Intense Bible/Catholic Study

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Hi,

I’m very new to the Catholic Church, and plan to convert next fall through RCIA. While I had SOME religious upbringing and attended church sometimes, not only am I dissatisfied with my knowledge of Catholicism (which I am learning every day more and more) but also with scripture, the stories, everything, in general.

What would you recommend, as far as books or bible studies, to aid me in an intensive study of scripture and the Catholic faith alike, as basically a beginner? I am extremely interested in apologetics, but I know I need to start at square one. I want to know, understand, everything, as much and as thoroughly as possible.

I’ve looked through and seen some of the threads talking about certain bible study websites…that would suit me fine, too, but the one I saw mentioned only has one “beginner” course it seems, and I’m just not sure where to start.

I would love ANY advice/resources. Websites, books, methods of Bible study, whatever! 😃
 
I understand the entusiasm, but take it a bit slowly.

You might look into the materials that Scott Hahn has; he has done quite a bit from a scriptural standpoint.

You might also get a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (it should be available through most larger bookstores), and the catechism work by Father Hardon, SJ.

Keep in mind that prayer is an important and integral part of your faith walk. Attend Mass every Sunday. Find a prayer format that works for you on a daily basis. Some say the Rosary, and there are good materials on that from most Catholic bookstores. Or you might try the Liturgy of the Hours, the other main liturgy of the Church. If you are not sure where to start with that, you might try the Magnificat, a (about) monthly publication with a very short version of the Liturgy of the Hours and other prayers and meditations, or a book called Shorter Christian Prayer, which is a shortened version of the Liturgy of the Hours, with Morning Prayer (Lauds), Evening Prayer (Vespers) and Night Prayer (Compline). The Liturgy of the Hours is based on the Psalms and Old and new Testament readings. SCP should be available from a good Catholic bookstore; I am sorry that I don’t know the publisher of the Magnificat. However, if you use the search function, you may be able to find it on another thread.

God bless you on your journey!
 
With your limited religious background, I would think twice about the Catechism. It can be a very over-whelming read. I would start with the Baltimore Cat. instead, same truth just easier for those unfamiliar with the faith to understand.

The advice about taking it slow is right, I was you two years ago. I wanted to know and learn EVERYTHING NOW!!

A good book I recommend is Catholicism For Dummies. Written by Fr. John Trigilio and Fr. Kenneth Brighenti. Solid Catholic teaching in an easy and FUN layout. I referenced this book alot when I was going through my RCIA process.

May the Holy Spirit continue to lead you on your journey toward truth.
 
Here are some web resources! 🙂

Everything from a Catholic encyclopedia to the early fathers of the church. Good stuff just for browsing.
newadvent.com/

The Catachism of the Holy Catholic Church. The official teachings of how and why Catholics conduct thier faith.
vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm

This should keep you busy for a while. 👍

I’d say read the Catachism first, then browse around New Advent for deeper background info.

Welcome aboard!
Jerry
 
IMHO I think reading the Bible cover to cover is an excellent overview start! Why not start with the Word, then graduate to the CCC, which builds, enhances, and interprets it?
 
Hello,

I too am new to the faith. I have found that several books have helped me. Catholics and Fundamentalists, Why do Catholics Genuflect and even a very simple apologetic book written for teenagers and kids called Prove It! by Amy Welborn. I just bought a book called This is the Faith by Francis Ripley. It is a simplified Catichesm.(Sp?)

Get a copy of the Catholic Bible. I got one for twenty dollars and I am starting with all the books that i was denied as a Protestant. Tobit is a good story. And the additional chapters in Daniel add depth to the whole book.

EWTN has some interesting shows. The Jewish ROots of our Faith is an excellent show as is the Journey Home Series.

One of the odd things is that I am quickly becoming knowledgable about the justification of things that annoy Protestant, and Church history but normal things I am very ignororant about. My husband overheard a conversation about giving meat up for Lent? I didn’t know what to tell him. I don’t know why the person gave up meat for LEnt. I plan to do a web search.

Oh and the web is another wonderful resource. Look up Catholic apologetics in your search engine.
 
I just started watching Dr. Tim Gray on EWTN. His program is really good. There are teenagers having a Bible Study taught by him, but the level isn’t just for teenagers.

It’s on at 2:30 PM EST on Saturdays.
 
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MParedon:
I just started watching Dr. Tim Gray on EWTN. His program is really good. There are teenagers having a Bible Study taught by him, but the level isn’t just for teenagers.

It’s on at 2:30 PM EST on Saturdays.
Click to expand...
I wrote but it is very long. I hope that is okay.
 
I humbly recommend you start with my new Catholic Scripture Study page. It has a liturgical Bible study for every Sunday, plus other resources to help got you started, including some of the ones mentioned above:

Catholic Scripture Study
members.cox.net/fidelis927/
 
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