(The Bible) these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name.
John 20:31
LORD JESUS, You are the Word made flesh and the Bread of Life who gave us the teachings of the gospels,
You constantly call each of us personally to an intimate life with You.
Increase our desire to meet You in Scripture
for in them You show us how to be faithful to God,
how much You love us, how to love You and how to journey with You and to You.
So please grant me the grace to listen attentively to God’s Word with a listening heart, allow Your Word to penetrate more deeply in our soul, and give us the confidence necessary to put what we hear into practice in our daily lives and to share our encounter with You to others.
We ask this through the power of your Most Holy Name, Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us! AMEN.
Revelation: The Kingdom Yet to Come
When: Tuesdays starting 4/9th @ 7pm through 6/18th
Contact: Joe Wiacek or Joe Glasgow at OLMBiblestudies@gmail.com
Registration: Please register here
On Tuesday evenings at 7pm for 11 sessions, the Bible Study on the book of Revelation is held starting on 4/9th. We will use the Ascension Press Revelation: The Kingdom Yet to Come study guide and video. Please purchase the study guide online at this link. As Easter culminates in the coming of Jesus and His Kingdom, we’ll dive deep into the second coming. Join us for this Book of good news and learn more about our mass through the revelation of John.
The Bible Timeline – Bible Study
When: Wednesdays starting 1/24th @ 7pm
Contact: Joe Wiacek or Joe Glasgow at OLMBiblestudies@gmail.com
Registration: Please register here
On Wednesday evenings at 7pm for 22 sessions (with summer break), the Bible Study on the Bible Timeline is held starting on 1/24th. We will use the Ascension Press The Bible Timeline® Study Program and video. Please purchase the study guide online at this link.
The Bible Timeline® Study Program takes you on a guided journey through salvation history. Presenter Jeff Cavins shows you how fourteen of the Bible’s narrative books tell the biblical story from beginning to end and gives you the keys to understanding the amazing story woven through Scripture. Using a unique color-coded chart, you will learn the major people, places, and events of the Bible and discover how they all come together to reveal the remarkable story of our Faith.
The Biblical Institute of the Diocese of Joliet
Contact Dr. Joan Gorski at dr.jgorski@gmail.com
The Biblical Institute of the Diocese of Joliet is a 4-year program to study every book of the Bible. We use one of the best Catholic Bible studies ever developed for learning Scripture in a systematic way, the Catholic Biblical School Program (Paulist Press). Students earn certificates in Basic Biblical Studies (2 years) and Advanced Biblical Studies (4 years), from this nationally recognized program.
Try the first two years (Old Testament and New Testament Foundations) and decide later whether to stay for Years 3 and 4 (the rest of the Bible). Please note our existing site, here at Our Lady of Mercy, welcomes NEW students to join in Year 2.
The Biblical Institute is for everyone! Some of our students serve their parishes as catechists, lectors, or Bible study facilitators. Many people join us with no Bible study background at all. If you bring a commitment to learning and a desire for deeper understanding of God’s Word, we’ll give you what you need to successfully participate in the program. We also welcome interested fellow Christians, so mention us to neighbors and friends!
You’ll study the Bible as a whole and in its parts from a Catholic point of view, with experienced teachers, and within a Catholic faith community.
Dei Verbum: The Word of God
Bishop Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, talks about this very important, ‘must-read’ document, Dei Verbum—the Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation—concerning biblical interpretation.
Fr. Mike Schmitz Bible in a Year podcast (the #1 podcast in the U.S. right now, how cool!)
If you’ve struggled to read the Bible, this podcast is for you.
Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz and featuring Jeff Cavins, guides Catholics through the Bible in 365 daily episodes starting January 1st, 2021.
Each 20-25 minute episode includes:
- two to three scripture readings
- a reflection from Fr. Mike Schmitz
- and guided prayer to help you hear God’s voice in his Word.
Unlike any other Bible podcast, Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast for Catholics follows a reading plan inspired by the Great Adventure Bible Timeline® learning system, a groundbreaking approach to understanding Salvation History developed by renowned Catholic Bible teacher Jeff Cavins.
Tune in and live your daily life through the lens of God’s word!
2021-1-24 Father James – God IS Shockingly Personal
If you expect when reading the Bible, that it is incredibly unlikely that God will speak to you, Father James speaks of how it may be time for a reality check because God IS Shockingly Personal and He really does interact definitively, powerfully, or personally, in our life when we read the Bible.
2020-1-26 Father Mark – The Bible is Truth, Power, and Life!
Father Mark describes how the Bible gives us truth, power, and life. The Truth, Power and Life that moved the Apostles to drop their nets is the same Truth, Power, and Life that is at our fingertips in the scriptures. Read the Bible and receive Truth, Power, and Life!
We must never forget that the Word of God transcends time. Human opinions come and go. What is very modern today will be very antiquated tomorrow. On the other hand, the Word of God is the Word of eternal life, it bears within it eternity and is valid forever.
Pope Benedict XVI
Children’s Bible Recommendation
Catholic Bible Stories for Children
Age Range 4 – 8 years
Grade Level Preschool – 3
Catholic Children’s Bible
Age Range 8 – 9 years
Grade Level 3 – 5
Teen Bible Recommendation
The Catholic Teen Bible
Age Range 12 – 17 years
Grade Level 7 – 12
Bible Recommendations
Revised Stand Version (RSV) Catholic Bible
Publisher Saint Benedict Press
Ignatius (RSV) Catholic Bible
Publisher Saint Benedict Press
Catholic Study Bible
Publisher Little Rock Scripture Study
The Word on Fire Bible (Volume 1): The Gospels
Publisher Word On Fire
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Publisher Ascension Press
Ascension Press – Blessings and Challenges
of Family Bible Study
Bible App for Kids
By You Version
Holy Bible App
By You Version
Ignatius RSV Bible App
By Ignatius Press & Lighthouse Catholic Media
Lectio & Meditatio by Dr. Tim Gray
What is Lectio Divina? Watch this video of Dr. Tim Gray’s very helpful introduction to Lectio Divina; an elegant and profound way to pray with the Scriptures.
Learn Lectio Divina by Paulist Evangelization Ministries
Philippians 4:6 | Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.
Joshua 24:15 | As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
Proverbs 3:5-6 | Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely;
In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.
Galatians 2:20 | I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who live in me.
Philippians 4:13 | I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.
John 15:4 | Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.
Psalm 23:1-4 | The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul.
He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.
John 10:10 | A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.
Isaiah 41:10 | Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Joshua 1:9 | I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD, your God, is with you wherever you go.
Psalm 28:7 | The LORD is my strength and my shield, in whom my heart trusts. I am helped, so my heart rejoices; with my song I praise him.
John 14:6 | Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
We read or study the Bible so that we can meet a person, the person of Jesus Christ. Through daily scripture reading, we can come to believe in Jesus and have an encounter with Him that can totally change one’s life.
Reading the Bible generates life. It’s spiritual food for the day; we need spiritual strength. It produces change. It heals hurts. It builds character. It transforms circumstances. It imparts joy. It overcomes adversity. It defeats temptation. It infuses hope. It releases power. It cleanses the mind.
God gave us His Word. He gives everything so we can understand and assimilate, to nourish our souls because we need spiritual strength. Whatever barriers we may have in our lives that prevent us from strengthening the spiritual discipline of meeting Jesus in Scripture, once you start with an open heart and make the commitment, the Spirit then works the miracle for you. The spiritual miracle of the multiplication of the Word–it enlightens for you, and thus multiplies all its most secret meanings, so that we can feed on it and not be exhausted in our daily life.
God has no limit in His wealth and possibilities and in His power to give you, every moment and for every event, the light you need, in any particular moment. Like the day of Pentecost, the Spirit, infused in the apostles, made their word understandable… so it will comfort you when you weep, will advise you when you ask for advice, and will share your joy when you rejoice, through the same Word.
We pray these Bible resources will encourage you to take up daily Scripture reading as part of your life or enhance your Scriptural life.