Greystones and Kilquade Pastoral Area

Bible may be scary if we haven’t yet formed our relationship with the Word of God. The message can be easily missed or twisted if we lack an understanding of the biblical setup, so the big question is:

How to begin my journey with the Bible?

We have some tips for your journey as a parent preparing your child for the sacrament and we also gathered some ideas on reading the Scripture with your child.

Choose your guide

If taken out of the context of salvation, Biblical quotes may sound terrifying, so it’s important to have someone helping us unpack the message.

Father Mike Schmitz

Father Mike invites for an energetic and exciting adventure with the Bible. By dedicating 20-25 minutes a day, we can journey through the entire Bible within only a year!

The podcast follows a reading plan inspired by The Great Adventure Bible Timeline.

Instead of following the books in the order of their appearance in the Scripture, The Bible Timeline™ ties all of Scripture together in the plan of Salvation. We are invited to follow God’s “family plan” from Adam and Eve to Christ and the Church.

For more info and experience, see:

Apple podcast

Ascension Press

Hallow

Jonathan Roumie and the Hallow

Hallow, the Catholic prayer and meditation app, launched a 30-days Gospel journey with Jonathan Roumie, an actor known for his moving appearance as Jesus in The Chosen.

The 30-Day-Gospel-Challenge may be a great way to unpack the Good News’ message and comes with a handy guideline on praying Scripture with children.

Nicky and Pippa Gumbel

Nicky and Pippa Gumbel are known to everyone who has participated in the Alpha Programme. Their Bible in One Year is a daily Bible reading plan which takes you through the whole Bible in 365 days. Each day includes passages from a Psalm or Proverb, the New Testament and the Old Testament, along with a daily commentary from Nicky and Pippa.

Choose your translation

I often hear the question about which translation to choose for the beginning and I firmly believe it depends on preferences, so below a quick overview of the most popular English translation, as experienced by a non-native speaker.

I have to say that reading Scripture in English made a huge and positive change in my relationship with the Word of God. Especially compared to Polish translations, in my feeling, English editions focus more on reflecting the meaning behind the verses than trying to faithfully translate each word, as in my opinion, is the case in the majority of Polish editions.

The first Bible in English that I read, was the New Jerusalem Bible and I immediately fell in love with it. I remember reading it with curiosity as if I heard those stories for the first time in my life. I’d be still checking that translation if I doubt my understanding of verses read in different editions.

On the downside: It uses “Jahweh” as God’s name, which bothers me. Other than that: It will remain my first love forever and I’m super sentimental about the “Bible for Everyone”, though today I’d invest more money and get myself a proper edition with some comprehensive footnotes.

My next ENG Bible was the New Revised Standard Version. In general, I liked it, but for me, the Story begins with the Book of Exodus. I just can’t make it through NRSV Genesis. To me, it lacks flow and sounds nearly artificial to some extent. On the other hand, however, I love NRSV conversations between Moses and Pharao. Felt very up to date and reminded me of many situations in the corporate world, so it felt very modern. It’s also the translation that my guests usually favour most, and I already gave away two NRSV Bibles, as they cherished my friends’ hearts.

Another of my favourites is the Christian Community Bible. It also uses “Yahweh” as the name of God, but on the plus side, it has great comments. The translation comes from the Philippines and contains some references to the far east philosophy, which I found enriching.

There’s a special place on my shelf for The New American Bible Revised Edition. It’s simple but doesn’t lose on poetry. You’ll see there “YHWH” replaced with the LORD, which works best for me. I’m using the Catholic journaling edition by “Blessed is She” which is probably not accessible in Europe, but if you ever come across that particular edition, I highly recommend it.

Another translation that is worth having a look at is The Passion Translation. Great for Psalms or Song of Songs, as it’s very poetic. The translators focused on conveying the meaning rather than the words and reflecting the original cultural setup. Sounds great but sometimes it’s so far away from the usual wording, that I find it difficult to follow. I struggle especially with the Gospels here. The translation is also not complete. Besides mentioned Psalms and Song of Songs, TPT is available for NT and Proverbs and some prophetic books. Great for an evening worship with a candle and music, not so practical for daily reading (in my experience).

I’d romance sometimes with the New Life Version. The translation was focused on simplifying the language for non-fluent English speakers, so it avoids confusing expressions. A huge plus of that translation is the simplified expression of measurements, so instead of ancient units, we have there some wordings that anyone can relate to. It isn’t however the Catholic Bible, so some books are missing (for example my most cherished Book of Tobit).

Another non-Catholic translation that I’d use now and then is Amplified Bible. Great for study, but not for daily reading. Wouldn’t recommend it for the beginning of the adventure.

Which translation is the best to begin the journey with the Scripture? I don’t know. It’s very much about individual preferences. Some may favour the heart touching poetry of TPT, others: the simplicity of NRSV. Some will appreciate the familiarity of NJB, while others will be thankful for the modernity of NAB. I’d give an overview of what’s out there and encourage everyone to invite Holy Spirit to help us make the best choice for ourselves.

Reading the Scripture is impossible without divine assistance, so inviting Holy Spirit to help us understand and remember that Bible is a long love letter from God is the first step to approaching the Bible.

Choose your edition

I think that the edition is as important as the translation itself. I already mentioned the Blessed is She Journaling Bible and the CCB Revised Edition. Another pearl but only for the New Testament editions is the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, which provides comments by Scott Hahn.

Choose your app

There are many apps to help journeying with the Bible. Laudate is a popular and comprehensive free Catholic App available in many languages. It contains Daily Mass Readings (with Saint of the Day and Reflections). Liturgy of Hours, Daily Prayer and Daily Bible Verse. Multiple podcasts for daily meditations and Rosary. Catechism of Catholic Church with the ability to bookmark and share. Vatican documents and sacrament preparation guidances are also available in the app.

Logos Bible is a great app to truly study the Word of God. A library of biblical resources is built right in, making it simple to consult a commentary or reference work with a couple of taps. Reference Scanner makes looking up a verse as easy as snapping a photo. It’s enough to scan a biblical reference from any digital or paper surface (for example a church bulletin), and Logos will automatically open to that passage. Handy.

Hallow is a great Catholic app focused on helping users deepen their relationship with God through audio-guided contemplative prayer and meditation. With 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, and 60-minute options, Hallow has a prayer routine that works for every schedule. Hallow partnered also directly with Fr. Mike Schmitz to read Bible Stories focused on helping to prepare for bed by unwinding at the end of the day with Scripture.

Separate from the Bible in a Year podcast episodes, these sessions are pure prayer and are focused on helping you find peace in God. The app makes it also easy to listen to Fr. Mike’s Sunday homilies within Hallow’s Guest section.

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