Mike Landry: Catholic speaker, writer, & music minister in Alberta, Canada HomepageMike Landry: Catholic speaker, writer, & music minister in Alberta, Canada

BibleStudy

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Living in the Word of God: Start Reading the Bible

 

Inspired by Archbishop Richard Smith’s pastoral letter, Living in the Word of God, I’ve recently been encouraging students and adults alike to spend more time reading their Bibles.  I believe we would all benefit by making a commitment to read at least one chapter from the Bible every day, and this post is a resource to help people do just that.

Here’s three simple tips to help you get started:

1. Obviously, if you want to read the Bible,you need a Bible.  The Catholic Youth Bible is a great print edition for students, while I personally use the Didache Bible at home.  If you prefer to work from your devices, Olive Tree has an excellent app that works across all platforms.  NOTE:  If you’re buying or downloading a Bible, keep an eye on the edition – both to ensure you’re reading a good translation and that all the books are included.  Good Catholic translations include the New American Bible (NAB), The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), the Revised Standard Version (RSV), or the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) – which is the edition we use for readings at Sunday Mass in Canada.

2. If you’re going to read the Bible, it helps to know where to start reading.  While there are many Bible Reading plans (the Great Adventure Bible Study is one of my favorites), the easiest thing to do is to read the New Testament first.  If you read one chapter per day, this will take you 9-10 months, but will help you in a reading of the Old Testament, as many events in the Old Testament make much more sense if you know where you’re headed.  I also have a handy checklist to keep track of what you’ve read, chapter by chapter:

I’ve also found Dr. Scott Hahn’s book, A Father Who Keeps His Promises to be a very valuable tool in understanding what it is that I’m reading.

3.  Finally, there is great value in learning to pray your way through the Bible, rather than just reading your way through it.  There’s a simple process for praying with Scripture called Lectio Divina.  Good books to help you with this include Pathway to Our Hearts by Cardinal Thomas Collins and The Better Part by Fr. John Bartunek.  I’ve also got a small handout based on the work of Cardinal Collins & Fr. Bartunek which you are more than welcome to use:

Know that I am praying for you as you begin, begin again, or continue this journey of living in the Word of God!

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Unfolding John 5:1-18

Jesus healed people.

This is the sort of no-brainer statement that ranks up there with “ice is cold” or “rocks are hard.”  Even someone with the most superficial understanding of the Gospel knows that many of Jesus miracles in the Gospels involved healing (and a number of the miracles we still see today, particularly those which relate to canonizations) still involve healing.

When we look at many of Jesus’ miracles – like the subject of this week’s study, John 5:1-18 (Jesus healing the lame man), two questions come to mind.

  1. Why did Jesus perform all of these miracles?
  2. Why does God allow good people to suffer (and thus to require His healing)?

The first question is easier to answer than the second one. [Read more…] about Unfolding John 5:1-18

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Unfolding John 4:5-30

Photo Credit: By Neogeolegend (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The story of God’s people in the Old Testament shows both the incredible faithfulness of God as He brought them from one holy couple into one universal (world-wide) Church.  It’s an epic story that features many twists and turns bringing to life the statement that “God writes straight with crooked lines,” and that He often uses unexpected people for tremendous things.

One such story of an unexpected person whom God used for a tremendous purpose was the samaritan woman he encountered in John 4:5-30, whose story is the subject of our study today. [Read more…] about Unfolding John 4:5-30

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Unfolding John 3:1-21 (Jesus & Nicodemus)

At our last Bible study a few weeks ago, we spent some time reflecting on a compelling scene from the early chapters of John’s Gospel: Jesus’ late night clandestine meeting with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21).  This might seem like a strange passage to study ten days before Christmas – after all, there’s no manger, no shepherds, and no wise men – but this passage offers many answers as to what Child this actually is. [Read more…] about Unfolding John 3:1-21 (Jesus & Nicodemus)

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Unfolding John 2:1-12 (The Wedding at Cana)

In a lot of ways, it’s fitting that Jesus’ first miracle takes place at a wedding.  Marriage is one of the key threads found throughout scripture: the Bible begins with a married couple in the garden of Eden (the early chapters of Genesis) and concludes with the wedding feast of the Lamb in the book of Revelation.  Woven throughout scripture, the relationship between humanity & God is often compared to a marriage, with God being the groom and we the (often unfaithful) bride.  Jesus’ presence at a wedding that early in the Gospel recognizes the tremendous value of marriage, which He elevates to the dignity of a Sacrament in the life of our Church.

That being said, what Jesus does at this particular wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12) teaches us several notable things about Him, about the Kingdom of God, and about what God wants for you and I. [Read more…] about Unfolding John 2:1-12 (The Wedding at Cana)