In 2019 Pope Francis issued the Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis declaring the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time to become Word of God Sunday. He did so in hopes that as Catholics we may rediscover the beauty and importance of Sacred Scripture in our lives.
Within my homily this weekend I mentioned how there has never been an easier time than now to study the Bible. There are many great resources which you can access for free which will help you unpack the Word of God.
In order to make things as easy as possible, here are some suggested resources and places you can start. Scroll down to see them.
Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz, guides Catholics through the Bible in 365 daily episodes. You can begin at any point in the year.
Each 20-25 minute episode includes:
As a parishioner of St. Maurice Parish you have free access to many great Catholic audio, video and study programs on Formed.org. If you have not already done so, you will need to create an account on Formed to access this content.
The Bible Project has created short animated videos which help unpack the Bible by explaining the structure and themes. They have a wide range of content on the Bible.
One thing to note is that this is not a Catholic resource. Thus they do not have some books that are within the Catholic Bible, and they also miss some key theological insights. With that being said, I have still found this a good introduction to many parts of the Bible and it is worth checking out.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) is an amazing resource on all aspects of our Faith. I highly encourage you to explore the Catechism whenever you have questions about the Catholic Faith.
There is a short section on Sacred Scripture, which outlines some key principles to keep in mind. CCC 101-141
I will also include a link to a beautiful document from the Second Vatican Council on the Divine Revelation and the Word of God, called Dei Verbum.