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

[Elsie]

It is a fantasy church which can then be bashed and rejected with impunity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM-G0bkl8MQ

[BlueDragon]

You can guarantee what again?

[terycarl]

Are YOU accusing Jesus of being a sinner

I accuse Jesus of nothing...I questioned your statement that ALL men(Jesus was 100% man) are sinners and fall short with God....

[BlueDragon]

Catholics make up 20-25% of the US population, but 45-50% of the US military.

Where is the actual proof of this assertion? Some RadTradCat blog? Did you check to see if what the guys was saying was true, before repeating it here on FR?

I see a lot of that of of stuff on these pages. Hint: Patheos blog will post all sorts of less than substantiated "stuff".

Since the Gov web pages are shut down (for no real reason, existing web page access can be supplied with bare bones personnel involvement) I can only get some second hand data through a CNN page, Raw Data: Religious preference in the military which cites "Source: U.S. Department of Defense"

Though this info is four years old, I seriously doubt much has changed as per spread of percentages, unless there are less atheists and agnostics. But this conversation has been made on FR before. Big "Catholic" claim, evidence refutes it, but some loose ends may linger, going who knows which direction.

As far as I can tell, from the data supplied above, it works out to a little more than 20% active duty personnel, right about the same as population figures, or a bit less?

Look at the totals in the far right columns. The look at the total in the lower right corner.

Of 1,407,580 something like 286757 were "Catholic" and "Catholic churches". I didn't add in Eastern Orthodox and Orthodox, but their numbers together were only about 1,540, with Moravians adding 111.

Even grabbing those extra, still get's one nowhere near 45-50% US military personnel, unless one wants to pretend there are oodles and gobs of them in the Coast Guard --- which would rather diminish the "Catholics are bad-ass" fantasy.

If you have better data, from a good source -- bring it. OR, agree that you were [probably] repeating an untruth -- though not necessarily doing so with full knowledge that facts don't back your statement.

Unlike some of your brethren do when in dispute with "protestants" here, I'm not going to call you a liar, for having less than factual information. But also unlike some of your brethren that do so --- I'm not here refuting you merely by argument of assertion, with nothing to back it up but my own say-so, or some special interpretation of a mish-mash of info.

These are numbers we are dealing with. Tough to spin them. Please, don't even try. If I see them being twisted, then there will be no patience, and little to no mercy...

[terycarl]

Are YOU accusing Jesus of being a sinner

I accuse Jesus of nothing...I questioned your statement that ALL men(Jesus was 100% man) are sinners and fall short with God....

[terycarl]

Well, there goes that infallibility thingie!

you can NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES change reality nor the truth...!

[terycarl]

WoW! I thought I'd heard everything from these Catholics, but now I see one that tries to paint Jesus as a sinner.

it was Elsie who claimed that ALL MEN (Jesus was 100% man) were sinners...I merely questioned the logic of that statement....Pay attention please, before you make inane accusations.

[Elsie]

Like I said the majority of Christians in the US military are Catholic.

The following data proves your statement to be incorrect.

If you'd said 'largest denomination' then perhaps you'd be right.

The total PROTESTANTS are MUCH greater than Catholics.

---

[Elsie]

Yes it does, though it was begun as an insulting term, over time it has come into common usage to specify the Latin Rite church which is centered in Rome.

Like PROTESTant?

[Elsie]

I am part of the Flying Inman Rite.

[terycarl]

If the RCC finds a middle ground between BELIEF and UNBELIEF; I'd like to understand just what it is.

if you have never heard of Jesus, it is difficult to condemn you to hell. I would say that belief is hearing the word of God from the Catholic church and Catholic bible, and accepting it....I would say that unbelief is hearing the word of God from the Catholic church and Catholic Bible and protesting (denying)it...see?

[Revolting cat!]

Ah yes, PROTEST ants!

[Elsie]

I guarantee you if you take away Hispanics (of which all are not Catholic to start with), the majority of Christians in the military are Catholic.

Show your data.

[Elsie]

You found it too!

[Elsie]

Ah....!

The good ol’ days!

[Elsie]

Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?

[terycarl]

Then WHY does it seem so important to Catholics to toss out these HUGE numbers so often?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You get the same from me that my kids get: "Haven't I told you a MILLION times NOT to exaggerate

my point exactly...the number is huge but the exact number is irrelevant...more than 1 is too many.

[terycarl]

I'll ask Catholics: Has Mary ever FAILED to answer your prayers?

NO, but sometimes the answer was no.....God does that to me all the time...I've never won that damned lottery!!

[WVKayaker]

it was Elsie who claimed that ALL MEN (Jesus was 100% man)...

Actually, it is Scripture that makes the statement that all have sinned. But you are trying to extrapolate Jesus being a sinner because he was 100% man. But, I do pay attention and Elsie made no such claim.

Your post tried to portray Jesus as a sinner. You waffled a little bit and left some doubt, when you also said he was 100% God. But, God cannot sin.

The Messiah we call Jesus came onto this earth to fulfill the law. He threw over tables in the Temple, I am sure. As to the rest of your hypothesis, it's just more of the same old "maybe we can try this line and see how far it will go”. Satan loves distraction and is constantly taking people's eyes away from the prize. That prize is our unmerited salvation, if free gift from God. It's not in your church that we can find such a treasure, it is only through faith and receiving his Holy Spirit in our lives. It's not found in a wafer of bread, nor a sip of wine from a cup. God is a Spirit and those that worship God, must worship him in spirit and in truth...

I can quote all those references for you, about everything that I said. But, most Roman Catholics just listen to a human voice and claim a catechism which lies. The Word of God reveals everything that we need, and Jesus Holy Spirit leads us into all the truth it displays. It's certainly not found just in Rome.

Sorry, but you did not win this time either! Try to come up with something better next time…

[smvoice]

Really, that was the most pitiful attempt at “gotcha” I’ve ever read. I thought I heard a drum “pah-DAH-pum” when I read ‘well, Jesus was a man’. I bet you’ll also be here all week, terycarl.