How to Read the Bible – A Three Step Plan (written for Catholics - valid for all)

taylormarshall.com ^ | September 30, 2013 | Dr. Taylor Marshall

[NYer]

How do you read the Bible? Today is the feast day of Saint Jerome, who once quipped, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” – Saint Jerome

It’s a running joke that if you want to find a Bible verse, you ought to ask a Protestant and not a Catholic. Protestants read the Bible. Catholics not so much.

This raises the question:

Why Don’t More Catholics Read the Bible?

I think the answer lies in the fact that we Catholics go to Mass. The Holy Mass has at least two Bible readings every time. If you pray the Breviary or Liturgy of Hours, multiply that several times.

Joe Catholic says to himself, “Why should I study the Bible? I go to Mass. I hear it there. Check and check.”

There is something beautiful in this. For Catholics, Bible reading is liturgical. Hence, Bible reading remains chiefly a community experience.

Three Step Plan to Kick It Up a Notch

It’s good to listen to the readings from the Bible at Holy Mass. However, we also need a personal (even private) encounter with God in the pages of Sacred Scripture. All of the saints breathed Sacred Scripture. Scripture served as the grammar for their souls. They couldn’t communicate without it.

Here are some basic spiritual needs that you have every single day of your life:

1. Praise – Voicing your delight in God and His provision for your life. Gratitude destroys discouragement.
2. Wisdom – You need practical advice to navigate the complexities of life.
3. Challenge – You need to be lifted higher. You need to grow in your faith. You need to be inspired. You must be an intentional Christian.

So when you wake up tomorrow, do the following:

1. Read a Psalm. Start with Psalm 1. Make it your anthem of praise for that day.
2. Read at least one Proverb. Proverbs are the wisdom morsels of your day. There are 31 chapters. Why not read one chapter every day during the month. Oct 1 is Provers 1. October 31 is Proverbs 31. You get the idea.
3. Read a chapter of the one of the Gospels. This is your challenge. Your Savior challenges you in the four Gospels. He calls you to be not merely a nominal Catholic but a disciple. You cannot seriously read the Gospels and stay lukewarm. Christ speaks in a way that cannot be ignored.

“But I’m so busy. I don’t have the time!”

What? You’re too busy. Sorry, you just got served a yellow card:

That’s a yellow card. You’ve been warned…

Doing these three readings will take you only 3-5 minutes. That’s the time of a commercial break. It will change your life for good. I promise. It takes 21 days to make a habit, so give it 21 days and see if you aren’t hooked. Put the Bible on your night stand and read it in the mornings. Start fresh.

“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” – Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church

[jodyel]

Catholics sure do like rules....guess that is why the RCC is so full of ‘em!

[narses]

“Catholics sure do like rules....guess that is why the RCC is so full of ‘em!”

The rules of this site forbid “mindreading” on this forum.

[narses]

In the Religion forum, on a thread titled How to Read the Bible – A Three Step Plan (written for Catholics - valid for all), editor-surveyor wrote:

The idea of a universal church is from the pagan sorcerer Shimon.

Yeshua described his church as “wherever two or three of you are gathered in my name.”

The term “Christian” was coined in Pagan Antioch. Yeshua was known as Messiach by his followers, not as the “cristos,” which was more of a pagan “man-become-god” rather than God with us, that described Yeshua.

The true followers of Yeshua’s Way were never called Christians. Eastern and Western “Christianity” are man made, and have nothing in common with Yeshua’s Way, which is the fulfillment of the worship Yehova delivered at Mt. Sinai.

I know that you do not understand this, and are all wrapped up in the pagan pagentry that has room for men’s theology, but no room for Yehova and his word. The only canon of Yehova’s word is the Torah and Tanakh. He canonized them himself. Subsequent writings are to be judged by their conformance with them.

Yeshua left no one here on Earth with authority to canonize anything. A good example of this is Peter’s attempt to appoint Mathias an apostle. Yehova cancelled that and appointed Paul, and Mathias was never heard of again.

Let scripture guide, not the ideas of men.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “Spoken to Jews and not speaking of the unleavened bread he broke with His disciples layer.” <<

.
Yeshua broke Leavened bread (artos, not matzo) at the last supper. It was a preparation day, prior to Passover. That fact can be easily ascertained by reading further, and seeing that after the crucifixion, it was still the day before “the high Sabbath” as Passover was described in the gospel, and they were anxious to get Yeshua’s body in the tomb before Passover began.

Its all right there to read for all that are willing to accept God’s word over pagan catholic dogma.

The Bread and Wine blessing originated with MelecZedek when he blessed Abraham, and Yeshua’s remembrance is a continuance thereof (MelecZedek was the preincarnate Messiach)

[Religion Moderator]

For something to be "making it personal" it must be speaking of another Freeper, personally.

For instance, if the poster said "Buddhists have no nerve" that would not be making it personal, but if he said "You have no nerve" that would be making it personal.

[Religion Moderator]

Do not make this thread "about" individual Freepers. That is a form of "making it personal."

Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal.

[Brian Kopp DPM]

[narses]

The chain starts at post 489 with mindreading.

[jodyel]

Crybabies, crybabies!

Or, if the shoe fits.....

That is the difference between us....they can slander me and make it personal all day long and it is no big deal.

Believers know exactly who they are up against and exactly Who they serve and we need no one running interference for us in the flesh.

Thank goodness heaven will not be run like a daycare!

[narses]

“That is the difference between us....they can slander me and make it personal all day long and it is no big deal.”

This is not your site. You do not set the rules.

[jodyel]

Never in all my life have I seen such a bunch of crybabies.

It is personal mod...it is about individual people and their individual souls...that is the whole point. One cannot witness without being personal since we serve a personal God.

Nobody will get anything out of being quoted Scripture all day and all night without making it personal and making them see their need for the Lord. Sometimes one has to cut to the heart of a personal matter to get thru to the spirit.

Vet spoke of his hatred of the faith of his youth and it is fair that I can speak of it too. And I can see venom coming from him so I called him on it. Nothing wrong with that.

Someone should rethink the rules here cause without being able to cut to the spirit of a person, and ya have to be personal to do that sometimes, nothing gets accomplished.

[Religion Moderator]

Both of you, stop making this thread about yourselves or other Freepers, personally.

Discuss the message not the messenger.

[jodyel]

Unfortunately, sometimes it does need to be personal...as I have just said.

If we cannot all be adults and see each other as adults....if we have to have a room monitor to run to when we get our noses bent out of shape...then what hope do we have?

I would never go running to anyone...especially when I have the Lord defending me.

Thanks.

[Religion Moderator]

If you need to witness personally, do it in a Freepmail not on thread. Make your appeals to people generally when speaking on thread. Think evangelist or preacher.

The guideline about "not making it personal" is necessary in religious debate to circumvent flame wars.

[boatbums]

The writings of the early christians ALL confirm this understanding.

No, they don't ALL confirm that understanding. Many of the earliest leaders taught a more Biblical understanding. Those such as:

Clement of Alexandria (in his books titled, "Paedagogus")

“Eat ye my flesh,” He says, “and drink my blood.” Such is the suitable food which the Lord ministers, and He offers His flesh and pours forth His blood, and nothing is wanting for the children’s growth. O amazing mystery. We are enjoined to cast off the old and carnal corruption, as also the old nutriment, receiving in exchange another new regimen, that of Christ, receiving Him if we can, to hide Him within; and that, enshrining the Savior in our souls, we may correct the affections of our flesh.”

“But you are not inclined to understand it thus, but perchance more generally. Hear it also in the following way. The flesh figuratively represents to us the Holy Spirit; for the flesh was created by Him. The blood points out to us the Word, for as rich blood the Word has been infused into life; and the union of both is the Lord, the food of the babes–the Lord who is Spirit and Word. The food- that is, the Lord Jesus–that is, the Word of God, the Spirit made flesh, the heavenly flesh sanctified…”

“But we are God-taught, and glory in the name of Christ. How then are we not to regard the apostle as attaching this sense to the milk of the babes? And if we who preside over the Churches are shepherds after the image of the good Shepherd, and you the sheep, are we not to regard the Lord as preserving consistency in the use of figurative speech, when He speaks also of the milk of the flock?… Elsewhere the Lord, in the Gospel according to John, brought this out by symbols, when He said: “Eat ye my flesh, and drink my blood; ” describing distinctly by metaphor the drinkable properties of faith and the promise, by means of which the Church, like a human being consisting of many members, is refreshed and grows, is welded together and compacted of both,–of faith, which is the body, and of hope, which is the soul; as also the Lord of flesh and blood. For in reality the blood of faith is hope, in which faith is held as by a vital principle.”

“’I,’ says the Lord, ‘have meat to eat that ye know not of. My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me.’ You see another kind of food which, similarly with milk, represents figuratively the will of God. Besides, also, the completion of His own passion He called catachrestically “a cup,” when He alone had to drink and drain it. Thus to Christ the fulfilling of His Father’s will was food; and to us infants, who drink the milk of the word of the heavens, Christ Himself is food. Hence seeking is called sucking; for to those babes that seek the Word, the Father’s breasts of love supply milk.”

“Thus in many ways the Word is figuratively described, as meat, and flesh, and food, and bread, and blood, and milk. The Lord is all these, to give enjoyment to us who have believed on Him. Let no one then think it strange, when we say that the Lord’s blood is figuratively represented as milk. For is it not figuratively represented as wine? “Who washes,” it is said, “His garment in wine, His robe in the blood of the grape.” In His Own Spirit He says He will deck the body of the Word; as certainly by His own Spirit He will nourish those who hunger for the Word.”

“For the blood of the grape–that is, the Word–desired to be mixed with water, as His blood is mingled with salvation. And the blood of the Lord is twofold. For there is the blood of His flesh, by which we are redeemed from corruption; and the spiritual, that by which we are anointed. And to drink the blood of Jesus, is to become partaker of the Lord’s immortality; the Spirit being the energetic principle of the Word, as blood is of flesh. Accordingly, as wine is blended with water, so is the Spirit with man. And the one, the mixture of wine and water, nourishes to faith; while the other, the Spirit, conducts to immortality. And the mixture of both–of the water and of the Word–is called eucharist, renowned and glorious grace; and they who by faith partake of it are sanctified both in body and soul. For the divine mixture, man, the Father’s will has mystically compounded by the Spirit and the Word. For, in truth, the spirit is joined to the soul, which is inspired by it; and the flesh, by reason of which the Word became flesh, to the Word.”

Additional writings of other church fathers concerning the "real presence" can be found at (http://onefold.wordpress.com/early-church-evidence-refutes-real-presence/.

[editor-surveyor]

Looks like someone didn’t like what you said...