Pope Benedict on the Fall

Yeah, not the fall of Adam and Eve, but rather his recent accident which left him with a broken wrist.

Reflecting on the experience, the Pope said: "My own guardian angel did not prevent my injury, certainly following superior orders. Perhaps the Lord wanted to teach me more patience and humility, give me more time for prayer and meditation".

This once again proves that the Holy Father knows his Paul: Colossians 1:24-25 and James: James 1:2-4.

More Bob Rice, this time on the Catechism

The Four Gospels (Little Rock) Review

Thanks to an advanced review copy from the fine people at Liturgical Press, I am happy to give my impressions of The Four Gospels: Catholic Personal Study Edition which will be available in early August. The translation used in this, and future editions, is the New American Bible. The general editors are Catherine Upchurch and Ronald D. Witherup S.S.. The entire project is co-published by Little Rock Scripture Study with Liturgical Press.

First things first, this edition is really just a sample of the future one volume Little Rock Catholic Study Bible. Through email correspondence with Liturgical Press, they have told me that all they are waiting for is the completion and approval of the re-revised NAB Pslams. Once completed, the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible will utilize the most up-to-date edition of the NAB. That is certainly a very good thing! Let's continue to pray that the revised NAB will provide Catholics in the USA a more consistent, well-rounded translation that can be acceptable for both Holy Mass and personal study. For more on the revised NAB, you can go here.

The first thing that strikes you when you open up The Four Gospels: Catholic Personal Study Edition is the page layout that Liturgical Press went with. (You can see what I am talking about here.) May I be the first to say "thank you!" As many of you know, I have been hoping to see more Catholic Bible editions in single-column layout. I have always felt that a single-column format allows for greater ease of reading, as well as providing more room to make personal notes in the text. The top of each page has the NAB text, with cross-references on the sides and the NAB notes at the bottom. The text is very readable and there is a clear division between the scriptural text and the notes. The overall layout reminds me of the TNIV Study Bible that I own. Bravo!

If all that Liturgical Press had done was to improve the NAB's page layout, I would have been satisfied. However, they have added helpful informational inserts into the text which compliment the NAB text and its standard commentary. These inserts consists of charts, maps, photos, short character bios, archaeological insights, prayer starters, social justice connections, definition of terms, and liturgical use of Scripture. For example, it is nice to read Luke 20:20-26, which describes the story of paying taxes to the Emperor, and then see a small picture of an actual Roman coin bearing Caesar's image right next to the text. Many of the informational inserts are very well placed in the text and enhance the readers understanding of the context of the Biblical narrative. In addition, the standard NAB introductions to each book are supplemented by a small insert which gives a brief summary including author, date, content, and main characters info. It's a convenient study help, particularly if you need to get information quickly.

The largest group of inserts are the ones on definition of terms, which include bits of information relating to such terms as the "Amen, Amen" and "I AM" sayings, exorcism, leprosy, vineyard imagery, the Pontius Pilate inscription, "Mary, which Mary?", and much more. There are also 11 line maps that are found throughout the four gospels, placed where appropriate to the text. I also found the inclusion of 14 "Liturgical Use of Scripture" inserts to be helpful. They often point out places where a particular scriptural text has been prominently used in the Mass and Liturgy of the Hours. For those who are unaware of why we say certain things during Mass, this is certainly a helpful tool. The other inserts reference other scriptural texts, as well as important Church documents like the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Dei Verbum, the USCCB's Economic Justice for All, the PBC's Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, and JPII's Redemptoris Missio.

This edition also includes two essays: "Background to the Gospels" by Ronald Witherup and "The Bible and Liturgy" by Irene Nowell which bookend the volume. Thankfully, Liturgical Press included the list of Sunday Mass readings and a helpful index for all illustrations and informational inserts.

Whenever the forthcoming Little Rock Catholic Study Bible is published in a one volume edition, it should prove to be helpful for not only those who are new to the Bible, but also those who are more experienced Bible readers. The page format alone makes it a definitely upgrade for those who use the NAB as their primary translation. In the end, I only have two suggestions for the upcoming one volume edition: 1) Please make sure that it comes in multiple cover options, including genuine leather and duo-tone imitation leather. Please avoid the bonded leather or laminated covers! 2) Even though there are map inserts, be sure to include a map section in the back with index.

Overall, great job on the first edition!

The way the Gospel Shouldn't be Read at Mass

Bob Rice teaches at Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. He is also a talented musician and leads many of the youth conferences at Steubie U.

BTW: He reads from the New Jerusalem Bible

Honest Scrap

I have been tagged by Kevin Sam to participate in the Honest Scrap Awards. The rules are that I’m supposed to tell you 10 Honest things about myself and then nominate 7 other blogs that I think deserve to receive the Honest Scrap Award.

So here we go:





1) I have two cats, one is named Hamlet and the other is Noel. This is odd since I grew up in a "dog" family that wanted nothing to do with cats. However, I have come to really like having cats around the house. Why? Well, they are much easier to care for and, IMHO, have a bit more personality than dogs. Please no anti-cat/pro-dog comments! :)

2) I drive a white Pontiac Aztek. Yeah, I know that they haven't been made in a number of years and Pontiac doesn't exist anymore. But hey, I love the car....its got character! Reminds me of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

3) I have a hard time reading fiction. I have tried to sit down and read the Lord of the Rings on numerous occasions, but never do I venture out of the Shire. I think once I made it to Tom Bombadil's house, but no farther. I would much rather read something about the Bible or ancient and medieval history.

4) I love Panera. As a matter of fact, I am writing this post while sitting at a Panera. Free refills on coffee and free internet. A deadly combination!

5) While I don't watch many sitcoms on television, there are a few shows that I try to tune in to watch each week. These shows are: Ghost Hunters, Dog the Bounty Hunter, and River Monsters. I use to watch the History Channel often, but that ended once they stopped showing actual history programs.

6) Of all the different types of movie genres out there, I enjoy 50's and 60's sci-fi and monster movies. And yes, my favorite is the big guy from Japan: Godzilla. If you are interested, which I am sure you are not, Classic Media has restored and released many of the original Godzilla films with commentaries and both American and Japanese versions.

7) Politically I am conservative, but I do not consider myself a Republican. Certain issues that I would fall more in the "liberal" camp would be in the area of the environment, poverty issues, and "enhanced interrogation" techniques.

8) I have been blessed to travel to Europe on five occasions. Encouraged initially by a wonderful mentor at Michigan State University, who died two years ago, I have travelled to England, Scotland, Ireland, N. Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and Greece. Since I studied in Rome for 6 months, there is no question in my mind that Italy is the best. The fact that I have relatives in Italy also helps. The food is also fantastic!

9) I have never been to New York City or Boston. Of all the cities in the USA that I have been to, Chicago is my favorite.

10) Although I have lived in the suburbs my entire life, my goal is to have a home on the outskirts of a metropolitan area with a small river/creek in my backyard.

Nominees:

Whispers in the Loggia
Mark Shea
American Papist
Voice of Stefan
Singing in the Reign
Ignatius Insight
Jimmy Akin

10 points for Fruitful Scripture Reading from the USCCB

Listed here are 10 points for fruitful Scripture reading from the USCCB site, compiled by Mary Elizabeth Sperry.

1) Bible reading is for Catholics. The Church encourages Catholics to make reading the Bible part of their daily prayer lives. Reading these inspired words, people grow deeper in their relationship with God and come to understand their place in the community God has called them to in himself.

2) Prayer is the beginning and the end. Reading the Bible is not like reading a novel or a history book. It should begin with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to the Word of God. Scripture reading should end with a prayer that this Word will bear fruit in our lives, helping us to become holier and more faithful people.

3) Get the whole story! When selecting a Bible, look for a Catholic edition. A Catholic edition will include the Church's complete list of sacred books along with introductions and notes for understanding the text. A Catholic edition will have an imprimatur notice on the back of the title page. An imprimatur indicates that the book is free of errors in Catholic doctrine.

4) The Bible isn't a book. It's a library. The Bible is a collection of 73 books written over the course of many centuries. The books include royal history, prophecy, poetry, challenging letters to struggling new faith communities, and believers' accounts of the preaching and passion of Jesus. Knowing the genre of the book you are reading will help you understand the literary tools the author is using and the meaning the author is trying to convey.

5) Know what the Bible is – and what it isn't. The Bible is the story of God's relationship with the people he has called to himself. It is not intended to be read as history text, a science book, or a political manifesto. In the Bible, God teaches us the truths that we need for the sake of our salvation.

6) The sum is greater than the parts. Read the Bible in context. What happens before and after – even in other books – helps us to understand the true meaning of the text.

7) The Old relates to the New. The Old Testament and the New Testament shed light on each other. While we read the Old Testament in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus, it has its own value as well. Together, these testaments help us to understand God's plan for human beings.

8) You do not read alone. By reading and reflecting on Sacred Scripture, Catholics join those faithful men and women who have taken God's Word to heart and put it into practice in their lives. We read the Bible within the tradition of the Church to benefit from the holiness and wisdom of all the faithful.

9) What is God saying to me? The Bible is not addressed only to long-dead people in a faraway land. It is addressed to each of us in our own unique situations. When we read, we need to understand what the text says and how the faithful have understood its meaning in the past. In light of this understanding, we then ask: What is God saying to me?

10) Reading isn't enough. If Scripture remains just words on a page, our work is not done. We need to meditate on the message and put it into action in our lives. Only then can the word be "living and effective."(Hebrews 4:12).

Mary Elizabeth Sperry is Associate Director for Utilization of the New American Bible. Hmmm......I never knew there was such an office. In my mind, particularly with the upcoming publication of the revised NAB, they should consider developing a website dedicated to the NAB. The USCCB has a site currently devoted to the NAB, but the resources could certainly be enhanced and the overall look updated. And it definitely deserves a site of its own.

As for the list, I would be a little careful particularly when it comes to #5. While what she says is true, it is important to go back to what the Second Vatican Council Document Dei Verbum taught in regarding inspiration: "Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings (5) for the sake of salvation (DV 11)." What that means has been a point of debate over the past 40+ years within the Church. Perhaps Sperry could have said something like: "The Bible is not written in the same way that our modern history or science books are written." Just a thought!

Other than that, I think the list is generally helpful. Perhaps one other thing I would have altered is found in #4. While the Bible certainly is a collection of books, written over a 1000 year period, I would have liked to have seen her add a condensed form of the following from paragraph 102 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely:You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers, since he who was in the beginning God with God has no need of separate syllables; for he is not subject to time.

The Gospel in the World

I spotted this story at Mlive.com, via the Grand Rapids Press. While it has nothing to do with particular Bible translations or study tools, it has everything to do with the Gospel.

IONIA COUNTY -- After 35 years in prison, Ross Hayes left the Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility on Tuesday and fell into the arms of his wife, Shirley. Waiting to greet him with support and forgiveness was Dale Daverman, whose great-aunt was killed by Hayes in her Grand Rapids home. Daverman, standing off to the side, wiping tears, waited for Hayes to greet family and friends in the prison lobby. Finally, the two men shook hands. Then they embraced......rest of article can be read here.