Pope Francis on the Liturgy of the Word

From the January 31st Weekly Audience:

"Dear brothers and sisters: In our continuing catechesis on the Eucharist, we now consider the importance of the Liturgy of the Word.  There God speaks to us, and the same Holy Spirit who inspired the sacred Scriptures opens our minds and hearts to that living word.  At the table of God’s word, we find nourishment for our lives as we listen to the Old and the New Testaments proclaim the one mystery of Christ and call for our response.  Drawing from the richness of the Church’s Lectionary, the Liturgy of the Word invites us to silent openness to God’s saving message as it resounds in the ecclesial assembly and continues God’s constant dialogue with his people, the Church.  Since we do not live “by bread alone”, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (cf. Mt4:4), we need to be constantly open to, and challenged by, that word, in our lives as individuals and in our life as a Church.  Let us ask the Holy Spirit to make the word sown in our hearts bear abundant fruit and guide our steps, day by day, on this, our earthly pilgrimage."

Listen to him!

"During this week of Easter it would do us good every day to read a passage from the Gospel which speaks of the Resurrection of Christ." -Pope Francis via @Pontifex 4/18/17

Pope Francis and Regular Bible Reading

“What would happen if we turned back when we forget it, if we opened it more times a day, if we read the message of God contained in the Bible the way we read messages on our cellphones?  What would happen if we always brought it with us, or at least a small pocket-sized Gospel?” -Pope Francis (Angelus 3/5/17)

Guest Review: OSV Pocket Gospels and Psalms (NRSV)

Thanks to Joshua for this fine review of the NRSV Pocket Gospels and Psalms from OSV.  Amazon also allows you to "look inside" which you can do here.

The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) has been a favorite of mine for over 20 years now. I have seen it various editions ranging from study Bibles, pew Bibles, audio versions, eBooks, to plugins for Bible software. However pocket editions have been far and far between. The last pocket edition I've seen was The Faith-Sharing New Testament with the Psalms. This edition was released in the late 1990s by Cokesbury, a publishing company owned by the United Methodist Church. Besides the text, it had an essay about the basics of conversion and discipleship. There is an edition by Cambridge that has the anglicized NRSV New Testament and Psalms. I have not seen this edition in person.

I ran into Our Sunday Vistor's (OSV) The Pocket Gospels and Psalms by chance last fall; I was looking for new translations of John (which is my favorite Gospel). It looked intriguing and I mentioned to people I know on Facebook. Last Christmas, I ordered the Bible online. The first I noticed was the size of the book. It is small; it easily dwarfed the mailer it came in. I compared the Bible with a pocket New Testament published by the Gideons (this organization places Bibles in hotels and other places) and a mass-market paperback. The Bible was about equal in size to the Gideon New Testament and smaller than the paperback (see the attached pictures). The size of the book was made apparent to me on New Year's Eve. I went to a store to do some shopping; I took the book with me in a jacket as I wanted to read from it after I finished. It was so small I forgot it was there and had to feel for it! The cover is burgundy with a matte finish. The contents and a small cross appear in gold on the front; the publisher's name, a bar code and the ISBN appear on the back. The cover also has a faux grain pattern, which is a nice touch.

Turning to the paper, I'm pleased to say it is a nice white color. Ghosting is kept a minimum. The type size for the text is not the same as the Amazon sample; it is about 8.5px with the type size of the footnotes being smaller. My only real complaint about this Bible is that the type size for the footnotes is too small. I wish that OSV made the type size larger and placed the notes in a horizontal line across the bottom of the page rather than grouping them together in the corner. (See the scan of Psalms to see how the layout looks.) Canon Law requires that Bibles have "necessary and sufficient annotations" in them. The only notes this edition has are the standard translator footnotes, which aren't as detailed as the ones found in the NABRE or in other Bibles. A concern I have about this edition is that it does not have an Imprimatur. The only mentions of the Imprimatur are mentioned in the preface where it states that the NRSV has the "ecclesiastical approval of the Catholic Bishops of both the United States and Canada" and the "latter edition received the Imprimatur (official approbation) of the United States and Canadian Catholic Bishops". The preface is abridged from the one found in a regular NRSV-CE. It is also worth noting that Bruce Metzger's preface to the NRSV isn't printed. In any case, I would think that the Imprimatur and the Metzger preface is something that would be included.

Overall, this is a beautiful, portable edition of the gospels and Psalms; I recommend it. Not only does it help heed the Holy Father's advice to "carry [a pocket Bible] with you and read it every day", it is a way to share the wonderful news with a generation that knows more of Kim and Kanye than Mary and Joseph. I also think it is a very good way to test drive the NRSV before buying more elaborate editions. In a practical sense, it is also a good way to effectively use those idle moments we have such as waiting at the doctor's office. What's better? Reading the words of the Lord or texting and talking on our phones? In any case I believe The Pocket Gospels and Psalms will do much good no matter how it's used.

Pope Francis, the Bible, and Mercy

Prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee

Lord Jesus Christ,

you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,

and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.

Show us your face and we will be saved.

Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;

the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;

made Peter weep after his betrayal,

and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.

Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:

“If you knew the gift of God!”

You are the visible face of the invisible Father,

of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:

let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.

You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness

in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:

let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.

Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,

so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,

and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,

proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,

and restore sight to the blind.  

We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of

Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and

ever.

Amen.

Pope Francis Receives Book of Gospels for the Jubilee

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday received the Book of Gospels which will be used for the liturgies of the upcoming Jubilee.

The Book was presented by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation.

The book – which contains the Gospel readings for the Sundays and Feast Days during the Year of Mercy – is illustrated by Jesuit artist Marko Rupnik.

The Jubilee of Mercy begins on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, on 8 December, when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica.

OBOY: Thank You Pope Francis

A couple days back I posted an introduction Pope Francis wrote for the German edition of the YouCat Bible.  There were many great things he said in this introduction, but none more striking to me than what he wrote at the very beginning:

"If you could see my Bible, you would not be particularly impressed. What—that’s the Pope’s Bible? Such an old, worn-out book!  You could buy me a new one for $1,000, but I would not want it. I love my old Bible, which has accompanied me half my life. It has been with me in my times of joy and times of tears. It is my most precious treasure. I live out of it, and I wouldn’t give anything in the world for it."

When I read these words from the Holy Father, my mind immediately went back to the whole One Bible, One Year (OBOY) challenge.  It reminded me that I hadn't posted about how I was doing recently, so, now seems to be a good time to give you an update.  I also felt confirmed in partaking in this experiment.

Back when I started, I made a commitment to sticking with the NRSV translation.  Although there have been times during the past year when I have "flirted", a tad, with my beloved Knox bible, I can honestly say that I have stuck to the NRSV throughout this year.  (In a perfect world my Knox Bible would be "the one" but there are too many situations where it is simply not practical.  But oh how I do love that Bible!). What has it been like?  Well, after having spent 3/4 of the year with it, I am even more certain that the NRSV does a remarkable job of being useful in almost every situation.  It is literary, accurate, well-annotated, ecumenical, and just plain feels right to me when I read from it.  (If you would like to read more about why I prefer the NRSV, here is a link to a prior post.)  This does not mean, just to be clear, that I refrain from looking at other translations for study and work purposes.  I, of course, need to as part of my job.  Yes, there are many good translations out there, but the NRSV is the one I choose.

I also decided to use two editions of the NRSV: 1) NOAB NRSV '91, for use with study and teaching; 2) The Harper NRSV compact, for daily reading.  Throughout this year, I have been faithful to the NOAB for studying and teaching.  I still think it is an amazing edition, with concise and useful annotations and references, along with a generous print and margin.  I like this edition so much that it will likely be the next candidate for a rebind, since the cover is wearing out a tad.  (Remember, I purchased it used a couple years back.)   In regards to my daily reading Bible, some of you will remember that I had the Harper compact NRSV rebound.  One might think that means it has remained my daily reading bible this year, but it hasn't.  Another NRSV has come in (and out, and back in) to my life that I simply can't put down.  I first received it back in February from my friend Jason.  It is the Oxford NRSV (anglicized) Pocket Edition with Apocrypha in blue calfskin leather.  I cannot really explain to you why I have taken to this Bible, but I simply enjoy the feel and look of it.  it lays open flat, comes with three ribbons (which were added by Jason), and just has a remarkable feel to it.  It is simply a reading bible, with no annotations or maps.  Yet, like my Knox Bible, I have just grown to really love reading from it.  I have recently started a 90 Day New Testament reading plan, which I am doing with this Bible.  It has been great.  

So, there is where I am at.  How about you?  I know there are at least a couple of you still out there!  The comments by Pope Francis above have only solidified my desire to have one of those 50 year old Bibles that I wouldn't trade anything for.  This bible would serve as a companion, one which has been read and loved over a long period of time, accompanying me on my journey to the Lord.  Yet, this journey has to start somewhere. For me, I am feeling ever so confident that my journey began in 2015.  How about you?

Pope Francis: Intro to German YouCat Bible

Pope Francis recently penned an introduction to the German edition of the YouCat Bible.  I think one doesn't have to be a youth to appreciate his words here.

My dear young friends:

If you could see my Bible, you would not be particularly impressed. What—that’s the Pope’s Bible? Such an old, worn-out book!

You could buy me a new one for $1,000, but I would not want it. I love my old Bible, which has accompanied me half my life. It has been with me in my times of joy and times of tears. It is my most precious treasure. I live out of it, and I wouldn’t give anything in the world for it.

I really like this new Youth Bible. It’s so colorful, so rich in testimonies: testimonies of the saints, testimonies of young people. It is so inviting that when you start to read at the beginning, you can’t stop until the last page.

And then …? And then it disappears on a shelf, collecting dust. Your children find it one day and bring it to the flea market.

It must not come to that.

I’ll tell you something: There are more persecuted Christians in the world today than in the early days of the Church. And why are they persecuted? They are persecuted because they wear a cross and bear witness to Jesus. They are convicted because they own a Bible. The Bible is therefore a highly dangerous book—so dangerous that you are treated in some countries as if you were hiding hand grenades in your closet.  It was a non-Christian, Mahatma Gandhi, who once said: “You Christians look after a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilization to pieces, turn the world upside down, and bring peace to a battle-torn planet. But you treat it as though it is nothing more than a piece of literature.”

So what do you have in your hands? A piece of literature? Some nice old stories? Then you would have to say to the many Christians who go to prison or are tortured because they own a Bible: “How foolish you are; it’s just a piece of literature!”  No. By the word of God has Light come into the world, and it will never go out. In Evangelii Gaudium (175) I said, “We do not blindly seek God, or wait for him to speak to us first, for ‘God has already spoken, and there is nothing further that we need to know, which has not been revealed to us.’ Let us receive the sublime treasure of the revealed word.”

So you have something divine in your hands: a book like fire! A book through which God speaks. So notice: The Bible is not meant to be placed on a shelf, but to be in your hands, to read often—every day, both on your own and together with others. You do sports together or go shopping together. Why not read the Bible together as well—two, three, or four of you? In nature, in the woods, on the beach, at night in the glow of a few candles … you will have a great experience!  Or are you afraid of making a fool of yourself in front of others?  Read with attention! Do not stay on the surface as if reading a comic book! Never just skim the Word of God! Ask yourself: “What does this say to my heart? Does God speak through these words to me? Has he touched me in the depths of my longing? What should I do?” Only in this way can the force of the Word of God unfold. Only in this way can it change our lives, making them great and beautiful.

I want to tell you how I read my old Bible. Often I read a little and then put it away and contemplate the Lord. Not that I see the Lord, but he looks at me. He’s there. I let myself look at him. And I feel—this is not sentimentality—I feel deeply the things that the Lord tells me. Sometimes he does not speak. I then feel nothing, only emptiness, emptiness, emptiness…. But I remain patiently, and so I wait, reading and praying. I pray sitting, because it hurts me to kneel. Sometimes I even fall asleep while praying. But it does not matter. I’m like a son with the father, and that is what’s important. Would you like to make me happy? Read the Bible!

Pope Francis

OSV Pocket Gospels and Psalms (NRSV)

OSV will be publishing a paperback The Pocket Gospels and Psalms in the NRSV translation sometime in late October.  If you go to the Amazon listing, you can take a look inside.  It looks quite readable.  I may have to pick one up myself.  It is great to see more editions of the NRSV come out, particularly from different publishers.

Description:
Pope Francis encourages us to read the Gospels and even to carry a small version with us, so we can take moments during the day to grow closer to Christ. This new pocket-sized collection of all four Gospels is an easy way to answer that call, and as a special bonus it includes the Psalms to aid in daily prayer and meditation. The Pocket Gospels and Psalms, just 3.5" x 4" is just a little larger than a deck of cards, so it will fit easily into pocket or purse, and the flexible cover is especially durable. The New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition is easy to read and pray with. Makes a great gift or evangelization tool.

"Take it, carry it with you and read it every day. It's Jesus Himself who speaks to you in the Gospel. It's the Word of Jesus, this is the Word of Jesus." Pope Francis

Let's Talk a Bit About the Pope's New Encyclical.......

But not about what you may think.  I am happy to post this fascinating report from reader Chris, who examined the translations used throughout Laudato Si.  Thanks for this!  I know that you all will be fascinated by this.

As a Catholic, I offer my thanks to the Holy father for issuing Laudato si’ as a gift to the human family. He reminds us of moral impact of “throwaway culture,” that in using and reducing the material world to rubbish, we do so as well to the human beings with whom we share it.

As a former United Methodist seminarian and a Bible geek, however, it wasn’t just his stance on climate change and creation I wanted to dive into. I was also curious to see which Bible translation the official English text selected for the Pope’s Biblical citations. Though I count myself among the few who actually admire the balanced artistry to the NABRE Old Testament, I do wish the English-speaking Catholic world would settle together on a common translation from the original languages. The closest we are likely to get to an official Vatican English Bible is to pay attention to the source text chosen by the Pope’s translation team..

From paragraph 65 (II. The Wisdom of the Biblical Accounts) to paragraph 77 (III. The Mystery of the Universe), the Holy Father cites the Old Testament 24 times, including passages of short and medium length.

So, what Bible does the Holy Father use? Apparently, any Bible he likes!

Encyclical	Pope	Year	Quote	Reference	Translation
Laudato si	Francis	2015	God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good	Gen 1:31	RSV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	have dominion	Gen 1:28	RSV NRSV NABRE
Laudato si	Francis	2015	till it and keep it	Gen 2:15	RSV NRSV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	The earth is the Lord’s	Ps 24:1	RSV NRSV NABRE
Laudato si	Francis	2015	the earth with all that is within it	Dt 10:14
Laudato si	Francis	2015	The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me	Lev 25:23	RSV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	he commanded and they were created; and he established them for ever and ever; he fixed their bounds and he set a law which cannot pass away	Ps 148:5b-6
Laudato si	Francis	2015	You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and withhold your help… If you chance to come upon a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting upon the young or upon the eggs; you shall not take the mother with the young	Dt 22:4, 6	RSV-2CE
Laudato si	Francis	2015	that your ox and your donkey may have rest	Ex 23:12	RSV-2CE NABRE
Laudato si	Francis	2015	the Lord rejoices in all his works	Ps 104:31
Laudato si	Francis	2015	the Lord by wisdom founded the earth	Prov 3:19	RSV NRSV NABRE
Laudato si	Francis	2015	What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground	Gen 4:9-11	RSV ESV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them	Gen 6:13	RSV ESV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	the wickedness of man was great in the earth	Gen 6:5	RSV ESV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	was sorry that he had made man on the earth	Gen 6:6	RSV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	liberty throughout the land for all its inhabitants	Lev 25:10
Laudato si	Francis	2015	When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field to its very border, neither shall you gather the gleanings after the harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner	Lev 19:9-10
Laudato si	Francis	2015	who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures for ever	Ps 136:6	RSV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created	Ps 148:3-5	RSV NRSV ESV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	Ah Lord God! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you… You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders	Jer 32:17, 21	NRSV ESV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless	Is 40:28b-29	NRSV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	Great and wonderful are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways!	Rev 15:3	RSV-2CE
Laudato si	Francis	2015	By the word of the Lord the heavens were made	Ps 33:6	RSV NRSV ESV
Laudato si	Francis	2015	For you love all things that exist, and detest none of the things that you have made; for you would not have made anything if you had hated it	Wis 11:24	NRSV

The RSV holding strong

Using BibleGateway to look up and compare each citation across translations, I expected to see a clear preference toward either the NRSV or the RSV. For the most part, that’s what I found.

Typically, where the English text presents a Biblical citation in language from the RSV, the NRSV language is often identical, leading me to believe that the default translation must be the RSV. Moreover, where an RSV quote differs from the the NRSV, the encyclical does skew toward the RSV. For instance, the English text of Laudato si’ renders Leviticus 25:3:

The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me.

This is clearly a lift from RSV, and it is markedly different from its analogue in the NRSV (“with me you are but aliens and tenants”).

Not so fast...

However, reading further, I was surprised to see that the translation doesn’t seem to adhere strictly to any one version. In at least two instances, the Pope’s English translators opted for the NRSV over the RSV.

• Jeremiah 32:17 lacks the RSV’s archaic pronouns, and renders it “Ah Lord God! It is you who made the heavens and the earth…”  
• Isaiah 40:28b-29 is identical in the RSV and NRSV, until the very last phrase. “He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless” gives it away as a quote from the  NRSV. The RSV opts instead for: “and to him who has no might he increases strength.”

So the Vatican opted for the NRSV as readily as it did the RSV. In fact, the former passage is rendered identically in the ESV, but it seems unlikely that the translators chose it as their base translation, since (so far as I know) there is no full ESV version that has been approved for Catholic use.

With a very special guest star

It gets interesting, as soon as the Holy father starts mentioning livestock. Two passages really stood out for their use of the modern “donkey” instead of the RSV’s more traditional “ass” (Ex 23:12, Deut 22:4, 6). I was surprised to see that neither instance was quoting the NRSV.

You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and withhold your help… If you chance to come upon a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting upon the young or upon the eggs; you shall not take the mother with the young. (Deut 22:4, 6)

Amazingly, the source of this citation is none other than the RSV-2CE!

The shorter “that your ox and your donkey may have rest” (Ex 23:12) also aligns with the NABRE, as do a few other isolated phrases. This seems to be a function of the brevity of the quote where it doesn’t conflict with a similar translation choice in the RSV / NRSV counterparts, so I’m confident saying that the NABRE isn’t actually represented here.

The English translators also opt for the RSV-2CE when they render Rev 15:3

Great and wonderful are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways!

Says who?

Then there is a large portion of the citations that simply diverge from any text I could find. These usually start out like the RSV / NRSV, and then add or drop modifier or helping verb. I suspect these are either wholly original translations, glosses pulled from lectionaries, or simply the RSV “cleaned up” by the Vatican translators! Only here does:

• Lev 19:9-10 refer to “your” harvest (the RSV is rendered identically, except for “the” harvest)
• Deut 10:14 use “within” (i.e. “the earth and all that is within it”)
• Psalm 148:6 end “he set a law which cannot pass away”

And the winner is

Surprisingly, the RSV-2CE seems to be one of the main two English texts quoted by the Pope’s translators, supplemented by the NRSV. At first glance, that may seem like a stretch. After all, most of the quotations aren’t different between the first and second catholic editions.

It dawned on me after reviewing these citations, though, that although the RSV is quoted extensively (and possibly adapted when convenient), the only indication we have of one edition over another is specifically when the RSV-2CE is quoted to avoid an archaism. Since the RSV-2CE is cited at all, it is likely the source of all the RSV quotes throughout, both those it shares in common with the original 1966 edition, and those unique to itself.

In other words, the Vatican team now seems to be translating with the RSV-2CE in one hand and the NRSV in the other as back-up, freely supplementing with their own edits as needed! This is both exciting and frustrating if, like me, you are frustrated by the confusing status of the RSV-2CE’s imprimatur. Perhaps someone with a print edition of the encyclical can see if the permissions page specifies the sources of its Biblical citations?