And Another Bible in Its Traditions Video

Come and help us, even with only one penny! Venez nous aider, même avec un seul sou ! from Hervé Ponsot on Vimeo.

The Bible in Its Traditions Blog

There is a new blog/portal for this project, which you can access here.

Another Bible in Its Traditions Video

Join us, academic scholars! Venez nous rejoindre, chercheurs ! from Hervé Ponsot on Vimeo.

The Bible in Its Traditions Video

Sunday's Message

I am continuing a new weekly series which will be posted every Sunday morning called "Sunday's Message." Here, I will reproduce the readings for Mass from The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition.  I want to thank Greg Pierce at ACTA for giving me permission to do this weekly post.  While this is not an "official" Catholic edition, one of my hopes for doing this new series is to have a lively discussion on the renderings, compared to the more formal ones we are use to reading and hearing at Mass.  Is there a place for a translation like this?  Could this be a good Bible to give to a Catholic "seeker" or young adult? 

Exodus 22:20-26

“Anyone who sacrifices to a god other than God alone must be put to death.

“Don’t abuse or take advantage of strangers; you, remember, were once strangers in Egypt.

“Don’t mistreat widows or orphans. If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure I’ll take them most seriously; I’ll show my anger and come raging among you with the sword, and your wives will end up widows and your children orphans.

“If you lend money to my people, to any of the down-and-out among you, don’t come down hard on them and gouge them with interest.

“If you take your neighbor’s coat as security, give it back before nightfall; it may be your neighbor’s only covering—what else does the person have to sleep in?"

Psalm  18

God is bedrock under my feet,

the castle in which I live,

my rescuing knight.

My God—the high crag

where I run for dear life,

hiding behind the boulders,

safe in the granite hideout.

I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty,

and find myself safe and saved.

The hangman’s noose was tight at my throat;

devil waters rushed over me.

This God set things right for me

and shut up the people who talked back.

God’s king takes the trophy;

God’s chosen is beloved.

I mean David and all his children—

always.

1 Thessalonians 1:5-10

You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.

Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore—you’re the message! People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom.

Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”

Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”

Common Sense from Fr. Barron (as usual)

Saint John's Bible Heritage Edition Visits My School

This past Monday, my friend Jason, who is an ambassador for the Saint John's Bible, visited the high school where I teach in order to share with my students the SJB Heritage Edition Gospels and Acts.  He spent the day with my classes, doing a total of seven 40 minute presentations during the day.  It was a truly great day!  The kids were able to learn about the SJB, as well as flip through pages of the book.  Below are some pictures from the event.

Jason did a series of interviews with me a couple years back, which you can read here and here.