Free Catholic Bible Studies for your small group, Church, or personal use.
When I think of prayer, I often picture myself sitting there, asking for answers, waiting, and trying to hear or see a reply. Or maybe I am on the run and throw out a quick thank you, help me with x please, or a prayer for a friend's request. But in reality, what...
This week on the podcast we talk about service through suffering. In the first reading Alanna connects the symbolism of the story to the symbolism of the New Testament. Service in suffering under the "tree" brings forth fruit, and new life. Abraham serves God with a...
This week on the podcast we talk about pondering the Trinity. How it is so difficult to teach the mystery of the Trinity because all examples that we try to use fail. Trying to describe the Trinity is the easiest way to accidentally stray into heresy. Holy Trinity...
Use this Catholic Bible Study for your own personal spiritual growth or with the apostolate you are involved with. Matthew 20:17-28 Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time 17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to...
Do you have any Catholic Bible verses memorized? If we really believe in the power of the Word of God, we should make an effort to study it, understand it, and memorize it. It is a gift that we have been given to help us in our faith. It is very useful in...
“They say that one who is satiated cannot understand someone who is hungry; to that, I would add that one hungry person does not understand another hungry person.” - Dostoevsky Every one of us hungers. Every one of us seeks for something that will nourish us. We...
“Life is always a triumph of the improbable and a miracle of the unexpected.” - Henri de Lubac Making a decision is never easy. But it is even harder when we have to decide between two good things. Choosing which has priority is not always clear-cut. Feelings of...
Gospel Reflection for Mark (5:21-43) When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he...
Catholic Bible Study for the Solemnity of the birth of Saint John the Baptist: Our lives are made of broken promises, promises that we make to ourselves and are unable to keep. And yet, somehow, these promises help us live because they spur us on and give us a goal....
“If God has created all things, where does evil come from?” - Saint Augustine When we feel inadequate, fragile, or guilty, we immediately look for something to hide behind. We are ashamed of our nudity. We don’t want to be seen. It’s a recurring sensation throughout...
A Catholic Bible Study on the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 28:16-20 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to...
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark (16:15-20) Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will...
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 15:9-17 Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in...
“He lost himself in dreams of what could have been had he just left; left without saying anything; left forever, without ever returning home again.” ~ Pirandello Who among us has not felt the urge to just run away and leave everything? This was the case with...
What is servant leadership? As leaders, we should be oriented towards service, self gift. It's a simple principle, but it has to be renewed constantly. We also have to take care of ourselves in order to be able to give of ourselves to others. In this week's Catholic...
“We love only that which is beautiful.” ~ Augustine Freedom has a price, but does love? How much does love cost? Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver. Joseph, in the book of Genesis, was sold into slavery by his brothers. And Orpheus had to make a bargain with...
Are you afraid of death? Imagine just how much your fears hold you back from God's awesome plan for your life! In this week's Gospel reflection, Father Ian VanHeusen examines Lk. 24:35-48. Much like Jesus' plan for his disciples, it's hard for us to imagine what...
Gospel Reflection “Tell us, Mary: say / what thou didst see / upon the way.” ~ from the Easter Sequence They say that Homer was blind. We can’t be sure, but we can imagine that when we are looking for the right words within us, when we are immersed in the inner...
“What is your aim in philosophy?” “To show the fly the way out of the fly-bottle.” ~ Shakespeare, Love’s Labour’s Lost Paraphrasing Wittgenstein, we can say that the aim of the Resurrection is to show us the way out of the places in which we are trapped, from the...
Are you holding back in your faith? Cowering in the locked upper room like the Disciples? Father Ian VanHeusen leads us in a Catholic Bible Study on John 20:19-31, and the awesome trustworthiness of God to catch us when we step out, risk big, and shed our fears in...
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading for Palm Sunday, Mk. 14:1-15:47. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to invest in prayer of self-examination, and he provides practical assistance in the method...
“At Christmas I no more desire a rose / Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled shows; / But like of each thing that in season grows...” ~ Shakespeare, Love’s Labour’s Lost Seeds cannot be sown at just any time of year. Everything has its time. The life of the...
“The imagination is more active in the dark than in the light of day.” ~ Immanuel Kant When we were young, we were afraid of the dark because we couldn’t distinguish the things around us. In the silence of the night, every sound seems louder. In the dark, it’s not...
Children are the future. They are the lives that continue on. Parents often project their aspirations onto their children and would like to see their hopes fulfilled in them. But, much like the future, the life of a child is not within our control. Though we might...
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading for the 2nd Sunday of Lent, Mark 9:2-10, the account of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to invest in prayer of...
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Tip: These make amazing Catholic Christmas Gifts too!