Small groups gathering for scripture services could be a better option than public Masses until the pandemic has further subsided, says German bishop Heiner Wilmer. By gathering for scripture services, people will gain new experiences with new and familiar forms of praying together, says Wilmer. “I am convinced that these new and familiar forms of Read more
The Bible Society has launched its new scripture-based website, The Word, the first Catholic Bible-engagement focused website of its kind in New Zealand. Mass readings are also delivered every day, thanks to a partnership with the Marist Messenger. The site delivers inspirational stories through video and word from Catholics for whom the Bible is an Read more
Bible reading is key to being a strong Christian as well as victorious living says Tak Bhana, Senior Pastor of Auckland’s Church Unlimited and Bible Society New Zealand’s Vice-President. In addition, the Bible is key to your Christian growth, a primary way of connecting with God and it helps people live a Godly life, says Read more
It was a fine Bible scholar who made me realise I was interpreting some passages of Scripture out of their cultural context. I suppose it’s okay to do that, if I’m reading Scripture as parable and letting the Holy Spirit connect the words with my life. However, if my literal understanding of a story is Read more
Britain’s former chief rabbi has written that only a “theology of the other” drawn from a subtle reading of scripture can save religion. In a new book titled “Not in God’s Name”, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks attempts to explain why religion and violence so often go hand in glove. The explanation lies in religion’s dual Read more
On his daily blog from the synod on the family, Archbishop John Dew has painted a picture of sharp divisions among synod members. On his October 15 posting from Rome, Archbishop Dew noted that there had been vigorous arguments in the small group discussions taking place this week. “The arguments are very strong as to Read more
We have reached our celebration of Easter, the centre of the Church’s liturgical year and the source of Christian life and faith. Yet Easter often appears as the poor relation of Christmas. Whether you believe or not, there is something about Christmas that manages to touch everyone. But without Easter there would be no Christmas. Read more
We are people of the Way, an ancient term for the first Christians which is found in the Acts of the Apostles. Jesus showed us that way throughout his whole life on earth, but this way becomes particularly clear and calls to us most profoundly in the events of Holy Week, not only by Jesus’s Read more
I soooooooo don’t get it. John Main says, “Language may not be able to lead us into the ultimate communion but it is the atmosphere in which we first draw breath of consciousness.” I have spent more than fifty years acquiring language – a spiritual language, that is, not my native tongue – and suddenly Read more
A recent poll reports that 82% of American hold the Bible to be sacred literature, followed by the Qur’an at 10%, the Torah at 6% and the Book of Mormon at 6%. More than two-thirds (68%) of all adults surveyed and 75% of respondents age 66 and up agree that the Bible contains everything a Read more