Read the Bible for a Change pamphlet

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s s e r P s U g n g i t n n o i r m P A r o d f r t o o W N e h e l T p m a S Then, the craziest thing happened. One day I actually opened and read the Bible. And the more I read, the more I wanted to read. I was coming face-to-face with a God who knew me and wanted to be in a relationship with me. My childish misconceptions of God as some distant omnipotent judge waiting to condemn me dissipated with every turn of the page. My vision of the Lord began to evolve and deepen. My childhood misunderstandings gained new perspective and proper context. Though God had always been my Father, I realized that I—like so many in the Bible—had failed to see or approach him that way.

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ritten in more languages, read by more people, and with more copies published My love for God began to grow; the more I learned and sold than any other written work in the history about his heart, the more I felt called to really let him of the world, the Holy Bible stands alone. Kings and into my own life. The more I read, the rulers have tried to outlaw it, wars have more I sought out the people and resources been waged over it, and millions of lives have been lost—but also found—because nd the more to help me grow and expand my knowledge. It’s as though the minute I gave God of it. The Holy Bible—God’s divine reveI read, the more my time and his word my attention, he lation: inspired, recorded, entrusted, and gifted to us—stands alone. No other book I wanted to read. lit a fire in my heart. And he can do the same for you. will ever compare. With 73 books inspired and recorded over a span of about 1700 years by over Now, at the risk of painful oversimplification, the Bible 40 separate authors, the Bible is one of our greatest is not just the book but, rather, many books. The very family heirlooms. Yet, so often, this great gift of God word “Bible” comes from the Latin word biblia, meangoes unopened and unread. ing “collection of books,” and while this holy book is many books, it is, in reality, more a letter—a love letter Growing up Catholic meant we had a Bible—a large, from the eternal Father to his children. It is the story heavy, unopened, and unread Bible. There the word of a bridegroom coming for his bride. It is a story less of God sat, untouched but impressive to visitors. Had about “hide and seek” (though Adam and Eve start anyone taken the time to actually peruse or survey the

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Bible, they would have undoubtedly sadly noticed each page in pristine condition. To be honest, it didn’t serve much purpose other than as a bookend, holding up all the other books we actually did read. Like many Catholics, we viewed the Bible as strangely untouchable—we knew it was important and special, but we just didn’t know what to do with it.

there) and more about being “lost and found.” It’s the story of where we came from and where we are ultimately headed. In this way, knowing Scripture truly is a matter of life and death.

Through the Bible, we not only learn how he word not to die but how to truly live.

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So, why read the Bible? Well, here are five good reasons for any Catholic Christian:

what God thinks of you and how much he wants to be part of your daily life.

of God will give you hope in times of fear and darkness.

1. Reading the Bible introduces you to who God (really) is. How can you

be sure that you really know the one true God? Countless people claim insight into God, drawing merely from their own life experiences and opinions, but how can they be sure they are correct? God’s word, however, offers us tangible and incomparable insight into who God really is and what love really looks like.

2. Reading the Bible reveals how God thinks and moves. The Bible

is one of the greatest ways to get to know the author of your story.

By reading about his interactions with other people, you can get to know how God thinks and moves.

God doesn’t change, so the Bible is a great source for gaining an understanding of what does and does not please God.

3. Reading the Bible unveils things about you. As the author, God reveals who he is, how he thinks and moves, and who you are. He created you—he loves you, and he wants you here. When reading Scripture, you allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and with you, to help you understand

4. Reading the Bible offers you inspiration, consolation, and peace. The word of God will change

you. The word of God will challenge you.

The word of God will inspire you. The word of God will give you hope in times of fear and darkness, consolation in times of desolation, and peace in times of anxiety and stress. The Bible is a prescription for long-term, eternal health.

5. Reading the Bible brings purpose to your day and direction for your future. Scripture reminds us that we have a purpose in life. Not only that, but we have a daily mission: to love and serve God and others. Age after age, we see that we were created for a specific vocation that only we can fulfill. By observing and studying God’s word, we are reminded of our purpose and how to embrace and live out the vocation that God has given us.

Now, you may be wondering, “So, where do I start?” Here are four simple suggestions:

Begin with the upcoming Sunday readings.

Don’t feel the need to jump in and read an entire Gospel or Testament right out of the gate. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t read for an hour a day. God delights in us, and heaven rejoices each and every time we open the Sacred Scriptures.

peace. After some reflection, a hard saying you noted might nudge you to forgive someone, or a verse that inspires you might keep you hopeful in a situation that usually discourages or frustrates you.

Give yourself a gift today. Make time to hear the voice of God pouring out from the pages of Sacred Scripture.

Giving that time to the Lord will change everything, starting with your own heart! So, go ahead . . . read the Bible for a change.

Find companions for your biblical journey. Seek

Take the Next Step

Read

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s s e BIBLE r P s U g n g i t n n o i r m P A r o d f r t o o W N e h e l T p m a S Just as you would begin a new fitness program, starting slowly will help you build up stamina over time.

Look online or check your parish bulletin for next Sunday’s three readings, and make it a point to slowly and prayerfully make your way through one of the readings—the Old Testament or New Testament passage, the psalm, or the Gospel.

Doing so will not only help you work into a rhythm of praying with Scripture but will also make the first half of the Sunday Mass (known as the Liturgy of the Word) come to life in a whole new way. As time goes on, you can build up to praying through all of the Sunday readings.

Keep a journal as you begin praying with and study-

ing the Bible. As you’re reading the day’s Gospel or an Old Testament passage or a letter from St. Paul, watch for words and phrases that jump out at you and record them. Perhaps it’s a term you’re not familiar with that you plan to look up in the footnotes or a Bible dictionary. Maybe it’s a “hard saying” of Scripture that on the surface seems unloving or insensitive or one that doesn’t seem to make sense, and you desire clarity. Write down the verses that really stand out to you or bring you hope or inspiration or

out knowledgeable teachers at your parish or perhaps through a Catholic audio and video series. Allow others to guide you through biblical and Church history from a Catholic perspective, or pick a Bible study based on a theme, like the fruit of the Spirit or one of the books of the Bible. Begin to build a reference library for yourself with books that offer overviews of Scripture, including its themes and the types of writing within, so that you will have the context you need as you explore God’s word each day.

Less is more. Don’t just open up the Gospel of Mark

and read until you get tired. If you’re not accustomed to reading Scripture, starting slowly demonstrates both self-awareness and wisdom. Perhaps you can commit to ten or fifteen minutes a day for one month. Most Bibles break down the chapters into subchapters or subcategories. If you begin in the Gospel of Mark, for instance, consider reading and meditating only on verses 1-8 for fifteen minutes. Really ruminate (chew) through them. Studying the Scriptures is not like driving across country—it’s not about how much distance you cover in a set amount of time. Enjoy the time, “roll down the windows,” and take everything in.

God’s word is timeless but always timely. God’s word is an unshakable rock within the storm. God’s word is a light in the darkness and “a lamp for [your] feet” (Psalm 119:105). Don’t wait! There are literally hundreds of resources you can look at—from books to websites—that will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about God’s word.

Check out Unleashing the Power of Scripture: A Guide for Catholics, a guide to reading Scripture and understanding the place of Scripture in the liturgy and the sacraments.

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