More Kindle Talk

Today I spent some time on my Kindle just playing with a number of Biblical studies related content. I really did begin to see how the Kindle could be utilized in the class setting. Ever since I received the Kindle for Christmas, I just haven't had a chance to play with it. As of now, I have the NABRE, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible NT and Genesis, ESV Study Bible, and Easton's Bible Dictionary. The ESV Study Bible, while not a Catholic work, has a ton of useful info and high quality maps and charts. (Of course not everything found in the commentary would be termed 'Catholic-friendly'.) The NABRE also works very smoothly.

Anything else you think I should get? How has been your experiences with Kindle-like technology?

CBA and USCCB Agreement

For those of you who have been following the 3 year long dispute between the CBA and USCCB, I am happy to see that both sides have come to an agreement. For more info, follow this link.

(Thanks to reader Sharon for the link!)

Mondays with Verbum Domini

The word of God and the Liturgy of the Hours

Among the forms of prayer which emphasize sacred Scripture, the Liturgy of the Hours has an undoubted place. The Synod Fathers called it “a privileged form of hearing the word of God, inasmuch as it brings the faithful into contact with Scripture and the living Tradition of the Church”.[221] Above all, we should reflect on the profound theological and ecclesial dignity of this prayer. “In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church, exercising the priestly office of her Head, offers ‘incessantly’ (1 Th 5:17) to God the sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name (cf. Heb 13:15). This prayer is ‘the voice of a bride speaking to her bridegroom, it is the very prayer that Christ himself, together with his Body, addressed to the Father’”. The Second Vatican Council stated in this regard that “all who take part in this prayer not only fulfil a duty of the Church, but also share in the high honour of the spouse of Christ; for by celebrating the praises of God, they stand before his throne in the name of the Church, their Mother”. The Liturgy of the Hours, as the public prayer of the Church, sets forth the Christian ideal of the sanctification of the entire day, marked by the rhythm of hearing the word of God and praying the Psalms; in this way every activity can find its point of reference in the praise offered to God.

Those who by virtue of their state in life are obliged to pray the Liturgy of the Hours should carry out this duty faithfully for the benefit of the whole Church. Bishops, priests and deacons aspiring to the priesthood, all of whom have been charged by the Church to celebrate this liturgy, are obliged to pray all the Hours daily. As for the obligation of celebrating this liturgy in the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris, the prescriptions of their proper law are to be followed. I also encourage communities of consecrated life to be exemplary in the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, and thus to become a point of reference and an inspiration for the spiritual and pastoral life of the whole Church.

The Synod asked that this prayer become more widespread among the People of God, particularly the recitation of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. This could only lead to greater familiarity with the word of God on the part of the faithful. Emphasis should also be placed on the value of the Liturgy of the Hours for the First Vespers of Sundays and Solemnities, particularly in the Eastern Catholic Churches. To this end I recommend that, wherever possible, parishes and religious communities promote this prayer with the participation of the lay faithful.
-Verbum Domini 62

Common English Bible Compared

The Common English Bible newsletter came out yesterday with the below comparison. I added the NAB.

(Reader Victor alerted me to the fact that you can get the Kindle version of the CEB w/ Apocrypha now. Thank you Victor.)

Common English Bible Acts 4:32-33
32 The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “This is mine!” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. 33 The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all.

New American Bible
32 The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all.
 
New International Version (2011) Acts 4:32-33
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.
 
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Acts 4:32-33
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
 
King James Version (KJV) Acts 4:32-33
32And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.  33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all

More Changes to RSV-2CE Edition

So, I was at my favorite Catholic bookstore in Ann Arbor yesterday and saw a stack of new bonded leather Ignatius RSV-2CE editions. Certainly not a surprise to see them at this store, but the spine looked a bit different. It wasn't much, just that the lettering was a bit more bold and the spine seemed flatter. So, I opened it up, and viola there were some differences from previous editions. This has happened before, with the elimination of the glossy paper used for the first editions of the RSV-2CE a year or so back. You can read a little about that here.

So what are the differences:

1) As you can see with the photo, the old Nelson maps have been completely replaced by the Ignatius maps. Those of you who have the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament will instantly recognize them. The previous editions included around 9 Nelson maps, while this new edition includes a total of 15 maps. These maps cover the period from the time of Abraham to the Churches of the New Testament period. The New Testament maps are identical to those of the ICSBNT, and the Old Testament ones are of the same style. There are even maps for the Maccabean period of the 2nd Century BC. Overall, a wonderful upgrade to the previous set.

2) The next change is that the color of the paper is basically white. The last edition, which followed the glossy paper mistake, was more cream colored. The paper in these new editions are clearly white. Again, I think this is a great improvement.

3) Finally, while the previous editions mentioned that they were published through Thomas Nelson Publishing, there is no indication of this in this edition. The Bible seems to be published directly by Ignatius Press and printed in the USA.

At this point, I don't see any changes in the text itself. If anyone is familiar with any typos in previous editions, I would be happy to check them out for you. I will keep reading through to see if there is anything different with the text. Overall, I think the changes, while perhaps minor, improve the readability and usefulness of this edition. Who knows, perhaps one day I will find a 4th edition of the RSV-2CE with a concordance.

NABRE on Kindle

The NABRE is now available on Kindle. You can read about the details here.

A tip of the hat to reader Rolf for alerting me to this.

Mondays with Verbum Domini

The word of God, Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick

Though the Eucharist certainly remains central to the relationship between God’s word and the sacraments, we must also stress the importance of sacred Scripture in the other sacraments, especially the sacraments of healing, namely the sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance, and the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The role of sacred Scripture in these sacraments is often overlooked, yet it needs to be assured its proper place. We ought never to forget that “the word of God is a word of reconciliation, for in it God has reconciled all things to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:18-20; Eph 1:10). The loving forgiveness of God, made flesh in Jesus, raises up the sinner”. “Through the word of God the Christian receives light to recognize his sins and is called to conversion and to confidence in God’s mercy”. To have a deeper experience of the reconciling power of God’s word, the individual penitent should be encouraged to prepare for confession by meditating on a suitable text of sacred Scripture and to begin confession by reading or listening to a biblical exhortation such as those provided in the rite. When expressing contrition it would be good if the penitent were to use “a prayer based on the words of Scripture”, such as those indicated in the rite. When possible, it would be good that at particular times of the year, or whenever the opportunity presents itself, individual confession by a number of penitents should take place within penitential celebrations as provided for by the ritual, with due respect for the different liturgical traditions; here greater time can be devoted to the celebration of the word through the use of suitable readings.

In the case of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick too, it must not be forgotten that “the healing power of the word of God is a constant call to the listener’s personal conversion”. Sacred Scripture contains countless pages which speak of the consolation, support and healing which God brings. We can think particularly of Jesus’ own closeness to those who suffer, and how he, God’s incarnate Word, shouldered our pain and suffered out of love for us, thus giving meaning to sickness and death. It is good that in parishes and in hospitals, according to circumstances, community celebrations of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick should be held. On these occasions greater space should be given to the celebration of the word, and the sick helped to endure their sufferings in faith, in union with the redemptive sacrifice of Christ who delivers us from evil.
-Verbum Domini 61