Bible Studies: 5 Books that have taught me the most about my Catholic Faith.
Let’s start out with the obvious; nothing will ever replace the reading Bible. The Bible is the best book ever written, God’s love letter to us! This isn’t a post about books you can read to avoid reading the most important one. Rather, this is a list of Bible studies that have helped me dive deeper into the Bible, and understand what Catholics believe in easily digestible lessons. Studying your faith is the best way you can spend your time; the more you know, the more you fall in love with our Lord, and the more you will see His hand guiding every aspect of your life….when you let Him. But that’s another post for another day! For now, let’s dive into my favorite books and Bible studies.
The Catholic All Year Compendium
I don’t know if the author, Kendra Tierney, intended for her book to be a study but it has been for me! One day trying to find something on the Formed app to watch during Lent, I found this woman doing a cooking show centered around Liturgical living; that is, orienting your daily living around the various feasts and celebrations of the Catholic church. Honestly, she had me at Shrimp Etouffee, which is what she was making in the episode centered around Fat Tuesday…a historically Catholic celebration, not at all what you see in the secular world today. From there, I went down the rabbit hole of watching every single one of her Catholic All Year At Home episodes and have made most of the meals for my family. If you know me, you know how important it is to take tradition and meals and wrap it all in a pretty bow for my family to (hopefully) remember and make them appreciate our faith even more. Kendra has ten children, is a widow, and is doing God’s work and showing His people that being Catholic is actually really, really fun. If this is intriguing to you, her book The Catholic All Year Compendium is a great place to start!
The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics
I’ve done a lot of Bible studies throughout the last few years, but I couldn’t find one mostly centered around Mary, the Mother of our Lord. Catholics honor Mary because without her yes, how would we have been saved? She is our intercessor. Check out Genesis 3:16 and Revelation chapter 12 to see how the Bible actually begins and ends with Mary! Anyway, my quest this Lent was to grow closer to her. I always admired holy men and women who seemed to know her so well, as their spiritual mother. My friend Faith recommended The Life of Mary As Seen By the Mystics, and man, that book changed everything for me. If you want to know our Holy Mother, this is a must-read.
Walking with Purpose
Walking with Purpose (WWP) was introduced to me about 5 years ago, and has helped me learn more about my Catholic faith ever since. The studies are meant to be done in small groups, but I’ve done them on my own as well and have found them to be just as impactful. You can find out if your parish offers WWP studies (or start your own study!) here. What I love most is how relevant the studies are to how women live today. Their mission is to help women to know Jesus personally, through scripture, and to create eternity-changing transformations within our hearts. Pretty cool! I have created and led groups for both women and middle school girls using the WWP Bible studies, and the fruit of those groups has been indescribable. In fact, my middle school girls I’m leading now are asking me to teach them to lead their own WWP studies! That’s transformation right there. If you’re looking for somewhere to start, my favorites are Keeping in Balance Bible Study – Walking with Purpose, Grounded in Hope Bible Study – Walking with Purpose, and BLAZE Core Programs – Walking with Purpose for middle school girls!
Beautiful Hope
This short book Beautiful Hope - Finding Hope Every Day in a Broken World, by Matthew Kelly, and with Pope Francis, Sister Miriam, Father Mike Schmitz, and others as collaborators, helped me in a time when I needed help the most. I was just coming off of a fluke injury that turned life-threatening, and that had me questioning why God “allows” certain things to happen to us. Well, the answer to that age-old question is probably another blog post, but this book, which is filled with real-life stories of joy in the midst of despair, gave me hope like no other! Even if this doesn’t speak to you now, we will all face challenge after challenge in this life. Grab a copy to keep on hand for when you need hope and to see God’s hand in everything.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
I won’t pretend here…my kids probably know the Catechism way better than I do. Back when I was a kid (insert granny impersonation voice here) I definitely didn’t take the formation of my faith seriously; I was just checking the box. So now that I get to watch my kids go through their own formation as a homeschooling parent, it's almost redemptive for me because I get to learn right alongside them. At first, the Catechism felt like a big book of rules to me (transparency is important!), so if you’re just starting to live your Catholic faith again, I would suggest getting to know our Lord’s heart better, first. Then when you dive into the Catechism, you’ll understand the why behind it all! You can also listen to a podcast on the Catechism with Father Mike Schmitz if you prefer to learn that way!
Those are my personal favorites….right now. I’m certain if I make this list a year from now, it will have grown and changed as I grow and change. Don’t overthink going deeper in your faith; pick a Bible study or book that points you to the Bible, and just start! It won’t be time wasted.
Do you have a personal favorite? Comment below or email me and tell me about it!