The Catholic Defender: Finding the Catholic Faith in Every Book of the Bible: A continued Spiritual Journey
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Finding the Catholic faith throughout the entire Bible is a rewarding pursuit that reveals how Scripture points to the Sacraments, the Mass, and the Church. This spiritual journey involves recognizing the full 73-book Catholic canon and understanding how the Old Testament prefigures the New Testament
The Catholic Bible contains 46 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. The Old Testament includes seven additional books (the Deuterocanon) such as Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 & 2 Maccabees, along with additions to Esther and Daniel. These books were universally used by the early Church and help form many key Catholic doctrines, such as prayers for the dead (2 Maccabees 12) and the intercession of saints.
Ascension Press: Explore The Great Adventure Bible Timeline by Jeff Cavins, a popular color-coded system that makes it easy to follow the overarching story of salvation history
St. Paul Center: Deepen your knowledge with resources by Dr. Scott Hahn, which focus on reading Scripture through a distinctly Catholic lens and understanding its liturgical context
Catholic Answers: Access their comprehensive articles on interpreting Scripture properly, maintaining the balance between its divine and human dimensions.
Lectio Divina: This ancient, prayerful way of reading Scripture involves four steps:
1 reading (lectio),
2 meditating (meditatio),
3 praying (oratio), and
4 contemplating (contemplatio)
The Liturgical Cycle: Attend daily or Sunday Mass to follow the Church's three-year cycle of readings. The Mass itself is profoundly biblical, with Scripture guiding the Liturgy of the Word and pointing directly to the Eucharist.
The "7 Pillars of Catholic Spirituality" are a set of foundational practices popularized by author Matthew Kelly in his book Rediscover Catholicism. These timeless habits include:
Confession: Frequent participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to overcome sin and find healing.
Daily Prayer: Cultivating a consistent daily dialogue and relationship with God.
The Mass: Attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist, considered the source and summit of the Catholic faith.
The Bible: Reading and reflecting on Scripture to understand God's word.
Fasting: Giving up certain things to build self-discipline, deepen empathy, and grow closer to God.
Spiritual Reading: Reading books on theology, the saints, and faith to continually learn and grow.
The Rosary: Meditating on the life of Jesus through the repetitive prayer and mysteries of the Rosary.
YouTube·Matthew Kelly +4
For a deeper dive into how these practices can be applied to daily life, you can explore the Dynamic Catholic overview of the book.
(Note: If you are looking for the official structural foundations of the faith rather than spiritual practices, the Archdiocese for the Military, USA outlines the four pillars of the Catechism as: the Creed, the Sacraments, Christian Morality, and Christian Prayer).
Archdiocese for the Military, USA
The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality
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The Seven Pillars of Catholicism – Parish of St. Ann
According to Matthew Kelly, there are seven practices that are particularly important to Catholicism:
Confession: Frequent participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to overcome sin and find healing.
Daily Prayer: Cultivating a consistent daily dialogue and relationship with God.
The Mass: Attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist, considered the source and summit of the Catholic faith.
The Bible: Reading and reflecting on Scripture to understand God's word.
Fasting: Giving up certain things to build self-discipline, deepen empathy, and grow closer to God.
Spiritual Reading: Reading books on theology, the saints, and faith to continually learn and grow.
The Rosary: Meditating on the life of Jesus through the repetitive prayer and mysteries of the Rosary.
