The Greatest Book of All the Ages

The Holy Bible

1. What is the Holy Bible?
The Holy Bible is the collection of sacred writings, that contain the revelation that God has given to men.

2. Who wrote the Holy Bible?
The Bible was written by various prophets, wise men, and saints, in the course of the centuries.

3. How many parts are there in the Bible?
In the Bible there are two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament.

4. What is the Old Testament about?
The Old Testament is about the history of the people of Israel, and of how God chose that nation to prepare it for the coming of the Savior.

5. What is the New Testament about?
The New Testament is about how the people of Israel received the Savior, his life, and what happened in the years after his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension to heaven.

6. For the Christian, what is the most important part of the Bible?
For the Christian, the most important part of the Bible is the New Testament, because it contains the life, miracles and teachings of the Savior.

7. What are the books of the New Testament?
The books of the New Testament are: the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the epistles (letters) of St. Paul and other saints, and the Apocalypse (Revelation).

8. What are the holy Gospels?
The holy Gospels (gospel is a Greek word that means good news) are four books, written by St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John, that contain the life of the Savior. Each one is different, because there are some events that are in one of the four that are not in the others: for example, the birth of the Savior is in St. Luke, and the visit of the Magi is in St. Matthew.

9. What are the Acts of the Apostles?
The Acts, a book written by St. Luke, is the history of the beginning of the Catholic Church, and of the deeds of the Apostles in the years after the ascension of the Savior.

10. What are the Epistles?
The epistles (a Greek word meaning letters) are letters that St. Paul and other saints wrote to various persons and churches; for example, Romans (the letter St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome), Ephesians (letter that St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus).

11. What is the Apocalypse? (book of Revelation)
The Apocalypse (a Greek word meaning revelation) is a book of prophecies, that is, predictions, of what will happen before the end of the world, and of the glorious coming of the Savior to judge the living and the dead. It was written by St. John the Evangelist about the year 95.

12. When was the New Testament written?
The Savior was born in the year 1 and was crucified in the year 34, in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. The books of the New Testament were written some years afterwards, between the year 42 (Matthew) and the year 95 (Revelation). All the happenings of the New Testament occurred in the first century (years 1-99).

13. What is a version of the Bible?
A version of the Bible is the translation of the Bible from the original languages into English or any other language, for example, the American Standard Version (1901).

14. Is the reading of the Bible important?
The reading of the Bible, especially the New Testament, is important, because it is one means of attaining the knowledge of Jesus Christ: "Now this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17, 3)

15. For greater facility, how are the books of the Bible arranged?
For greater facility, each book of the Bible is divided into chapters, and each chapter into verses. For example, the gospel of St. Matthew has 28 chapters. Also abbreviations are used: Mt -- Matthew.
Mc -- Mark
Lc -- Luke
Jn -- John

The abbreviations are used like this: The history of the Magi kings is in Mt. 2, 1-12. Which means: The history of the Magi kings is in the gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 2, verses 1 to 12.

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My Daily Prayer

I believe in one God. I believe that God rewards the good, and punishes the wicked.

I believe that in God there are three Divine Persons-God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

I believe that God the Son became Man, without ceasing to be God. I believe that He is my Lord and my Saviour Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the human race, who died on the cross for the salvation of all men, who died also for me.

I believe, on God's authority, everything that He has taught and revealed.

O my God, give me strong faith. O my God, help me to believe with lively faith.

O my God, relying on your almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I sincerely hope to be saved. Help me to do all that is necessary for my salvation.

I have committed many sins in my life, but now I turn away from them, and hate them. I am sorry, truly sorry for all for them, because I have offended You, my God, who art all-good, all-perfect, all-holy, all-merciful-my kind and loving Father.

I love You, o my God, with all my heart. Forgive me, I implore You, for having offended You.

I promise, O God, that with Your help I will never offend You again.

My God, have mercy on me.

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Dear Child of God: "My Daily Prayer" comes to you because you are a child of God. He is your Father, loving, kind and merciful. He is the most understanding of all fathers, and who pardons us most. He is sincerely interested in you. He loves you, and wants you to know, love and serve him in this world, so you may be completely happy in the next, for all eternity. The salvation of your soul is what you long for, and in reality it is the only thing worth while. "My Daily Prayer" will help you in a marvelous way to obtain this wonderful end. Pray it with sincerity and fervor. May every word come from your heart. Say it every day. May God bless your efforts!