By Dr. Scott Hahn
I want to share a remarkable letter I received recently:
"These on-line Bible studies mean more than I can say. I only wish they were available when I became a Catholic in 1948. I was not confirmed until three years ago - I drifted for years, led astray because I did not know my religion. Thank God for SalvationHistory.com! I am 75 years old, but still learning!"
We get letters like this every day - from the prison minister who's using our materials to help women inmates for baptism; from the lay missionary in southern Brazil who's translating our Bible studies into Portuguese; from the priest who wrote: "you have changed my prayer, my preaching, and my life toward God and others."
Since launching the St. Paul Center three years ago, we've helped to make the Bible an "open book" for tens of thousands of Catholics - not just in this country, but around the world.
We do it thanks to your prayers and support. Together, we're teaching the teachers - priests, seminarians, catechists. For every teacher we train we're reaching hundreds, perhaps even thousands for generations to come.
The things we do weren't being done before we started. The vast majority of Bible study materials are produced by Protestants, and Catholic offerings rarely reflect the biblical worldview found in the Catechism and in the Church's liturgy.
And we know that our "biblical apostolate" is dear to the heart of Pope Benedict XVI. Repeatedly, he has said the biblical formation of Catholics is essential for true and lasting renewal in the Church.
The Bible is God's open book. In its pages, God reveals His life, His plan of salvation, and His plan for you and me. And when we know the Bible, our life becomes an open book too - open to growing in the love of God and to seeking His will.
The saints teach that we'll never know in this life how much our love and sacrifices help build up His kingdom. But we've been privileged to glimpse some of the fruits of our labors every day. We know that what we're doing is working. And we know that, as our Lord said, if we've been faithful in small matters we'll be called to even greater responsibilities in the future.
Frankly, this has been a tough year financially. And we know how generous and ready to give you've already been for the victims of hurricanes, tsuanmis, earthquakes, and more. But I need to ask you to write one more check this year. Help us continue this vital work of opening God's book to all His people.
In this season when the Word was made flesh, may God bless your family for your generosity in helping His little ones hear that Word and believe.
December 2005
