This and That BLOG

Today is the third Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is also Sunday of the Word of God.

In 2019 Pope Francis proclaimed that beginning in 2020 the third Sunday in Ordinary Time would be celebrated as Sunday of the word of God. It is a day to recall, in a special way, the importance of Sacred Scripture in the life of Christians. Here is a link to the proclamation and to links to other materials contained in it: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190930_aperuit-illis.html

There is also a page on the USCCB web site with lots of information about Scripture. It looks like it was created for last year but the information is still good: https://www.usccb.org/committees/divine-worship/sunday-word-god

I know I’ve mentioned it before but it’s worth saying again that I think one of the best ways to engage Scripture is the Bible in a Year podcast from Ascension Press, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz. You can start listening on any day that works for you and go at your own speed. Here is a link: https://media.ascensionpress.com/category/ascension-podcasts/bibleinayear/

I recently read that both the Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year audio from the podcasts is now on the EWTN radio network. The actual podcast gives you more flexibility as far as when you listen but if radio works for you here is more information: https://aleteia.org/2024/01/14/fr-mike-schmitzs-in-a-year-podcasts-headed-for-radio/

As you might imagine there are lots of reading plans you could follow if you prefer to read on your own. One source I can recommend is from YouVersion https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Once you download their app you can subscribe to a variety of reading plans.

Maybe the simplest way to read more Scripture is to read the readings for Mass every day. They are available in lots of places but I like the USCCB web site: https://bible.usccb.org/

Reading is one thing, a very good thing, but understanding is very important too. Sometimes you can read a passage of Scripture and it’s pretty obvious what it says. That’s known as the plain sense or literal sense or Scripture. However, sometimes there’s a lot more to it. In those cases a good commentary can be very helpful. There are a lot of options when it comes to commentaries as well. Some cover just a single book or a small number of short books or letters. I like the New Collegeville commentary. You can also buy a single large book that contains all the books/letters. Here’s more information on these New Collegeville commentaries: https://litpress.org/Category/S-NCBC/New-Collegeville-Bible-Commentary

Another favorite for me is the “for Everyone” series of commentaries on the four Gospels from N. T. Wright. A former bishop in the Anglican Church Tom Wright is an excellent source of information on the New Testament. In addition to these commentaries he also has some great work on the Apostle Paul. Here’s an example of one of his commentaries: https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Everyone-New-Testament/dp/066422783X/ref=asc_df_066422783X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312748656151&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10777965486846395148&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1012947&hvtargid=pla-571187356713&psc=1&mcid=c8a0a73ebcd1323eaf1a32cd7f0dee15&gclid=CjwKCAiA75itBhA6EiwAkho9e7Ua1oaB4cC2T14QFXN-8culFKFohrOgqQEyYJY5gj7DCCPNEDoZVhoCtgoQAvD_BwE

One last series of commentaries to consider if you are looking for something deep. The Sacra Pagina series from Liturgical Press is the best I’ve found. Here’s an example: https://www.amazon.com/Sacra-Pagina-John-R-Donahue/dp/0814659659/ref=asc_df_0814659659/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312543040920&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15504063238148615879&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1012947&hvtargid=pla-579194320927&psc=1&mcid=e74da63b446f3c71bc3364b506db062d&gclid=CjwKCAiA75itBhA6EiwAkho9ezs1DZ2cVF_OrmINGJ3C_ZpHIxKCXAx0lF8fTDaouavb6mlzOX9BiBoC11IQAvD_BwE

By the way, be sure to shop around as pricing can vary from different sources for the same publication.

Regardless of your knowledge of Scripture, beginner or experienced, very few people are really experts. We’re all always learning and discovering new insights about God and about us, as we spend time in Scripture. As we are approaching Lent a great Lenten project would be to read a single book of Scripture. Either the Gospel of the year, Mark this year, or Acts of the Apostles any year, would be a great choice. If you’re just getting started reading Scripture maybe just read one of Dr. John Bergsma’s Bible Basics for Catholics books. One of those books can be a great jumping off point to a habit of reading and understanding Scripture.

Finally, in his homily this morning (Sunday) Pope Francis talked about hearing, and being moved to action by, Scripture. It’s an excellent homily: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2024/documents/20240121-domenica-parola-didio.html

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.

I hope you have a great week.

Peace, Bob