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

[smvoice]

You DO understand that every time that statement is made (”Without the Catholic Church there would be no Holy Bible”), God takes note..? Do you think He laughs, or cries when it’s repeated over and over, like it’s truth or something. One more time: It’s HIS WORD. HE PUT IT TOGETHER FOR MAN, not the Catholic Church. And it has endured, not BECAUSE of the Catholic Church, but DESPITE the Catholic Church. Take care in what you take pride in. He will NOT share His Glory with ANYONE.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Where did Scripture come from? The Apostle Paul through the Holy Spirit writes...

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2 Timothy 3:16–17

[aMorePerfectUnion]

” so you abandoned the 2,000 year history of christianity, the Catholic Church, for an evangalestic store frone church of what’s happening now??? O.K., I guess, but what are the odds that you chose the right one out of the 30,000 or so protestant denominations??? “

Great trade - religion for Christ!

[NKP_Vet]

Christ started one Church, not 35,000. If Martin Luther had never lived you would be a Catholic and we wouldn’t be having this ridiculous conversation.

[boatbums]

It seems for some tender hearts any criticism or disagreement with their views on anything is seen as hatred. The odd thing is that some of them actually join an internet website OPEN religion comment thread, toss out their views and then are SHOCKED, shocked I tell you, when others dare voice their opposition! Yet, they see absolutely NO reciprocal feelings as valid or justified. What's that saying? "If ya can't stand the heat, get outta the kitchen!" ♥

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Christ started one Church, not 35,000.”

Christ started ZERO churches. He started a gathering, a Bride, a Body.

“If Martin Luther had never lived you would be a Catholic”

I would never underestimate God’s ability like that. Once the Roman church lost its way, God’s Spirit simply moved around it.

“and we wouldn’t be having this ridiculous conversation.”

At least you are admitting it!

[boatbums]

Newman confused? OK, gotcha.

I can GUARANTEE he is not confused anymore.

John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890)

[terycarl]

>> the Catholics wrote the Bible and did not include any errors...God said so.<< Book, chapter and verse please.

it is obvious that Christ filled people, Christians, wrote the bible, transcribed the old testament, but wrote the New. The only Christians around at that time were those who brcsme known as Catholics....the bible, as we know, is error free....because God said so.

[terycarl]

Indeed! LOL

to what are you referring???

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“...who brcsme known as Catholics....”

I assume that says, “who became known as Catholics....”

I suspect they were long departed for a much better place before a single Christian was ever referred to as Catholic.

[terycarl]

>> she was assumed into Heaven, taken there by the power of God, not ascended on her own power<< Book, Chapter and verse please. Surely the apostles would have taught that had it happened

they said nothing about her death and where she was buried....surely they would have recorded that and honored her burial place, but they didn't.

[CynicalBear]

>>The only Christians around at that time were those who brcsme known as Catholics.<<

Now that there is funny! I suppose because the RCC says so right?

>>the bible, as we know, is error free<<

The Catholic bible includes books that definitely have errors. So that statement from a Catholic would be untrue.

[metmom]

So what?

Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Anyone who claims otherwise is wrong.

[CynicalBear]

>>they said nothing about her death and where she was buried....surely they would have recorded that and honored her burial place, but they didn't.<<

Wait, wait. You’re telling me that a great part of the Catholic faith is built on speculation? And you put your eternal life on the line following an organization that bases its beliefs on speculation? That’s scary to say the least. No wonder Catholics can’t claim assurance of salvation.

They said nothing about her death because it was irrelevant to the gospel story inspired by the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit after all that inspired what to write. I think the Holy Spirit knew what was relevant and what was not. And before you try to remind me to be thankful to Catholics for the bible keep in mind that God used Judas also.

[metmom]

A person only needs to be reborn once, not multiple times.

Otherwise, what you’re saying is that nothing the Catholic church can do to attain salvation for its adherents is good enough. It has to be repeated over and over again, ad nauseum.

[metmom]

ROFLOL!!!! Elsie in an “order of nuns”? Can I watch the shock on the nuns face? Hey Elsie, you up for some fun? ROFLOL!!!

I wonder what Elsie's wife would think of him doing that.....

[terycarl]

the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. That portion of the verse is lost on every Catholic that ever lived...

even Peter and Paul???

[Jvette]

Oh the intent of the post was just to be snide then. Got it.

[metmom]

Master's degree?

pffttt......

1 Corinthians 1:21-24 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 2:11-16 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

[Elsie]

If anything, you owe a debt of gratitude to the Catholic Church for: compiling the books that make up the Canon of the Bible; for its translation into the vernacular; for its protection of the sacred texts; and for its publication on the first printing press.

If they had not done it; I guess we've be hearing about Jesus from the ROCKS!