Enjoying the Bible

Enjoying the Bible is the first Scripture Courses I taught in Cloyne Diocese when I was engaged in pastoral ministry and adult religious education in Ireland before coming to minister in the USA. It treats the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and the Acts of the Apostles and the central section of the Old Testament including the Psalms. You can read the course outline below and also some excerpts.

Enjoying the Bible (You can read lessons 1 and 2 below and also the other linked selections)
Lesson 1	Introduction to the Course Introduction to the Bible (Development of the Bible, Manuscripts of the Bible, Seven Extra Books in Catholic Old Testaments) Inspiration of Sacred Scripture (Thereafter both Old and New Testament sections of the course run concurrently)
	Old Testament	New Testament
2	Introduction to the Psalms (The Psalms were Jesus' Prayer Book, Praying the Psalms today) Psalms we pray when all is well Hymns of Praise, Psalms 8 and 104	Introduction to the Gospels The Gospel of Mark
3	Introduction to the Psalms continued Psalms we pray when all is well Hymns Praising God's Providence Guiding History, Psalms 105 and 136 Reflection on Psalm 139	Introduction to the Gospels concluded The Gospel of Luke Jesus' Ministry in Luke is Inclusive Paralleling of Men and Women in Luke Reflection on the Magnificat
4	Introduction the Psalms continued (including the different numbering of the Psalms) Psalms we pray when all is well Zion Hymns, Psalms 48 and 84	The Gospel of Matthew Four Gospels - Four Portraits of Jesus Scripture in the Liturgy
5	Introduction to the Psalms concluded (titles) Psalms we pray when we are in crisis (laments) Lament of a Sick Person, Psalm 88 Sheol, death and heaven in the Old Testament Psalm 31 and Jesus' Passion	Infancy Narratives - Luke 1-2
6	Psalms we pray when we are in crisis Lament of a Sinner, Psalm 51	Infancy Narratives - Matthew 1-2
7	Psalms we pray when we are in crisis Lament of One who is Persecuted, Psalm 27 Psalms 22; 69 and Jesus' Passion Laments of the Community, Psalm 137	Humanity and Emotions of Jesus in the Gospels Prayer and Spirituality of Jesus
8	Psalms to thank God for helping us out of a crisis Thanksgiving Psalms, Psalms 116 and 107	How to Interpret the Parables Parables of Mark 4 and Matthew 13
9	Thematic Psalms Royal Psalms, Psalms of Trust, Liturgical Psalms, Covenant Renewal Psalms, Wisdom Psalms, Pilgrimage Psalms	Parables of Luke 15
10	Anger and Vengeance in the Psalms	More Parables in Luke and Matthew including The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector
11	Introduction to the Wisdom Literature Book of Proverbs	The Miracles of Jesus
12	Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth)	Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount The Beatitudes (Matthew 5)
13	Book of Job 1-37	The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
14	Book of Job 38-42 Thoughts on the mystery of suffering	The Lord's Prayer, Our Father
15	Ecclesiasticus (Sirach)	The Passion Narratives (Matt 26; Mark 14; Luke 22)
16	Wisdom of Solomon	The Passion Narratives (Matt 27; Mark 15; Luke 23)
17	Song of Songs Overview of Wisdom Literature Wisdom Literature and the New Testament	The Resurrection Narratives (Mark 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; Acts 1)
18	Daniel	Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1-7, Mission in Jerusalem)
19	First Book of Maccabees	Acts of the Apostles (Acts 8-12, Mission in Judaea and Samaria)
20	Second Book of Maccabees Tobit Judith	Acts of the Apostles (13-28, Mission to the end of the earth Theology of Acts and Parallels with Luke)

Praying the Bible

A highlight of the Scripture Courses I taught each night was 20 minutes of prayer using the Bible. These guided biblical meditations were so popular that many course participants asked to have some of them recorded. Visit An Hour with Jesus, Our Life, God's Gift and Let's Talk to Jesus where you can listen to samples in audio.