Sacred Scripture: Understanding the Catholic Bible

Sacred Scripture is the written Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and entrusted to the Church. This pathway presents the Catholic approach to reading, interpreting, and praying the Holy Bible. It covers biblical inspiration, the 73-book Catholic canon, Old and New Testament typology, historical-critical and spiritual senses of Scripture, and Lectio Divina. It equips believers with the tools needed to read Sacred Scripture with living faith and doctrinal fidelity.

For Catholics who want to read the Bible with confidence, parish Bible study participants, catechists, and anyone wishing to understand how Scripture and Tradition form a single sacred deposit of faith.

• Differentiate the Catholic 73-book canon from Protestant Bibles (Deuterocanonical books).
• Understand the four senses of Scripture: Literal, Allegorical, Tropological (Moral), and Anagogical.
• Apply Old Testament covenant typology to the fulfillment of Christ in the New Testament.
• Recognize how Sacred Tradition guards authentic biblical interpretation against private error.
• Practice the four steps of Lectio Divina: Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio.

To cultivate a habitual love for the Word of God, allowing Scripture to illuminate personal prayer, moral choices, and daily spiritual warfare.

Divided into five modules:

1. Divine Inspiration & The Biblical Canon
2. The Old Testament & Salvation History
3. The Four Gospels & The Life of Christ
4. The Apostolic Epistles & Early Church
5. Catholic Exegesis & Lectio Divina

Participants will navigate the entire Catholic Bible with ease, understand salvation history covenants, and pray daily using scriptural meditation.

Two lessons per week accompanied by 15 minutes of daily Bible reading using the approved Douay-Rheims translation. Total duration: 12 hours over 5 weeks.

• CCC 101–141: Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church

• Providentissimus Deus (Pope Leo XIII, 1893)
• Divino Afflante Spiritu (Pope Pius XII, 1943)
• Dei Verbum (Second Vatican Council, 1965)
• Verbum Domini (Pope Benedict XVI, 2010)