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Fostering Faith Curriculum Guide
for Catechist Certification: Scripture
I: Scripture in Catechesis
Session Description
This session presents a Catholic understanding of the Bible, and
addresses its practical implications for catechesis.
Themes
 | Catholic understanding of Scripture |
| Basic skills for interpreting the Bible |
| Use of Scripture in catechesis |
Focusing the Session
The story of salvation history, of God's calling a people and
their response, is the story of us all. We discover in the Bible, guided by the
interpretative tradition and the Magisterium of the Church, who God is, what God has done
for us, and what God asks of us. This session addresses the relationship between the
Church and the Bible: the Bible as the expression of the faith of the Church, and the
Church as the community context where the meaning of Scripture comes alive.
Instructional Objectives
In conducting this session the facilitator will:
| Introduce the Catholic perspective regarding Scripture |
| Provide an awareness of the Catholic approach to Scripture
by addressing especially:
the relationship of Scripture to Tradition and
a Catholic way of life
biblical inspiration |
| the role of reading the Scriptures in the context of faith
and community. |
| Trace the historical background of the development
of Catholic and Protestant editions of the Bible and the formation of the Canon. |
| Provide exercises designed to introduce the overall
organization and chronology of the Bible. |
| Use various teaching methods which catechists can
use with their students. |
Catechist Competencies
As a result of this session, catechists will be able to:
| Articulate the overall organization, chronology and
formation of the Bible. |
| Connect Scripture to their own lives and to Catholic
teaching. |
| Distinguish between the Catholic tradition of reading
Scripture in the context of the Church community, and the fundamentalist traditions of
individual interpretation of the Bible. |
| Identify the roles played by literary forms in the process
of interpretation. |
| Incorporate effectively into their teaching the concepts
of divine inspiration, revelation, and biblical notions of truth, authorship and history. |
Special Points from the Documents
| Study of the Bible is the soul of theology (Dogmatic
Constitution on Divine Revelation #24) |
| Scripture and Tradition have one source in God (CCC
#80-82) |
| Scripture teaches the truth "for the sake of our
salvation" (CCC #105-110) |
| To read Scripture rightly, one must be attentive to what
the authors wanted to affirm and what God wanted to reveal through them (CCC #109-114) |
| Proper understanding of the Word of God requires that we
study the texts as human documents using historical and literary critical methods (The
Interpretation of the Bible in the Church I,A) |
| Responsible study flows into the interpretation of the
Bible in the daily life of the Church (The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church
IV,A-C) |
Documentary References (see Bibliography for
secondary sources)
| Divino Afflante Spiritu ("By the
Spirit’s Divine Inspiration": Pius XII, 1943) |
| Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
#1-13, 21-25 |
| On Catechesis in Our Time #27 |
| Catechism of the Catholic Church #80-82, 105-114, 120,
131-133. |
| The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (Pontifical
Biblical Commission, 1993) |
Scripture Contexts
| Deuteronomy 31:9 2
Kings 22:8-23:3 Nehemiah 8:1-12 John 20:30-31
Acts 8:26-39
2 Timothy 3:14-16 |
Moses writes down Torah and entrusts it to the elders Rediscovery of Torah in the temple gives new life to faith
The people are profoundly moved by Ezra’s reading of Torah
These things are written so that you will believe and have life
The reader of Scripture needs an interpreter to understand
All Scripture brings spiritual profit |
Suggested Participant Resource
Study Bible
Session Description
This session surveys the Old Testament and its importance to
Christian life and catechesis.
Themes
| Historical development of the oral and written traditions
of Israel and the Jewish people |
| Literary forms and characteristics of the individual books
and groups of books |
| Basic theological themes of the Old Testament, e.g.,
creation, covenant, Israel, law (Torah), wisdom |
| Hebrew and Jewish people's experience of God's presence in
their lives |
Focusing the Session
The session examines the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures (with some
attention to the differences between the Protestant and Catholic versions of the Old
Testament canon), and explores the major texts concerning creation and redemption in order
to show their importance in salvation history and to the rest of the Scriptures.
Instructional Objectives
In conducting this session the facilitator will:
| Provide an overview of the content of the Hebrew
Scriptures. |
| Express verbally and in writing the overall organization,
major themes, and chronology of the Old Testament. |
| Model methods of reflection with Scripture that elicit a
faith response, deepen understanding, and relate Scripture to everyday life and culture. |
| Show the Hebrew/Jewish roots of Christian faith, along
with an emphasis on the Church's condemnation of anti-Semitism. |
| Demonstrate a Catholic view of the Old Testament in terms
of salvation themes fulfilled in the New Testament. |
| Show how the Hebrew Scriptures express the way the Hebrew
and Jewish people experienced God in their midst. |
| Demonstrate age appropriate resources and interactive
methods for presenting Scripture. |
Catechist Competencies
As a result of this session catechists will be able to:
| Articulate the Catholic understanding of the Old Testament
canon. |
| Demonstrate with age-appropriate methods the ability to
present Scripture stories which help the Bible "come alive." |
| Express the Church's positive appreciation of the Jewish
faith. |
| Present some Old Testament themes essential to the
formation of the New Testament and the Christian life. |
| Demonstrate how the Hebrew and Jewish people expressed the
presence of God in their lives. |
Special Points from the Documents
| Christians venerate the Hebrew Scriptures as the true Word
of God (CCC #121-123; Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation #14-16) |
| Jewish faith as an authentic response to God's revelation
(CCC #839-840) |
| Church condemnation of anti-Semitism (Declaration on the
Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions #5) |
Documentary References (see Bibliography for
secondary sources)
| Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
#14–16 |
| Vatican II, Declaration on the Relation of the Church to
Non-Christian Religions |
| Catechism of the Catholic Church #120–124,
128–130, 134 |
| The New American Bible with Revised New Testament |
| The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church |
Scripture Contexts
| Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Psalm
19:8-12
Psalm 119
Matthew 5:17-18
Luke 1:67-79
Luke 24:25-32, 44-47
Romans 11:25-29
Romans 15:4 |
Essence of the Old Testament is loving and obeying
the one God The law of God brings strength, wisdom, justice
and joy
A meditation on the law as the place where we meet God
Jesus came not to abolish the law and prophets, but fulfill
Salvation dawning with John the Baptist fulfills ancient hopes
Jesus explains to bewildered disciples how he fulfills Scripture
Though not accepting the Gospel Jews are God’s eternal
beloved
Whatever was written long ago was for our instruction and hope |
Suggested Participant Resource
Study Bible
Session Description
This session surveys the New Testament and its importance to
Christian life and catechesis.
Themes
| Historical development of the oral and written traditions
of the early Church |
| Literary forms and characteristics of the individual books |
| Basic theological themes of the New Testament, e.g.
kingdom of God, salvation, eternal life, grace and justification |
| Early Christians' experience of God's presence in their
midst |
Focusing the Session
This session explores the development of the New Testament and
some basic themes of its overall message, and surveys major characteristics and themes of
the Synoptic Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Gospel and letters of John. It also
emphasizes the relationship between truth, Tradition and history as outlined in the
Pontifical Biblical Commission’s Instruction on the Historical Truth of the Gospels.
Instructional Objectives
In conducting this session the facilitator will:
| Provide a survey of the overall organization, major
themes, and chronology of the New Testament. |
| Outline the main points of the Instruction on the
Historical Truth of the Gospels, emphasizing its importance in a Catholic understanding of
Scripture. |
| Provide opportunities to understand the similarities and
differences of the Four Gospels. |
| Model methods of reflection with Scripture that elicit a
faith response, deepen understanding, and relate Scripture to everyday life and culture. |
| Show how the New Testament Scriptures express the way the
early Christians experienced God in their midst. |
| Offer age-appropriate resources and interactive methods
for presenting Scripture. |
Catechist Competencies
As a result of this session, catechists will be able to:
| Trace the basic development and major theological themes
of the New Testament. |
| Demonstrate through comparison of texts the primary
message of the Four Gospels. |
| Articulate the broad outlines of the message of the
apostle Paul. |
| Draw a connection between one important theme of the New
Testament and their personal faith lives. |
| Use interactive and age-appropriate methods of Scripture
study. |
Special Points from the Documents
| The center of the New Testament is the Paschal Mystery of
our Lord (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation #17) |
| Three stages in the formation of the Gospels can be
distinguished (CCC #121-124; Instruction on the Historical Truth of the Gospels) |
| The Church intentionally canonized the four Gospels with
all their diversity (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation #18) |
| The Synoptic Gospels share a common tradition but view it
from different angles (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation #19) |
Documentary References (see Bibliography for
secondary sources)
| Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
#17-20 |
| Instruction on the Historical Truth of the Gospels
(Pontifical Biblical Commission, 1964) |
| Catechism of the Catholic Church #121-124 |
| The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (Pontifical
Biblical Commission, 1993) |
Scripture Contexts
| Isaiah 40:1-5 Isaiah
43:14-21
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Matthew 24:35
Mark 1:1
Luke 1:1-4
John 14:26
Romans 1:1-7
2 Corinthians 1:19-20
2 Corinthians 3:1-6
Hebrews 9:1-15 |
God’s sorrowing people are comforted with news
of salvation The Creator and King of Israel is doing
something utterly new
God promises a new covenant whose law is written on hearts
Heaven and earth may pass away, but Jesus’ words will not
Jesus’ good news creates a unique Christian word:
"Gospel"
The evangelist searched out all the traditions about Jesus
The Holy Spirit comes to remind us of everything Jesus taught
Paul announces his "Gospel of the Son of God and Son of
David"
However many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in
Jesus
The new covenant flows from the Spirit who gives life
Jesus’ blood is not an image but the reality of the new
covenant |
Suggested Participant Resource
| Study Bible |
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