Archive for the 'The Bible' Category
Have you heard of MyCatholicVoice.com? It’s a great new Web site that is kind of like the Catholic YouTube. Here’s what the site says about itself:
Launched in February 2008, MyCatholicVoice is your online Catholic resource for personal inspiration and community ministry.
Designed to capture, organize and share the tradition of the Catholic church for the next millennium, the site features a broad range of current and historical material that speaks most to you.
MyCatholicVoice invites you to…
- …ask questions
- …find inspiration
- …create conversation
- …listen to great music
- …share your thoughts
- …connect with people
- …seek your truth
- …participate in the global Church
- …see beyond the pew
- …explore tradition
- …find your voice
- …visit a safe place online
- …explore what matters most to you
I thought I’d try my hand at MyCatholicVoice, so I uploaded the brief segment that introduces my DVD Welcome to God’s Library: Introducing Catholics to the Bible. Check it out:
http://www.mycatholicvoice.com/media/view/snRY2s
Not so long ago, I announced the availability of my (previously out-of-print) video, Welcome to God’s Library, on DVD!
In the year 2000, I filmed a video titled Welcome to God’s Library which provided a basic introduction to the Bible for Catholics (intermediate/junior high through adult). The video summarizes the thrust of my book God’s Library. Several years ago, this video and the original edition of the book went out of print. Since then, I’ve been receiving inquiries from people interested in buying copies of the video (especially since Loyola Press published a new version of the book, God’s Library: A Catholic Introduction to the World’s Greatest Book in 2005)
So here’s what I did: I worked with my son, Mike, who is a videographer, to update the master copy of the video so that it is up to date (except for the fact that I look 8 years younger than I am now!) and refers to the new edition of the book. We then transferred it to DVD.
Take a peek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbNQtQDiXf8
This DVD is available for $15, which is HALF of what it cost when it was available on VHS! You can order copies by sending me an e-mail at welcometogodslibrary@comcast.net, providing me with your name, shipping address, and quantity and I’ll get back to you with details.
Here is a description of the DVD (42 minutes):
This video is for those who are interested in deepening their knowledge and familiarity with the Bible.
- DREs may use this video for catechist formation
- individuals can use it in the privacy of their own home for independent study
- parish leaders can use it as a formation experience for parish ministers
- pastoral staffs can use it as an introduction to parish Bible study
- RCIA teams can use it as part of the catechumenate’s introduction to Scripture
- youth ministers can use it to introduce adolescents to the Bible
- catechists can use it to introduce intermediate and junior high students to the Bible
The DVD consists of 3 parts. Part One is an introduction and overview:
- comparison to using a library
- how the Bible is arranged
- How to choose a Bible
- How to use the Table of Contents
- How to use Scripture citation to locate passages
Part Two covers the Old Testament:
- How to use the God’s Library bookmarks to become more familiar with the sections of the Bible
- exploration of the arrangement of the Old Testament
- overview of the highlights found in the 4 sections of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, History, Wisdom, Prophets
Part Three covers the New Testament:
- continuation of how to use the God’s Library bookmarks
- overview of the highlights found in the 4 sections of the New Testament: Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Letters, Revelation
- the importance of footnotes
- how to pray the Bible
- tips for where to begin reading the Bible
- introduction to the Lectionary
- conclusion
I hope you find this resource helpful! Thanks!
Showing a segment of the DVD Jesus of Nazareth worked out beautifully last night.
As I mentioned yesterday, I showed the segment beginning with the Way of the Cross, leading up to the end of the film as the Risen Christ assures his apostles (and us) that he will be with us always. This is about 40 minutes.
I paused the video frequently, pointing out information and asking questions and inviting the young people to ask questions. They indeed had a number of very good questions about Jesus’ death and Resurrection. It made for a very good educational and formative experience. We talked about Nicodemus, Mary Magdelene, the act of crucifixion, the Pharisees, Mary the Mother of Jesus, Veronica who wiped the face of Jesus, the “good thief” (”Dismas”), Jesus crying out “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” the apostle John, Peter’s denial, the Jewish burial customs, and the question of whether or not Jesus could have been “spared” this gruesome death. Kids can get into some heavy stuff, eh?
From there, we went right into a reflective prayer, focusing on the story of the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus. The young people were extremely well-behaved (it helps when 2 of the usual trouble-makers are not present) and prayerful.
Back to Jesus of Nazareth, this is a good way to use video in religious education. Be sure to preview the DVD ahead of time and find points at which to pause it and ask and invite questions. It transforms the young people’s mindset from one of being passively entertained to one of being actively engaged in learning. Jesus of Nazareth is a good resource for catechesis because it is quite faithful to Scripture for the most part and, where it isn’t, it allows you the opportunity to point out what Scripture actually does teach. Our young people are so visually-oriented, it is good to provide them with visuals of the Gospel.
Not too long ago, I offered information about my “new” DVD, Welcome to God’s Library. Read the details here: http://www.catechistsjourney.org/2008/02/10/welcome-to-gods-library-on-dvd/
I wanted to pass along some very nice feedback I received from a catechist by the name of Vera:
Dear Joe,
A few days ago I watched the Welcome to God’s Library DVD and was impressed with how you un-complicated the Bible. I’ve always thought that I had to memorize where certain stories were in the Bible. Now I know how to break down the Bible to make it easier to find the stories I’m looking for. I will begin teaching my children this method. I also bought your book God’s Library for the bookmarks. Thank you for the great work you are doing for our Lord.
Sincerely,
Vera
Thanks, Vera, for the kind words.
You can order copies of the DVD by sending me an e-mail at welcometogodslibrary@comcast.net, providing me with your name, shipping address, and quantity and I’ll get back to you with details. Thanks!
Thanks. -joe
I am proud to announce the availability of my (previously out-of-print) video, Welcome to God’s Library, on DVD!
In the year 2000, I filmed a video titled Welcome to God’s Library which provided a basic introduction to the Bible for Catholics (intermediate/junior high through adult). The video summarizes the thrust of my book God’s Library. Several years ago, this video and the original edition of the book went out of print. Since then, I’ve been receiving inquiries from people interested in buying copies of the video (especially since Loyola Press published a new version of the book, God’s Library: A Catholic Introduction to the World’s Greatest Book in 2005)
So here’s what I did: I worked with my son, Mike, who is a videographer, to update the master copy of the video so that it is up to date (except for the fact that I look 8 years younger than I am now!) and refers to the new edition of the book. We then transferred it to DVD.
I am now making this DVD available for $15, which is HALF of what it cost when it was available on VHS! You can order copies by sending me an e-mail at welcometogodslibrary@comcast.net, providing me with your name, shipping address, and quantity and I’ll get back to you with details.
Here is a description of the DVD (42 minutes):
This video is for those who are interested in deepening their knowledge and familiarity with the Bible.
- DREs may use this video for catechist formation
- individuals can use it in the privacy of their own home for independent study
- parish leaders can use it as a formation experience for parish ministers
- pastoral staffs can use it as an introduction to parish Bible study
- RCIA teams can use it as part of the catechumenate’s introduction to Scripture
- youth ministers can use it to introduce adolescents to the Bible
- catechists can use it to introduce intermediate and junior high students to the Bible
The DVD consists of 3 parts. Part One is an introduction and overview:
- comparison to using a library
- how the Bible is arranged
- How to choose a Bible
- How to use the Table of Contents
- How to use Scripture citation to locate passages
Part Two covers the Old Testament:
- How to use the God’s Library bookmarks to become more familiar with the sections of the Bible
- exploration of the arrangement of the Old Testament
- overview of the highlights found in the 4 sections of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, History, Wisdom, Prophets
Part Three covers the New Testament:
- continuation of how to use the God’s Library bookmarks
- overview of the highlights found in the 4 sections of the New Testament: Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Letters, Revelation
- the importance of footnotes
- how to pray the Bible
- tips for where to begin reading the Bible
- introduction to the Lectionary
- conclusion
I’m happy to finally make this resource available again to so many of you who asked. Thanks!
This coming Monday evening is our Open House for the School of Religious Education and we anticipate parents coming to sit in on their children’s sessions. Of course, we want to be sure that some very engaging things are going on that evening!
I’ve decided to do a Bible activity with my group which is based on my book God’s Library: A Catholic Introduction to the World’s Greatest Book.
In a nutshell, the activity uses bookmarks to “divide” the Bible into 8 smaller sections: Pentateuch, History, Wisdom, Prophets, Gospels, Acts, Letters, Revelation. The participants use the bookmarks to build familiarity with these sections of the Bible, thus vastly improving their ability to be able to find stories and passages in the Bible. It’s a lot of fun as well!
I have a PowerPoint presentation for this activity and the bookmarks are provided in my book, God’s Library. Please know that when you purchase a copy of my book, you are granted permission to photocopy the bookmarks for use in your classes. Likewise, I will be happy to e-mail to you a copy of the PowerPoint presentation if you already have a copy of my book or if you “pledge” to buy one (we’ll do this on the honor system!). Just send me an e-mail at joe@catechistsjourney.com
This activity is most appropriate for young people in grades 5 and up and it requires each participant to have a copy of the Bible (a Catholic edition such as the NAB).
You can purchase God’s Library by clicking here or call Loyola Press at 800-621-1008.
Here is the activity, as outlined in the book:
Conducting a God’s Library Workshop for Young People
This workshop can be accomplished in seventy-five to ninety minutes and requires one adult for every twelve to fifteen children. It may also be adapted for teens and adults. The workshop requires that all participants have the same version of the Bible on hand so that page numbers can be used to locate passages quickly.. It also requires that each participant have a set of the God’s Library Bookmarks (see following) and a pair of scissors (unless you’ve prepared the bookmarks ahead of time which I recommend).
Goal: To build participants’ familiarity and comfort with the structure of the Bible and to increase the ease with which participants locate books, chapters, verses, and famous stories/figures in the Bible.
Learning Outcomes: Participants will learn to quickly locate biblical books, chapters, and verses using the table of contents. Likewise, participants will learn to quickly identify the location of famous stories and figures by using the God’s Library Bookmarks.
Action Plan:
1. Be sure all participants have the same version of the Bible, preferably the New American Bible.
2. Begin by introducing the notion of how important the Bible is to us as Catholics and how we are going to learn more about the Bible in this session. Ask how many have heard of the following stories (raise hands):
David and Goliath
Noah’s Ark
Jonah and the Large Fish
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
3. Next, tell participants that you will offer a prize ($1 or $5, etc.) to the first person who can find one of these stories in the Bible in 60 seconds or less. Use a stopwatch (and a whistle) and give 60 seconds for each of the four stories listed above, one at a time (without adult assistance). Most likely, no one will be able to do so. (If you believe your audience is more astute than this, be sure to allow only 30–45 seconds lest you go broke!)
Point out how unfortunate it is that we know about these stories but we don’t know how to find them in the Bible. Explain that we will be working on that in this workshop. Next, tell participants to have their Bible ready. Write the following biblical citations on the board (be sure to use abbreviations):
Ez 12:6–8
Jb 2:3–11
1 Thes 5:2–4
Again, allow participants 30–60 seconds to locate these passages (again, without adult assistance). Most will be unable to do so in the time allotted. Point out once again how unfortunate it is that we seem to be unable to identify Bible passages by their abbreviations. Ask if anyone can say out loud what the above abbreviations stand for.
4. Explain that if the Bible is so important to us, then we are going to need to learn how to find things in it more quickly and with more confidence. Explain that the Bible is not really a book but God’s Library.
5. Explain that when you go to a library, you need to use the catalogue and the book numbering system to locate the book you want to read. Point out how God’s Library, the Bible, has a “catalogue,” too, namely, the table of contents. Have all participants open their Bible to the table of contents section at the beginning. Adult supervisors should assist children here. Point out the alphabetical index, the abbreviation page, and other highlights of the table of contents in your version of the Bible.
6. Using the table of contents, invite participants to tell you what page the following books begin on:
Deuteronomy
Judges
Esther
Luke
Next, using the abbreviation table, ask participants to identify which book you are referring to when you write on the board:
Hb
Na
Ti
7. Using the board, point out how book, chapter, and verse are used in biblical citation:
Title of Book (abbreviated) Chapter: Verse(s)
Invite several participants to go to the board with their Bible open to the abbreviation table and write out in biblical citation the following passages as you say them:
Ecclesiastes, chapter nine, verses one to eight (Answer: Eccl 9:1–8)
Second Letter of Paul to Timothy, chapter two, verses four to six (2 Tim 2:4–6)
(Select more, if you wish, depending on the size of your crowd, how quickly they are catching on, and how much time you have left.)
Once again, Scripture citation may be handled differently than what I’ve shown above, depending on which Bible you are using. While most Bibles use the system I’ve described, don’t be surprised to find that some Bibles use a period or a comma instead of a colon to indicate the difference between chapter and verse. For example, the Scripture citation for the Gospel of John, chapter three, verse sixteen may appear in any of the following ways, depending upon which Bible you are using: Jn 3:16; Jn 3, 16; or Jn 3.16. Be sure everyone is “on the same page” with your approach to Scripture citation before you move on.
8. Now, explain how to find famous stories and passages when we don’t know what book, chapter, and verse they are in. Use the concept of God’s Library again and draw a diagram on a chalkboard. Imagine a building divided into two parts: Old Testament and New Testament. Ask how we differentiate between these two. (Answer: The Old Testament has stories about the people of Israel before Jesus, the New Testament has stories about Jesus and the Christian church.)
Invite all participants to locate the place in the Bible where the Old Testament ends and the New Testament begins. Show how much larger the Old Testament is than the New. Ask participants what section they should be in if they are going to look for a story about Jesus.
9. Explain that in addition to breaking down the Bible into two large sections, we are now going to break it down into eight smaller sections, four in each testament. Distribute to each participant a set of God’s Library bookmarks and a pair of scissors. (You may wish to have the bookmarks cut out ahead of time to avoid use of scissors and to reduce the time spent cutting)
10. Beginning with the Old Testament, identify the four sections: Pentateuch, History, Wisdom, Prophets. Have participants cut out and place one bookmark at a time, beginning with Pentateuch. Explain what can be found in this section by using the information provided on the bookmark. Have participants find the first and last page of each section, list the books included in this section, and insert the bookmark at the end of the section. For example, the Pentateuch bookmark goes on the last page of Deuteronomy. Invite the participants to hold up the Pentateuch section alone (take the section between the thumb and index finger) to observe its length. Using the bookmark, point out what stories/people can be found in this section. Invite participants to locate a few. Do the same for each of the four sections of the Old Testament.
11. Do the same with each of the four sections of the New Testament: Gospels, Acts, Letters, Revelation. Point out that while Acts and Revelation are individual books and not really a “section,” it is easier to separate them this way. Continue cutting out and inserting bookmarks one section at a time as you give a brief overview of what can be found in each section. Encourage participants to locate some stories as you talk about them. Spend extra time pointing out the Gospel section. Ask participants to hold up the section from Matthew through John: emphasize that if you want to find a Jesus story, this is where to look. Remember that all of the information you need is on the bookmarks.
12. Once all the bookmarks have been inserted, continue drilling participants as time allows, locating famous stories and figures in the Bible from the information provided on the bookmarks. Award prizes (candy, etc.) for just being in the right section (i.e., Pentateuch, Letters, etc.)
13. Encourage participants to continue quizzing themselves at home until they can remove the bookmarks as they would training wheels—when they are able to locate famous stories and figures within just a few minutes by knowing which section to look for. Encourage participants to show their parents, friends, pastor, etc. how they have learned to find their way around the Bible with such ease and familiarity
I received the following e-mail from a DRE in Iowa who is dealing with a question that often comes up. (The book she is referring to is God’s Library: A Catholic Introduction to the World’s Greatest Book). Following the e-mail is my reply:
We have so many issues with children and adults interpreting the Bible literally! I am often unsure how to answer them because I don’t want to think that the Bible is just stories! It’s so tricky. So I am writing to you for some advice. Our latest question comes from an 8th grade student in our Catholic school but it’s been asked before by some of our younger students too! The question is: how do dinosaurs fit into the creation story? I would like to have your perspective on how to answer this question for middle school, elementary school and adults. I talked with the 8th grade religion teacher and tried to explain what you said in your book and I also copied the information on Biblical inerrancy from the Finding God website. I would appreciate any help you can give me!
I understand the problem that you are addressing. It is indeed tricky. At the same time, I think some straightforwardness is needed here as well. I recommend the following:
-
I would affirm the 8th grader for realizing that dinosaurs are not mentioned in the creation story.
-
Tell him/her that this is a clue about what kind of book the Bible is
-
Explain that science strives to explain the truth of HOW creation happened
-
Explain that the Bible teaches us the truth about God’s relationship to creation (the WHY of creation)
-
Point out that scientists didn’t really “discover” the existence of dinosaurs until the early 1800’s. When the Bible was written, there was no scientific understanding of dinosaurs
-
The bottom line is, as Catholics, we don’t have to choose between evolution and creationism. We can accept the truth that both teach as long as we realize that they are teaching different types of truth.
-
Steer clear from suggesting that Adam and Eve walked around with dinosaurs…that’s trying to bend the creation story to explain science.
-
To be blunt: dinosaurs DON’T fit into the creation story other than the fact that Genesis tells us that God created “all kinds of living creatures.” (Gn 1:24)
-
However, the creation story teaches us what God has to do with evolution and dinosaurs! God is the creator of all things and all things are created good!
I hope this is helpful. It’s not always easy to answer such a complex question in a short time but sometimes less is more! Good luck. -joe
As a catechist, I have often participated in the Chicago Catechetical Conference. Naturally, when I hear of such a conference, I can safely assume that it is sponsored by a Church agency in Chicago which of course it is (the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry).
Likewise, when I attend the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, I can safely assume that it is sponsored by a national catechetical organization which of course it is: NCCL.
So imagine my surprise when I attended the “National Catholic Bible Conference” held at Dominican University in River Forest (a Chicago suburb) on Friday only to find out that it was a showcase for one publisher (really one guy) to showcase his Bible program!
I think that’s very presumptuous to use a title like that to attract people by giving an air of Church authority to an event that it does not have or deserve that authority. When I go to a conference, I want to hear a variety of experts enlighten me about various topics. If I want to go to a publisher’s showcase, I’ll go to a publisher’s showcase.
It just goes to show, fellow catechists, that when something is labeled “Catholic” (events, websites, Bibles) we can’t always assume that it is sponsored by an agency of the Catholic Church but is often someone’s personal agenda or a sales tactic.
p.s. In a future post, I’ll tell you more about the product being pushed at this so-called conference. It’s attracting attention but it has its problems.
“These forty days of Lent, O Lord, to you we fast and pray…” We all know that Lent has 40 days but it may cause us to wonder about the significance of the number 40. Did you know that the number 40 appears in the Bible nearly 200 times?!!! What’s up with that?
In the Bible, the number 40 is symbolic and represents a significant period of time during which an individual’s faith is tested. So, what is Lent? It is a significant period of time during which OUR faith is tested. Another word for test is examination or assessment. During Lent, we assess where we are at in terms of our commitment to the Lord.
A good way to help our students begin Lent is to help them assess themselves. In the Catholic Tradition, we call this an examination of conscience. By doing an examination of conscience, we can identify the areas of our life where we need to grow and then develop an action plan for Lent so that our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving has a clear focus.
Back to the number 40. Whenever we see the number 40 in the Bible we are being alerted to symbolic significance. The Catholic Church does not adhere to a literal translation of the Bible but recognizes that the truth of the Bible is expressed in many forms, including figurative language. If not, it would be an incredible coincidence that everything during biblical times took either 40 days and nights or 40 years!
A fun exercise with kids is to invite them to brainstorm examples of figurative language that they are familiar with (e.g. it’s raining cats and dogs). In this way they come to see that something may be true but not necessarily fact (an important concept to help them understand that Catholics believe the Bible is without error when it comes to TRUTH, but not in terms of facts).
Of course, you can send your students on a Scripture search to locate and describe uses of the number 40 in Scripture. Here are just a few: Genesis 7, 8 (Noah); Exodus 24:18 (Moses on the mountaintop); Deuteronomy 8:2 (Israel in the desert); 2Samuel 5 (David’s reign); 1Kings 19:8 (Elijah); 2Chronicles 9:30 (Solomon’s reign); Jonah 3:4 (Jonah); Matthew 4:2/Mark 1:13/Luke 4:2 (Jesus in the desert); Acts 1:3 (The Risen Christ’s appearances)
This Sunday’s Gospel about love of enemies ranks #1 in what I refer to as the “Jesus, you’ve got to be kidding” category. Now, I know that Jesus is not kidding, but I believe that the typical initial human reaction to Luke 6:27 is just that: utter dismay.
I once asked a group of students, after reading this passage, if they “buy it.” They looked at me like I had 3 heads, primarily because no one had ever asked them this question. After a few moments of silence and hesitation, one student boldly said, “No…that would never work, especially not in my neighborhood. If I turned the other cheek, I’d be dead.” Aha! Now, we had something to talk about! We then ventured into a very fruitful conversation about what Jesus is calling us to do and how it can be done realistically.
I think we need to do some reality checks like this once and awhile to see if our students really “buy” what Jesus is proposing or if they are just going along with the program. To “buy” into the Gospel is to truly make it your own and to integrate it into everyday life. Jesus was not kidding about loving enemies, turning the other cheek, and praying for those who persecute us. For a good explanation of how we can truly live these, see Pope Benedict XVI’s Feb. 18 address to the folks in St. Peter’s Square.
Enemies do not have to be out to kill us. We make enemies out of others all the time by thinking of them as rivals and adversaries. To love them is to change the way we view other people in general and, doing so, to participate in a love that “changes the world without making noise.”
Personally, I feel that if we cannot properly teach this part of the Gospel, we will ultimately fail in forming disciples of Christ. Any suggestions about how to teach the concept of love of enemies/turning the other cheek?
