"The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition by Eugene Peterson can awaken us anew to the power and beauty of the Scriptures. It is a translation of the complete Bible, including the Deuterocanonical books, into contemporary language that feels as if it were written especially for and to us today. I have found The Message to be a valuable resource for my personal reading and prayer and for discussion with both my Catholic and my Protestant brethren."

​Most Reverend Gerald E. Wilkerson, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Los Angeles

Literary Portals to Prayer

Classic literature illuminated by The Bible. 
      The Bible illuminated by classic literature.

​The Literary Portals to Prayer series is the first truly new resource for personal prayer in years. Designed to be a prayer-starter in the "Lectio Divina" tradition, these books have a passage from the Bible side-by-side with a selection from an author whose work has stood the test of time. Each turn of the page ties together literature and scripture with an insightful theme.

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and books 
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Free Weekly Readings Email!

We'd love to send you a free weekly email on Monday mornings containing the readings for next Sunday's Mass, drawn from The Message.

"New Bible translation – The Message – is a notable achievement"

By Msgr. M. Francis Mannion -- Catholic News Agency

Recently, I completed a 30-day Ignatian retreat in Los Angeles (I hope you are all impressed!). The central feature of St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises is intensive reading of key scripture passages on Jesus’ life a number of times a day. I must say that I often found the exercise hard going for the reason that I already knew the scripture passages almost by heart and could not find much new material for reflection.

I told my retreat director about this, and he gave me a copy of a Bible translation entitled The Message, a new version in modern language that seeks to render the scriptures in a fresh and striking manner.  He said I should use it alongside the New American Bible I was using for the retreat.

At first I was skeptical of a Bible version with the title The Message, never having been a fan of modern popular versions such as the Good News Bible.  But, I was won over. Reading the fresh and popular language of The Message, alongside the more formal style of the New American Bible, enabled me to find much food for thought. [Read more at CatholicNewsAgency.com]

The Message Featured in National Catholic Reporter

Article by Robert McClory

While looking at the readings on the fifth Sunday of Lent as I prepared for our weekly Scripture discussion group, I started with the selection from Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Here's what I read: "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him ... "

Here we go again, I thought. We'll be trying to decipher what spirit and flesh really mean in this context, etc., etc. So I picked up The Message, a relatively new translation of the Bible I had received, and I read the same verses from Paul: "Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored ... "

Wham! It was so clear, as if Paul himself had rung the doorbell, come in, pinned me against the wall and said, "Time to get your act together, my brother in Christ." And he wasn't smiling. Our group listened to both versions of Romans at our meeting a few days later, and there was unanimous agreement that The Message carried Paul's message in a sensible, powerful, personal new way. [Read more at NCROnline.org]
The Message is so startlingly new, it often makes me laugh out loud and nod my head with its frank and practical approach. I think the prophet Jeremiah would say: "That's what I meant!" And I feel sure Saint Paul talked just like this.
Alice Camille 
Award-Winning Columnist on the Scriptures, U.S. Catholic Magazine
Read an interview with Alice, where she discusses The Message on the Catholic Bibles blog.

How to make the Bible come alive for young Catholics — 
again or for the very first time

by Gregory F. Augustine Pierce

Familiarity breeds contempt — but so does ignorance. For most young adults today, it is ignorance rather than familiarity that is driving their disdain or dismissal of the Bible. It’s not that they have tried reading Scripture and disliked it. It’s that they haven’t even tried it or had it presented to them in a way that makes sense to them.

I volunteered to teach the high school religious education program at our parish for several years. I quickly realized that, [Read More...]
This Bible is meant to be read. The Message is not a substitute for your other bible translations but it is meant to be prayed with daily. We hope it will send you back to your other translations with new insight and curiosity.

Learn More About The Message

Experience familiar readings through the lens of The Message, and view comparisons with other translations.
Read what others have to say about The Message, and how it has affected them.
Find the answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
Learn more about print editions and other books that incorporate The Message.

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