This post contains affiliate or associate links with several businesses (which means if you shop through the links, I earn a small commission). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Ascension Great Adventure Bible and the OSV Blessed is She Catholic Notetaking Bible were both given to me in exchange for an honest review, as was a free trial of the Hallow app.
When my husband and I got married, we received many gifts.
Most of them, were monetary.
But one gift was a Bible.
The white Catholic Bible we were given on our wedding day was from Matt’s Aunt Betty Ann.
Aunt Betty Ann is often known by another title. That title is Sister Betty Ann, IHM.
I have no relatives that chose the religious life. Matt having an Aunt that is a religious sister is such a blessing.
I have to be honest, when I first opened that gift – the Bible – I thought:
“That’s sweet. Her vow of poverty limits her on how much she can give, but this is such a kind gift”.
17 years later I realize that gift was of far more value than I realized back then.
This Bible has been our only Bible for most of our marriage!
5 People on Your Gift List that need a New Bible
1. A Gift for the engaged couple or newlyweds
What dawned on me lately is if we only have a Bible because Matt’s Aunt is a religious sister and she gave us one for our wedding gift – how many Catholic couples and families DO NOT have a Bible!???
I mean, I had another Bible when we got married – but that was my Bible from my sophomore year of high school.
I went to a Catholic High School and we were required to have a Bible that year for Religion class.
And once again, it dawns on me . . .
How many Catholics have not gone to Catholic school? How many went to Catholic school but were never required to have their own copy of a Bible?
So, this year, before I write another Catholic Christmas Gift Guide, I want to STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to buy someone a Catholic Bible for Christmas this year.
The one Aunt Betty Anne gave Matt and I is the New American Bible Saint Joseph Edition
It has served us well 🙂
in the past few years, some other great options have been published.
2. A Gift for the new convert to Catholicism or the couple you know where one is Catholic, the other is a non-Catholic
Ascension’s Great Adventure Bible
I was given a copy of this Bible last year in exchange for an honest review.
It’s fantastic.
I love that it goes along with the Bible in a Year Podcast and there are really so many reasons to like this version.
It’s great for a couple. It’s a great gift for a man or woman.
My neighbor and good friend has a copy of Ascension’s Great Adventure Bible and she just converted to Catholicism!
I think the Bible in a Year podcast helped her on her journey home to the Catholic Church.
It’s a sad reality that some Catholics are not as familiar with Sacred Scripture as other Christians. This does not have to be! The Bible in a Year podcast and great publications, like the Great Adventure Bible, makes knowledge of Scripture very accessable and attainable.
3. The gift for a couple that just got their baby or toddler Baptized
I actually gifted a copy of Ascension’s Great Adventure Bible to my sister and her husband when they had their two children Baptized this past year.
I called her up after to explain my reasoning (as you read above) and she told me they actually only had a New Testament, so this gift was something that they did not have . . . and on my end, I felt like it was truly appreciated.
In young families, there may be quite a few Children’s Bibles. .. . they probably don’t need another one of those. Give the adults a gift that will grow with the children and the family!
4. A Gift for your Christian Sister, Mom or Girlfriend
Another Bible I am loving lately is the Blessed is She Catholic Notetaking Bible published by OSV.
This is a beautiful book to give to a woman – no matter what age!
Many parishes have started Bible study programs, and this Bible allows the woman to not confiscate the family Bible each time she leaves to go to a meeting or do her independent studying.
This Bible is a great Eucharistic Adoration companion.
For middle aged women, or older, this idea that it’s okay to color, write and draw in your Bible is a little new. For many of us, writing or coloring in our Bibles was not encouraged. This new found freedom could be quite a blessing to a loved one!
5. A Gift for Your Catholic Christian Dad, Husband and Brother
And, on a side note, here’s a funny story.
One year, for Christmas, I bought my father a Bible.
My dad had modeled the faith for me growing up, but I although I often saw him with Rosaries and always wearing a Miraculous Medal, I wondered if he owned a Bible.
So I was pretty excited about this great gift idea I had for him.
I gave it to him. He looked at it. He told me that it was really nice.
Then, he broke it to me:
It wasn’t a Catholic Bible. It was then that I learned not all Bibles were the same.
I think I might have been 20 years old. This was news to me – King James Bible – not the same as a Catholic Bible.
Still, I think a Bible was a good gift for him.
But think about it – the men in your life . . . when is the last time someone gave them a Bible?
There are options now that may have not been available or necessary years ago.
Large print Bibles for the older crowd that can not read the small print so easily.
Apps like Hallow that have a virtual option may open a door to Christ simply because it will literally be at his fingertips (yes, you can give Hallow as a gift!!!).
Don’t be afraid to give one person a Bible this year!
Share that it is something you appreciate having in your home, or share a personal story about how you came about owning your own Bible.
You can do this!
Do you have a Bible? Was it a gift or something you bought for yourself? Tell us about it in the comments!
And don’t forget to share and Pin this post!
Amy Schisler says
My daughter gave me the Ave Maria women’s Bible last year for Christmas, and I was sooooooo happy!! My husband and I always give nativity sets as Christmas gifts. That was the one thing we realized we didn’t have when we decorated for our first Christmas (my mother had already given us a Bible 😊).