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| My webcam took this... pretty rough, eh? |
The short version of this review: Madrid does an excellent job of placing 150 verses of Sacred Scripture in front of you and simply explaining the meaning and significance of the verses. He moves from Old to New Testament in each chapter, lest we forget the importance of our Jewish roots. Simply put, this book makes you hunger for reading the Bible more often.
The long review would be an extensive look at Scared Scripture itself, because, after all, that is what he's sharing. It is not a work of apologetics meant to defend the Faith but a small abridged Bible with commentary.
Madrid explicitly states in the introduction that A) he had a hard time leaving out some verses and B) this book only "scratches the surface" of what is available in Sacred Scripture. Catholics hear Scripture every time we celebrate the Mass, but most of us don't spend a lot of time reading the Bible on our own (guilty). We should try to change this.
Catholics have the advantage of hearing consistent teachings, as preserved by the Church and passed on from Jesus and His apostles. This means we can go to a Catholic Church in any state or country and hear the same Gospel and readings along with the teachings of the Catechism (presuming it is in a language we can understand).
This doesn't mean "that's it." That is not your only responsibility: there is a lot to be discovered (or rediscovered) in Jesus Christ in your life. How else can you pass on the passion for His Love than to learn more about it?
5 comments:
It sounds good. I'm glad I was raised in a tradition where there was a heavy emphasis on reading the Bible, it's so important!
have you heard about the great adventure bible study? we are currently eating that up in my church. they have one for adults, teens and kids. it's very interesting...and i love it. :)
Does he show continuity between each verse, or are they evaluated individually?
Ciska - agreed! I'm working on reading more!
Tina- I think my sisters and I used to listen to that to go to sleep? If not, I do know about it! I love the stuff people are creating to enrich this journey to Christ.
Billy - Good question, I should have addressed this in the review. He transitions smoothly and sometimes he writes, "(see Jeremiah 29:11)." Other times he block quotes the verses. It's all very fluid.
The chapters are:
The One True God
Jesus Christ, True God and True Man
Salvation
Divine Revelation
The Church
Evangelization
The Sacraments
The Communion of Saints
Trials and Temptations
The Law of Love
The Sanctity of Human Life
Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell
Agreed. I was really involved with Young Life in high school/college and it really taught me the importance of reading the Bible.
I think our Catholicism is imbued with scripture and we don't realize it. But I think there is also value in reading and studying it. I don't think scripture should be looked at in just a "what does this say to me about my life" but getting to know the word of God is getting to know God.
Sometimes I listen to Mars Hill Bible Church podcasts (its Rob Bell's church). I don't think of it as a theologically correct description of scripture, but rather a Bible study. Listening to people's opinions and reactions to scripture can be really helpful when deciphering a text. Some interpretations might be more right than others, but I think its the journey that matters. At least, the journey sticks with me more than just hearing "this is what verse X means"
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