Articles Under: Scriptural Catechesis

“Were our hearts not burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” (Lk 24:32) These are the words the two disciples of Emmaus use to report their encounter with the risen Christ. In a similar way, it is not at all uncommon—rather, it is to be expected—that those who have recently encountered Christ have a noticeable interest in Holy Scripture. Accordingly, catechists have the indispensable task of helping these new disciples to approach the Scripture with the mind of the Church, imparting to them the tools they need for an authentic... Read more

The Jewish feasts commemorate God’s sovereign deliverance of his people from Egypt and his providential care for them throughout the Exodus. Yet as important as these holy days are for Jews, they are also significant for Christians, for they foreshadow God's plan of salvation for the world in Christ. The meaning of the Jewish feasts, along with their messianic and typological fulfillment for Christians, is the subject of the present article—the first of two parts. The Seven Mosaic Feasts Israel’s liturgical calendar comprises seven divinely instituted festivals. [i] As outlined in Leviticus chapter 23, these are grouped in three major... Read more

During the ordination rite of a man who is becoming a deacon, the bishop presents him with a Book of the Gospels. This presentation hassignificance as it symbolizes the new preoccupation of his ecclesial activity: proclamation, preaching, and instruction. In light of this presentation of the Gospels, a deacon’s imagination ought to now draw spiritual life primarily from Scripture. Utilizing such an imagination he ought to become one of his diocese’s best pastoral instructors in Word and doctrine. Deacons can, therefore, consider three vocational truths: first, the deacon is empowered to proclaim the Gospel at Mass; second, he is obligated... Read more

Since I make my living by teaching the Bible to college students, I’m often asked to give talks on teaching Scripture, biblical catechesis, or some related theme. Over the years, I’ve given a lot of thought to what is most important when engaged in the sacred act of communicating the Word of God to other people. Obviously, most people engaged in teaching the Bible on behalf of the Church—whether priests, catechists, religion teachers, etc.—can’t devote their entire lives to Scripture study and sorting out all the challenges of interpreting the Bible. Despite that, is it still possible to do a... Read more