Is there a Bible in the house?

[jmcrae]

Easy really isn’t such as issue as you may think. Protestant children are taught Bible drills, so finding the appropriate place is a well learned skill.

Catholic children do that, too.

It would not take me longer to find Hebrews 4:13 than it would for me to find page 397.

A Catholic doesn’t have to find page 137 - he just turns to where he put his bookmark yesterday, and moves it one page more.

The Missal is laid out according to the days of the week, and each page has one day’s readings, in sequence.

I also sometimes find it beneficial to read bits before and after the reading provided.

I do that when I’m meditating on the readings at home, in preparation to go to Mass.

 

[Syele]

Catholic children do that, too.

Good then it’s not hard at all, now is it?

A Catholic doesn’t have to find page 137 - he just turns to where he put his bookmark yesterday, and moves it one page more.

The Missal is laid out according to the days of the week, and each page has one day’s readings, in sequence.

I’m quite aware of how the missal is laid out. I have one of my own and I attended Catholic Parishs weekly for a few years.

I do that when I’m meditating on the readings at home, in preparation to go to Mass.

I usually do it both times. Thinking about it, reading a bit ahead and after… they don’t exclude listening.

 

[jmcrae]

I usually do it both times. Thinking about it, reading a bit ahead and after… they don’t exclude listening.

In my case, I am usually praying with the readings as I hear them read out (in the same way that I pray with the whole Mass all the way through), so I normally don’t have anything in my hands when they are being proclaimed - my hands are folded in prayer at that time.

For those who carry a missal with them to Church, usually it’s lighter and easier to keep in a purse or pocket than a Bible, as well as being more convenient - you only have to turn the page once, and there are all of your readings on the same page. (And if you carry a Bible to Mass, then you would also need to have the Missal with you* anyway,* in order to know what passage to turn to next - so it makes more sense just to carry the Missal, and read along from that, if you are the kind of person who prefers to read along. Also, with the Psalm, you would still need the Missal so as to know which verse is the antiphon - the verse that is recited by the people - for that Psalm.)

 

[Sabda]

Hi,

As it’s been stated we have missals. I personally think missals are a great idea. Not only do they have the Scripture readings for the day but they also contain the hymns that we will sing at Mass and the prayers for Mass. It’s really an all in one book. Other wise we would need not only our Bibles, which would have to be pre-marked for the days reading, but we would also need a separate book for the hymns and some would need yet another book for prayers. Having just the missal for everything is a much better idea.

As far as reading versus listening to the word. I am half deaf so it’s easier for me to read along then to try and listen to what’s being said. Most of the time I can hear just fine but if there is someone with a soft voice speaking or if I’m in a larger parisher than it can make it harder to hear.

As far as in my personal home. We currently have 6 Bibles. As the children get older they will get more Bibles. I also have intentions of getting a few more. One of them being the DRV with Haydock commentary.

 

[Prayer_Warrior]

I think there have been some marvelous answers to the OP’s original question. I only wanted to add that the lack of a Bible in the pew points out a critical difference in what Catholics call worship and what Protestants call worship. The center of the Mass, our worship, is the Eucharist. It is our “pure offering” to God (Mal 1:11). It is the heart of our worship because the Eucharist is Jesus-- Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Protestants do not have this “Real Presence” and so their worship is completely different–consisting of prayer, sermon, scripture and usually song (not in that particular order).

I have been a Catholic for about 12 years. I have never felt discouraged from reading the Bible. I have several bibles in my home and read daily. Since the entire Mass is biblical I can honestly say that, yes, the priests emphasize biblical reading. Here is a nice site that shows that the Mass is entirely biblical.

teresatomeo.com/documents/TheMass.pdf

Many modern evangelicals point to no Bibles in the pews as evidence that the Church dissuades its members from reading the Bible. Yes, in the Middle Ages the congregants did not read the Bible because most of them were illiterate. Then, later, around the time of the reformation, certain Bibles were condemned by the Church because they believed the translations to be bad. Another accusation is that in the early 20th century priests discouraged their congregants from reading the bible. This is true to a point. The private reading of the Bible was not forbidden by any means, but some priests were concerned that people would not know how to interpret scripture so they basically just told them to come to Mass and hear scripture there. Since thousands of denominations have cropped in the 20th century, each with their own interpretation of scripture, I’m not so sure those priests were mistaken. At any rate, these days the Catholic Church does encourage the private reading of scripture. The CCC 131-133 says.

“And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life.” Hence “access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful.”

“Therefore, the study of the sacred page should be the very soul of sacred theology. The ministry of the Word, too - pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction, among which the liturgical homily should hold pride of place - is healthily nourished and thrives in holiness through the Word of Scripture.”

133 The Church "forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.

If you are a protestant who seeks more information how the Bible actually supports the teachings of the Catholic Church, here is a nice site which ties it all together.

davidmacd.com/catholic/index2.htm

 

[Petergee]

Everything in the Church comes from the Bible …
Oh, and by the way, where do you think the Bible came from? The bible came from the Church and its founders.

Sorry to be picky, but you’ve contradicted yourself there. Your second statement is the correct one. The Church made the Bible; the Bible didn’t make the Church. Some fundamentalist protestants think that God wants us to take the Bible as some sort of complete instruction manual of how to construct His true Church. Don’t fall for that.

 

[djrakowski]

Easy really isn’t such as issue as you may think. Protestant children are taught Bible drills, so finding the appropriate place is a well learned skill. It would not take me longer to find Hebrews 4:13 than it would for me to find page 397. I also sometimes find it beneficial to read bits before and after the reading provided .

I was an evangelical Christian before I converted to Catholicism, so I know about Bible drills (in fact, I used them as filler when I taught in a Baptist Sunday school). But I didn’t grow up in that tradition, so when I conducted Bible drills, I had the verses typed out on a sheet of paper so I didn’t have to find them myself.

My former pastor used to throw out tons of Bible references, so too often you heard nothing but pages flipping throughout his sermons, which was really quite distracting.

I read the bits before and after the readings in my Bible the night before Mass, and then follow along in my Magnificat during Mass.

Syele:

BTW, I’m not Catholic and my church dosn’t have Bibles in the pews… we have a shelf in the hall with about 5 there in case someone dosn’t have one of their own. Why fill the Sanctuary with them if we all bring one too?

When I was at a church that placed Bibles in the pews, the reasoning was that anyone could forget their Bible, and we wanted copies close at hand in case that happened. I can remeber quite a few instances in which I forgot my Bible as I was struggling to get three uncooperative children into their cold weather gear, not to mention diaper bags, etc. It really was convenient to have those Bibles sitting right in front of us. And, 10-25% of the attendees at any given service were new to our church, and many of those were new Christians. Many of those folks didn’t bring their Bibles, and in a church that seated over 1000 in the sanctuary, 5-10 Bibles in the hallway wouldn’t have cut it.

 

[patrick457]

Ingram,

As I sit here at my computer I have three complete Bibles in the same room with me, plus a Jewish Publication Society Tanakh, plus an eight-way parallel New Testament, plus a Strong’s Concordance, plus Thayer’s and Gesenius’ lexicons of the New and Old Testaments respectively.

The church where I attend does not have Bibles in the pews, but the missals that we have contain the Bible readings for the Sundays and feast days. That’s a good bit of Bible right there.

The Church in the past discouraged the reading of unapproved translations of the Bible. (Imagine what you would get from the edition–this actually happened–that left the word “not” out of the commandment against adultery!) But in today’s very literate society, we are encouraged to read the Bible.

• Liberian

You’re referring to the ‘Wicked Bible’,aren’t you?
The Wicked Bible is an edition of the KJV that has left a ‘small’ word on the Commandment against adultery, as Liberian said.
As a result, Most copies were destroyed and the printers fined GBP 50000, i think. It was equivalent to a lifetimes wages at the time.
While the story isn’t about Catholics (It’s about Protestants) , we can all get a good lesson from this.

Never EVER misprint a Bible.

 

[patrick457]

Ingram,

As I sit here at my computer I have three complete Bibles in the same room with me, plus a Jewish Publication Society Tanakh, plus an eight-way parallel New Testament, plus a Strong’s Concordance, plus Thayer’s and Gesenius’ lexicons of the New and Old Testaments respectively.

The church where I attend does not have Bibles in the pews, but the missals that we have contain the Bible readings for the Sundays and feast days. That’s a good bit of Bible right there.

The Church in the past discouraged the reading of unapproved translations of the Bible. (Imagine what you would get from the edition–this actually happened–that left the word “not” out of the commandment against adultery!) But in today’s very literate society, we are encouraged to read the Bible.

• Liberian

You’re referring to the ‘Wicked Bible’,aren’t you?
The Wicked Bible is an edition of the KJV that has left a ‘small’ word on the Commandment against adultery, as Liberian said.
As a result, Most copies were destroyed and the printers fined GBP 50000, i think. It was equivalent to a lifetimes wages at the time. Thus, the Wicked Bible is now a rarity (there are only a few copies known to exist).

While the story isn’t about Catholics (It’s about Protestants) , we can all get a good lesson from this.

Never EVER misprint a Bible.

 

[Tabitha]

Not a bad idea, but from what I’ve seen of daily missals, I prefer the format of Magnificat.

Why?

 

[mystified]

I think this reallly comes down to the myth that “Catholics are not allowed to read the Bible.”
Other posters have explained that probably most churches don’t have Bibles in the pews and why.
Most Catholic families I know have at least one Bible in their homes. Like non-Cstholics, the family Bible also serves as a recording place for births, baptisms, and other important dates in the lives of family members. I have several, in English and in Spanish, and have come to prefer some of the more recent translations because I don’t need a dictionary to clarify meaning of archaic words.

 

[djrakowski]

Why?

Magnificat is smaller, since it only contains a month’s worth of material in each issue, and requires very little flipping from page to page. And, it has suggestions for morning, noon and evening prayers, as well as stories from the lives of saints and other meditations. It serves as a very convenient one volume prayer, Mass and devotional supplement.

 

[mercygate]

Magnificat is smaller, since it only contains a month’s worth of material in each issue, and requires very little flipping from page to page. And, it has suggestions for morning, noon and evening prayers, as well as stories from the lives of saints and other meditations. It serves as a very convenient one volume prayer, Mass and devotional supplement.

BINGO! It’s extremely dense with material, and only about 3/8 inch thick in a forma of some 4 1/2" x 6". Slides into a pocket or purse. Printed on India paper, it’s usually about 425 pages . . . The devotional and historical material is refreshed every month and each year . . . A bargain at the price.

 

[djrakowski]

BINGO! It’s extremely dense with material, and only about 3/8 inch thick in a forma of some 4 1/2" x 6". Slides into a pocket or purse. Printed on India paper, it’s usually about 425 pages . . . The devotional and historical material is refreshed every month and each year . . . A bargain at the price.

Not to mention, the traditional artwork featured on the covers is absolutely beautiful.

I also like the fact that I won’t have to buy a new daily missal when the new English translation of the Mass is finally promulgated.

 

[StMarkEofE]

I am what I consider a Catholic-friendly Protestant. A friend of mine is not so friendly and to prove one of his point of argument tells me there aren’t any Bibles in the Catholic Church (other than that used in Mass by the Priest). Not knowing if this is true or not I thought to ask you folks. Are there Bibles in the pews? Does the priest emphasize Biblical reading?

The main reason Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox churches dont require bibles in the pews is because the Liturgy or Mass is the focal point of worship. Much of the bible is contained in the Liturgy throughout the service. In Protestant churches the main focus is on the sermon and this would require those attending to have a bible handy for follow the minister. We have bible classes during the week and they last about 2-2 and a half hours. These are conducted to bring a more indepth understanding of the scriptures. You will find in the pews missals in the Latin church and Liturgy books in the Orthodox church. If one were to follow allong in the service he will no doubt recognize passages from both the OT and the NT contained therein.

 

[Liberian]

Patrick,

You’re right, that is what I was referring to. It makes an excellent reply to the charge that “the Catholic Church burned Bibles.”

• Liberian

 

[LilyM]

You’re referring to the ‘Wicked Bible’,aren’t you?
The Wicked Bible is an edition of the KJV that has left a ‘small’ word on the Commandment against adultery, as Liberian said.
As a result, Most copies were destroyed and the printers fined GBP 50000, i think. It was equivalent to a lifetimes wages at the time. Thus, the Wicked Bible is now a rarity (there are only a few copies known to exist).

While the story isn’t about Catholics (It’s about Protestants) , we can all get a good lesson from this.

Never EVER misprint a Bible.

I’ve also heard it called the ‘Adulterers Bible’ (for obvious reasons)

 

[prv]

I am what I consider a Catholic-friendly Protestant. A friend of mine is not so friendly and to prove one of his point of argument tells me there aren’t any Bibles in the Catholic Church (other than that used in Mass by the Priest). Not knowing if this is true or not I thought to ask you folks. Are there Bibles in the pews? Does the priest emphasize Biblical reading?

Most of the parishes I’ve been to in the San Antonio area do not have the Bible in complete form, but there are copies of the Mass rituals which have the readings of the day for a particular season, the one I am attending now (Our Lady of the Atonement) has the readings of the day printed in the bulletins, which one may take before the start of the Mass. And I have my own study Bible (New American Version). Also, the Maronite Catholic Church I went to a few months ago also had the New American Version of the Bible in its entirety.

 

[lak611]

Although we don’t have Bibles in the pews, we have missalettes, which contain the Bible readings for each Sunday. We always have a first reading (usually from the Old Testament), a Psalm, a second reading (a New Testament reading other than from the Gospels), and then the Gospel. I have attended Lutheran and Methodist services and was surprised that Catholics actually have more Bible readings each Sunday than Lutherans and Methodists! At my church, we have an adult Sunday school class. We take our Bibles with us there because it is a Bible study. Currently, we are studying Galatians and Romans. At home, I have many versions of the Bible, both Catholic and Protestant: NRSV-CE, Douay Rheims, NAB, NASB, KJV, and NIV. I use all of the translations for my Bible study. I also own a Strong’s Concordance. In addition to my Sunday school class, I also spend time daily reading and reflecting on God’s Word. Even in the summer months, when we do not have Sunday school, I always read the Bible. I like to read it through completely every year (though I don’t read it chronologically, I pick different order to go in all the time, but I get through all of the books!).