A Practical guide for Catechist, Teachers, and Youth Ministers Brian Singer-Towns – St. Mary’s Press

Dei Verbun, no.25 “The sacred synod also earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful, especially Religious, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the ‘excellent Knowledge of Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 3:8)”

National Directory for Catechesis “Catechesis should take Sacred Scrip;ture as its inspiration, its fundamental curriculum, and its end because it strengthens faith, nourishes the soul, and nurtures the spiritual life.” NDC, p. 70.

Biblical Literacy  Our ministry with young people should help them become knowledgeable and comfortable in using the bible.  Our ministry with young people should help them know and understand the biblical story of salvation hisory.  Our ministry with young people should help them understand how to interpret Bible books and passages in their proper contexts.

The ABC’s of Biblical Literacy  Access:Help young people become knowledgeable and comfortable in using the Bible.  Big Picture: Help young people know and understand the biblical story of salvation history.  Context:Help young people understand how to interpret Bible books and passages in their proper context.

Dei Verbun, no. 22 “Easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for al the Christian faithful.”

Access Goal  Know the Bible structure  Old Testament  Pentateuch or Torah – First 5 books. The Law  Historical Books – stories about heroes, how the Chosen People settle in the promised land and became a kingdom.  Wisdom Books.  Books of Prophets – promise of the Savior.  The Psalms.

The New Testament  The Gospels  The Acts of the Apostles  The Letters  The Revelation to John  Teach young people names of the books, places, and how to locate passages in the Bible.

Dei Verbum, no. 16 God, the inspirer and author of both Testaments, wisely arranged that the New Testament be hidden in the Old and the Old be made manifest in the New.”

Big Picture Goal  Being Familiar with the Central People and Events in the Bible.  Being Able to tell the Story of Salvation History.  The Primeval Stories. Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, The Tower of Babel, Noah’s Arc.  Imaginative stories.

The story of salvation  The Patriachs. The Covenant.  Egypt and the Exodus.  Settling into the Promised Land. The 12 tribes of Israel.  Kingdoms of Judah and Israel. Saul King, David unites the tribes. Solomon dies. Now 2 kingdoms. Worship whomever.

The Story of Salvation  Exile and Return. Everyone took over. Judeans become Jews and are allowed back to rebuild temple. Many people start hoping for a messiah.  The Life of Jesus Christ  Early Christian Church.

Dei Verbum, No. 12 “However, since God speaks in Sacred Scripture through men in human fashion, the interpreter of Sacred Scripture, in order to see clearly what God wanted to communicate to us, should carefully investigate what meaning the sacred writers really intended and what God wanted to manifest by means of their words.”

The Context Goal  Historical Context  Cultural Context  Literary genre  Unity of the whole Bible.  Living Tradition of the Church.

Understand the stages involved in the creation of the Bible.  God did not dictate the Bible to the writers.  Human process. CCC  1 st they were Events and Experiences. Specially the Gospels.  2 nd there was the Oral Tradition. Many original writings were combined with other writings.  3 rd was the formation of the canon of Scripture.

Literary Genres of the Bible  Symbolic stories – myths  Hero legends.  Religious history  Hebrew poetry  Religious fiction  Prophetic oracles  Proverbs  Parables  Apocalyptic literature.

Dei Verbum, no 11 “therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follow that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted pur into sacred writings for the sake of salvation.”

 God honors the humanity of it’s authors.  Some authors’ intentions were not to teach history or science.  The Bible teaches us the truth of sin and death and of salvation.