On this page you’ll find several resources to help your study of the Scriptures to be more fruitful. None of these are what can be considered “scholarly” (i.e. so technically obtuse that only scholars and theologians can use them) but are instead very user friendly and informative. I use all of these resources and find them very helpful.

I provide the links below, not because I necessarily recommend you buy them from these sources, but so you will be able to get more info about each resource. I always recommend that people patronize their local, struggling Catholic bookstore first, then look for other sources.

Beginning Apologetics 7: How to Read the Bible

From the authors: “Our main purpose is to give beginning students of the Bible an overview of the constant teachings of the Catholic Church about Sacred Scripture. The last section of this booklet will help lay Catholics identify and refute the errors that some Catholic biblical scholars are currently promoting.”
Beginning Apologetics 7: How to Read the Bible

The Catechism of The Catholic Church

Actually a great Bible study resource. Many of the sections of course quote the Scriptures and footnote the reference at the bottom of the page. In the back of the full-size edition (but not the small paperback), you will find several pages showing where the Scriptures are quoted or referred to in the body of the Catechism. Just find the book and verse you are looking for, and it gives you the section(s). An invaluable Scripture study resource; if you are Catholic, you should have one in your home anyway.

One place it is available is here:
Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Student Bible Atlas

This small and inexpensive volume has a lot of colorful and informative maps that highlight crucial periods in Bible history. Especially recommended if your Bible does not come with its own maps.
The Student Bible Atlas

Holman Bible Atlas

If you can afford a more comprehensive Bible atlas, this is one I’d recommend. I don’t know of any specifically Catholic atlases, but I have found this one free of denominational bias and very informative. It has lots of historical background, not to mention beautiful maps and photographs of the Holy Land. Nice enough to be a coffee table book, actually.
Holman Bible Atlas

Catholic Bible Dictionary

From the publisher's blurb: "More than a generation has passed since the appearance of the last major Catholic Bible dictionary. It has been a fertile generation for biblical scholarship, an eventful time for biblical archeology, and a fruitful time for the Church's interpretation of the Bible. It is time for a new resource.

Scott Hahn, internationally renowned theologian and biblical scholar, has inspired millions with his insight into the Catholic faith. Now he brings us this important reference guide, written specifically for Catholics, which contains more than five thousand clear and accessible entries and covers a wide range of people, places and topics. From Genesis to Revelation, the whole of salvation history is presented and explained in smart, easy-to-understand prose.

Catholic Bible Dictionary is an invaluable source of information, insight, and guidance for Catholics and others who are interested in enriching their understanding of Sacred Scripture. Scott Hahn draws from two millennia of scholarship to create an accessible and comprehensive tool for deeper and more rewarding biblical study."
Catholic Bible Dictionary

Guide To The Bible – Antonio Fuentes

If the Bible edition you use has no or poor introductions to the Bible in general and individual books of the Bible, here’s a highly informative book. The introductions are short, informative, and completely orthodox. The author also worked on the excellent Navarre Study Bible series below.
Guide To The Bible

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, New Testament

From a Catholic perspective, one of the most exciting new Bible commentaries around. Using the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition translation, It was originally released book by book in an inexpensive booklet form and is now in a single volume. In addition to great commentary, it ties Scripture into the teachings of the saints and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There are also maps, a concordance and other practical helps including informative side-bars and word studies. When the Old Testament part of this is completed a few years from now, this will be, in my opinion, THE gold standard in Catholic study Bibles.
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, New Testament

Navarre Bible Commentaries

Another great Catholic series, it is considered the most popular and highly regarded modern commentary available. Commentary also includes quotes from the saints, the Catechism, Vatican II and other Church documents, and Pope John Paul II. The volume that you will see when you click on the link is a single bound edition of the New Testament, but it is also available in individual soft-cover volumes of each New Testament book. 
Navarre Bible Commentaries

The Gospel of John – A Bible Study Guide and Commentary

Written by Steve Ray, a convert to Catholicism from the Baptist church, this volume is chock full of historical and theological background about the Gospel of John and questions to ask your self about the text to help you gain a deeper understanding and apply it to your life in a practical way. Lots of quotes from the Catechism, the saints, and Church documents as well.
Gospel of John

Catholic Women’s Devotional Bible – Zondervan

Although this is a Catholic Study Bible published by a non-Catholic publisher, it actually has notes and commentary that are Catholic friendly. This attractive volume has a number of good articles, introductions and helps, and features some ready-made studies. It also has a list of the Mass readings so that you can read right along with the liturgical year. It features the New Revised Standard Version, a translation that I know strikes some as too politically correct; but for a devotional study Bible, I still would not hesitate to give this as a gift. If they had a comparable one for men, I’d recommend that too.
Zondervan Catholic Women's Devotional Bible

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