Our Favorite Catholic Women's Bible Study
We get asked a lot if our books could be used for small groups, and depending on which one, our answer varies. But to be honest? Our favorite Catholic bible study is actually totally free, requires about zero planning, and is always rich in discussion.
For about a year when I desperately needed community, I started attending a really low key Lectio Divina women’s group at a friend’s house. Every other week we met to pray with the upcoming Sunday Gospel. Here’s how it works:
Gather a group of women, and there’s no worries about commitments with Lectio. The content doesn’t build off of the previous week, and you won’t miss a thing if you can't make every session…so it’s perfect for a small group that is flexible in terms of attendance.
There’s zero planning. Simply look up the upcoming Sunday Gospel and there’s your content. It’s always rich as well since you inherently carry these reflections all week and they are fully expressed in that Sunday’s Mass, already planted in your prepared heart. Take this Sunday for example. The Gospel was on the Prodigal Son, and depending on what’s on your heart, you may reflect on home, forgiveness, jealousy, hurt, fear, faith, etc...ALL FROM ONE PASSAGE! If you’re looking to focus on particular issues or discuss certain things with a group you may be leading (like for our youth and campus ministers out there), you can obviously tailor the reading to a scripture passage that speaks to that particular issue. For example, are your women struggling with self-image? Pray with Isaiah 43.
The structure is simple as well. Lectio Divina is a way of praying with scripture and fully immersing yourself into it. If you search ‘Lectio Divina’ in our search bar, you’ll see the amount of personal fruits that have come from it in my life. Check it out what it is here and the how to pray it here.
Sound good? We’re not done yet! Because when it comes to our books, we also think that we provide some good content for small groups too. For example:
Your Ice Breaker
theWord is a great supplement for your small group. You can use it as an opening ice breaker. Simply read the reflection on the word and then each member takes a turn in answering the corresponding question ("What word provides the most peace?”)
Your Added Supplement
Here’s our favorite idea: Visio Divina is incredibly similar to Lectio Divina except that we supply sacred art to help with the reflection, as well as question prompts. Our suggestion is that you alternate between Lectio Divina and Visio Divina each week!
And ps, if you ever are buying 5 or more copies of either book, let us know and we’ll send you a 15% off coupon!
P.P.S They’re both available as PDFs!