Haydock Bible Giveaway!

The folks at Catholic365.com are having a giveaway for a Douay-Rheims Haydock Bible.  You can follow this link to enter.  

Additional info:

This giveaway will run from September 8 through October 13, 2014 at 12 AM EST. Entries will be verified. Winners will be notified via email – winner will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize or another winner will be selected. This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. 

The Douay-Rheims Bible was the original translation of Scripture for English speaking Catholics. The New Testament was first published in 1582 by the English College of Rheims, France, while the Old Testament was published in 1610 when the University moved to Douay, another city of France. Translated from Saint Jerome’s Latin Vulgate, it contains the most pure and most genuine passages expressed in eloquent English common during the 16th and 17th centuries. This same text is used during the Liturgy of the Word in the Latin Tridentine Mass. Among the various translations of the Bible, the Douay-Rheims is ideal for those searching for a deeper understanding of Holy Scripture. 

First published in 1884 and digitally reproduced in order to ensure an exact duplication of the original text, this new edition in hardback includes the Illustrated Bible Dictionary and a history of the books of the Bible in one volume. 

The cover uses the pattern which appeared on the original 1884 edition - a gold cross with rich Catholic symbols patterning the entire front of the cover stamped on burgundy color leather.

NRSV Hardcover with Deuterocanicals by ABS

I would like to start off by thanking reader Daniel for pointing the edition out to me.  As I have mentioned before, but not often enough, I have some wonderful readers of this blog.  Thank you!


The American Bible Society, which has become more and more involved in providing Catholic resources in recent years, provides various Catholic editions of the Bible.  This includes not only a number of NABRE volumes, but also some NRSV Bibles as well.  Last year they published the intriguing Poverty and Justice Bible Catholic Edition, which utilized the NRSV-CE text.  I like it in many ways, unfortunately like most of the NRSV Bibles on the market, it did not include any cross-references.  This remains a continual issue for those who want a nice edition of the NRSV with them included.


Well, reader Daniel recently pointed out to me an economy Bible the ABS publishes called the NRSV Hardcover with Deuterocanonicals.  Let me say this up front: It is not a premium or HarperOne type edition in any way.  In many ways, this would make a great pew Bible if Catholic Churches actually utilized pew Bibles in our churches.  (That is, of course, another issue for another time.)  For this edition, the paper is thin, the printing is not very bold, the maps are laughable, and the binding is glued.  Yuck right?  Rebinding this edition may not be either an option or desired.


However, there are two things going for it.  First off, it only costs $10.99, making it a fairly cheap purchase for most.  Those of you who are a bit suspicious of the NRSV, might like to consider this edition.  You can also purchase it in a case of a sixteen for under nine dollars each.   Secondly, and most importantly, it contains cross-references.  Yes, this is an NRSV with cross-references.  I will repeat that statement one last time, it is an NRSV with cross-references.  Such a rare thing really.  Most other editions that have cross-references are study bibles or expensive (or out-of-print) reference Bibles.  Now get this, not only are there bottom-of-the-page cross-references, they even reference the Deuterocanonical books.  Take for example the image I have for you here on the right.  It comes from 1 Corinthians 15:14-50.  If you look, you will see references to 2 Maccabees, as well as 4 Maccabees.  The Deuterocanonical books, themselves, have cross-references linking to both the Old and New Testaments.


So, this is a nice find.  If ABS would consider creating a Catholic edition of this, with a little bit nicer materials, it could make a great candidate for a rebinding.  

Sunday's Message: 26th Week of Ordinary Time

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? 

Ezekiel 18:25-28

“Do I hear you saying, ‘That’s not fair! God’s not fair!’?

“Listen, Israel. I’m not fair? You’re the ones who aren’t fair! If a good person turns away from his good life and takes up sinning, he’ll die for it. He’ll die for his own sin. Likewise, if a bad person turns away from his bad life and starts living a good life, a fair life, he will save his life. Because he faces up to all the wrongs he’s committed and puts them behind him, he will live, really live. He won’t die.

Psalm 25

Show me how you work, God;

School me in your ways.

Take me by the hand;

Lead me down the path of truth.

You are my Savior, aren’t you?

Mark the milestones of your mercy and love, God;

Rebuild the ancient landmarks!

Forget that I sowed wild oats;

Mark me with your sign of love.

Plan only the best for me, God!

God is fair and just;

He corrects the misdirected,

Sends them in the right direction.

He gives the rejects his hand,

And leads them step-by-step.

Philippians 2:1-11

Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.

Matthew 21:28-32

“Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, ‘Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.’ “The son answered, ‘I don’t want to.’ Later on he thought better of it and went. “The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, ‘Sure, glad to.’ But he never went. “Which of the two sons did what the father asked?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said, “Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God’s kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn’t care enough to change and believe him.

A Poll

What is your preferred translation of the Hebrew word "Hesed?"

Mercy

Steadfast Love

Loving-Kindness

Goodness

Great Kindness

Loyalty

Love

Other?

Poll Maker

The Feasts

Most Rev. Blase J. Cupich and the NABRE

For those of you in Chicagoland, or who are interested in ecclesial appointments, will have noticed this past weekend the appointment of Bishop Cupich to the See of Chicago.  One issue that has not been mentioned in much of the coverage about the appointment is that he was one of the members of the Subcommittee on the Translation of Scripture Text for the NABRE OT and re-revised Psalms.  I am unsure if he will be associated with the upcoming revision of the NABRE NT.

Also, I read the following excerpt from Deacon Kandra's blog about the soon-to-be Archbishop of Chicago:

When he came to Spokane in June 2010, he left 12 years of experience as bishop in Western South Dakota to come to an area where he had never lived.  He asked what God’s Word had to say to him with that change, not knowing how he would deal with issues or serve people.

He said his starting point in Spokane has not been his experience but what God wants him to do in the new situation.

“The Word is my barometer helping me focus on what I should be doing,” he said.  “God says for me to open my eyes and see what good is happening.”

THE ROLE OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE MEMORIZATION OF SACRED SCRIPTURE

From my friend Paul of Theandric:

Last year around the time of the feast of St. Matthew, I described how God put on my heart to begin devoting time to the memorization of major sections of Scripture.  I’m happy to say that I have continued to devote myself to this challenge, even if my initial enthusiasm has waned at times, requiring me to re-commit myself on more than one occasion. 

After my last guest blog at CBB, a reader wrote to me expressing an interest in beginning some memorization.  I offered some tips, and in doing so it reminded me of the element of spiritual warfare that is an important aspect to consider when we’re trying to grow in our love of God.  The truth remains that Satan is real, and just as he tried to do disrupt God’s plan in the life of Christ, he will also try to halt, twist and altogether destroy God’s plan in our own lives.  

Before we address the issue of scriptural memorization itself, let’s first consider some of the tactics of the devil.  I am going to offer this passage from Matthew’s gospel to serve as a departure point of our reflection.  To provide context, this passage recounts what occurred after the magi failed to return to inform Herod that they had found the Christ Child.

“When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.” Matthew 2:16

Fortunately, before Herod ordered the massacre, the Lord had already warned Joseph that Herod intended to destroy the child.  After the warning, Joseph obeyed the Lord’s directive and fled to Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus. 

Now this passage can tell us so much about how the evil one thinks and operates.  The first thing we should note is that the devil wants to destroy life itself.  As Jesus warned us, the devil is a “liar and a murderer from the beginning.” Murderers earn the name by committing murder, that is, by destroying life.  In contrast, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” 

In the case of Herod, we can be certain that his own heart had been corrupted by the influence of Satan, for Herod, corrupted by the sin of pride and lust for power, would not abandon his plan to destroy Life.  Since the magi did not inform him of the whereabouts of the Christ child, he then devised a diabolical plan to commit a full-scale massacre and to destroy life that was still in its nascent stages.  This led to what we know as the “massacre of the innocents” -  the barbaric destruction of innocent, weak and vulnerable children.  But again he failed in his quest to destroy Jesus. 

This shows us a second aspect of how the jealousy and pride of the devil causes him to seek the death of something holy and humble.  If he cannot destroy life at its beginning, he won’t give up on trying to kill it when it is still weak and vulnerable. 

So now get back to considering the challenge of learning God’s Word by heart.  If we’ve prayed about it and discerned that God is inviting us to memorize His Word, we know it will take time, effort and daily devotion.  And just as a child does not become a man in a day, we won’t be able to learn God’s Word by heart in a day.  If we say “yes” to the Lord, we must be aware that the evil one is going to be saying “no” to our desire to do the will of God.  So we can acknowledge at the outset some important lessons of spiritual warfare:

#1. The devil will try to stop you before you begin a good work.

#2. If he can’t stop you from starting, the devil will try to stop you after you’ve begun, especially in the nascent stages.  While old habits die hard, new habits die young!

Let’s take #1 first.  How would the devil try to stop you from memorizing the Scriptures before you begin?  Here’s some of my ideas how.  Feel free to share your own. 

a. He will try to make you believe that the whole idea is too ambitious, and only suitable for those who have no full-time job, no children, no hobbies, etc. 

b. He will keep you preoccupied with finding a “perfect translation” such that you don’t bother beginning at all, since we are exposed to a variety of translations in our worship, spiritual reading, etc., making you worried that somehow becoming more familiar with one translation will “confuse” you… 

c. He will keep you preoccupied with surfing the internet throughout the day so that you never commit to memorizing even one passage of scripture, or at least stall your efforts to make progress.  (This was and is the tactic that continues to plague me!)

d.  He will tempt you with a slew of other tantalizing forms of spiritual reading, that will take priority over reading the Gospels themselves.  The secondary sources, while certainly helpful for the spiritual life, should always remain just that, secondary sources.  Should we not seek the Primary Source itself, the Word of God, in whom we live and move and have our being? 

Thanks again to Tim for this great blog and the chance to share some of my reflections.  Next time I intend to comment on how the devil will try to destroy your good work after you’ve begun.