Bible Presentation

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I’m on the RCIA team at my parish. This Wednesday at RCIA I have to give a presentation on the Bible to some of our newest Catholics. This is the first time the RCIA director has assigned me to teach one of the classes. So, needless to say I’m a bit nervous and don’t want to give them bad information.

Does anyone have a link to some good Catholic information about the Bible? Maybe even a presentation of sorts that someone else has made?

The challenge is I want to keep it fairly high level. Bible classes can go on for years, I only have an hour or so and I’m trying to explain things to new Catholics.

I of course have a few ideas, but I’d love (name removed by moderator)ut from you if you have it. Maybe you have some good tidbits about the Bible that easily and simply spoke to you or someone you know.

Maybe you have a handy handout I could pass out to everyone. Something like a “read the Bible in a year” by reading so much per week or something similar.

Thanks in advance…
 
06convert said:
I’m on the RCIA team at my parish. This Wednesday at RCIA I have to give a presentation on the Bible to some of our newest Catholics. This is the first time the RCIA director has assigned me to teach one of the classes. So, needless to say I’m a bit nervous and don’t want to give them bad information.

Does anyone have a link to some good Catholic information about the Bible? Maybe even a presentation of sorts that someone else has made?

The challenge is I want to keep it fairly high level. Bible classes can go on for years, I only have an hour or so and I’m trying to explain things to new Catholics.

I of course have a few ideas, but I’d love (name removed by moderator)ut from you if you have it. Maybe you have some good tidbits about the Bible that easily and simply spoke to you or someone you know.

Maybe you have a handy handout I could pass out to everyone. Something like a “read the Bible in a year” by reading so much per week or something similar.

Thanks in advance…
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The Coming Home Network has a schedule for reading the Bible and the Catechism in a year.
 
I teach RCIA, and I typically only volunteer for topics dealing directly or indirectly with the Bible. I’ve taught classes dealing with the early Church, what the Bible is, and how Catholics interpret the Bible. I also do dismissal during Mass in order to discuss the Mass readings.

I’m very surprised to hear that these new Catholics haven’t already been exposed to a topic dealing with the Bible. Regardless…

You’re going to want to mention a few things:
  • What is the Bible? The Word of God
  • What else is the Word of God? Jesus
  • Jesus is found throughout the Bible
  • God as primary author, humans as inspired authors
  • Jesus is human/divine; so is Bible
  • Bible is a library full of different genres: history, poetry, allegory, apocalyptic, prophecy
  • Despite the different genres, one inspired message throughout history: Salvation from God
  • Must read Scripture in harmony, not myopically: what seems contradictory is explained by other passages (this is possible because of the one divine author)
Edward Sri has published a good little book called The Bible Compass. It’s useful for quick reading and teaching. I often just use the book like lecture notes.

You might also consider taking some time to read a few paragraphs of Verbum Domini. It’s deep and slow-paced reading, but even one paragraph will benefit you greatly.

If you don’t have time for that, then you may consider taking 30 minutes to watch this video of Scott Hahn discussing Verbum Domini with Fr. Mitch Pacwa:

youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6PAOjD0iDEM

Oh, and don’t be nervous. There’s nothing to be nervous about. The many times I’ve been nervous about teaching, especially when I feared misguiding these aspiring Catholic by my own heretical beliefs, I’ve found the holy Spirit guiding my words with confidence.

Good luck!
 
This week on EWTN on “The Journey Home” Marcus interviewed Gary Michuta (05-02-2011) who has written a book titled “Why Catholic Bibles are Bigger”.

youtube.com/user/EWTN#p/u/20/2fSw-qoo5oY

amazon.com/Why-Catholic-Bibles-are-Bigger/dp/1581880103

You might encourage daily Mass (normally 30 minutes or shorter) to hear the Word there.

Also, EWTN broadcasts daily Mass at EWTN youTube.

The USCCB has an online NAB with hot keys to Footnotes and to other Scripture passages. Each chapter has an introductory. The USCCB also has daily Mass readings, podcasts, etc.

nccbuscc.org/nab/

Also, many Catholics use the Magnificat: magnificat.com/english/index.asp
 
+You can’t go wrong beginning with the material in . . . The Catechism of the Catholic Church . . . as an introduction to . . . **God’s Holy Word **. . . below is the link to the particular section you need . . . you can print out the material you need and copy it for your students as take home reference material . . .

Link: usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect1chpt2.shtml
:coffeeread:
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
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Article 2 - THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION
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81
Sacred Scripture is **the speech of God **as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.
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Article 3 - SACRED SCRIPTURE
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104
In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it ** not** as human word, "but as what it really is, the Word of God."

In the sacred books, the Father
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who is in heaven
comes lovingly ❤️ to meet his children,
and talks with them.
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Many teachers/presenters make the mistake of lots of just talking “about” the **Holy Bible **. . . but never actually . . . gather together . . . actual spiritually nourishing little portions of Sacred Scripture on the given subject at hand for God’s children to partake of and meditate upon . . . thus planting holy seeds of God’s truth from which a rich harvest of a . . . well grounded . . . growing healthy . . . deep faith . . . can be reaped in due season . . .
:bible1: “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand …” Psalms 139:17-18b​

:bible1: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 55:8​

:bible1: “So shall **my word **be that goeth forth out of **my **mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which **I **please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto **I **sent it.” Isaiah 55:11​

:bible1: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but **my words **shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35​

:bible1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1​

"And the
Word
was made flesh,
and dwelt among us,
and we saw his glory;
the glory as it were of the
only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth."
John 1:14
:bible1:

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Blessed Lord+
. . . thank You Sweet Spirit of our Holy God+
. . . thank you Holy Mother Mary+
. . . thank you Holy Mother Church+
. . . thank You Gracious Heavenly Father+​
 
I’ve been a sponsor for two years and our Father has taken the explaination of the differences between Catholic and Protestant Bibles.

He talks about the historical progress of the Torah, the Septuagint, the Deuterocanonicals, the Canon.

Converts will ask questions about the 7 “extra books”.

P.S. As mentioned above Jeff Cavin’s series is excellent.

Also on EWTN, Stephen Ray’s programs are occassionally rerun and they’re titled, “In the Footprints of God” and those are 👍

An example of one episode:

youtube.com/watch?v=aPXJ1fP29tc
 
In my RCIA class, I discuss the history of the Bible. I show how it was a point of discussion for many years AFTER Jesus ascended. In the book Unabridged Christianity by Fr. Mario Romero is a chart that shows how different writings were discussed as being inspired or not. It shows how the writings evolved as being accepted as inspired rather than being declared by a council in isolation.

I then put a timeline on the white board. I start with year 0, talk about year 33, and point out that by year 110 or so all of scripture was written. Then I point to year 382 when Pope Damasus commissioned St. Jerome to assemble all the sacred writings into one volume, which he later approved. At that point, the contents of the Bible were set. They have not changed since that day. Those contents included everything that is found in today’s Catholic bibles - including the deuterocanonical writings in the OT. I then move WAY down the time line to about the year 1611. It was then that the KJV was released. I spend some time discussing that there are some who hold the KJV is the ONLY valid Bible. I always tell the quick story of an old woman who was being challenged as to why she only held the KJV as authoritative. Pressed into a corner she responded, “LOOK! If the KJV was good enough for Paul, it’s good enough for me!” 😃

I then ask the class two questions.

  1. *]What did Christians use until the year 382?
    *]What did non-Catholics use until the year 1611?

    This always leads to a brief discussion on the importance of oral tradition. I then point out that the Bible contains only some of the writings of some of the apostles. I discuss how Jesus gave us a church - not a book. The only place where scripture references Jesus writing anything was when he wrote in the sand as the crowd gathered to stone the adulterous woman.

    I ask how can we know the Bible contains 100% of the written word of God, because the table of contents was not given directly to us by God. He left it to us figure that out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

    I then ask how is that a group of scholars, almost 1,600 years after Christ walked the earth, determine that every book in the New Testament is exactly the same as was promulgated by Pope Damasus.

    Then, to close the presentation, I always ask where is it that the Bible gets its authority. In other words, how do we in 2011 KNOW that it is truly the word of God? We cannot claim that the Bible says so. For one, it doesn’t explicitly say that. Secondly, even if it did that would be self-fulfilling. Other faith traditions claim their holy book is the word of God. What make their claims false while ours is not? This makes for some very awkward silence, which I let them ponder before continuing. 😉

    The answer is the following:

    1. *]Jesus was sent here by the Father.
      *]In John 20:21, Jesus tells the apostles, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” How did the Father send Jesus? With all authority on heaven and earth. Right there, Jesus passes divine authority to the apostles.
      *]To add significance to the event, John 20:22 states that Jesus “breathed on them”. This is only the second place in all of scripture where God “breathes” on humanity. The other is in Genesis when God breathed into the nostrils of Adam bringing him to life. The typology is that Jesus is breathing the beginning of His church into the apostles.
      *]The apostles went on to establish the Catholic church, which can be shown as a historical fact.
      *]Therefore, the church declared the Bible as the inspired word of God with its authority it received from the apostles, who received authority from Jesus, who received authority from God the Father.

      To accept the Bible means accepting the authority of the Catholic church. Furthermore, it is important to note that the church declared the bible to be 100% complete and without error at several church councils, including the Council of Trent. But it was also declared at several councils before that.

      The one question that is usually asked is why do Protestant Bibles omit some OT books. I present them with a KJV Bible, copyrighted around 1900, that includes the books as an appendix. I explain that they were part of all Bibles until around the year 1920 when they began to be removed. I explain that some scripture scholars theorize that when the reformers were deciding what to include and exclude from the Bible, they looked at what the Jewish people accepted. They point to a council at Jamnia that was held in the first century, after the death of Jesus, where the Hebrew scriptures were declared. This council omitted the deutrocanonical writings, so they did also. However, some scholars today even doubt that such a council was ever held. Even if we assume that it was held, this still presents two problems. First, if the council was held after the resurrection of Jesus, the list of what we call OT writings was not “official” at the time of Jesus. Secondly, why would a group of Christian scholars around the year 1600 recognize the authority of a Jewish council from the year 90? To do that would give a Jewish council more authority than all the Christian councils up to that date.

      As you can tell, this is one of my FAVORITE classes to teach. I always get students after class coming up to me and thanking me for the information. They have never had it explained in this way. One couple in the class had both graduated from a Protestant college. They said they had a class in Bible history. They said the name Jerome (not St. Jerome) was mentioned. But they went immediately to the reformers to continue the discussion. There was 1,200 years of silence that was never discussed. This presentation filled in those years.

      I have a lot more that I go into, but this presentation format always works for me. I hope you can incorporate some of it into your talk.
 
+Remembering that . . . . essentially . . . you have been entrusted with the task of . . . **introducing very simply ** . . . the Holy :bible1: Bible to newcomers with varying degrees of knowledge of the Faith and the Catholic Church . . . and it’s importance in the salvation of the soul of man . . . and the . . . incredible . . . importance, reverence and honor given it within the soul of our Holy Mother Church . . . clarity and simplicity . . . are certainly the keys to helpful and successful communication in this area . . .

Below is a great use of the very successful . . . question-and-answer method . . . for introducing and teaching profound truths simply and clearly . . . which has been successfully used for decades in the renown . . . *much graced *. . . Baltimore Catechism . . . within the Catholic Church . . . it presents answers for many common questions people have about the God’s Holy :bible1: Word . . . and provides a great start for understanding :bible1: Scripture from the Catholic perspective . . .

+**
. . . :coffeeread: . . .**

God and His Perfections
Lesson 2 from the Baltimore Catechism

23. Can we know God in any other way than by our natural reason?
Besides knowing God by our natural reason, we can also know Him from supernatural revelation --that is, from the truths, found in Sacred :bible1: Scripture and in Tradition, which God Himself has revealed to us.

:bible1:
All scripture,
inspired of God,
is profitable
to teach, to reprove, to correct,
to instruct in justice.
(2 Timothy 3:16)**

23a. What do we mean when we say that God has revealed these truths to us?
When we say that God has revealed these truths to us we mean that He has made them known to certain persons, to be announced to their fellow men as the word of God.

23b. What is the Bible?
The Bible is the written word of God, committed to His Church for the instruction and sanctification of mankind.

23c. What do we mean when we say that the entire Bible is inspired?
When we say that the entire Bible is inspired we mean that its principal author is God, though it was written by men whom God enlightened and moved to write all those things, and only those things, that He wished to be written.

23d. How is the Bible divided?
The Bible is divided into the Old Testament, written before the coming of Jesus Christ, and the New Testament, written after His ascension into heaven.

23e. Are all the passages of the Bible to be understood according to our modern manner of expression?
No; some of the passages of the Bible are not to be understood according to our modern manner of expression, since they contain certain figures of speech, parables, and literary forms used by the people of ancient times but not employed in the present.

23f. How can we know the true meaning of the Bible?
We can know the true meaning of the Bible from the teaching authority of the Catholic Church, which has received from Jesus Christ the right and the duty to teach and to explain all that God has revealed.

In these epistles there are certain things difficult to understand, which the unlearned and the unstable distort, just as they do the rest of the Scriptures also, to their own destruction. (II Peter 3:16)

23g. Are Catholics encouraged by the Church to read the Bible?
Yes; Catholics are encouraged by the Church to read the Bible, especially the Gospels, which tell about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man.

23h. What is the chief message of the New Testament?
The chief message of the New Testament is the joyful announcement of our salvation through Jesus Christ.

:bible1:
These things are written that you may
**believe **
that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God,
and that believing,
you may have life in **His **name.
(John 20:31)

23i. What is Divine Tradition?
Divine Tradition is the unwritten word of God – that is, truths revealed by God, though not written in the Bible, and given to the Church through word of mouth by Jesus Christ or by the apostles under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
**
23j. Has Divine Tradition ever been committed to writing?**
Divine Tradition has been committed to writing, especially by saintly writers called Fathers, who lived in the early centuries but were not inspired, as were those who wrote the Bible.

23k. Has Divine Tradition the same force as the Bible?
Yes; Divine Tradition has the same force as the Bible, since it too contains God’s revelation to men.

23l. By what kind of act do we believe the doctrines contained in the Bible and in Divine Tradition?
We believe the doctrines contained in the Bible and Divine Tradition by an act of divine faith, which means that we accept them on the authority of God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.
+
Link: catholicity.com/baltimore-catechism/lesson02.html​
 
Here is the outline I used for my presentations to Adult Confirmation classes at our parish. It is built around the Vatican II document on Sacred Scripture, Dei Verbum:
**
Divine Revelation**
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INTRODUCTION
The Church has always encouraged Scripture reading.
• The Saints were nourished by Scripture.
• Several Church documents through the ages by Popes encouraging Scripture reading
• The Church offers an indulgence for ½ pious reading of Scripture a day
Many Catholics on a local level were not encourage to read Scripture
• Several reasons possible
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Since Vatican II emphasis has changed
Dei Verbum: “Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation” Second Vatican Council, 1965
• Preface: “To set forth authentic doctrine on divine revelation and how it is handed on, so that by hearing the message of salvation the whole world may believe, by believing it may hope, and by hoping it may love.”
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DIVINE REVELATION ITSELF
What does “revelation” mean?
• To make something known that is hidden (e.g. Book of Revelation: Apocalypsis)
In Scripture God makes known to man:
• His existence
• His plan of salvation; that God wants to share his divine life with man, through Jesus Christ.
How does God show this plan?
• Through the words and deeds of God’s people in the Old and New Testaments
• These are verified by the miraculous works of God
• First through the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets (Abraham, Moses, David), then through his Son Jesus Christ
Ushered in a new, eternal covenant
• No new public revelation is expected before Christ comes again
• Our response to this revelation by God’s grace is faith.
God can be known with certainty from natural reason and from his creation (Romans 1:20).
Through divine revelation, man can easily and with certainty know God
**
HANDING ON DIVINE REVELATION**
How is Divine Revelation handed on from generation to generation?
• Jesus taught his Apostles everything he wanted to communicate to man
• He instructed them to preach the gospel to all nations, beginning with Israel.
• He founded his Church to last until he would come again, with the bishops as successors to the Apostles.
• In this way the Gospel would be preached uncorrupted until the end of time
The Church has grown in it’s understanding of Divine Revelation
• Sacred Tradition and Scripture
• Magisterium.**
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SACRED SCRIPTURE, IT’S INSPIRATION AND DIVINE INSPIRATION**
• The Church recognizes 73 books (46 OT and 27 NT) as inspired and canonical
• God is the primary author of Scripture
• Since God is the author of Scripture, the Church holds that “We must acknowledge…(DV, #11)
How is Scripture interpreted by the Church?
• Takes into consideration the original meaning, genre and the unity of Scripture
• Scripture is recognized as having four senses (literal, allegorical, moral, anagogical) See CCC 115—119
• By the analogy of faith; what the Church has always believed.
• The interpretation of Scripture is subject to the judgment of the Magisterium
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The Bible is the Church’s book: co-written, compiled, and interpreted by the Church.
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Continued on the next post…
 
**
THE OLD TESTAMENT**
God revealed himself to his people gradually
• Salvation history
• The promise of a Messiah
The Old Testament is a preparation for the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and points to him
• The OT contains many biblical types and prophecies
• Over 350 references to the OT in the NT
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*“The New Testament is hidden in the Old, and the Old is revealed in the New.” *(St. Augustine)
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THE NEW TESTAMENT
The New Testament tells the story of the Incarnation of the Son of God
• His words and deeds to redeem the human race
• He has the words of eternal life which he shares by grace to those who have faith
In the NT, the four Gospels hold primacy of place
• Our primary source of knowledge about Jesus Christ
• Church has always defended the apostolic origin of the four Gospels
• Jesus taught his apostles who preached the Gospel
Historicity of the Gospels
Rest of the New Testament: Paul’s letters and other apostolic writings
• Shows the Spirit was still working (and continues to work) in his Church
• Written to clarify certain points of Christ’s teachings
• To apply practical solutions to the problems of the time
• Theological meditations
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SACRED SCRIPTURE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
The Church regards Sacred Scripture, along with Sacred Tradition as the supreme rule of faith
• Christian life and worship should be nourished and ruled by Sacred Scripture
• The Mass is permeated with quotes and references from to the Bible
The Church desires that all Catholics have access to the Scriptures
• Several approved translations—NAB, JB, RSV-CE, DRV
The Church strives in every generation to gain deeper insight into the Scriptures
• Encourages study of the Early Church Fathers and Catholic liturgies
• Encourages new scholarship by theologians who are faithful to the teachings of the Church (analogy of faith)
• Some quotes from the Popes and Saints on Scripture reading: (see handout)
The Second Vatican Council urged bishops to instruct Catholics to read the Scriptures in a Catholic manner, and always with prayer
• Also urged them to provide good translations with suitable notes
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Final word of exhortation (para. #26)
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**
RECOMMENDED READING:**
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• Where We Got The Bible, by Henry Graham
• Beginning Apologetics 7: How To Read The Bible
• A Father Who Keeps His Promise, by Scott Hahn
• Making Senses of Scripture, by Mark Shea
• Reading Scripture As The Word of God, George Martin
• You Can Understand The Bible, by Peter Kreeft
• A Guide To The Bible, by Antonio Fuentes
• Navarre and Ignatius Bible Commentaries
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**
CHURCH DOCUMENTS:**
• Catechism of the Catholic Church §§ 101—141
• Providentissimus Deus, Pope Leo XII (1893)
• Spiritus Paraclitus, Pope Benedict XV (1920)
• Divino Afflante Spiritu, Pope Pius XII (1943)
• Dei Verbum , Vatican II (1965)
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Can be found on Papal Encyclicals On-line: www.papalencyclicals.net
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+While careful Biblical scholarship is an excellent Godly sound intellectual pursuit . . . as a Franciscan and Benedictine trained soul . . . Lectio Divina (divine reading) . . . has always been my primary approach to Sacred :bible1: Scripture . . . and to teaching same . . .

Pray:gopray2:er . . . is essentially the heart of one’s soul “talking” to its God . . . on the other hand . . . meditation is taught in Sacred :bible1: Scripture and by Holy Mother Church as essentially being the heart of one’s soul “listening” to its God . . . the ultimate goal of these actions of the soul being that at the center . . . of the deep interior quiet within the heart of the soul . . . the soul enters into . . . *constant holy conversation and communion with its God *. . .

Lectio Divina (divine reading) . . . is perhaps the clearest most well lit holy pathway I know of for the soul to “listen” to its God . . . essentially it is encountering God in the reading of a literary level of holy writings in Christendom believed to be especially blessed and anointed of God . . . first order and always primary of which is God’s . . . **Holy :bible1: Word **. . . Sacred Scripture . . . and which group of writings can also include . . . The Holy Rule of St. Benedict . . . The Catechism of the Catholic Church . . . writings of the Fathers and Saints of the Church, etc., . . . and as such . . . when prayer:gopray2:fully read the . . . **Holy Spirit **. . . Wonderful Counselor of Our God . . . is abundantly available to help regarding the reading and understanding of same . . .

The holy Benedictine monk Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki , O.S.B. of the Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania here in the United States . . . recommends that we . . . *slow down radically *. . . when reflecting on inspired material . . . so as to . . . ***open up freely ***. . . to the treasury of insights contained therein . . . he goes on further to share with beautiful simplicity:

Lectio Divina (divine reading)
Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki , O.S.B. (Order of St. Benedict)

“It is the **monastic insight **that reading, if it be authentic, cannot be undertaken simply with the eyes and the mind. Rather it must involve the whole person: mind, heart, body and spirit. It is reading not so much for information as for formation, that is, for encounter with the Living God in this moment in such a way that one’s heart ❤️ catches fire and one’s life is transformed … In St. Benedict’s day reading a sacred or spiritual text was practiced not so much for the sake of ‘information,’ but rather in order to be ‘formed’: that is, to be inwardly changed or shaped. …

Thus the aim of lectio divina (divine reading), i.e., pondering the material in a slow, prayer:gopray2:ful way, is to dispose ourselves to welcome God’s ever-present grace and His efforts to conquer our hearts and transform us more and more into a holy people . . . ”
​
. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Dear Blessed Lord+
. . . thank you Blessed St. Francis+
. . . thank you Blessed St. Benedict+
. . . praise God from Whom all blessings flow+
:harp:
​
 
Wow, thank you everyone for your replies. I think I have some really good stuff here I can use.
 
puzzleannie said:
just saw this from Ignatius Press
ignatius.com/IProducts/22897/the-light-and-the-lens-leaders-guide.aspx
I have ordered it to review intending to use it for Catechist formation, RCIA, parent meetings, and adult ed, sounds like what we need
I have other volumes in the series and they work very well (although we have to reuse participant books, cannot afford to purchase for each person).
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Good call! I forgot about that one. That’s part of a 7-part series (covering a wide array of topics…not just Scripture) produced by Ave Maria University and distributed by Ignatius Press.

I think they are very well done. The Leader’s guide makes giving a presentation a snap. They even tell you what parts to skip over if you’re giving a shorter presentation. Very handy. 🙂
 
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