Hopefully, this month has offered that same fresh feel that the new year brings, coaxing us into a time of possibility. More than likely, at this late date, some of the newness is wearing off. At least we can collectively exhale, if for no other reason than having made it through 2020. Congratulations!
Good News
I had the privilege of starting the year with an (online) Epiphany retreat. There were folks from all over the country–and the world. One of the benefits of an event that takes place on Zoom is that gatherings that might have been limited by geography or scheduling, can now be attended by a wide array of people. One of the fruits of this gathering was a strong sense of encouragement to dig into Scripture this year. The word gospel translates as ‘good news,’ beginning the year with a book from the Gospels seemed like an obvious choice.
Around the same time, I discovered KINDRED’s Gospel of Mark. Perfect timing for Liturgical year B where the Gospel readings at Mass all come from St. Mark.
Accessible
I have learned that KINDRED’s mission is to make Scripture readily accessible to everyone to ‘Encourage more acts of faith.’ They rightly note that attempting to read the Bible can be a discouraging task because the Bible is many, many books (the number varies, depending on the translation) all put together, resembling more of a library than a chronological telling of our faith story.
This is also why Pope Francis instituted a day celebrating ‘Word of God Sunday‘ as we return to ordinary time. Catholics have not always been known for their familiarity with sacred Scripture, but Pope Francis encourages the faithful to dive in particularly because the Word is so widely available in our present age. St. Jerome, famous for translating most of the Bible into Latin, reminds us that “Those who are ignorant of Scripture, are ignorant of Christ.” So let us dig in!
New Eyes
To invite further exploration of Scripture one book at a time, KINDRED has begun publishing beautiful, contemporary books with gorgeous photography. It is an entirely new presentation of Biblical texts. It almost has the feel of curling up with a new version of an old favorite while feasting with my eyes and heart. Of course, it is the same story–but experienced with new eyes. As someone who has fallen in love with Visio Divina and visual illumination of the Word, it is probably no surprise that having a text that is also visual is a powerful experience.
This sort of Scriptural presentation lends itself to further study of individual books, a special edition of a favorite book of the Bible, Bible studies with groups, or an awesome resource collection for home faith study. Aside from relatively recent journaling style Bibles, in general, Bible presentation has been pretty uniform for a long time. The Bibles we find in hotel rooms are not wildly different from those we reference at home–give or take a concordance.
Your Invitation
If my stats are correct, the number one podcast in America this week is Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz. This news is so heartening! There is a hunger for good news–the Good News! If this invitation speaks to you, consider making a plan to be immersed in the Word this year. If you decide to, I would love to hear where you decide to begin and what it yields for you.
*KINDRED is currently offering 10% off online purchases with promo code: WORSHIP