Now Available: The Word on Fire Bible (Volume 1): The Gospels

About this sermon

Friends, when I was a child of eleven or twelve, my parents gave me a Bible as a Christmas present. Like many others before and since, I eagerly set out with the intention of reading my new treasure from cover to cover. I think I got through the tenth chapter of Genesis before giving up. Now, I realize I was only a young man at the time, but the fact remains: the Bible is a hard book. To say to someone “Just start reading it” is about as helpful as recommending to a novice who has never encountered a word of Shakespeare, “Just pick up a collection of the Bard’s plays and enjoy.” The Church has realized from the beginning that we need assistance if we are to read the Scriptures with profit. We require precisely the interpretive lens provided by the great scholars, saints, mystics, popes, and prophets who have gone before us—those who have, in the course of time, been recognized as masters of the sacred writings. This realization informs the innumerable “study Bibles” that have emerged in recent years. By this I mean editions of the Scriptures that include, alongside the biblical texts themselves, commentaries, explanations, and prompts for further exploration. “The Word on Fire Bible” is in this genre, but it has several distinctive features that make it particularly relevant to our time. It is designed to appeal to nonbelievers, searchers, and those with far more questions about religion than answers. Its commentaries hone in on two simple but fundamental questions: Who is God and who is Jesus Christ? The Bible is indeed the greatest book ever written. It has shaped the cultures of the world in countless ways, and it contains, I believe, the words of everlasting life. But for so many today, it is largely opaque, indecipherable—at best a puzzling text from a prescientific age. My fondest hope is that this Word on Fire edition of the Sacred Scriptures can bring God’s Word to life in a fresh way, especially for those who, whether they fully know it or not, are restlessly seeking the Lord. Get your copy, and maybe a few copies for family and friends, at https://www.wordonfire.org/bible ———WATCH——— Subscribe to this Channel: https://bit.ly/31LV1sn Word on Fire Institute Channel: https://bit.ly/2voBZMD Word on Fire en Español Channel: https://bit.ly/2uFowjl ———WORD ON FIRE——— Word on Fire: https://www.wordonfire.org/ FREE Daily Gospel Reflections (English or Español): https://dailycatholicgospel.com/ ———SOCIAL MEDIA——— Bishop Barron Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Sn2XgD Bishop Barron Facebook: https://bit.ly/2Sltef5 Bishop Barron Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Hkz6yQ Word on Fire Instagram: https://bit.ly/39sGNyZ Word on Fire Facebook: https://bit.ly/2HmpPpW Word on Fire Twitter: https://bit.ly/2UKO49h Word on Fire en Español Instagram: https://bit.ly/38mqofD Word on Fire en Español Facebook: https://bit.ly/2SlthaL Word on Fire en Español Twitter: https://bit.ly/38n3VPt ———SUPPORT WORD ON FIRE——— Donate: https://www.wordonfire.org/donate/ Word on Fire Store: https://store.wordonfire.org/ Pray: https://bit.ly/2vqU7Ft

Topics

• Bible Study