As a sophomore in college, I have just rounded the corner of completion for my general credit courses and am now venturing on into that of my choosing. And as a person who desperately wants to travel the world, I figure it would come in handy to be fluent in another language. I decided Spanish would be a good choice, so I signed up for the 101 class. In preparation for my first lesson I bought a Spanish/English dictionary and a few cassette tapes – yes I said cassette tapes, they’re cheaper.
I couldn’t believe that Spanish 101, 102 and 103 flew by so quickly! Now that I’m in Spanish 104 we’re exploring all kinds of new materials: books, movies and plays all in Spanish. I’m so excited to finally understand a new language I even went out and bought a Bible in Spanish to read in my own time at home. Me gusta hablar en espanol!
The Holy Bible is one of the richest, densest tomes ever set in print. Religious scholars have been studying the book for nearly 2,000 years. To this day, new interpretations of biblical parables are being suggested and debated in seminaries, divinity schools and college classrooms around the world. But Bible study can also be an intensely personal endeavor.
By utilizing some helpful Bible study materials, Catholics can learn to understand the word of God in an entirely new light. Bible study is a never-ending process that can evolve with the person who undertakes the challenge. It’s also a great way to renew religious convictions that have begun to falter due to disinterest or failure to relate to the Bible.
Even today, thousands of years after its final verses were transcribed, the Holy Bible provides Christians with a solid source of faith. In times of trouble, many believers consult the good book for guidance amid the turmoil. Others choose to study the Bible in their free time, getting to know the time-tested lessons and parables it contains.
Protestant bibles were the first to be translated from Latin into common vernacular, but the Roman Catholic Church got in on the act following the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. This council dictated that Catholic Mass should be conducted in vernacular, thus opening up power of biblical scripture to millions of people at once. Today’s Roman Catholic Bible is translated into dozens of languages, and its impact grows with each new reader.