{"id":27558,"date":"2025-02-10T01:57:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T01:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?p=27558"},"modified":"2025-02-14T05:34:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T05:34:07","slug":"why-and-how-i-read-the-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?p=27558","title":{"rendered":"Why and how do I read the Bible?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What a great question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have grown to love the ancient words and stories of the Bible. I love to ponder them and am amazed at how these words resonate within me; they echo through my day. I read the Scripture because I love watching the way Jesus interacts with so many different men and women. His unexpected questions, his rebukes catch me by surprise even when I know they are coming. I love the small details that each Gospel writer includes and the striking originality of the parables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Christians we believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It\u2019s food for the soul and the font of our spiritual life. St Jerome declares; \u2018ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.\u201d This is probably the core reason for reading the Bible – it\u2019s one of the ways to develop a relationship with Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St Bernard of Clairvaux reminds us; \u201cThe Christian faith, however, is not a \u2018religion of the Book\u2019 but of the Word of God, \u2018not a written and mute word, but incarnate and living one\u2019 We read the Scripture because it is the living Word of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause God himself is the author of Scared Scripture. For this reason, it is said to be inspired and to teach without error those truths which are necessary for our salvation. The Holy Spirit inspired the human authors who wrote what he wanted to teach us.\u201d Compendium of the Catechism (CCC 18)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vatican II document, DeiVerbum<\/em> is a core document about how God\u2019s Word invites us to listen, as a loving friend, and develop a close relationship with Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c2<\/strong>.. Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God (see Col. 1;15, 1 Tim. 1:17) out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends (see Ex. 33:11; John 15:14-15) and lives among them (see Bar. 3:38), so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bible also provides us with \u2018a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.\u2019 There are several passages which offers a distinctive guideline about how to live a life of human flourishing: The Beatitudes in Matthew\u2019s Gospel \u2018How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven… outlines Jesus\u2019 Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beatitudes, in both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, summarise the essence of Jesus\u2019 programme for life. In a concise way they pull together Jesus\u2019 proclamation of the divine kingdom. The kingdom is not defined in concrete terms but by the qualities of those who accept it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other guideline is the Our Father. It is a summary of what Jesus did and taught throughout his ministry. We honour and praise the Father, we recognise our own sinfulness and seek forgiveness,\u2019 as we forgive those who trespass against us\u2019, and guide us against evil. The Our Father reminds us of Jesus\u2019 constant engagement in prayer with God the Father, especially in times of uncertainty and crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How I read the Bible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Catholics acknowledge that the Bible has several literary forms. For truth is expressed differently in texts which are variously historical, prophetic, poetic, or of other forms of language. The reader must investigate what meaning the sacred writer intended in particular circumstances by using contemporary literary forms in accordance with the situation of his own time and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the correct understanding of what the sacred author wanted to express, attention is given to the customary and characteristic styles of feeling, speaking and narrating which prevailed at the time of the sacred writer, and to the patterns people normally employed at that period in their everyday dealings with one another. We do not read the Bible literally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are encouraged to read the Bible as a source of prayer. There are many traditional techniques such as Lectio Divina, Imaginative Contemplation and The Rosary which gives us a way of praying with Scripture. The prayerful reading of God\u2019s word, which is sweeter than honey, expresses the very heart and identity of Christian life. The Word has the power to transform lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I read the Bible because it\u2019s good for my heart: \u201cif today you hear his word harden not your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


– Virginia Ryan<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What a great question. I have grown to love the ancient words and stories of the Bible. I love to ponder them and am amazed at how these words resonate within me; they echo through my day. I read the Scripture because I love watching the way Jesus interacts with so many different men and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27572,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[38,45,26,44,24,55,8,32,50,41,25,51,34,54,47,31,42,39,48,46,52,40,37,35,28,43,53,36,27,33,29],"class_list":["post-27558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter","tag-ancient-wisdom","tag-contemplative-prayer","tag-enlightenment","tag-guided-meditation","tag-inner-peace","tag-introspection","tag-lectio-divina","tag-lectio-divina-for-beginners","tag-life-transformation","tag-meditation-guide","tag-meditation-mastery","tag-meditation-tips","tag-mindfulness","tag-mindfulness-meditation","tag-mindfulness-practices","tag-mindfulness-techniques","tag-personal-development","tag-reflect-and-transform","tag-reflective-living","tag-sacred-reading","tag-self-discovery","tag-self-help","tag-soulful-journey","tag-soulful-living","tag-spiritual-awakening","tag-spiritual-growth","tag-spiritual-guide","tag-spiritual-insights","tag-spiritual-practice","tag-spiritual-reflection","tag-transformative-journey"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t