Just bought a new Bible

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Hi guys,
I am so excited. I have just purchased a new Bible, the Good News Catholic Edition for Australia.
It is fantastic.
At the start it has a reading plan, which I am going to start today.
Then it has a 100 day reading plan that allows you to read the whole Bible in 100 days.
It is hardcover, and has maps and timelines.
I am so excited. The only other Bible I have ever owned was a Good News edition from when I was in high school, but only recently I discovered it wasn’t a Catholic edition, and I went to a Catholic high school, which shocked me.
Anyway, I am sure I will now have lots of questions for this forum while I read through it.
I have never read the whole Bible.
This edition even says how to read it, saying first to pray to God to help you understand the passage, then to discover what the message is in each passage, then to pray again to help live that message etc.
I am going to use my coloured post-it notes to mark pages and everything.
Sorry I am raving, but I am excited lol.
Thanks to all on these forums for helping me through my journey of Faith, even though I am a cradle Catholic, I still have lots to learn.
 
Great news, Kellie! I’m always excited to get a new Bible, even though I own about 12!:o

Ask all the questions you can think of. In the meantime, consider joining our current ongoing discussion of the Sunday readings on another thread. 🙂
 
I like the idea of the post-it notes
I have little stickers that are see-through, different colors, about 1/4 " wide and an inch long, perfect for marking passages.
I also have some bible marking pencils, colored pencils but softer, they don’t bleed thru the page like hi-liters do. When I was first starting serious studies, as you are, I would take a book, say Acts, and use one color to hilite any passage mentioning the Spirit, another color to hilite any mention of Eucharist or baptism, for instance, or to hilite any other theme in which is was interested.

my older bibles are all marked up every which way, but I keep them because when I want to do quick look ups on one of those topics, like the Spirit, it makes it so easy.
 
I keep notes in a pockets-sized notebook.
I divide the notebook into different sections such as: Love, Faith, Confession, Holy Spirit, etc…; then I write verses’ chapters related to its topic. This way, when I want to find out all about Faith, I can get all the verses quickly.
 
Thanks water and puzzleannie,
They are great ideas.
I shall go stationery shopping tomorrow.
I have already started writing notes, but they arent in any order yet.
God bless
 
while shopping you might want to pick up one nice journal that will contain nothing except verses that you want to write down that emerge as very meaningful to you at the time you are studying and praying with the bible. In this little book you won’t write anything except the verses (and source) themselves. You will have another notebook for a journal, meditations, thoughts etc. Many of the saints did this, in the age when it was not possible for each person to own their own bible as they were too big and cumbersome and expensive before the age of printing. Teresa of Avila is one. by doing so, writing down passages of scripture they heard during Mass, preaching, sacred reading etc. they compiled their own personal book of bible verses for prayer and meditation. Reviewing the book from time to time gives you a picture of how you have grown in love and knowledge of the Word.

another trick that may help you is a practice that comes out of lectio divina. When you do read a word, phrase, verse or passage that has special meaning Today, esp. from Sunday readings, write it on a 3x5 card and carry it with you throughout the day or week, and read it frequently. This is a form of the practice of always keeping the Word of God in the heart.
 
I would say do a search on scripture or spirituality, but the search function is down for a while

I will post a link to a more complete description and instructon for lectio when I find it

but short answer lectio divino, or divine reading, is the ancient monastic practice of reading, meditating, praying and contemplating with short passages of scripture. read in this way, the monks were able to memorize, in the sense of “engraving upon the heart” large chunks of scripture and recall them easily to mind.

select a short passage–start with the gospel of the day from the lectionary
READ read it once slowly all the way through
MEDITATE read it again, very slowly, out loud is best, and stop at each word or phrase that resonates with you or has meaning.
read that phrase again
think about what it is telling you. how does it make you feel, what does it remind you of, use your imagination
stay with the phrase as long as it speaks to you, then move on.
continue reading the selection in that way to the end.
you may want to write down those words or phrases that had particularly meaning for you at this time
PRAY read the whole passage again one more time and pray from the feelings that arise
CONTEMPLATE sit in silence listening for the Lord who is in your heart and mind through your ingestion, chewing, and swallowing of his Word.

allow time for this every day outside of academic bible study or other prayer time. 15-20 minutes is about the minimum for it to be useful, but start slowly, when a passage is especially rich in meaning for you, and you are more and more drawn to contemplation, it takes about an hour. In front of the Blessed Sacrament is an excellent place for it, but it can be done in any quiet time or place.

bible study is great, and it is preparation for lectio divina, but it is not lectio divina. If your time is limited, first read and pray with the bible, then if time permits go on to more academic bible study. If it is a somewhat confusing passage, you might want to prepare by reading the notes in your bible or commentary or looking up difficult words before you begin. Using a commentary like the Ignatius Study Bible in the one-volume editions is a great way to do that, but don’t confuse study done in preparation with actual lectio.

those words and phrases that were very meaningful are what is entered into your scripture journal.

you can also journal on the feelings and prayers that arise during this time, but do not neglect the period of silence at the end, it is the most important part of the process.
 
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