“Learn the heart of God from the word of God.”
(St Gregory)
Why study the Bible?
The Church has always venerated God’s Word in Sacred Scripture, and all are encouraged to study and reflect on that Word.
“The sacred synod also earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful, especially Religious, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the ‘excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 3:8)”
By reading, reflecting, and studying God’s Word in Scripture, we can discover more deeply who Christ is. We learn how the story of Jesus makes more sense when seen in the light of the Old Testament texts. We begin to see and understand the story of the Bible as the story of our family of faith, and where we ourselves fit into that story.
Deep Misunderstanding about the Bible
by Bishop Robert Barron
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htxOjJHB5-8
In this short video, Fr Barron explains how there are many genres in the Bible, and how easy it is to misunderstand this.
Bible Study Opportunities and Resources
Parish Renewal and Discipleship Team
The Parish Renewal and Discipleship Team holds a number of resources, such as Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible, Little Rock resources and The Great Adventure resources. The team is available to assist parishes with establishing Bible Study groups and forming leaders. Please contact us at faith.formation@bbcatholic.org.au
The Bible in a Year Podcast
A great way to read the Bible is to take up The Bible in a Year podcast by Fr Mike Schmitz at Ascension. Read all 73 books of the Bible over the course of 365 days, and hear explanations along the way to draw it all together.
Find more details here.
Ascension
Ascension have a wide variety of Bible studies available, both in print and online formats. The Great Adventure is a series of Bible Study resources which give an overview of the Bible. ‘The Bible Timeline’ tells the story of the whole Bible over 24 weeks, whilst ‘Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible’ is a shorter 8-week program. Other studies are Matthew and Acts, and studies are also available for teens and children. The program includes video input and small-group discussion, with a study guide and leaflet/bookmark of the periods of the Bible. Resources are available at https://ascensionpress.com/pages/bible-studies or in Australia through Parousia Media or Garratt Publishing.
Augustine Institute
The Augustine Institute offer a number of Biblical courses, which can be purchased individually or through the Formed platform, including studies on Mark, Matthew, Letters of St Paul, Galatians, Acts of the Apostles, Philippians and other biblical content. Formed is a cost-effective way of bringing resource to parishes, with individual logins for parishioners via a subscription service.
Formed.org website
Purchase Formed in Australia through Parousia Media here
St Paul Centre for Biblical Theology
Video studies include Parousia: The Bible and the Mass; Genesis to Jesus; The Eucharist in Scripture and others.
Visit website here
Little Rock Scripture Study
Little Rock Scripture Study is a small-group Bible study program. Participants use a study guide and a commentary book. Studies include books of the Bible, as well as Bible overview programs. The main elements of the program are daily personal reading of text and commentary, and weekly small group sharing, which includes a wrap-up lecture available online with purchase of resources.
Purchase at: https://www.garrattpublishing.com.au
Other resources