Sonja CorbittThe Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (ICSB) has earned a reputation as the landmark resource for Catholic Scripture study, even though it was previously only offered in multiple volumes. Now, the recently compiled one-volume Ignatius Catholic Study...
Mark SheaPicture Catholic social teaching as a throne. Seated on that throne is any and every person. Just as a throne requires four legs of equal length and strength, so the four legs of Catholic social teaching are equally important. They are: The dignity...
Damon OwensWhat is the Theology of the Body and why should you care? Whether or not you’ve ever heard the phrase “theology of the body” or not, you can be sure that it has influenced and shaped your current understanding of the Bible, the sacraments of...
Marina BrungardtWhen it comes to the sacraments, perhaps the most identifiably Catholic one after the Eucharist is the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Even if you don’t know exactly how to make a good confession, you know the visual cues and the general...
Blake AdamsThis time of year, children ask, “Is Santa Claus real?” And my instinctive response is: Yes! He was a fourth-century bishop in modern Turkey. He goes by many names: Weihnachtsmann, Sinterklaas, Dun Che Lao Ren, among others. You may know...
Peter WilliamsonIn the document Dei Verbum (DV), which translates from Latin to “The Word of God,” the Second Vatican Council set forth with greater clarity than ever before the foundation of Catholic faith and practice in Scripture and Tradition. The Council’s aim...
Ever wondered, Which Bible translation do most Catholics have in their homes? The Bible is history’s biggest best seller, but the many translations and versions can be difficult to navigate. Whether you’re a new convert, a non-Catholic...
When approaching the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, the Catholic Church teaches that we must confess our mortal sins, and that we ought to confess our venial sins, in order to reconcile ourselves with God (see CCC 1455–58). We can better...
St. Augustine once said, “So for the time being treat the scripture of God as the face of God. Melt in front of it. … The end of all Scripture is love.” In all of history, there has never been another book like the Bible. “The word of...
Paul NiskanenVerbum Domini, the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI published in 2010, is one of the more significant magisterial documents in recent years relating to the interpretation of Scripture in the Catholic Church. As its title (“the Word of the...
Kevin ClemensAt the conclusion of the third session of the Second Vatican Council, in November 1964, Pope Saint Paul VI gave an address in which he drew attention to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s spiritual motherhood for every Christian. In the course of the...
Relative to the Virgin Mary’s prominence in Catholic dogma and devotion, “the reader of the gospels is at first surprised to find so little about Mary,” or so says The Catholic Encyclopedia. This is admittedly the case. Yet relative to Scripture...
The Catholic Church teaches that “there are seven sacraments in the Church: Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony” (CCC 1113). But what are these sacraments? Where did they...
Mark GiszczakCatholics love the Bible. From the Easter Sunday stroll on the road to Emmaus when the risen Jesus conducted the very first Christian Bible study—“he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45)—to today, Christians have always been...
There is a long tradition in the Church of praying Sacred Scripture—known as lectio divina (“divine reading” or “holy reading”)—as a privileged way of pondering God’s word in our hearts. In his excellent book, Hans Boersma...
As the season of Lent gets underway, many Catholics understandably look for a concrete plan for their prayer life to complement their disciplines of fasting and almsgiving. Some will work their way through one of the great spiritual classics, such...
Few individuals figure so prominently in the accounts of Jesus’s life in the Gospels as John the Baptist, the “friend of the bridegroom” (John 3:29), Teacher (Luke 3:12), and, more recently, JBap and “Creepy John.” Monikers aside, to this day John...
The onset of the Advent season finds many Catholics seeking more regular and intentional spiritual disciplines. Some will begin the new liturgical year by taking up the Liturgy of the Hours, others will commit to a holy hour in front of the Blessed...
Visitors to the minor basilica San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome are met with a somewhat puzzling sight when they come upon a famous sculpture of Michelangelo that adorns the tomb of Pope Julius II. The sculpture in question is of Moses, but what is...
This article will introduce the field of patristics and the figures commonly known as the Church Fathers by exploring a few key questions: What is patristics? When was the patristic period? Who are the Church Fathers? Are the Church Fathers still...
Persuaded by friends and teachers, I began to read St. Thomas Aquinas’s Bible commentaries alongside other modern commentaries whenever I studied Sacred Scripture. To my surprise, I found the Angelic Doctor underwhelming. Sure, there...
VerbumPope Emeritus Benedict XVI is remembered as “the greatest mind to reach the papacy in a millennium.” His work on theology and biblical studies will shape the Church for centuries to come.
The word sanctorum can be the genitive plural of sancti (“saints,” that is to say, the faithful, as we find it used in St. Paul), and thus it describes the communion among the faithful. It can also be the genitive plural of sancta (“holy things”)...
Fr. Devin Roza and Fr. Andrew Dalton join us from Rome in a series of videos on how to use Verbum 10! Throughout the videos they show how to use the software to explore the topic of the Eucharist.
The new Verbum is here!
Every time I hear a story of how Verbum has helped priests and deacons in homily or bible study preparation I get so excited because that means I have freed up their time to be with their people and continue to serve the Church.
Join us in celebrating and praying for the recipients of the Catholic Biblical Association's annual Emerging Scholars Fellowship.
Por primera vez en la historia, Verbum ofrece su nueva biblioteca básica en español con acceso gratuito a partir de hoy. Presentando … ¡Verbum 9 Español Básico!
We learned this week of the death of Joseph Blenkinsopp, one of the towering figures of Catholic biblical scholarship.
Hans Urs von Balthasar is, by reputation, notoriously difficult and inaccessible. But the introduction to his magnum opus is lucid and readable: