Does the Catholic Read the Whole Bible in Mass

Each twelvemonth, I publish a version of this post, and information technology's ane of my great delights to receive letters 12 months later on from people excitedly telling me that over the past twelvemonth, they finally accomplished a lifelong goal: they read the whole Bible. It's so encouraging!

So, as yous set for the new year, why non do it yourself?

Why not commit to reading the entire Bible in 2020? It'due south not as difficult as you lot might think.

There's really simply one hugger-mugger to accomplishing the goal:

Ha! But, seriously:

The Bible contains effectually 775,000 words, and the average adult reads 250 words per minute. Fifty-fifty adding a trivial cushion, that means if you read the Bible for just 10-15 minutes per twenty-four hours, you'll get through the whole thing in a year!

Everyone can find 10-fifteen minutes in their day, whether early on in the morn, during a dejeuner intermission, or earlier going to bed.

But after committing to reading the whole Bible, most people have two questions: which translation should I apply, and how should I structure the readings?

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Which Translation to Use?

At that place are a few things to proceed in mind with translations. Beginning, make sure your Bible is complete. Protestant translations such as the New International Version (NIV), the English Standard Version (ESV), and the Rex James Version (KJV) do not contain the seven deuterocanonical books that the Cosmic Church accepts as Sacred Scripture. You lot're going to want those books in your Bible (they're actually good!) so become a Catholic Church building-canonical translation, i that has 73 books, not 66 books, as in most Protestant versions.

Second, you lot want to make sure your Bible translation strikes a skilful balance between precision and readability. Paraphrase translations, such every bitThe Bulletin, helped me tremendously as a immature Christian, trying to understand the chief contours of the Bible for the first time. Merely if y'all're somewhat mature in your faith, you should seek a more literal (i.e., "word for word") translation, one that y'all still find easy to read and understand.

Here are my personal recommendations, in gild of preference. All of them have been officially approved by the Catholic Church for personal study:

1. Revised Standard Version – 2d Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE) – This is the one I use, and information technology'southward preferred past most Catholic Bible scholars I know. It offers a literal but still very readable translation.
2. New American Bible – Revised Edition (NAB-RE) – This is the Bible translation used at Mass, and so you'll read the same phraseology every bit heard in the liturgy, but it does contain some questionably translated passages and some dubious footnotes. But if y'all want to sync your reading to the liturgy, this is your best choice.
3. New Revised Standard Version (NRSV-CE) – This is a solid, very readable translation and the first one I usually recommend to people new to the Bible. Information technology tones downwardly some of the more formal "thees/thous," which some people discover off-putting, all the same it also contains gender-inclusive language, changing "brothers" to either "friends" or "brothers and sisters." The vertical language is fine, every bit God is never referred to with feminine or gender-neutral pronouns, merely the horizontal language has been adjusted so if that bothers you, you might want a different translation.(
4. Douay-Rheims Version (DR) – This was the standard Bible for English language-speaking Catholics from 1609 until the twentieth century. Information technology'south a trusted version preferred past many traditionalist Catholics, but while some readers find the linguistic communication elegant, others observe it a bit turgid, peculiarly for daily reading.

Beside simply buying a standard Bible, you might make things easier on yourself with a report Bible that is specifically designed for a 1-yr reading program. For example, there's the My Daily Catholic Bible (NAB)  which divides all of Scripture into 365 segments, i for each mean solar day of the twelvemonth. It features ii small readings for each 24-hour interval, one from the Onetime Attestation and 1 from the New Attestation, along with an insightful quote from a saint. The best part is that the readings are all grouped together sequentially so you don't take to flip back and forth each day between the Old and New Testaments.

Or there's the Bible in a Year , recently published by the Augustine Found. It follows a similar plan—daily readings from the Old Attestation, Wisdom Literature, and New Testament, bundled sequentially and so you don't have to flip around—followed by a short reflection.

Finally, there's the Catholic Ane Year Bible which uses the Catholic Living Bible translation, a less-and so-literal translation merely one that many readers find breezier and more accessible.

In the end, what matters about is that y'all notice a translationyous'll actually read. If y'all option ane that is cumbersome or inaccessible, then information technology doesn't really matter whether it'due south authentic. Your all-time bet is to sample a few translations online and then choose ane you feel most comfortable reading each day.

What'south the Best Plan?

Similar to the translation question, the answer hither iswhichever plan you'll follow. Unfortunately, many people effigy they'll just offset with Genesis and turn right on through to Revelation. That's a bad thought. Equally anyone who has tried this knows, some of the early Onetime Attestation books are meticulous and dry, such as Leviticus and Numbers, and most people get bogged down there, wiping out before finishing even half the Old Testament.

What'southward a meliorate strategy? Follow a advisedly designed reading programme that will serve y'all the right parts of Scripture, at the correct pace, and at the right time. Some of these plans alternating between Onetime and New Testament readings, while some too intersperse the Psalms throughout the yr to add variation.

Here are some of my favorite Bible reading plans for Catholics. Choose your Bible translation, so choose a programme, and you lot'll be set up to brand 2022 the year you lot finally finish the whole Bible:

Read the Bible and the Catechism in a Twelvemonth – This plan, created by the Coming Home Network, is my favorite. Not just does it take yous through the whole Bible (the Catholic Bible, including the deuterocanonical books), but it also gets you through the entireCatechism of the Catholic Church building. Each day you read about three chapters of Scripture and fifteen paragraphs of the Catechism. It volition take you about 30 minutes each 24-hour interval, but then at the end of the year, you volition have finished the Bibleand the Canon—you'll know more about your faith than 99% of fellow Catholics. (Note: To get the PDF of this plan, you have to enter your email accost, but it'southward definitely worth it.) I've used this plan twice now and it's become such a life-giving spiritual discipline.

(On a side note, my friend Dr. Chris Kaczor has a wonderful book titled 365 Days to Deeper Faith: The Catechism of the Catholic Church in Short Daily Readings, which if you simply want to focus on the Canon next year, does merely what the title suggests.)

Dr. Mary Healy's Read the Bible in a Year Programme – This program was created by Dr. Mary Healy, the esteemed Catholic biblical scholar, and it'southward peachy because information technology has y'all reading excerpts from the Onetime Testament, Psalms, and New Testament each day. That means when you get to the hard Old Attestation sections, you'll withal have the Psalms and New Attestation to residual you lot out.

CatholicBibleInAYear.org Reading Plan – This one is similar to Dr. Healy's plan except it offers even more multifariousness each day. Y'all'll readtwo Old Attestation readings, one New Testament reading, and one psalm each day.

Pierced Hands Reading Plan – My friend 1000000 Hunter-Kilmer created this plan. As Meg explains, "This one still gets you through the whole Bible in a year (and the Gospels twice), but it goes chronologically through the Onetime Testament (more or less) with New Attestation books and fun books like Ruth and Jonah interspersed throughout to mix things up. It also gives yous a chapter of some poetic stuff every day instead of dragging you through Proverbs for 200+ days. This schedule is more user-friendly, more reasonable for those who haven't read the Bible before, and can beginning any day of the year." (Meg likewise has a really cool Bible timeline PDF that she recommends you print and go on tucked in your Bible.)

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For the Techies

I mentioned above that I prefer the Revised Standard Version – 2d Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE) for Scripture study. Merely I besides accept a clandestine weapon: the Verbum Bible software.

I've written before most how astonishing this is, calling it the most powerful Bible resources e'er bachelor. Merely Verbum besides makes information technologysuper easy to read the Bible in a yr. It does and so with a built-in reading programme, correct out of the box:

The best function about using Verbum is that the reading plan syncs across all of your devices. So you can read the daily Bible passages on your reckoner, tablet, phone, or any other mobile device. It's great for people similar me who are constantly on the get and often forget to comport around a impress version of the Bible. (Verbum also syncs your highlights and notes across all devices, and then the reading experience is seamless.)

To be up front, though, the Verbum library packages can be pretty expensive—the cheapest base parcel is $165.

Merely if you're but interested in reading the Bible, theCatechism, and basic Church documents, cheque out the VerbumCatechism of the Catholic Church Drove. It'due south only $50 and gives you lifetime access to the powerful Verbum software along with the Revised Standard Version – Cosmic Edition (RSV-CE) of the Bible, theCatechism of the Cosmic Church building, the lectionary (the readings used at Mass), the documents of Vatican Two and the Council of Trent, and a few other resources. All of those documents can be accessed on the go, on any device you're using. In my opinion, the toll of this collection ($50) is more than worth it if information technology enables you to finish the Bible in a year.

(I should note that theCatechism of the Catholic Church Drove does not come withall the features of the Verbum software. It lets you read theCatechism and Bible, create reading plans, notes, highlights, and a few other things. Merely if y'all want the complete prepare of powerful tools in Verbum, check out 1 of their library packages. With those you get the full ability of the software along with tons of additional books, which actually showcase the power of Verbum. I personally use Verbum Master and beloved tools like Clause Search and Bible Facts. If you lot utilize the codeBVOGT at checkout, y'all'll become10% off any Verbum library—just not theCanon collection.

Also, full disclosure, I get a small commission if you buy 1 of the Verbum libraries, only nothing if you purchase theCanon collection. Nevertheless, I notwithstanding promote theCatechism collection because I think it'south a fantastic deal and the best style to go started with Verbum.)

So those are my tips and advice. Now a question:

Are you going to read the whole Bible in 2020?

Let united states of america know in the annotate box!

In the "Read More Books At present" video course, yous'll larn the all-time tips and tactics for reading smarter and faster, all to knock out more books!

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Source: https://brandonvogt.com/how-to-easily-read-the-whole-bible/

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