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]

embrace his words, all of them, not just one isolated verse like the catholics.

wait a second....a protestant is accusing a Catholic of picking and choosing individual verses????????the irony of it all!!!!

[metmom]

He used Balaam’s donkey as well.

[terycarl]

Mary is dead

she's not even sick!

[Elsie]

Glad you see the ridiculousness of it all.

Would not His REAL flesh be a LOT more efficacious than some old wafer?

[metmom]

my religious organization was promised by Christ to be infallible...hence I believe it....does your religious denomination have proof that Jesus was God.....or do you accept that on Faith???

Are you talking about the organization who people are speculating just elected the wrong man to be pope?

And who other Catholics ADMIT that the college of cardinals CAN make mistakes and elect the wrong pope because they didn't follow the leading of the Holy Spirit?

That Catholic church?

[Elsie]

There is not and never has been a scintilla of anti-protestant bigotry on FR.

[terycarl]

your cereal box...post 549 is cute....you guys are great at that!!! very impressive to those who don’t know to do it!

[Elsie]

 

 

scin·til·la

sinˈtilə/

noun

noun: scintilla; plural noun: scintillae; plural noun: scintillas

1. 1.

   a tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling.

   "a scintilla of doubt"

   synonyms:

   particle, iota, jot, whit, atom, speck, bit, trace, ounce, shred, crumb, fragment, grain, drop, spot, modicum, hint, touch, suggestion, whisper, suspicion; informalsmidgen, tad

   
   

 

scin·til·la

sinˈtilə/

noun

noun: scintilla; plural noun: scintillae; plural noun: scintillas

1. 1.

   a tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling.

   "a scintilla of doubt"

   synonyms:

   particle, iota, jot, whit, atom, speck, bit, trace, ounce, shred, crumb, fragment, grain, drop, spot, modicum, hint, touch, suggestion, whisper, suspicion; informalsmidgen, tad

   
   

[Iscool]

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!" ♥

Perhaps it's because they can not debate anything nor defend their religion...

It seems we bring up issues and scriptures that are not covered in their official canned apologetics material and they have no recourse but to continue repeating the same answers even tho those answers have nothing to do with what is presented to them...

And except for a precious few, discussing or responding to scripture is entirely out of the question for them...They have to know they look pretty goofy sometimes...

[Elsie]

I am merely a poor modifier of the EXCELLENT work that narses had either found or done.

[Elsie]

very impressive to those who don’t know to do it!

It's just a Photoshop® type of program.

[Alex Murphy]

There is not and never has been a scintilla of anti-protestant bigotry on FR.

[GeronL]

lol

awesome

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

“More than that. It was the Catholic Church that copied the Bible by hand before the printing press.”

---

“Have thou ever in your mind this seal, which for the present has been lightly touched in my discourse, by way of summary, but shall be stated, should the Lord permit, to the best of my power with the proof from the Scriptures. For concerning the divine and holy mysteries of the Faith, not even a casual statement must be delivered without the Holy Scriptures; nor must we be drawn aside by mere plausibility and artifices of speech. Even to me, who tell you these things, give not absolute credence, unless thou receive the proof of the things which I announce from the Divine Scriptures. For this salvation which we believe depends not on ingenious reasoning , but on demonstration of the Holy Scriptures.” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Cat. Lecture 4, Ch. 17)

My kinda ‘Catholics’!!

[Iscool]

I can GUARANTEE he is not confused anymore.

lolol...

Perhaps they can ask Mary if Old John Newman is up there...

Or maybe they can ask John if Mary is up there...

[Elsie]

First: find a cereal box -

Then a clipart of ML

Apply a little magic and the rest is history...

[Iscool]

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

John the Baptist DID NOT become Catholic...

[jodyel]

OMG, LOL!

[narses]

And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? “HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.”…

[Elsie]

But wait!

- - - It's the REPUBLICANS who are messing up this great country!

- - - Ernie is NOT gay!