Tag: bible

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Review of “Saved by the Lamb: Moses and Jesus”

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Saved by the Lamb: Moses and Jesus

Like author Maura McKeegan, I discovered Biblical typology in college and was utterly fascinated. As a well-catechized, homeschooled cradle Catholic, I couldn’t believe I had never learned about all the amazing parallels between the Old and New Testament. Now, with the Old and New series of picture books, you can teach your 5-10 year olds about typology as they become familiar with Bible stories.

What is Biblical Typology?

Biblical typology is the study of seeing the prefiguring of people and events of the New Testament and covenant in the Old Testament and covenants. McKeegan quotes Augustine’s explanation:

The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old is unveiled in the New.

Saint augustine

In McKeegan’s Old and New Series, of which Saved by the Lamb is the fourth volume, you and your children can see how Old Testament figures like Jonah, Adam, and Moses are types of Christ.

Saved by the Lamb: how Moses foreshadows Jesus

In Saved by the Lamb, McKeegan traces Moses’ life and the events of Passover. On each page, you’ll read a paragraph about Moses, then a paragraph about Jesus. The parallel placement of the text with carefully selected similar meter and diction really brings home to children the parallels. You’ll be crying out in surprise with your kids as the amazing parallels unfold.

You’ll understand the Gospel of Matthew better: why Matthew, the learned Jew, was so excited about Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. You’ll learn how the centuries of Passover sacrifice was conditioning the Jews to understand Jesus as the Paschal lamb that must be slain to save the people. And so much more!

An Important Catechesis

These simple picture books really provide an amazing opportunity for early catechesis. I believe they’ll awaken an interest in Biblical typology and scriptural exegesis in many children. The target age is 5-10, and I found this spot on for my own children: it went over my 4 year olds head mostly, but my 6 and 8 year olds loved it and kept interrupting to restate the connections. You can buy these books through my Amazon affiliate link: Saved by the Lamb: Moses and Jesus

Disclaimer: I received a copy of “Saved by the Lamb” from Emmaus Road Publishing in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Check out my some of my other favorite books on My Book Lists page!

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Review of “Through the Year with Jesus”

On By binzeoIn Uncategorized1 Comment

A hit at my house!

This year, I’ve been testing out Katherine Bogner’s new children’s Bible Study book: Through the Year with Jesus. And I have to say, it has just blown me away! Not only that, my kids love this book too and now look forward to our weekly Bible study time.

What I love about it!

First, I love the fact that this is a weekly book. Once a week is so much more doable with a busy family with littles than aiming for a daily reflection and feeling bad about how many days you end up skipping. In Through the Year with Jesus, you can just pick one time weekly to read and reflect with your children, whether it’s Sunday before Mass, as part of a morning basket rotation, or during a special family dinner night.

Also, I love that this book follows the Liturgical year. It begins with Advent, the beginning of the Liturgical year, and provides a reflection for each week of Advent, Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter Season, and the second Ordinary Time. Is this book specific to a particular Gregorian Calendar year, you ask? No. The readings are chosen to be in the spirit of the season of the Liturgical year but are timeless and appropriate for any given Gregorian year.

Lectio Divina …

These Gospel Reflections are written in the time-tested Lectio Divina method of Bible study. Saints through the ages have practiced this simple but effective method of meditation on God’s Word. There are 4 steps to Lectio Divina: Lectio. Meditatio, Oratio, and Contemplatio. Katherine Bogner simplifies and translates the steps to: Read, Meditate, Pray, Listen. In Through the Year with Jesus, you’ll find a Bible story for each week, discussion prompts for meditation, journaling, or discussion, prayer prompts, and suggestions for practical application.

… and Visio Divina

I also love that Through the Year with Jesus uses a lot of Visio Divina. Similar to Lectio Divina, in Visio Divina, you gaze on religious art, meditate on the insights the art gives us into the scene, pray about it, and listen for what God is trying to teach you in this picture. Sound complicated? Really, it’s not, I promise! This is my kids favorite part of this book. We spend about 60 seconds silently looking at the religious painting, then talk about it, often using the prompts from the book. And if you’re wondering, the artwork is high-quality reproductions in full color! You’ll see art from Rubens, Fra Angelico, Barocci, Raphael, Caravaggio, and dozens of other great artists.

You can start at any time!

Since this book follows the Liturgical seasons, you can jump in at any point. It would make a great Easter basket gift, and you could begin the readings with the Easter season section and continue through all the way to the following Lent and beyond. This beautiful and inspiring devotional will be sure to help your family understand- and pray- the Bible like never before!

You can buy it through my Good News Book Shop link: Through the Year with Jesus

Or through my Amazon affiliate link: Through the Year with Jesus

Disclaimer: I received a copy of “Through the Year with Jesus” from Emmaus Road Publishing in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Check out more great books for Catholic kids on My Book Lists!

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Review of “Courageous Women”

On By binzeoIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Cover of Courageous Women

Looking for a way to delve deeper into the Bible? Stacy Mitch’s Courageous Women is a wonderful Bible study for personal or group use. While focusing on the great women in the Bible, the author does not miss the greater vision of Salvation History. Courageous Women is an insightful exposition both of Biblical Heroines and the golden thread of God’s plan to bring salvation to mankind through the chosen people.

Perfect for Individual or Group Bible Study

Doing this on your own? If you’re a busy mom with only a few minutes a day for a Bible Study, this book will be a great fit! Each chapter is divided up into short sections so you can read a relevant Bible passage, commentary, and discussion questions in those few brief minutes you have for spiritual reading.

Have a Church group or book club that wants to do a Bible study? Do a chapter a meeting and enjoy the ease of having discussion questions prepared for you. There’s even a handy “leader guide” in the back of the book with suggestions for discussing each question.

For Adults or Guided Older Teens

Courageous Women is clearly intended for adult readers, though I think mature older teen girls could also enjoy this study. Parental caution advised with younger/innocent teens due to open discussion of some of the more scandalous events of the Old Testament, such as what “uncovering nakedness” means, prostitution, incest, sodomy, etc. Nothing graphic.

Be Inspired

As you read Courageous Women, you’ll be sure to find a Biblical heroine you identify with. Whether it’s Sarah, Mary, or a more unusual woman like Bathsheeba or Leah, you’ll find a woman with whom you can relate. Although these women lived many centuries ago, Stacy Mitch shows her readers that they were women like us with many of the same struggles, conflicting loyalties, temptations, and triumphs.

Click here to buy Courageous Women through my Affiliate Link: Courageous Women: A Study on the Heroines of Biblical History

This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a small fee for qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

I received a copy of Courageous Women from Emmaus Road Publishing in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Looking for more great books for Catholic moms? Check out my lists for adults!