Catholic Bible Sunday 2015

image CCN

Source: CCN

Days before Pope Francis' opening of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Christians across England and Wales are being invited to make a gift of the 'Gospel of Mercy' in the run up to Christmas.

Bishop Peter Brignall (Wrexham), member of the Bishops' Conference Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis and the national Scripture Working Group, has written ahead of this year's Catholic Bible Sunday, which is celebrated this weekend:

'Catholic Bible Sunday provides an opportunity for everyone to give thanks for the gift of the Bible, and also invites a deepening of understanding of its message. The celebration this year, comes just days before Pope Francis opens the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The Pope asks that the Year "will be steeped in mercy, so that we can go out to every man and woman, bringing the goodness and tenderness of God!" He hopes "the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is already present in our midst!" (Bull of Indiction 5)'

Bishop Brignall added: 'An important way in which believers and non-believers alike encounter the "balm of mercy" is through the Bible stories and texts. It is therefore hoped that on Catholic Bible Sunday this year two things will be invited and encouraged:

• To read the Gospel of Luke, also known as the 'Gospel of Mercy'.

• Once someone has read the Gospel, that they gift it to someone else who perhaps isn't a Christian."

On the second Sunday of Advent - 6 December 2015 - Catholic parishes across England and Wales are invited to celebrate Catholic Bible Sunday. This year's theme is 'Embracing the Gospel of Mercy'. The aim of the Sunday is to provide an opportunity for everyone to give thanks for the gift of the Bible, and to invite a deepening of understanding of its message. One way that people are being encouraged to do this is by tweeting a favourite Bible reference using #cbsun15 .

Materials in support of the celebration can be downloaded from the Bishops' Conference website: http://catholicnews.org.uk/bible-sunday-2015 The materials have been offered by members of the National Scripture Working Group, Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.