Tips for effective Bible and Catechism study?

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wantingtoknow

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Well, since my visit to the Catholic Church I have been wishing to begin seriously studying and researching the faith. As a result, I have purchased these 3 items to aid in my adventure:

Catechism:
amazon.com/gp/product/0385479859/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1NTXV5SW7VWHK1HMK96N&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

Bible:
amazon.com/American-Bible-Revised-Psalms-Testament/dp/0529064847/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Verse Finder: (It looked like it might come in handy for me)
amazon.com/Catholic-Finder-English-version-Spanish/dp/1930084072/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278699609&sr=1-1

Is there a good way to begin my study? I don’t think reading the Bible straight from Genesis to Revelation will work very well. I am planning on starting in the New Testament, but any tips on a good way to learn would be appreciated. Also, is the Catechism best read cover to cover, or should I use the index to help me go along with the Bible (or is this possible?).

I am going to try and incorporate a prayer routine (to help me get in the habit of praying, and to open myself up to receive the Lord).

Thank you so much, and may the Lord bless you.
 
It may help to mention that I have been a Protestant my entire life, although I have never really been given much instruction on leading a religious and faithful life. There is no praying going on in my house, and I think the main reasons we go to church are because I sing in the choir and it makes my mom feel good (hoewever, she says no prayers/responses in church nor sings any hymns…🤷).

I am seventeen years old, and I am not currently able to attend Mass regularly, so studying on my own is the only way for me to learn about and find God at the moment. My parents are fairly anti-Catholic (they say Catholics are Mary worshippers…that’s not true and I kniw it). So my resources are limited to what I can access on my own.
 
Hello,
Have you heard of the Great Adventure bible study from Jeff Cavins? In it he has a bible timeline that is effective for reading through the bible. Here is the link:
biblestudyforcatholics.com/

I tried reading the Catechism cover to cover but stopped about half way through. Using the index is a good way to supplement your scripture reading.

As for your last point about a prayer routine, I have this book called the ‘The Better Part’, which includes the four gospels with commentary that is beneficial for meditating on God’s word. This book is mentioned in the thread below along with other suggestions.
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=474380

God bless and enjoy the journey.
DD
 
Don’t read the Bible cover to cover. As Jeff Cavins says (he does a really good Bible study), you lose the story in Leviticus. Plus, a lot of the books in the OT are supplemental to others and can get confusing. There is a book about reading the Catechism in a year and it brings in the Bible passages it pertains to, but I can’t remember the name. There seem to be a lot of sites that deal with getting through the CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church).

Also, you can start going through RCIA in the fall. You do not have to promise to join the Church if you attend classes, but it does get you into the dogma of the Church. I am so happy that you are looking into the Catholic Church. It is awesome!
 
bnbkaine said:
Don’t read the Bible cover to cover. As Jeff Cavins says (he does a really good Bible study), you lose the story in Leviticus. Plus, a lot of the books in the OT are supplemental to others and can get confusing. There is a book about reading the Catechism in a year and it brings in the Bible passages it pertains to, but I can’t remember the name. There seem to be a lot of sites that deal with getting through the CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church).

Also, you can start going through RCIA in the fall. You do not have to promise to join the Church if you attend classes, but it does get you into the dogma of the Church. I am so happy that you are looking into the Catholic Church. It is awesome!
Click to expand...
I can’t start RCIA yet. My parents don’t approve, but I know I belong in the Catholic Church, I am being drawn to it. I want to study on my own until I am able to officially begin RCIA.
 
wantingtoknow said:
I can’t start RCIA yet. My parents don’t approve, but I know I belong in the Catholic Church, I am being drawn to it. I want to study on my own until I am able to officially begin RCIA.
Click to expand...
My dear wantingtoknow, do not feel you must learn everything about the Church before you enter the RCIA, after all, it is the rite of initiation and will teach you everything you *need *to know.

That said, the learning of the faith is more than just reading the books, it is the true and experiential understanding of the faith born of the communion with the Church.

You are very brave for a seventeen year old. It was not until I was twenty that I mustered the courage to renounce my previous dispositions (atheist) and rejoin the Church.

The best advice I can give is speak to your local priest, after all that is what they are there for. He will be able to give you pracitcal advice and local advice based upon where you live - such as the local RCIA schemes and so forth, you will be able to recieve some of the RCIA materials if you ask for them, even if you are unable to attend RCIA at present.

In terms of books, you appear to have all the nessecaries, however asking for your local RCIA materials (if used) may be worth looking into.

Naturally, if you have any questions either ask your Priest or here. Also, there is often mass in weekdays you might be able to attend, if you are unable to attend on sundays (as you sing in Choir); however I must advise you that decieving your parents as to where you might be going would not be a good idea (some people do this) - honesty is the best policy, and if you feel called to the Church then I am sure your parents, who love you and are obviously proud of you will respect your decision.

You can do it.

👍
 
wantingtoknow said:
Well, since my visit to the Catholic Church I have been wishing to begin seriously studying and researching the faith. As a result, I have purchased these 3 items to aid in my adventure:

Catechism:
amazon.com/gp/product/0385479859/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1NTXV5SW7VWHK1HMK96N&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

Bible:
amazon.com/American-Bible-Revised-Psalms-Testament/dp/0529064847/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Verse Finder: (It looked like it might come in handy for me)
amazon.com/Catholic-Finder-English-version-Spanish/dp/1930084072/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278699609&sr=1-1

Is there a good way to begin my study? I don’t think reading the Bible straight from Genesis to Revelation will work very well. I am planning on starting in the New Testament, but any tips on a good way to learn would be appreciated. Also, is the Catechism best read cover to cover, or should I use the index to help me go along with the Bible (or is this possible?).

I am going to try and incorporate a prayer routine (to help me get in the habit of praying, and to open myself up to receive the Lord).

Thank you so much, and may the Lord bless you.
Click to expand...
Choose a subject that interests you, to begin with, and then use the index of the Catechism and a good Concordance to research what the Bible and Catechism have to say about it.

When you’ve done all you can with one subject, move on to another. Make use of the Forum to read along and see what others are saying on the same subject, as well. 🙂
 
Before I got in my classes, I read Basic Catholic Catechism by Fr.William Most. It is about 75-80 pages and I thought it really explained things pretty well. It’s free and its on the ewtn website.

ewtn.com/library/CATECHSM/MOSTCAT.HTM

It gave a good overview of Catholic beliefs.

If you plan on doing a prayer routine, I recommend doing a daily rosary. It only takes about 30 minutes a day and its a good way to incorporate the gospel in your daily life. I feel like the rosary has really strengthened my faith and helped me keep my religious drive!

If you have an iphone, I can point you to some really neat catholic apps too!
 
JohnDamian said:
My dear wantingtoknow, do not feel you must learn everything about the Church before you enter the RCIA, after all, it is the rite of initiation and will teach you everything you *need *to know.

That said, the learning of the faith is more than just reading the books, it is the true and experiential understanding of the faith born of the communion with the Church.

You are very brave for a seventeen year old. It was not until I was twenty that I mustered the courage to renounce my previous dispositions (atheist) and rejoin the Church.

The best advice I can give is speak to your local priest, after all that is what they are there for. He will be able to give you pracitcal advice and local advice based upon where you live - such as the local RCIA schemes and so forth, you will be able to recieve some of the RCIA materials if you ask for them, even if you are unable to attend RCIA at present.

In terms of books, you appear to have all the nessecaries, however asking for your local RCIA materials (if used) may be worth looking into.

Naturally, if you have any questions either ask your Priest or here. Also, there is often mass in weekdays you might be able to attend, if you are unable to attend on sundays (as you sing in Choir); however I must advise you that decieving your parents as to where you might be going would not be a good idea (some people do this) - honesty is the best policy, and if you feel called to the Church then I am sure your parents, who love you and are obviously proud of you will respect your decision.

You can do it.

👍
Click to expand...
I know not to deceive my parents (although I admit that I have considered it…). When I attended Mass with a friend she briefly introduced me to the Priest who was very kind and helpful. I am looking into arranging another vist to the church for Mass.
 
kmuestwin said:
Before I got in my classes, I read Basic Catholic Catechism by Fr.William Most. It is about 75-80 pages and I thought it really explained things pretty well. It’s free and its on the ewtn website.

ewtn.com/library/CATECHSM/MOSTCAT.HTM

It gave a good overview of Catholic beliefs.

If you plan on doing a prayer routine, I recommend doing a daily rosary. It only takes about 30 minutes a day and its a good way to incorporate the gospel in your daily life. I feel like the rosary has really strengthened my faith and helped me keep my religious drive!

If you have an iphone, I can point you to some really neat catholic apps too!
Click to expand...
No iPhone for me, but I think I could pray the Rosary. I will have to make myself a list of Mysteries and prayers, but I could do that!
 
wantingtoknow said:
No iPhone for me, but I think I could pray the Rosary. I will have to make myself a list of Mysteries and prayers, but I could do that!
Click to expand...
Google “Rosary Pamphlet” - I feel certain there will be something already made up that you can download. 🙂
 
jmcrae said:
Google “Rosary Pamphlet” - I feel certain there will be something already made up that you can download. 🙂
Click to expand...
I found quite a few, but I decided to creat my own. Since I know how to pray the Rosary, I simply made a page of the prayers (including the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love for the first 3 Hail Mary Beads) and the mysteries (with Scripture references). It fits perfectly on one page and I think I can fold it to stick into my Bible. 👍
 
wantingtoknow said:
I found quite a few, but I decided to creat my own. Since I know how to pray the Rosary, I simply made a page of the prayers (including the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love for the first 3 Hail Mary Beads) and the mysteries (with Scripture references). It fits perfectly on one page and I think I can fold it to stick into my Bible. 👍
Click to expand...
Sounds great! 👍
 
I think I will begin to pray the Rosary this evening. I am still waiting on my Bible and Catechism.
 
I did not take the time to read through all the replies but if you want a one year plan to read through the entire Bible and Catechism in a very effiecient and instructive manner go to chnetwork.org. It is an apostolate to help bring people back to the Catholic Church. On the right hand side bar under the library tab there is a downloadable pdf on reading the Bible and the Catechism in one year.
 
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