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

[terycarl]

They did NOT go to heaven until they met Christ when they were taken to heaven after His resurrection. If you were trying to say they went to heaven without knowing Christ first you would be in error.

WOW, the transfiguration waqs a myth????????

[metmom]

there are no "non-Catholics" ....only should be and will be Catholics.

Chapter and verse?

[terycarl]

I post "Jesus is God", I post "Mary was assumed into Heaven"

I can prove neither, but they are both true....believe them or not, they are true!!

[terycarl]

Pope Gregory XVL

XVL??

[boatbums]

Your comments are out of touch with reality.

How would you know what the "reality" was since you didn't seem to know about what happened to Michael Servetus and Calvin. You were asking ME, remember? I also haven't missed that you failed to answer my questions. Here they are again:

But, I AM curious why you are hitting on this topic like this. Is your intent to smear all Calvinists by association because Calvin has been blamed (unrightly) for one man's death? All Protestants? That's a slippery slope in light of the multiple and verifiable times the Roman Catholic Church was guilty of far worse.

[terycarl]

Wait,,,,,,,what???? Weren’t we told not too long ago that the Holy Spirit guides the Bishops in their election of the pope? As I remember it the discussion was along the lines of “the majority” is what indicates it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Now they are “not protected from electing an idiot”?

nope, infallibility does not extend to the election of a Pope....some vote for personal favorites, some vote ethnically, some vote for whatever reason and all feel that they were guided by the Holy Spirit....so far it has worked out pretty well...a few bad eggs, but the Catholic Church is still the most powerful Christian voice in history.....always has been, always will be...

[terycarl]

The truth and only the truth. Yup: Mary is dead.

she is not only not dead, she doesn't even have a headache...

[terycarl]

Like George Washington cut down the cherry tree...

the cherry tree is down, you, of course have proof that George didn't do it.....I didn't think so

[terycarl]

So, please explain how an infallible church can elect an idiot for a pope

The church hierarchy is not infallible...there are bad bishops, maybe Cardinals and certainly Popes....however, even the "idiots" who were elected Pope could never err, nor did they, in official pronouncements concerning faith and morals....

[boatbums]

This is My Body.

I will take Christ at His word over the boastings of mere man made religion. Jesus said, “All who come to me I will in no wise cast out.”, I trust HIM.

I don't think so.

It's not up to you to think on my faith and trust in Christ, is it? I don't deny Jesus held the borken bread and said, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.". Nor do I deny he said with the cup, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.". Why would I deny what Jesus said? What I reject is the Catholic interpretation of Jesus' words. Big difference!

But since we're on that subject, do you believe Jesus' words, "All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will not cast out."?

[terycarl]

Men engaged in gross immorality *infallible* in faith and morals? That doesn't work either. If they can't even keep their own lives in order, they are in no position to preach at others about how THEY should be living.

again you can't separate the acts of individuals VS the teachings of the church..your minister doesn't recommend ways that YOU should be living??? Catholics, even priests, are sinners, but when the PPope speaks, with authority, he is infallible....point out 1 time in history (we're 2,013 yewars old you know) where the Pope has erred...........just 1

[terycarl]

there are no "non-Catholics" ....only should be and will be Catholics. Chapter and verse?

common sense prevails here, there is only one, true, complete Christian Church on Earth....as the unlearned figure it out, they will come back to the Catholic Church.....not many are dumb enough to completely ignore reality.

[boatbums]

My post certainly attracted some childish replies. What it did not produce was a single example of anti-protestant bigotry. Know why? Because there isn’t any. We Catholics don’t sit around bad-mouthing protestants. We don’t spend our days hating on them. We don’t even think about it very much, if at all. Just as with leftists and conservatives, the hatred comes from one direction.

Must be nice to be able to block out things that disprove ones fantasy. Pray tell, what WOULD qualify in your view as "anti-Protestant bigotry"? There are ample posts in this thread alone that make general and derogatory statements about Protestants. For some reason, you haven't recognized them as such, so why don't you explain what you mean by the term.

[boatbums]

Fixed if for you. Do you see the difference? I have many protestant friends and acquaintances, but not a single one that is an anti Catholic bigot.

Why don't you reveal what counts as "anti-Catholic" bigotry in your book? If you asked some of these Protestant friends of yours, for example, what they thought of the Catholic dogma of "Outside of the Catholic Church there is no salvation or remission of sins." or "It is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.", what would your view of them be if they said, "No, I disagree with that and here's why..."? Would they then BE anti-Catholic bigots to you and no longer your friends? Or, do these friends avoid at all cost even discussing "religion" with you? Just curious how this scenario might play out in your world.

[roamer_1]

common sense prevails here, there is only one, true, complete Christian Church on Earth....as the unlearned figure it out, they will come back to the Catholic Church.....not many are dumb enough to completely ignore reality.

Common sense would be to pay heed to what the Bible says.

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

So much for 'true church', and so much for 'infallibility'. One might argue (ultimately without success) that the Testimony of Yeshua is within the walls of the Vatican, but no one would seriously affirm that she follows the commandments of YHWH, even remotely.

Perhaps the 'unlearned' should research the term 'workers of iniquity (lawlessness)', and then make up their own minds.

[boatbums]

But that is not the case. There are those who never hear it or never heard it. Are they therefore condemned without ever knowing Jesus? I don’t believe so. I believe that all people have desired and searched for God. How could it be otherwise. He is the creator of all. How could anything in His creation not feel His pull? Jesus is the way and the Scripture you gave makes that clear, but it doesn’t say ONLY those who believe will be saved. It says that if you believe you will be saved.

Yes, yes, it DOES say ONLY those who believe in Christ will be saved. Indeed, as Romans 1:20 says, " For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.". ALL have a God-shaped vacuum in their souls (as one man put it) that can only be filled by the person of Jesus Christ. There are many Scripture passages that speak of Jesus Christ being the ONLY way to salvation. Before Christ was incarnated, believers looked FORWARD to the time when the Messiah would come and take away sins forever. Today, we look BACK to Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies.

You ask a very good question that many people have wondered over the centuries, how can God condemn a person who has never heard of the Savior? The answer, I believe, is similar to the one often cited here - NOTHING is impossible with God. He promises that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and He WILL be found when we search for Him with all our hearts. There is only ONE way to God - through Christ. It isn't being a "good" person, because ALL have sinned and sin demands payment. It isn't doing the "best" one can, because all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight if they are done to try to redeem ourselves.

My God is a Mighty God and NOTHING is too hard for Him. If someone want to know the truth, God will get it to them. It may not be even a person who tells them - Scripture is replete with souls who have come to know the truth in miraculous ways. God's will is that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Do we think God is incapable of bringing the truth to the one who is sincerely seeking it?

[boatbums]

Trust in Jesus Christ, believe he died on the cross for your sins and receive the gift of eternal life given to you by the grace of God.

and at least belong to the church that He originated....not some man made church of what's happening now..

That's the wondrous thing...if you trust in Jesus Christ you ARE made a part of the body of Christ, the church. It's not "belonging" to a church that saves, but belonging to Christ THROUGH faith and you ARE in the "church". What bills itself as THE church of Jesus Christ is, in truth, a man made organization because THE REAL church of Jesus Christ only contains the redeemed and blood-bought children of God. Even Catholics admit that there are members that are "Catholic in name only", don't they? That should be a clue right there because the church of Jesus Christ is ALL the saved, from all walks of life, all parts of the world and from all time. That's what we have been trying to get across.

[boatbums]

every official proclamation from the Vatican, having to do with matters of faith and morals has been true......find one for me that was in error...

Okay...reconcile Extra Ecclesia Nulla Sallas with Lumen Gentium. One Pope claims outside of the Roman Catholic Church no one can be saved and the other, also from a Pope, claims that people CAN be saved outside of membership in the Roman Catholic Church.

[boatbums]

think about it, Judas may have been the first protestant....he had the truth, he knew Christ, he rejected the truth, he decided that he knew better how to obtain salvation without following CXhrist.....sounds familiar to me!!

You are saying that all Protestants reject the truth of Jesus Christ and do not follow Him?

[verga]

"All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will not cast out."?

Look at it in the original Greek.