“A weave of exegesis of the biblical text and considerations of its meaning for Christian life.  . . . attractive and nourishing.” —The Bible Today
 
The Gospel writers state they aim to tell the story of Jesus in a clear manner, but throughout Paul McCarren’s years in ministry, he has seen that these simple and important messages are too often missed. In his Simple Guides to the Gospels series, McCarren provides a new translation of each Gospel book, leading readers chapter by chapter through the text. Each section includes scripture and a brief, engaging commentary about how readers can relate to the material. The Simple Guides introduce readers to life in early Christianity, describe points of controversy, and show how each section fits with those that went before. The Simple Guide to Matthew highlights many of Jesus’ compelling sayings, stories such as the Sermon on the Mount, and key themes of Jesus’ ministry, such as trust. The books in the Simple Guides to the Gospels series are available individually or together as a complete set.
 
“Reading these books is like studying the Gospels with a learned, literate, and lively guide.” —James Martin SJ, author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything
“Written in a lively style with fresh translations and original insights. . . . Readers will be stimulated to think creatively about familiar texts.” —John R. Donahue, Raymond E. Brown Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies (Emeritus), St. Mary’s Seminary and University
“These valuable guides may be profitably used for ones’ own spiritual growth and prayer life, or in group study of the Gospels at the parish or catechetical level.” —Alan C. Mitchell, Georgetown University