3 Bible - Old and New Testament

The Bible is one story made up on many books. It tells the story of God's relationship with his people, his love for them and their response to his love. It was written over hundreds of years by many different writers and can be divided into the Old Testament and New Testament. 

The first forty-six books of the Bible are called the Old Testament and they record the history of God's people, the Israelites. 
The New Testament is made up of the books about Jesus and the early Church. The Gospels tell us about the life and teachings of Jesus. Some of the others books and letters tell us about Jesus' followers, the early Christians and how the Church began.

CCC 120 It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books. This complete list is called the canon of Scripture. It includes 46 books for the Old Testament (45 if we count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one) and 27 for the New.

The Old Testament: 
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi.

The New Testament: 
The Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of St. Paul to the Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, the Letter to the Hebrews, the Letters of James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2 and 3 John, and Jude, and Revelation (the Apocalypse).




Remember that during this coming week which is Half Term the Cathedral Parish Blog will have videos, colouring and songs linked to the Bible - related activities.

3 Bible - Liturgy of the Word

Cathedral Parish Newsletter 30th Sunday Year B
with details of readings

The object of faith this week is the Bible.  We listen to the Bible every time we come to Mass.  The Church organises the Sunday readings over a three year cycle.   

In the Vatican II Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC) it explains how:  

SC 51. The treasures of the bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God's word. In this way a more representative portion of the holy scriptures will be read to the people in the course of a prescribed number of years.

How to find out what the readings are?
The Liturgy Office provides a list of the readings for each of the years.  For a link to 31st Sunday Ordinary Time Year B click here
The Cathedral parish newsletter includes a list of the readings and responses.  Check your newsletter for details.



Commentaries on the readings: Wednesday Word and Living Space

For a commentary on the Sunday reading that is available on the Wednesday before the Sunday click Wednesday Word

For commentaries on Sunday and weekday Masses click Living Space 




During this coming week which is Half Term the Cathedral Parish Blog will have videos, colouring and songs linked to the Bible - related activities.

2 Vatican II Documents: Declarations and Decrees

Diagram of the Vatican II documents

Constitutions, Declarations and Decrees
The core documents from Vatican II were the four Constitutions.  In addition there were four Declarations and 12 Decrees.  The different types of document help to show the level of authority and the amount time and level of agreement on the topics.  The diagram above organises the Vatican II documents into three broad areas. The links below provide a useful index to these Vatican II documents. 

Mission

Decree Ad Gentes on the mission activity of the church

Decree on priestly training Optatam Totius on 28^th October 1965

Declaration on Education Gravissimum Educationis  28^th October 1965 

Decree on the media of social communications Inter Mirifica  on 4.12.1963

People of God

Decree on the pastoral office of bishops in the church Christus Dominus  on 28.10.1965

Decree on the adaptation and renewal of religious life Perfectae Caritatis on 28.10.1965

Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity Apostolicam Actuositatem on 18.11.1965

Decree on the ministry and life of priests Presbyterorum Ordinis on 7.12.1965

External Relations

Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio
Declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian religions Nostra Aetate 28.101965
Decree on the Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite Orientalium Ecclesiarum  on 21.11.1964
Declaration on religious freedom Dignitatis Humanae on the right of the person and of communities to social and civil freedom in matters religious 7.12.1965 

For a more detailed explanation of the different types of document see  The Authority of Church Documents 

2 Vatican II Documents: The Constitutions

DOCUMENTS OF THE 2nd VATICAN COUNCIL

CONSTITUTIONS

The four main documents were known as constitutions (click name of document to read full document).
Constitution on Divine Revelation: Dei Verbum November 18th 1965

Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium November 21st 1964
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium December 4th 1963
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World: Gaudium et Spes December 7th 1965

Naming Vatican Documents

What do the following abbreviations mean?

SC

LG

DV

GS

2 Vatican II Documents

Documents of Vatican II

The Second Vatican Council reviewed what was happening in the Catholic Church and what was happening in the world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. The main aims of the Council were:

-        to examine the nature of the Church and the role of the bishop;

-        to renew the Church;

-        to seek unity among all Christians;

-        to start to relate to the modern world.

The documents that were produced led to changes in the Catholic Church, including the change from celebrating Mass in Latin to celebrating in English.

CCC 938 The Bishops, established by the Holy Spirit, succeed the apostles. They are "the visible source and foundation of unity in their own particular Churches" (LG 23).

In the catechism there are a lot of references to other church documents.  In the catechism these are identified by the initials of the first two or three Latin words, by which the document is known.  For example, LG - Lumen Gentium (Christ is the Light of the nations)

Vatican documents can be found on the Vatican website: Lumen Gentium

The Inspire display at the Cathedral has four sections and each one contains one of the four constitutions of the Vatican II Council.  

1 YOUCAT - Catechism for Young People

YOUCAT: Youth Catechism

Youcat is a catechism designed for young people.  Like the Compendium it is organised using a series of questions and includes references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  There are quotes from a wide range of people and examples from everyday life.  Youcat is supported by a website, Facegroup study groups, with videos, quizzes, materials.

Question of the Month

Click image to read other questions

Did you know, Youcat is organised in the same sections as the Catechism and Compendium? 

CCC 13 The plan of this catechism is inspired by the great tradition of catechisms which build catechesis on four pillars: the baptismal profession of faith (the Creed), the sacraments of faith, the life of faith (the Commandments), and the prayer of the believer (the Lord's Prayer).

Quiz Time Why not have a go at the YOUCAT QUIZ

1 Compendium of the Catechism

The Compendium has:
* the same four sections as the Catechism of
  the Catholic Church (CCC)

   1) “The Profession of Faith”,  lex credendi, 
   2) “The Celebration of the Christian
       Mystery”, lex celebrandi 
   3) “Life in Christ”, lex vivendi
   4) “Christian Prayer”,  lex orandi

* a question and answer format and has
   references to the CCC
* sacred art -  which on the basis that a
  picture paints a 1000 words, is another way    we can learn about our faith. 

CCC 11 This catechism aims at presenting an organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental contents of Catholic doctrine, as regards both faith and morals, in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church's Tradition. Its principal sources are the Sacred Scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, the liturgy, and the Church's Magisterium. It is intended to serve "as a point of reference for the catechisms or compendia that are composed in the various countries".

Wednesday Words of Witness WWW
On the Cathedral Parish blog we have a new series starting for the Year of Faith. To find out more about WWW click here and to read more of our first entry by Sr Zela Procter click here.