Worship Times

Hermes and Hermeneutics

John F. O'Grady writes of "Hermeneutics for Homilies" in the August 1998 issue of Chicago Studies. Don't let the somewhat daunting title put you off. This is a clear, lucid guide to the several methods of interpreting the Bible and how those methods can be effectively applied to preparing a homily. O'Grady lists eight principles for the preacher: 1) Use a good English text (RSV or NRSV), 2) Know the background of the book from which the text is taken, 3) Relate the text to the theology of the book, author or community, 4) Recognize what the text meant to the original readers, 5) Avoid absolutizing any part of the Bible, 6) Know the context of the audience, 7) Relate 1-5 to the context of the audience, 8) Offer some possible responses.

Digital Madonna

Did you ever collect holy cards as a kid? Now you can find them online and send them to your friends and family. An online service called The Catholic Pages offers the digital holy cards as a free feature. Users can choose from eight different cards (six of which are different representations of the Blessed Mother; one of which is a photo of John Paul II), add a greeting text and even add music. Then you type in the e-mail address of the lucky recipient, click a button and holiness is on its way from you to whomever, via the net. Go to www.catholic-pages.com/cards/index.htm to get started.

OCP buys The Pastoral Press

OCP (OCP) announced that it has acquired The Pastoral Press, formerly a division of Trinity Music of Laurel, Md. The Pastoral Press catalog includes about 100 titles that deal primarily with the topics of liturgy and pastoral music. The Pastoral Press was founded in the early 1980s as the publishing division of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. It was acquired by Trinity Music in March 1995.
 
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