+ IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN. +
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
~~ PSALM 119: 105 ~~
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away."
~~ GOSPEL OF LUKE 21:33 ~~
"Then (Jesus) opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."
~~ GOSPEL OF LUKE 24:45 ~~
INTRODUCTION:
This is a group for any and all Catholics who are in love with God’s word, the Holy Bible! Though the group is approached primarily form a Roman Catholic perspective, it is open to the other Catholic rites and to the orthodox Churches. This group is devoted to exploring the Bible, finding the true meaning of its essential Gospel message, understanding the differences between the Old and New Testaments, and living in accordance with God’s holy will in our daily lives! In short, all the people of this group are madly in love with God’s holy word!
Learn about our Catholic faith as it’s seen in the written word of God (Sacred Scripture) and also as it’s expressed in the unwritten word of God (Sacred Tradition). Learn about key aspects of Roman Catholic faith such as the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, the role and nature of the Papacy, the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Church organization, the cannon of Sacred Scripture, the ministry of Jesus Christ as expressed in Scripture, and much more! Learn about Catholic apologetics and learn how to become a defender of the Christian apostolic faith we profess in the Catholic Church! There are many benefits of both study of Scripture and meditation on Scripture for our spiritual lives. Saint Jerome once said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." How true! Let us not be ignorant of Scripture, that we may not be ignorant of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
RECOMMENDED LINKS (Bible and Catechism):
The New American Bible (USCCB site)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (USCCB site)
The New American Bible (Vatican site)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (vatican site)
RECOMMENDED LINKS (about Bible, apologetics, etc.):
Latin Vulgate (Douay-Rheims) Bible
Catholic Biblical Apologetics
The Catholic Apologetics Bible concordance
Scripture Catholic (homepage)
Corunum Apologetic website
Work of God apostolate- Lumen Verum apologetics
EWTN document library- Scripture/Revelation
EWTN document library- Apologetics
HolySpirit Interactive- The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina
RECOMMENDED LINKS (Church Documents):
Dei Verbum: Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
Catechism of the Catholic Church- Sacred Scripture
The word nurtures the faith and builds history
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES, LINKS, etc.
Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII- On the Study of Holy Scripture
Douay-Rheims Bible- A Catechism of the Bible
Douay-Rheims Bible- The Church or the Bible?
Catholic Encyclopedia- Scripture
Catholic Encyclopedia- Revelation
Catholic Encyclopedia- The Bible
Catholic Encyclopedia- Inspiration of the Bible
Catholic Encyclopedia- Biblical Introduction
Catholic Encyclopedia- Biblical Accommodation
Catholic Answers- Bible translations guide
Catholic Answers- Scripture and Tradition
Catholic Answers- Proving Inspiration (of the Bible)
Catholic Answers- Scriptural reference guide
Dave Armstrong- Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition
Fr. John Hardon, S.J. Archives- various articles on Sacred Scripture
The Early Christian Church, Tradition and Scripture
CUF- The Complete Bible: Why Catholics Have Seven More Books
CUF- What’s in a Name?: Protocanon, Deuterocannon, and Apocrypha
CUF- Sola Scriptura? Not According to the Bible!
CUF- Taking God at His Word: A Catholic Understanding of Biblical Inerrancy
CUF- Making Sense Out of Scripture: the Four Best Kept Secrets of Biblical Studies Today
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE RESOURCES:
Bible Studies lesson plans (according to the Liturgical Year)
Daily Word of Life- home Bible study
Catholic Resources for Biblical Studies
AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH...
"In the beginning, there was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing has come into being. What came to be through Him was life, and this life was the Light of the human race. The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the Light so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but came to testify to the Light. The true Light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to those who were His own, but His own people did not accept Him. But to those who did accept Him, He gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood nor by the will of the flesh nor by the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. John testified to Him and cried out "This was He of whom I said ’The One who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because He existed before me.’" From His fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed Him"
~~ GOSPEL OF JOHN 1:1-18 ~~
IN PRAISE OF GOD’S WORD
"Your word, O Lord, stands forever; it is firm as the heavens. Through all generations, Your truth endures; fixed to stand firm like the earth."
~~ PSALM 119:89-90 ~~
"Wonderful are Your decrees, therefore I observe them. The revelation of Your words sheds light, gives understanding to the simple."
~~ PSALM 119:129-130 ~~
SACRED SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED BY GOD AND USEFUL
"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work."
~~ 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17 ~~
SCRIPTURE IS NOT A MATTER OF PERSONAL INTERPRETATION
"First of all you must understand this, that no matter of prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."
~~ 2 PETER 1:20-21 ~~
THE WORD OF GOD IS LIVING AND EFFECTIVE
"Indeed, 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. No creature is concealed from Him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must render an account."
~~ HEBREWS 3:12-13 ~~
GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH THE WORD, HIS SON
"In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, He spoke to us though His Son, whom He made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of His glory, the very imprint of His being, and who sustains all things by His mighty Word. When He had accomplished purification from sins, He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs."
~~ HEBREWS 1:1-4 ~~
APOSTOLIC WITNESS TO THE WORD OF LIFE
"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life- for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us- what we have seen and heard, we now proclaim to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
~~ 1 JOHN 1:1-3 ~~
A VISION OF JESUS CHRIST, THE WORD OF GOD
"Then I saw the heavens opened, and there was a white horse; its rider was called "Faithful and True." He judges and wages war in righteousness. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on His head were many diadems. He had a name inscribed that no one knows except Himself. He wore a cloak that had been dipped in blood, and His name was called The Word of God. The armies of heaven followed Him, mounted on white horses and wearing clean white linen. Out of His mouth came a sharp sword to strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and He Himself will tread out in the wine press the wine of the fury and wrath of God the Almighty. He has a name written on His cloak and on His thigh, ’King of kings and Lord of lords.’ "
~~ REVELATION 19:11-16 ~~
"DID YOU KNOW?!"- FAST BIBLE FACTS:
** The word "Bible" in its original Greek form is not singular, but plural, denoting the fact that the Bible is not really one book, but many books under one heading- "Sacred Scripture"
** The Bible consists of several different literary styles: Wisdom (i.e., Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), Prophecy (i.e., Isaiah, Jeremiah), Poetry (i.e., Psalms, Song of Songs), Apocalypse (i.e., Daniel, Revelation), History (i.e., Kings, Chronicles), Gospels (i.e., John, Matthew), Letters (i.e., Romans, Hebrews), and possibly even more!!
** The account of the beginning of the world is given in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, while the account of the end of the world is given in Revelvation, the last book of the Bible.
** The Bible is considered "the inspired word of the Lord" but did not come to us through strict dictation (i.e, God telling his secretary what to write), but through "inspiration" (i.e., men writing what the Holy Spirit inspired them to write).
** Even though the Holy Bible is considered the "inspired word of the Lord," it is written from a human perspective, and had human authors who cooperated with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and thus is more accessible to humanity because it is written by humans, yet still considered the authentic and definitive revealed word of the Lord.
** The Holy Bible is probably the greatest example of tradition in the Catholic Church, since it was the Catholic Church that, guided by the Holy Spirit, discerned what was the inspired word of God and what was not, and thus determined the "canon" (i.e., official list) of what is Sacred Scripture, the revealed word of God.
MY OTHER MYSPACE GROUPS:
Life in the Spirit: Catholic Charismatic Renewal
War of the Spirit: Catholic Spiritual Warfare
Popular Catholic Prayers and Devotions
The Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ: Message and Devotion
Catholic devotion to Jesus Christ’s Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist
Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body
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