There is an increasing hunger among Catholics to study the Bible in depth and in a way that integrates Scripture with Catholic doctrine, worship, and daily life. In October 2008, a meeting of the world Synod of Bishops scheduled by Pope Benedict XVI will focus on "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church." Coinciding with that meeting is the launch of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), a series that responds to the desire of Catholics to access the living Word of God. The Gospel of Mark is the first of seventeen volumes, which will cover the entire New Testament. Written by trusted Catholic biblical scholars, these commentaries interpret Scripture in the light of Catholic tradition. Accessibly written yet substantive, the CCSS fills a gap in the available literature by offering commentaries that cover more than brief study guides but are less daunting than scholarly commentaries.
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Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
"This well-written book fills a very important niche in our appreciation of the Gospels. Healy combines literary sensitivity with theological vigor, resulting in a reading of Mark that puts a compelling face on the message of this Gospel."--Gary Anderson, University of Notre Dame
"Mary Healy skillfully and insightfully moves her readers to plumb the spiritual depths of Mark's Gospel. I have found her commentary a boon in homily preparation. If the other volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture live up to the high standard that Healy has attained, Catholic Christians will be enriched and grateful."--Robert J. Karris, OFM, The Franciscan Institute, St. Bonaventure University
Praise for the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture
"Coinciding with the Bishops' Synod on 'The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church,' this seventeen-volume commentary on the New Testament represents a much-needed approach, based on good scholarship but not overloaded with it. The frequent references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church help us to read Holy Scripture with a vivid sense of the Living Tradition of the Church."--Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna
"This series richly provides what has for so long been lacking among contemporary scriptural commentaries. Its goal is to assist Catholic preachers and teachers, lay and ordained, in their ministry of the word. Moreover, it offers ordinary Catholics a scriptural resource that will enhance their understanding of God's word and thereby deepen their faith. Thus these commentaries, nourished on the faith of the Church and guided by scholarly wisdom, are both exegetically sound and spiritually nourishing."--Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM Cap, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
"The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture is a landmark achievement in theological interpretation of Scripture in and for the Church. Everything about it is inviting and edifying, from the format, photos, background notes, and cross-references to the rich exposition of the text, quotations from the Church's living tradition, and reflections for contemporary life. It is a wonderful gift to the Catholic Church and a model for the rest of us. Highly recommended for all!"--Michael J. Gorman, St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore
"Mary Healy skillfully and insightfully moves her readers to plumb the spiritual depths of Mark's Gospel. I have found her commentary a boon in homily preparation. If the other volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture live up to the high standard that Healy has attained, Catholic Christians will be enriched and grateful."--Robert J. Karris, OFM, The Franciscan Institute, St. Bonaventure University
Praise for the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture
"Coinciding with the Bishops' Synod on 'The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church,' this seventeen-volume commentary on the New Testament represents a much-needed approach, based on good scholarship but not overloaded with it. The frequent references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church help us to read Holy Scripture with a vivid sense of the Living Tradition of the Church."--Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna
"This series richly provides what has for so long been lacking among contemporary scriptural commentaries. Its goal is to assist Catholic preachers and teachers, lay and ordained, in their ministry of the word. Moreover, it offers ordinary Catholics a scriptural resource that will enhance their understanding of God's word and thereby deepen their faith. Thus these commentaries, nourished on the faith of the Church and guided by scholarly wisdom, are both exegetically sound and spiritually nourishing."--Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM Cap, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
"The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture is a landmark achievement in theological interpretation of Scripture in and for the Church. Everything about it is inviting and edifying, from the format, photos, background notes, and cross-references to the rich exposition of the text, quotations from the Church's living tradition, and reflections for contemporary life. It is a wonderful gift to the Catholic Church and a model for the rest of us. Highly recommended for all!"--Michael J. Gorman, St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore
About the Author
Mary Healy (STD, Pontifical Gregorian University) is associate professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, and senior fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. She is the author of Men and Women Are from Eden and coeditor of several books on biblical interpretation.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By M. Stapleton
Format:Paperback
As described in the Editors' Preface, "The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture aims to serve the ministry of the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church." For the Church in America, this series of commentary is both relevant and timely. As lay persons take on more active roles within the life of the Church, the need for accessible sources of catechesis is great. It has been my experience that the commentaries available are either simplistic or highly scholarly. What is needed are documents that help us understand what the original authors meant, what the Church has taught regarding these scriptures, and what it means in the living Church today.
The Catholic Commentary is deigned to do just this. For me, it is in the design of the commentaries that most effectively communicates. First, the biblical text is grouped based on subject. For example, Mark 10:13-16 is grouped and labeled as "The Blessing of the Children." Immediately following the text, the authors present a List of References which includes Catechism paragraphs, and other Scriptural cross references relative to the grouped subject. This is very helpful since both scripture and Tradition are referenced in one convenient location grouped around a biblical theme. This alone is worth the price of the book for those of us who want to understand the teachings of the Catholic Church in light of Holy Scripture.
To further illuminate the relationship between Scripture and Tradition, the authors have designed their manuscript to include "sidebars". These sidebars insert brief articles relative to topics in their commentary section. These articles are titled either Biblical Background or Living Tradition.
The Biblical Background sidebar provides historical evidence regarding persons, places, things, etc. For example, a brief narrative regarding the Sea of Galilee is inserted in the commentary on The Calming of the Storm (Mark 4:35-41). The Living Tradition inserts will provide reflections on the biblical text from early Church Fathers, Catechism, etc. Again, the authors' ability to effectively communicate to the lay person is successful due in part to the design of this manuscript layout. All of the Living Tradition and Biblical Background sidebars are indexed by subject so they can be easily located.
Following the List of References is the commentary itself. Thankfully, the commentary is not written for the authors' peers, but rather for the common person. The authors claim that the commentary is designed to "focus on the meaning of the text for faith and life." For me, they have accomplished their goal.
Following the Commentary section of the passage is a section titles "Reflection and Application." This narrative attempts to crack open the word and shed light on life and meaning today. I would think that this section will provide a wealth of ideas for small group discussions.
The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture should enjoy wide popularity. It is written for the person who wants to understand scripture in light of the teachings of the Church with reflections relevant to Parish life. I have the complete Navarre Bible, but it has just been superseded by the superior Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture.
The Catholic Commentary is deigned to do just this. For me, it is in the design of the commentaries that most effectively communicates. First, the biblical text is grouped based on subject. For example, Mark 10:13-16 is grouped and labeled as "The Blessing of the Children." Immediately following the text, the authors present a List of References which includes Catechism paragraphs, and other Scriptural cross references relative to the grouped subject. This is very helpful since both scripture and Tradition are referenced in one convenient location grouped around a biblical theme. This alone is worth the price of the book for those of us who want to understand the teachings of the Catholic Church in light of Holy Scripture.
To further illuminate the relationship between Scripture and Tradition, the authors have designed their manuscript to include "sidebars". These sidebars insert brief articles relative to topics in their commentary section. These articles are titled either Biblical Background or Living Tradition.
The Biblical Background sidebar provides historical evidence regarding persons, places, things, etc. For example, a brief narrative regarding the Sea of Galilee is inserted in the commentary on The Calming of the Storm (Mark 4:35-41). The Living Tradition inserts will provide reflections on the biblical text from early Church Fathers, Catechism, etc. Again, the authors' ability to effectively communicate to the lay person is successful due in part to the design of this manuscript layout. All of the Living Tradition and Biblical Background sidebars are indexed by subject so they can be easily located.
Following the List of References is the commentary itself. Thankfully, the commentary is not written for the authors' peers, but rather for the common person. The authors claim that the commentary is designed to "focus on the meaning of the text for faith and life." For me, they have accomplished their goal.
Following the Commentary section of the passage is a section titles "Reflection and Application." This narrative attempts to crack open the word and shed light on life and meaning today. I would think that this section will provide a wealth of ideas for small group discussions.
The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture should enjoy wide popularity. It is written for the person who wants to understand scripture in light of the teachings of the Church with reflections relevant to Parish life. I have the complete Navarre Bible, but it has just been superseded by the superior Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This commentary is much more than an academic commentary. The references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church; its succinct 'reflection and application' paragraphs; its cross referencing with the OT and NT, give a variety of opportunities for greater reflection. The Biblical Background boxes are invaluable for understanding the Sitz in Leben, the cultural background of the time, and the quotations from the Fathers of the Church entitled 'Living Tradition' provides continuity of teaching throughout the ages. There is so much more, anyone can read it and grow in faith. And it's still academic.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Mark R.
Format:Paperback
I've read a couple of bible commentaries and flipped through several more, trying to find one that is comprehensive and informative. However, most end up simply restating the biblical text in different words with little insight provided.
Healy's commentary on the Gospel of Mark is, I am happy to say, extremely informative, going far beyond the text at hand and connecting that particular text to the context of the history of the times, as well as to other provisions of scripture, both Old and New Testaments. The difficulty in reading any book of the Bible is that, 2000 years later, we inevitably read it in isolation, rather than from the perspective of the times. As such, things often go right over our head. What would have been obvious to a Second Century reader is not even thought relevant by us today. Healy gives us that much-needed context, throwing light on aspects of the Gospel that we otherwise do not see.
(For example, I did not realize, simply from reading the Gospel itself, how much time Jesus spent in territories that were either Gentile or mixed. I did not realize that He had carried His ministry into present-day Jordan and up near if not into Syria.)
On another note, if you are familiar with their writings, you will definitely see the influence of John Paul II and Benedict on Healy.
I hope that the rest of the series is as good, although I am disappointed that they will apparently take a while to be published.
Healy's commentary on the Gospel of Mark is, I am happy to say, extremely informative, going far beyond the text at hand and connecting that particular text to the context of the history of the times, as well as to other provisions of scripture, both Old and New Testaments. The difficulty in reading any book of the Bible is that, 2000 years later, we inevitably read it in isolation, rather than from the perspective of the times. As such, things often go right over our head. What would have been obvious to a Second Century reader is not even thought relevant by us today. Healy gives us that much-needed context, throwing light on aspects of the Gospel that we otherwise do not see.
(For example, I did not realize, simply from reading the Gospel itself, how much time Jesus spent in territories that were either Gentile or mixed. I did not realize that He had carried His ministry into present-day Jordan and up near if not into Syria.)
On another note, if you are familiar with their writings, you will definitely see the influence of John Paul II and Benedict on Healy.
I hope that the rest of the series is as good, although I am disappointed that they will apparently take a while to be published.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
An awesome resource for lay readers...
I bought this book as a way to get more out of the daily mass readings, and it performed this task very well. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mark J Hovatter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Commentary and Background on Mark's Gospel
The gospel written by the evangelist Mark is probably the least regarded of all the gospels. The style is very straightforward. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Joseph M. Reninger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scholarly yet accessible.
I had the pleasure of conducting a 17 week Bible study of Mark (intro and then one chapter per week) in my parish using this book as the primary text. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Richard J. Grebenc
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent book
An incredible book - extremely well written and provocative. Insightful, simply written but also scholarly. Healy made the Gospel of Mark come alive!
Published 6 months ago by Leena
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deeper Understanding
Hi,this book is really great for a deeper understanding on the Gospel and learning more also on the theological and historical
perspective of our Lord JESUS's ministry then... Read more
perspective of our Lord JESUS's ministry then... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Bro.Abet
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is an outstanding commentary on St. Mark's Gospel
I am not a member of the Roman Catholic Church. I am a member of a protestant denomination. This Commentary is written especially with Roman Catholics in mind. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Walt
5.0 out of 5 stars
awesome book
Great book! Haven't finished reading it yet but she has a lot of insight into this gospel that will really make you think.
Published 8 months ago by cathy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Accessible and Inspirational While Still Scholarly
This is a really great commentary. Healy combines a lot of the information that I have in a variety of other commentaries (both Catholic and Protestant), but then pulls it all... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Julie D.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life changing book
Our bible study class used this book for a year and a half. We really let it settle in. It was wonderful, wise and life changing. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Lu
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reactions of a Catholic parish Bible study group
I used this book in my parish's Bible study group when we spent about 10 weeks on the Gospel of Mark. It is a co-ed group of adults ranging in age from early 40's to early 80's. Read more
Published 23 months ago by S. Carlson
