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]

Stats?

look them up, you are the one who wants them..

[Revolting cat!]

Why are Harold Camping and his countless faithful followers and worshippers here so concerned about those straying lost Catholics, their disgustingly archaic Church and their Damnation?

[terycarl]

Catholics. Church of the Perpetually Offended

you cannot offend a true American nor can you offend a true Catholic....when you're right, you're right....what's to offend??

[BlueDragon]

According to your lamebrain graft there are no Catholics in the US military. Show me on the graft were the word Catholic is mentioned.

I had to post the graph in two sections. For some reason, when using the "review" function, the image (which IS composed of FOUR jpg. files) wouldn't render well enough, for me, but Elsie seemed to have gotten it to post here http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3072978/posts?page=1508#1508

LIKE I SAID (if you would have taken the time to actually READ and try to HEAR what I was saying) by the numbers, it appears that "Catholics" make up a bit more than 20% of US military, active duty personnel.

The number of active duty classified as "Catholic" goes into total number of active duty 4.9 times. If it went in an even 4 times, that would represent 25%, would it not? If it was an even 5 times, that would represent 20%, right?

Which means that the claim:

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

is far from true. They are not doubly represented, but more like along the lines of percentage of population, if it is safe enough for us to assume that the "Catholics make up 20-25% of the US population" is accurate enough. I won't challenge that part of the statement...

[terycarl]

Maybe they are and maybe they are not, but He is FAR MORE impressed by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because He said so... Chapter and verse?

He started it and is the entire purpose of it...it is a commemeration of Him

[terycarl]

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?

yeah, but protestants aren't centered anywhere

[terycarl]

Pick a verse and we'll post some links to commentaries and we can compare and see how far off from each other they are whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven, whose sins you shall retain, they shall be retained

unless you eat of the flesh of the son of man and drink of His blood....

thou art Peter (petros) and upon this rock I will build my church

take this and eat if it, this is My body which will be given up for you, take and drink from this, this is the chalice of my blood which will be given up for you.

I realize that there are a zillion misinterpretations of these (not entirely accurate quotations)commentaries, but that is the problem...if 2,000 different interpretations come in to your blog, doesn't that tell you that you should let those, far more capable than you, interpret scripture??????

[boatbums]

There is a connotation that is meant when used here by non Catholics which does not exist. It is a fantasy church which can then be bashed and rejected with impunity.

You mean like the way the connotation "Protestant" is by Catholics here?

I have rarely seen anyone say something about the Roman Catholic Church where they weren't specifically speaking of the Catholic Church, Latin Rite. I have seen many times where Roman Catholics use the proper name Catholic instead of the adjective catholic to refer to the first century church and we all know that that one HAD no universal Pope in Rome as well as lacking numerous doctrines and dogmas that the Latin Rite today claims were "always and everywhere believed".

It may be hard to deal with for some but using RCC or RC or Roman Catholic Church to mean what is formally called the Catholic Church, Latin Rite is just a quicker way to reference the same religion on an internet forum and hasn't been a problem but to a few. It's not meant as derogatory, no reason to get ones feelings hurt.

[terycarl]

I do not consider my self Protestant because I do not affiliate with a RELIGION. I am a Christian, a follower of Christ, not a follower of Methodists, Baptists, Lutheranism, or whatever

oh great, you are an official nothing....I guess that makes it easier to play golf on Sunday morning...nowhere else to go...no Catholic church, no Lutheran church, no Evangelical church....just "I'LL DO IT MY WAY"...wasn't there a song by that title.....and, after all, life is so much easier if you have no one to answer to....

[terycarl]

The writers of the NT, with the possible exception of Luke, were Jews. Try again.

so was Christ....think carefully, Old Testament...New testament, When Christ established His church....His Jewish followers became followers of Christ...CHRISTIANS....who then became known as CATHOLICS...see how it worked????

[terycarl]

the early church was virtually all Jews, thousands of them, until God sent Paul to the Gentiles.

of course they WERE Jews, until they became followers of Christ.....a follower of Christ is, by definition, a Christian...therefore, the early church followers of Christ were Christians who soon became known as CATHOLICS...

[terycarl]

Here are some links that explain how we really got the sacred Scriptures:

yeah, those links were really informative....Joseph of Aramathea????Please...

[terycarl]

the first century church and we all know that that one HAD no universal Pope in Rome

oh no!!! you forgot Peter, Linus, Cletus, Clement, Evaristus, ...silly you!

[boatbums]

no it isn't and it is only found outside the Catholic curch...you are assuming that the T.V evangalists, who give their verson of reality aree somehow overly pleasing to God.....Maybe they are and maybe they are not, but He is FAR MORE impressed by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because He said so...

It CAN be found inside some Roman Catholic Churches and outside them as well! I said nothing about "TV Evangelists" but it seems that's the only thing you can bring up instead of what I actually said, which was:

Okay, so you were a failed Protestant, then? Sorry that your experience made you hate others that DO have a wonderful relationship with Christ, worship in glorious unison with fellow believers, learn the whole Word of God under men divinely-ordained to the ministry and as pastors/teachers, elders and deacons, help their communities in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, helping/healing the sick, leading lost souls to Christ and being a force for God throughout their part of the world.

My Mom, a Roman Catholic, tells me her priest usually gives a five or ten minute homily (really a sermonette). I'd much rather sit under a pastor who devoted his life to teaching and leading his flock as God leads him. Pastors who DON'T preach "hell and brimstone" and who tell them "they are going to hell if they don’t change their ways", but preach the grace of God which saves us through faith. THAT is the kind of worship and fellowship God wants for ALL His children and it IS found outside of the Roman Catholic Church. I know, because that's why I left.

Ponder these verses to see how pleased God is with "sacrifices":

Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. (I Samuel 15:22)

To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. (Mark 12:33)

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire-- but my ears you have opened -- burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. (Psalm 40:6)

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves. (Pslam 69:30,31)

[boatbums]

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....

First of all, it wasn't my statement but Holy Scripture where the Holy Spirit said, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23) Since Jesus IS God in the flesh, it OBVIOUSLY wasn't referring to Him. PLUS we have other Scriptures that clearly say Jesus was without sin. That is how He could be the sacrifice for all our sins. This does, you'll have to admit one day, exclude any other human being from being sinless.

[boatbums]

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!!

Just curious, how do you know the difference between a "no" answer and a "failed" to answer? Did you get an email?

[boatbums]

Thank you for your faithful posting of proofs that should put to rest some of the more outlandish claims posted by some here. Howver, I'm afraid that for them the country song comes to mind, "That's My Story and I'm Sticking to it":

I came in as the sun came up.
She glared at me over her coffee cup.
She said, "Where you been?"
So I thoguht real hard and said,
"I fell asleep in that hammock in the yard."
She said, "You don't know it boy, but you just blew it."
And I said, "Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

That's my story.
Oh, that's my story.
Well, I ain't got a witness, and I can't prove it,
but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it."

I got that deer-in-the-headlight look.
She read my face like the cover of a book and said,
"Don't expect me to believe all that static,
'cause just last week I threw that hammock in the attic."
My skin got so thin so you could see right through it, and I stuttered, "Well that's my story and I'm stickin t-t-to it.

That's my story.
Well, that's my story.
I ain't got a witness, and I can't prove it,
but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it."

You know the time comes when a wise man knows
the best thing that he can do is just look her in the eye
and beg for mercy and face the bitter truth...
Well honey me and the boys played cards all night.
There wasn't no hanky-panky, not a woman in sight.
I know I should called, and baby I.. I'm really sorry,
but get a cellular phone and then you won't have to worry.
You know how much I love ya, darling, and I'm ready to prove it.
And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

That's my story,
oh, that's my story.
Well I ain't got a witness and ya know I can't prove it.
But that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

You know I ain't gonna do a thing darling unless you approve it.
And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

http://artists.letssingit.com/collin-raye-lyrics-thats-my-story-x2zswrg#ixzz2hIUW6cRI

[BlueDragon]

Did you get an email?

Failure to appear?

[metmom]

why would God, the creator of everything that ever was, allow His Son to come to Earth in a stained vessel????

To share fully in our humanity? Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are, and yet was without sin.

common sense has a lot to do with reality

Common sense? Really? When y'all are claiming a virgin birth by a sinless woman?

*Common sense* tells us that women don't get pregnant without sex. That's reality.

would the body of a sinner be the appropriate house for the Holy Redemmer to abide in???

Why not? Can't He handle it? He lived in a sinful world for 333 years after His birth.

Sure. He came to earth, didn't He?

Likewise, the EXACT same questions need to be asked of Mary and HER mother. Would God allow Mary to come to earth in a stained vessel?

Would the body of a sinner be the appropriate house for the (allegedly) Mother of God to abide in? Would she arrive in a less than perfect environment? Wouldn't the Grandma of God need to be sinless, and so it goes, back and back and back?

Turtles all the way down.

[metmom]

of course...the ones who became followers of Christ are CHRISTIANS...Catholics that is...Catholics wrote the bible...new testament, brought forth the Old testament from the Jews...look in your Bible, both books are there, they are there because of the Catholic Church ...PERIOD.

RF rules prohibit me from fully expressing what a pile of nonsense those statements are. The words *Catholic* is not found in Scripture, a serious oversight for those whom supposedly wrote the Bible, while the term *Christian* is.

Christian and Catholics are not interchangeable terms.

Catholic does not by default equate to being Christian and Christian does not by default mean Catholic.