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Posts Tagged ‘Scripture’

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi

14 May

Do Catholics know the Bible?

I remember the first time I heard the Bible at Mass. By that, I don’t mean the first time I heard a Reading from Scripture in the Liturgy of the Word. No, I’m referring to the first time I heard some words from the lips of the priest and thought to myself “Hey, that’s straight from Scripture”.

Now, I knew some of the more prominent features of the liturgy such as the Gloria, Sanctus and Kyrie came from Scripture, but I thought that was pretty much it. It turns out I was very wrong…

So when was the first time I “heard the Bible at Mass”? Well, I was an altar server and went to wash the priest’s hands prior to the Eucharistic prayer. The priest came forward and, as I poured water over his hands, he said the words “Lord, wash away my iniquity  and cleanse me from my sin”.  I recognized those words! I had been reading through the book of Psalms at the time and recognized the verse from Psalm 51:

Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin - Psalm 51:2

Sound familiar? :-)

After that experience, I began to pay closer attention to the words of the Mass. Again and again I found that virtually everything that was said came from Scripture. In fact, now whenever I have non-Catholic Christians attend Mass with me, I invite them to keep a tally of the number of Scripture quotations or Biblical allusions they hear.

So do Catholics know the Bible? Well, maybe better than they think…

 
1 Comment

Posted in Faith

 

Desert Fathers: The Devil Loves Dusty Bibles

22 Feb

Dusty-Bible

A hermit said, “the prophets wrote books. Our predecessors came after them, and worked hard at them, and then their successors memorized them. But this generation copies them onto papyrus and parchment and leaves them unused on the window-ledge.

- De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

 
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Posted in Quotations

 

Growing in understanding

14 Jan

Question: “How do we grow in knowledge and understanding of Scripture?”
Answer: “Ask more questions”.

If you want to grow in knowledge and understanding of anything, asking questions is a great way to go about it! The sure and true way to stagnate in anything is to simply be satisfied with your current level of development and understanding and let yourself slowly atrophy.

So, if you want to grow in your knowledge and understanding of Scripture, ask questions about it! If you read a passage which contains lots of things in it that you don’t understand, get a good study Bible, find a Bible geek and keep asking questions until you’re satisfied with the answers!

 
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Posted in Faith

 

Suffering – Part 1: Is it inevitable?

14 Sep

I’ve been working on a document for a friend which examines the Scriptural perspective on suffering. I thought I’d share a few sections of it here…

pain

Read the rest of this entry »

 
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Posted in Faith

 

Leading Bible Study: Part 1

12 Jun

This year in the JP2 Group, more and more people have been stepping up to lead Bible study. This has been wonderful, and has brought with it a number of benefits.

Firstly, the variation in leadership has added some real diversity and insight to our Bible study sessions and helped keep the group fresh.

Secondly, in our community we often have people who attend JP2 for some time and then move on to another city. It is my hope that, by having led at JP2, these people will have the confidence at their new parish to support similar ministries or, if such ministries do not exist, then start them!

Finally, as the number of leaders in a group increases, the group becomes more self-sustaining, reducing the pressure on the group’s original leader, thus freeing him or her up to spend more time crocheting and playing the banjo…

Mistakes, I’ve made a few…

I’ve led Bible studies, in some form or another, since about 2004. In doing so, I’ve made all kinds of mistakes. Seriously, name a mistake, I’ve done it. In fact, not only will I have done it, I’m pretty sure I’d have done it in far more spectacular fashion than you! :-p

Therefore, drawing upon my vast wealth of mistakes, in an effort to help those readers who are also involved in leadership, I’ve compiled a list of Do’s and Don’ts for leading Bible Study.

Read the rest of this entry »

 
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Posted in Faith

 

The Medicine Chest

05 May

“Procure books [of the Bible] that will be medicines for the soul. At least get a copy of the New Testament, the Apostle’s epistles, the Acts, the Gospels, for your constant teachers.

If you encounter grief, dive into them as into a chest of medicines; take from them comfort for your trouble, whether it be loss, or death, or bereavement over the loss of relations.

Don’t simply dive into them. Swim in them. Keep them constantly in your mind. The cause of all evils is the failure to know the Scriptures well.” – St. John Chrysostom

 
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Posted in Quotations

 

Two Edged Sword

20 Mar

Today, another cartoon from Sword of Peter:

 
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Posted in Apologetics

 

Resolution Update

21 Jan

Okaaaaay….it’s new resolution update time…

1. Read through the New Testament Twice
My reading has been too irregular.

2. More dancing
Meh

3. Be more gentle with people
Some successes and failures

4. No sodas/fizzy drinks
21 days clean :-)

5. Get into the best shape of my life
Boot camp still going well

6. Complete reading list
Over half way through The Church And The New Media and loving it :)

7. Keep proper track of finances
Mostly good

8. Tick something off my TODO list
My mirror is covered with crossed-off items!

10. Fast on Wednesday and Friday
Halo is nice and shiny

11. Give up Facebook for 40 days
Will be doing this in March.

12. Make an effort to dress well for Mass
Looking swanky :-)

 
1 Comment

Posted in Faith

 

This all sounds so familiar…

12 Jan

Justin MartyrYesterday I published a blog entry which contained the text which we are going to study tonight at the JP2 Group. We’re going to read this document as part of our three-week series looking at worship in the Early Church.

The text I posted yesterday was a substantial extract from a work by Justin Martyr. St. Justin was a Christian in the 2nd Century and he wrote an apologetic work addressed to the Emperor known as his First Apology. In this ancient document he provides a defense of the Christian faith, but he also describes in some detail the Christian worship of his era.

Justin wrote his First Apology in around AD 150 and, despite the nascent state of the Church at this time, the liturgy has a clear structure. Catholics and all those who attend “liturgical” churches should be able to recognize many things in Justin’s description which are present in their own worship:

1. Sunday Worship

Groups such as the Seventh Day Adventists say that Christians should worship on the Sabbath (Saturday), but it’s clear from St. Justin that in the Second Century Christian worship was on Sunday:

“And on the day called ‘Sunday’, all who live in cities or in the countryside gather… We hold our assembly on Sunday because it is the first day, on which God brought forth the world from darkness and matter. On the same day, Jesus Christ our Saviour rose from the dead”

Read the rest of this entry »

 
3 Comments

Posted in Faith

 

Wise Words on Wednesday: St. Jerome

30 Nov

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ – St. Jerome

 
3 Comments

Posted in Faith, Quotations

 
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