights within Catholic Tradition; with attention to the Church Fathers and St. Thomas Aquinas, and [4] advance the doctrines of Biblical inspiration and inerrancy; the latter the main focus of the Guild. Time constraints prevent answering e-mail questions (the lone exception is for inquiries for speaking engagements). The site strives to be a modest repository of information on the Catholic Faith."


The following is the description for Agape Catholic Bible Study.

"This free Catholic online resource for the study of Sacred Scripture offers:

  • In-depth Bible studies in the living tradition of the Catholic Church
  • Accessing ancient and contemporary commentaries
  • Historical and archaeological information
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church references"

2 comments:

Rebecca said...

Thanks for this wonderful post. It is so hard to find good Bible study material. I needed the reminder to read my Bible everyday!

Julia said...

Thank you so much for this resource!

God Bless,
Julia