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]

There can't be an unbroken line of popes when the *wrong* man is elected.

there has been an unbroken line of presidents even though we have suffered through Roosevelt, Carter, Clinton and Obama.

[verga]

Well they are so darn smug and stupid at the same time; especially the ones that it is good to be stupid for Jesus.

[verga]

Was every prisoner executed for being a heretic? And please tell metmom that Calvin was responsible for Servetus death. She seems to have missed that in her education.

[terycarl]

And those same words magically removed the blood, so his hands were never made unclean... And the sweat of his brow made the meat extra tasty! Hey! The Bible doesn't say it isn't true - so it COULD be true! YAY! Let's all gather 'round and worship venerate the mighty, marvelous, and sainted Butcher of God!

[roamer_1]

skipped out on religion class did you??? a sin is an intentional violation of God's will....you must know that it is a sin, and you must commit the sin knowing that it is a serious sin against God....then you must never fully repent nor ask God's forgiveness (Catholic Confession fills the bill exactly)!!

No, sin is the violation of the Torah, by definition.

[verga]

She makes quite a few statements that make me doubt that she ever set foot in a Catholic church less was raised one as she has claimed.

[terycarl]

You can make it to heaven if you have not been exposed to the teachings of Jesus Christ but have lived your life according to the beatitudes. This is the teaching of the Catholic Church” ...and is false.

so all the people alive in the world, who were not in the area of Jerusalem, who knew nothing of Christ, and all those who came after, before the disciples spread the word throughout the world, and all those who know of Christ's true church, but reject her teachings are condemned?????

[roamer_1]

because they were a civilized community and she was THEIR SAVIOR'S MOTHER....did they know where Lazarus was buried??? did they know where their king of Rome was buried, did they know where the pyramids were?????The Mother of God was buried and the apostles didn't know where??????????How about all her "sons" that the prottys proclaim????they didn't remember where mom was burtied???????please!!

I didn't say THEY didn't know where she (or any other) was buried - I said they didn't record it, because unlike the creepy Roman obsession with dead people, the Jews don't need a grave to venerate... Veneration belongs to the Father.

[roamer_1]

copy it from what????the Catholics had the original documents and they started and continued to copy it, bY hand, through the ages....want to buy a copy of it?????until the printing press was invented, virtually no one could afford it. Municipalities, libraries, royalty owned copies....no one else...just think about it for a minute...common sense should prevail somehow11

Papist myth.

[terycarl]

“The earliest Church Fathers believed in the Real Presence and taught that if you do not partake in the Eucharist, you can not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Reference in before 100 ad please.

good grief, during apolostic times there are numerous statements concerning the body and blood of Christ as the eucharist........but, just for aarguements sake, lets say that there were none......when the Catholic church taught, from the beginning, that the Eucharist was, indeed, the true Body and Blood of Jesus.....she had declared something on Earth which would also be declared in Heaven......see how infallibility works....Christ would have NEVER allowed that teaching to occour if it were not true....NEVER.

[NKP_Vet]

“so all the people alive in the world, who were not in the area of Jerusalem, who knew nothing of Christ, and all those who came after, before the disciples spread the word throughout the world, and all those who know of Christ’s true church, but reject her teachings are condemned????? “

Like I said, the ones that had not heard of Christ. The ones that were given his gospel and ignored it (like the of protestants on this board that viciously attack the Catholic Church) will surely pay on Judgement Day. That is a given.

[terycarl]

Martin Luther believed this.” Blessed Luther, the Catholic priest, recovered the Gospel, but he wasn’t perfect...

Oh great, the Catholics are wrong, the Protestants are wrong.....but you are right....O.K., I get it now

[terycarl]

> I don't know, but he is responsible for the loss of more souls than probably anyone else in history.<< Why would you say that? According to the RCC you don’t even need to know Jesus to be saved.

but to know Him and then deny Him is a no-no!

[terycarl]

I would be livid let alone embarrassed to have put my faith in some organization that claimed that the only way to salvation is to belong to that organization then be told that even those who not only aren’t part of that organization but even those who don’t know Jesus can be saved.

I would feel blessed to belong to an organization, founded by Christ, who assures salvation through His church, who exempts many who had no way of knowing Him, yet led rightuous lives, but frowned on those who, with full knowledge of the Catholic Church, denied Christ and His church....who would be more welcome in Heaven.....pathetic.

[terycarl]

Catholics had better get on hands and knees and thank Judas and venerate him the rest of their days. Without the Judas betraying Jesus you would have never known for sure He was God and be able to have your “mother of god” statues.

how on Earth is that statement logical, what does Judas betraying Jesus have to do with Jesus Divinity....Jesus could have been just a caarpenters son, who became a preacher, and was betrayed by Judas....where does the God part come in??? The Mary statues are usually quite pretty, enjoy them, they are called decorative art, kind of like the picture of your mom on the mantle.

[terycarl]

Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

[editor-surveyor]

False premise.

Follow the scriptures; they set the parameters.

[Iscool]

skipped out on religion class did you??? a sin is an intentional violation of God's will....you must know that it is a sin, and you must commit the sin knowing that it is a serious sin against God...

At least you are consistant...Consistantly wrong...

Catholic religion class is not bible class...

Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

And no, ignorance will not help you...

Luk 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. Luk 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

You know that pencil that you stole out of your boss's desk when he wasn't lookin'??? Or that dime you borrowed from your co-worker that you didn't bother to pay back???

[terycarl]

So, are you saying that the church can never elect the wrong man as pope?

that's the thought...can Americans elect the wrong man president....present president posted for example,,,the church is protected from error in matters of Faith and morals, not protected from electing an idiot. We have had a few of those over 20 centuries, but so few that it is basically irrelevant....and this one is just fine, different but fine.