Reading Plans | Sola Verbum Dei

Uncertain where to start? Take the brief quiz and we will recommend the plan best suited to your life, your time, and your hopes. Or simply read through them below and begin today.

For Beginners and Returners

The Foundational Plan

Best if you feel unsure where to start

A gentle and ordered path through the most accessible parts of Scripture, well suited to rebuilding confidence and understanding without strain.

Week 1: Gospel of Mark, the shortest Gospel, one or two chapters each day. It moves swiftly and assumes nothing.
Weeks 2 and 3: Psalms 23, 51, 91, and 139, the great Catholic prayers that teach the heart to speak with God.
Month 1: Gospel of John, the Prologue read slowly, then chapters 14 to 17, the Last Supper discourse.
Month 2: Acts of the Apostles, witnessing the birth of the Church at Pentecost.
Month 3: Genesis 1 to 12, the foundation of salvation history, read as revelation.

"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." So warned St. Jerome, who gave his life to translating the Word for the Church.

For Deepening Prayer

The Contemplative Plan

Best if you long for deeper prayer

Centered upon lectio divina, this path treats every reading as a conversation with God and forms the heart for deeper prayer.

Week 1: Psalms 1 to 20, praying one each day through the four movements of lectio divina.
Weeks 2 and 3: Gospel of Luke, chapters 1 to 5, pondered as Our Lady pondered (Luke 2:19).
Month 1: The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5 to 7, one passage each day, slowly.
Month 2: The Letters of John, short and intimate, well suited to resting upon a single phrase.
Ongoing: The coming Sunday's Gospel as your weekly lectio divina text.

"When we pray, we speak to God; but when we read, God speaks to us." So taught St. Ambrose, who first opened the Scriptures to St. Augustine.

For the Liturgical Heart

The Liturgical Plan

Best if you wish to enter the Mass more fully

Woven around the Sunday Lectionary, this path deepens your participation in the Holy Mass and unites your reading to the prayer of the whole Church.

Weeks 1 and 2: All the Sunday Mass readings for the current week (usccb.org); notice how the first reading and the Gospel answer one another.
Weeks 3 and 4: Gospel of Luke, chapters 1 to 10, as proclaimed throughout Year C.
Month 2: Psalms 1 to 30, sung as the Responsorial Psalm at Mass.
Month 3: Isaiah 40 to 55, the Book of Consolation, most often heard in Advent.
Ongoing: The coming Sunday's readings, each Saturday evening.

"The Eucharist and the Word of God are inseparably joined." Drawn from the teaching of St. John Paul II.

For Defenders of the Faith

The Plan for Defenders

Best if you wish to explain and defend the faith

A firm foundation in the texts Catholics most often turn to, that you may always be ready to give a reason for your hope (1 Peter 3:15), with clarity and charity.

Weeks 1 and 2: Gospel of Matthew, rich with Peter and the keys of the Kingdom (Matthew 16:18 to 19).
Weeks 3 and 4: Letter to the Romans, St. Paul's theology of grace and salvation.
Month 2: Acts of the Apostles, with the first Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15).
Month 3: Gospel of John, including the Bread of Life discourse in chapter 6.
Ongoing: Each passage cross-referenced with the Catechism by its Scripture index.

"In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children." So teaches the Second Vatican Council in Dei Verbum 21.

For Steady Renewal

The Renewal Plan

Best for well-rounded, everyday growth

A well-balanced path through Scripture that gently rebuilds a lasting daily habit of holy reading and steady growth in faith.

Weeks 1 and 2: Gospel of Mark, read in full, one or two chapters at a sitting.
Month 1: The Psalms, five each week, drawn from lament, praise, and wisdom.
Month 2: Gospel of John, especially chapter 1 and chapters 14 to 17.
Month 3: Letter to the Romans, St. Paul's masterwork on faith and God's plan.
Month 4 and beyond: The Sunday Lectionary, alongside the whole Church.

"The word of God is the bread of life that fills the hungry soul." A teaching echoed through the Fathers of the Church.

Would you prefer a plan made for you?

The quiz weighs your time, your hopes, your honest struggles, and even your habits of attention, that it may recommend the right plan and personal counsel.