Make Room for Scripture

Book excerpt: Great stories. Everyone loves them, and long before they were officially recognized as "God's Word," the accounts in our present-day Bible were preserved and passed along because they were great stories. They had all the essential ingredients: great characters, heroism, villainy, and the triumph of the human spirit. And, at the heart of each, there was the same profound message: we have a God who is passionately in love with us and cannot rest until we show that same passionate love to one another. This is what Jim Philipps wants his readers, and catechists in particular, to understand and share. He guides them through Bible basics by sharing the stories of remarkable men and women in the Old and New Testaments. He explores the intriguing parables of Jesus, as well as stories from Acts of the Apostles and the adventures of St. Paul. Finally he takes a reverent look at the scriptural basis of a storytelling tool that has caught generations of Christians in its power--the rosary, and in particular the reflections on the "mysteries of light," which tell the story of the ministry of Jesus. Each brief chapter includes a bit of Bible scholarship to help readers place the story in its proper context; a reflection that offers a deeper experience of the story; and a series of questions and activities that make personal connections to everyday life. This is a great introduction to the Bible and its stories and a wonderful resource for catechists and all who want to share and explore these stories with others.