Scott Hahn on the Assumption of the BVM

Zondervan NABRE First Communion New Testament

Zondervan will begin publishing a First Communion NABRE NT beginning in early 2013. The binding is leather and will be available in both white and black.  The description at the Zondervan site mentions that this is a "Great gift for those celebrating First Communion New Testament text of the New American Bible translation, with imprimatur Presentation page and The Lord's Prayer Keepsake for this special occasion."  The list price is $14.99.

It will be interesting to see if Zondervan will publish any additional editions of the NABRE in 2013.  (Keep in mind that Zondervan is associated with HarperCollins Publishing.)

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death." The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:

In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.

 

--Cathechism of the Catholic Church 966

Year of Faith Bible Study

Fr. Mitch Pacwa, from EWTN, has produced a Bible study to accompany the upcoming Year of Faith which begins in October.  Published by OSV, this study will be available later this month.  You can read a few pages from it here.  You can also read the Holy Father's Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei annoucing the Year of Faith here.

According to the OSV site:

Our society is struggling with what Pope Benedict has called "profound crisis of faith that has affected many people."
In response, the Holy Father has called us all to a Year of Faith from October 2012 to November 2013.

We see the signs all around us: the demand for science to prove everything before we can believe it, the role of media and celebrities who deny the existence of God and denounce the role of the Church, and the ease in which we can all isolate God and faith into only one part of our life.
In a follow-up to his best selling St. Paul Bible Study for Catholics during the year of St. Paul, Fr. Mitch Pacwa once again leads Catholics to a deeper understanding of Pope Benedict's call to action for the year.

Perfect for individual or group study, this book is a wonderful guide to experiencing a conversion, growing in faith, and following Jesus Christ more closely. It shows us how to integrate every component of our life – relationships, morality, work, recreation, and all – into a meaningful whole.
Make the most of Pope Benedict's Year of Faith, walking hand in hand with Fr. Pacwa as he guides you through the beauty and insights of Scripture in relationship to your everyday life.

Taking a Tour of Biblical Top 10's

Mary Sperry is no stranger to this blog.  Her work with the NABRE is well-documented here.  As many of you know, she recently published a book called Bible Top Tens which I reviewed earlier this year.  OSV recently published a feature in their newsweekly examining some of Mary's selections in her book, which you can now read about here.  It is a fun little book which makes a great gift for Christmas or First Communions!

Also, be sure to check out Mary's latest book Ten: How the Commandments Can Change Your Life which is due out in September from Franciscan Media.

Red Letter Bible?

Michael P. commented during a recent post that I should do a poll about red letter Bibles. I liked his suggestion. But instead of just putting up a poll, I want to hear from you, my beloved readers, why you like or dislike red letter Bibles. Perhaps surprisingly, I don't really have an opinion. So what are your thoughts?

Some Additional Thoughts on the CSSI Bible

Back in March of 2011, I reviewed the Catholic Scripture Study International Bible (RSV-CE) published by Saint Benedict Press.  I noted that it wasn't a proper "study Bible" due to the absence of cross-references, more detailed maps, and notes/commentary.  However, I found it to be a very good apologetics study Bible, with a very nice overall feel and look to it. 

As I mentioned during that earlier review: "The real jewel of this study Bible is the apologetics content found in the 76 full color pages. Most notably, the eight pages of “Catholic Apologetics Bible Verses” I have found to be quite helpful. This section not only covers issues ranging from “Anointing of the Sick” to “Works” but does so with both biblical citations as well as direct quotations from the Fathers of the Church."

I stick by those initial comments, but I would like to add some practical insight into this edition which I gained during the past academic year.  As some of you know, this past Spring semester I taught a high school theology elective course on Catholic apologetics to our graduating seniors.  (I am excited to say that I have two full classes of this elective set for this coming academic year as well!)  One of the texts I used consistently was the CSSI Bible.  This was due to two main reasons:

1) The inclusion of the large-print edition of the SBP RSV-CE made it very useful for reading and proclamation during class.  It also provided plenty of room for personal notes and highlighting.  Even today, when I feel like reading from the RSV, I typically read from the CSSI Bible.  (Also, I do like the very flexible bonded leather cover.  It is far better than most other bonded leather covers that I have complained about in the past.)

2) The eight pages of "Catholic Apologetics Bible Verses" mentioned above were a handy and well-organized component of this Bible.  Not only did they point out verses that have been used to counter various Catholic teachings, but included ample counter verses as well as full quotes from the Fathers.  These "helps" were exceedingly useful when I was preparing for a lesson or when I was responding to a student question but couldn't remember the verse I wanted to cite. 

All in all, this is a fine Catholic Bible.  With that being said, I would love to see a future edition that incorporated some of those elements that I feel were missing.  By simply adding cross-references and some more maps, like the "Route of the Exodus" and "Paul's Journeys" for instance, I think the CSSI Bible would become a premier reference Bible for Catholics.

But until then, if you are interested in purchasing this already very useful CSSI Bible follow the below link:
Catholic Scripture Study Bible: RSV-CE Large Print Edition