Catholics have come a long way in our understanding and appreciation of the Bible. For too long, Catholics were not encouraged to read and pray Scripture. Since the Second Vatican Council, (and especially the publication of Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation), our Church has encouraged us to delve more deeply into God’s Word. With that in mind, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is once again inviting Catholics to participate in National Bible Week, November 13–19, 2016.
This is a great opportunity for your parish to promote reading, studying, and praying with Scripture. The USCCB has put together a number of fine resources to assist you in celebrating National Bible Week.
Your parish can kick off the week by designating Sunday, November 13, as Bible Sunday and invite parishioners to bring their own Bibles to Mass for a blessing and then take their Bibles home to be enthroned. This would be a good Sunday to make available copies of the Bible for parishioners to purchase.
To promote Scripture study, see Six Weeks with the Bible and other Scripture resources from Loyola Press.
A great way to promote knowledge of the Bible among your parishioners is to provide them with a copy of my book, The Bible Blueprint: A Catholic’s Guide to Understanding and Embracing God’s Word. The book has a free downloadable Leader Guide and is also available in Spanish. You can purchase The Bible Blueprint for only $5 each when you order 10 or more.
Finally, consider hosting a parent-child session on Introducing Catholics to the Bible, using the instruction packet here. That also includes a handout on “10 Ways to Make the Bible a Part of Your Everyday Life,” an experience of lectio divina, and Bible bookmarks.
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