Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch had the help of 12 other Catholic biblical scholars to gather and compose the commentary on the books of the Old Testament alone.

Eighteen years ago, I walked into my first night class with Scott Hahn on the New Testament. My fiancé and I had the required books for the class divided between us, which were mostly individual volumes of the books of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible — three of the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Every week, we would attend the lecture and absorb scholar Hahn’s biblical knowledge, trying to let it soak in, hoping to remember it all, and, of course, studying our notes.

A few years after we took our class, it must have been easier for Hahn’s students, as they could get the whole Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The New Testament in one volume, which was edited by both Hahn and Curtis Mitch. I asked for my own copy of the New Testament for Christmas one year and started to meet monthly with friends, studying different books of Scripture. The women in our group had a wide variety of backgrounds, some having read Scripture their whole lives and others barely reading it at all. The notes and essays in the Study Bibleon the RSV: Second Catholic Edition translation, opened our minds and hearts to the Scripture in a completely new way for all of us.

What makes this Study Bible unique are the extensive essays, introductions to each book, commentaries, charts and notes on nearly every verse of the Bible. The notes are rooted in the Tradition and drawn from the fathers, doctors and councils of the Church, giving the various interpretive senses of Scripture. They tie together the Old and the New Testaments.

I loved the New Testament edition so much that I started checking several times a year (as many others did as well) on the status of the complete Old Testament. From time to time, I would see that another individual book of the Old Testament had been released, but I held off. I wanted to have the whole Old Testament at once, as I knew it would aid me in both my work as a theological editor and writer but also in my personal prayer life. And sometime late summer 2024, I learned to my great delight that the complete Bible would be released by the end of 2024. I had a copy pre-ordered, the leatherbound as opposed to the hardback, and waited eagerly for it to arrive.

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Vambram said:

Looks like a pretty good business deal to me.

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You’re fine with presidents using the office to secure private business deals for themselves?

The Liturgist said:

The Holy Apostles are of equal importance. Also St. Luke the Evangelist was the protege of St. Paul, and from him and from St. John the Beloved Disciple, St. Mark the Evangelist, and St. Matthew the Holy Apostle and Evangelist are our primary New Testament sources on the Theotokos (there are also plenty in the Old Testament, such as St. Isaiah the Prophet).

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I meant to include Luke. I was pointing out the epistles and all of the early church writings that are in addition to the Gospels.

The Liturgist said:

But regarding the Theotokos in general, it is meet that given her holiness most information we have on her comes from the four canonical Gospels and not the Epistles used by the early church to explain the Gospels. Because the simple fact is that unlike much of the Gospels, with complex issues such as how God incarnate in the person of Christ the only begotten Son and Word of the Father, our Advocate and Judge, by whom all things were made, procured our salvation, and how the New Covenant relates to the Old, and the implications for gentiles, the situation of the Theotokos is simple: she is the Virgin descended from King David, and from the patriarch Judah, in whose womb God was conceived in the person of the Son through the actions of God in the person of the Holy Spirit according to the plan of God the Father, for our salvation; all generations have and will call her Blessed*, and in the Gospel of John she commands us to obey her Son; additionally, she adopts the Disciple whom Jesus Loves, which refers both to physically to St. John and spiritually, to us, at the foot of the cross at the command of our Lord.

* St. Luke makes it clear in chapter 12 her blessedness is from her obedience of Him, a point also made by St. Matthew and St. Mark. For this reason, on most feasts of the Theotokos in the Eastern Orthodox church, such as the recent feast of Mary, Joy of All Who Sorrow, and a few weeks ago the Feast of the Protection of the Theotokos, the Gospel concludes with Luke 11:27-28, which might surprise some members, even Western Rite Orthodox, who are used to seeing this text quoted eisegetically in a neo-antidicomarian context. But if we read it according to an exegetical hermeneutic, with the mind of the Church, this passage explains why the Theotokos is called blessed by all generations as the same Evangelist declares in chapter 1 of his account of the Gospel, in the second of the three exquisite Evangelical Canticles he penned, the Magnificat.

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Most of what's in Mariology was never taught for centuries. Gospel verses about Mary do not teach most what's contained in Mariology, but are rather applied to the teaching of Mariology.

eleos1954 said:

The word "kin-dom" is not in the Bible, but it is used by some Christians to replace the word "kingdom" to emphasize community, relationship, and inclusion rather than a patriarchal hierarchy.

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We are aware of this which is why it is contra Holy Tradition, and is why we oppose it.

You will never hear an Orthodox priest tamper with the words of the Lord’s Prayer or the Creed or misquote Scripture.

The streets of Rome and its most emblematic churches come to life in the exhibition “The Seven Churches of Rome,” the Jubilee itinerary captured through the photography of Romualdo Moscioni.

Located inside the Vatican Museums, this exhibition aims to present two paths: the Jubilee year and an itinerary through the seven most prominent churches of Rome.


PAOLA DI GIAMMARIA

Head of the Photo Archive of the Vatican Museums

You will see in this exhibition seven sections, one for each church. The pilgrimage begins at Saint Peter’s, the heart of Christianity, continues at Saint Paul Outside the Walls, and then touches all the most important basilicas—from the Cathedral of Rome, the first and most important basilica of the East, to the three minor basilicas which are the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls, and Saint Sebastian Outside the Walls. It concludes at the heart of Marian devotion par excellence, that is, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

The exhibition seeks to bring visitors into the origins of photography, as the pilgrimage images are shown through photographic negatives.



PAOLA DI GIAMMARIA

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Most of us bow.

Every relationship, no matter how strong, eventually faces moments that shake it. Misunderstandings, old wounds, sharp words, unmet expectations—these can leave us feeling disconnected from the people we love most. It’s tempting in those moments to assume the story is over… that what was once warm has gone cold for good.

But the Christian story insists on something radically hopeful: love can be healed. Not in a quick-fix way, not by ignoring the pain, but by letting God step into the mess with us.

That truth sits at the heart of Doug Hinderer’s compassionate book, Rekindled Hearts: A Spiritual Journey to Marital Healing. Hinderer, a licensed therapist and marriage coach, walks couples through a simple—but powerful—path: acknowledging hurt, seeking forgiveness, and slowly rebuilding trust. His message is realistic yet full of hope, reminding us that healing isn’t about going back to “how things were” but moving forward into something deeper, stronger, and more honest.

Healing Begins With Honesty​

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US army veteran who received Purple Heart deported by ICE to Mexico​

An army veteran and Purple Heart recipient who served two tours in Iraq was deported on Friday morning from an immigration detention facility in Florence, Arizona.

Barco’s father was a political dissident in Cuba who spoke out against communism, forcing his family to flee to Venezuela in the 1980s. Four years after Barco was born, his family entered the US with asylum, and were later given lawful permanent resident status.

Barco, 39, served 15 years in prison for a felony conviction of attempted murder.

Barco was released on parole this January after serving 15 years due to good behavior. Upon release, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detained Barco and took him to a detention center in Colorado.

150-plus saves a lot of potentially future victims. Well done!

stevevw said:

I have been thinking about the current political claimte and how people are being cancelled and even killed for their views. Is street preaching or declaring the gospel in public now a dangerous occupation.

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Yes and in some places, worse than others. Like, I wouldn't street preach in the middle of Tehran. But specifically to western countries, I think it's getting worse and you just don't know which person is going to listen to the spirit of Satan when he tells them to go kill the preacher. The more a society moves away from Christian values, the darker and more hard hearted that society becomes, which means you're going to see evil become more and more apparent. I think if you're going to street preach, trying to hold a 1 on 1 conversation would be wiser than taking a speaker and a microphone and screaming loudly.

Fantine said:

He attributes this not to hunger for power but to not having the cognitive awareness of how the U.S. government, which he leads, works.

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It was clear in Trump 1.0 that he didn't know how the government works. But he had people around him who did, who mostly kept the president's crayon colors within the lines. This time, he has purposely surrounded himself with people who don't know or don't care (or both) how the government works.

So I don't see that particular point indicates and degradation of faculties. He never had that one.

Assurance depends on where we stake our claim. If we think that it is our faithfulness, our obedience, our emotional connection, etc, that is central to our salvation we will inevitably waver. it is only when we realize that salvation depends not on us, but on Christ, that we can begin to truly have assurance. It is in the letting go, and letting God, that we may have confidence. Though we are faithless, He is faithful.

Clare73 said:

There are several numbers of significance in Scripture. . .10, 1,000, 12, 144, 144,000. . .

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Of course, I'd forgotten 12 x 12 = 144 - Thanks.

An interesting thread. May I ask questions to better understand your point?

Are you saying that tradition was decimated at the departure of Christ, so ancient traditions are suspect?

You also seem to say that there are overseers worthy of double honor. What qualifies one as an overseer? Are you advocating sola scriptura for all believers, or must we acknowledge that there are overseers worthy of double honor?

Sorry if I misunderstood you, peace be with you

Dan1988 said:

What sort of fool would make a such a ridiculous claim, "that hell is God's choice for some".

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I'm not making the foolish claim, but if one believes in predestination in the manner you seem to, that man has no say, no choice in his eternal destiny, then the only conclusion available is that God makes the choice for him. And Calvinism, from my understanding, makes that very claim, that God predestines the reprobate to hell="double predestination", as it's called.

Dan1988 said:

It sounds like the same teacher told you that "hell is the absence of God", that's another demonic doctrine. The Bible says that God is in hell, tormenting sinners with fire, so the sinners see Him. I'm not going to give you any more verses to confirm the above statements, but they are all biblically sound, you can search the scriptures to see for yourself.

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And while the bible isn't crystal clear on this, it's pretty darn near to it. So, for those past 2000 years it's been well enough understood that God, Himself, is what makes heaven heavenly, and separation from Him is primarily what makes hell what it is: punishment. Even man's present misery is already attributed to the lack of union with God which will be totally overcome only when we meet Him "face to face" in the next life.

"He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed." 2 Thess 1:8-10

Go up to your house in peace
1 Samuel 25
NRSV

I line this Latin/English Psalms

Texas, California National Guard members to leave Portland and Chicago​

The federalized Guard troops arrived in those cities but never deployed.

Well, at least money was wasted in this illegitimate use of the guard!
Maybe we can stop wasting money in Los Angeles. We still have some guards activated for no good reason.

How is it at yours? Ours is a large church with elementary and high school. So if you have children or grandchildren it can be easy to feel integrated. Otherwise I notice the same people at daily Mass and there is a tacit recognition that we share this. Sometimes there are adult education programs or other small groups for people who have the time to attend. I had always hoped for third order or oblate possibility.

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever.
(Psalm 136:1)

11/9/25 am on 1 Sam 25
Peace is hard. Conflict. Divisiveness. Anxiety. Hard to keep. Internal.
Nabal doesn't show David hospitality or give David the sheep he wants & David takes an army to get them. Abigail pleads w/ David to turn back & he does.
Abigail shows humility & respect. She does not view herself as better then David, talk bad of him, or puff up her own experiences. She takes action & isn't afraid to avoid conflict & brokenness. Her testimony would've been considered less in that time. Keeping the peace avoids division, but making peace requires the possibility of division.
Rome had acquired peace by power, but Jesus says the peacemakers will be the children of God. The difference between the world's peace & Jesus's peace is the world's peace comes thru human power, & his is a work of God in us.

Kind of fun to grow and eat purple tomatoes .