Message from Archbishop Simon Poh
Dear brothers and sisters,
“Lord God, your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
The whole month of July is dedicated to the BIBLE as the living Word of God.
What to do during this Bible Month?
- Every Catholic should own a copy of a Catholic Bible (see versions below).
- Read the Bible, starting with the Gospels, one chapter at a time.
- Before coming to Mass, prepare by reading the assigned Passages.
- You can use the Catholic Apps for Daily and Sunday Mass readings:
a. “Laudate” (English) with Daily & Sunday Mass texts & reflections
b. iBreviarium (Chinese) from Taiwan with Mass text
c. “eKatolik” (B. Indonesian) with text and reflection
d. AVB- Alkitab Versi Borneo (Bible in Bahasa Malaysia)
e. Universalis (Catholic Calendar)
Use this Bible.is App to get bibles in various versions of English and especially in indigenous languages:
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuching, Bidayuh Bau
• Today’s Iban Version
• Alkitab Versi Borneo in Bahasa Malaysia
How do I read the Gospel?
Jesus declares, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)
- Pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit to open your mind and heart.
- Take a Gospel passage, put yourself as being present in the scene with Jesus.
- See how each person in the scene responds to Jesus. Picture yourself, how you would respond to Jesus in your words and choices today.
- Pray from your heart, seek God’s strength to imitate Jesus.
- Give thanks and praise to God for what He has shown us.
- Stay with Jesus in silent prayer for a while.
- Reflect on the passage, live out Jesus’ teaching in your daily life.
Use of the Bible in Catholic Liturgy in Mass
After Vatican Council II, the Catholic Church compiles the current Catholic Lectionary which includes all major chapters of the 73 books of the bible. We hear this being read in the Liturgy of the Word at Mass. Within a period of three years, the whole Bible is proclaimed at Mass!
- The three-year Reading cycle on every Sunday (Year A, B & C)
- The two-year Reading cycle on Weekday Masses (Year I & II)
For this year 2025, we are reading Cycle C for Sunday Masses and Cycle I for Weekday Masses (Monday to Saturday). Next year 2026, it’s Cycle A and Year I and so on.
Catholic and Protestant Bibles – the Difference
The Catholic Bible has 73 books in total – 27 are New Testament (Gospels and Epistles) and the remaining are from the Old Testament. The New Testament for both Catholic and Christian Bibles have the same 27 books.
The primary difference is in the Old Testament. Catholic Bible contains 46 books, while Protestant Bible contains 39. The seven additional books in the Catholic Bible are called the “Deuterocanonical books” (meaning Second Canon or list of books). Protestants call these “Apocrypha” books. These are the seven additional books in Catholic Bible: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus (also known as Sirach or Ben Sira), 1–2 Maccabees, Baruch, and added insertions into books of Daniel and Esther.
In 1517, a German Augustinian friar, Martin Luther, broke away from the Catholic Church. This was the start of the Reformation and Lutheran Church, followed by further splitting into more protestant churches.
In brief, Protestants chose to align their Old Testament with the Hebrew Bible’s canon, which did not include these books. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, maintained the Septuagint (LXX Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) which did include them. However, the situation is much more complex.
How do I know if it is a Catholic Bible?
Catholic Bible can easily be distinguished from the front few pages of the Bible. Here you will find a Catholic Bishop giving an “imprimatur”. This is a declaration authorising the publication, an approval or endorsement for use in the Catholic Church.
May this Bible month lead us to encounter Jesus in the Gospel. Read the Gospel and live out the Gospel teaching of our Lord Jesus.
+ Archbishop Simon Poh
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