Catholics Don't Read Their Bibles!

[Fidelis]

La Chiara:

Catholics obviously do not have a tradition of reading the Bible, while Protestants have the tradition.

This is undisputed, but it is not, in itself, a good excuse for Catholics not reading the Bible.

The reasons individual Catholics don’t read the Bible (at home) is very much tied to our traditions as pointed out earlier. 1. Catholicism descended from Judaism–which didn’t and probably still doesn’t have a tradition of reading its Scriptures at home. 2. Many Catholics were not literate-- a fact that continues today in many parts of the world. 3. Bibles were hand written until the printing press. So for nearly 1500 of the last 2000 years, Bibles were not available to the faithful.

This is also undisputed but again, that was then, this is now. And the fact that there are illiterate Catholics now does not prevent those of us who are literate from reading the Bible.

It is very difficult to change tradition–especially when that entails ADDING something. Traditions are more likely to be dropped, but adding traditions require something of people. So as the factors that caused Catholics not to read their Bibles early on changed, Catholics did not adopt a tradition to reading the Bible.

Again, that was then, this is now. As I pointed out above, the Church has always encouraged Scripture reading by the faithful, and we have the example of many great saints. In our own time there is no good excuse not to.

It is not like it is a sin (that must be confessed) if we don’t read the Bible. It is encouraged–but then so are a lot of things that people don’t do (like get exercise, eat well, brush and floss, etc.)

Nobody said it was, and in fact I pointed out it was not objectively necessary for salvation. Let me reiterate, since you must have missed it:

Is Bible reading objectively necessary for salvation, like baptism and the obedience of faith? No

, but Scripture reading by Catholics accomplishes two important things:

1. Scripture reading actually provides many graces to enable one to to live a holy life. Apart from the lessons it provides, holy reading --like prayer and good works— builds one up in sanctification and strengthens one against temptation and a weakening of faith. This is why the Church has gone so far to attaching a partial indulgence to a half hours pious bible reading a day.
2. Reading sacred Scripture builds one up in the knowledge of Christ and the Faith, especially as when it is read with the mind of the Church. When one is familiar enough with the Scriptures to defend his own faith and the bolster the faith of others (like our children), one can be instrumental in preventing the losing of souls to secularism or non-Catholic religions which are always on the hunt for the lukewarm and ignorant in their faith.

In other words, for a Catholic to neglect to read the Scriptures, is to place in danger his own salvation, and that of others.

And while we are on the subject, many adult Protestants I know have a Wednesday Bible study and often an adult Bible study on Sunday too. Shall we excorciate Catholics for not doing that as well?

Excoriate? Can you show me where anyone has excoriated Catholics for not reading the Bible? (unless by *excoriation * you include the pointing out of the simple fact that it is so, which you seem to agree with).

fidelis: Au contraire, I am not (and have not been) “unclear” on the meaning of disingenuous. I did not need to go to the dictionary (or have you look up the word) to know that it was precisely the term I intended! Thanks the same.:tiphat:

Then I stand corrected. It actually was your intent to accuse those (including the Vatican commission in the original post) who point out the fact that Catholics don’t read their Bibles, of being insincere and calculating. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[stbruno]

All three of my sons attended Catholic high school and now that they are all in college, each one took the Bible they received during their high school years to college without my suggesting it. It was one of the first things they packed away. Apparently, we still do read the bible and recognize that much can be learned from the good book as well as sacred tradition. Thanks be to God.

 

[Gabriel_of_12]

Many Catholics dont read their bibles. I believe because myself being a cradle Catholic lived my faith by what was taught to me by example and or tradition without any biblical background. Until I learned that “WE CATHOLICS” not only hear scripture at every Mass, the wonderful thing is that we live out the scriptures. Especially during each Mass. A practicing Catholic is living the scriptures in full communion with the Church. What Im doing about it? Iam instructing my students in my R.C.I.A (Rite Christian Initiation For Adults) class the Sacraments, the Mass etc. through the scriptures. Every doctrine, dogma of the Catholic Church is supported by scripture. Many protestants are well versed in scripture but are all in disagreement on what is interpreted in scripture. If Catholics are to read the bible they need to be taught early on if not NOW that what we believe and do as Catholics especially in the Mass, is all based on sacred scripture and Tradition. Catholics cannot seperate them. We just need to be Informed that what we believe and do is scriptural. It has been my experience that Protestants read their bible and interpret it literally but live it symbolically, Catholics are taught the scriptures in the Mass by a holy vow taking priest in scriptural context but live the scriptures LITERALLY. I would agree that Catholics dont read their bibles, and need to know that our faith comes from scripture and is lived out based on the commandments of Jesus, example the Eucharist at Mass.
“NOT A WORD OF MINE WILL RETURN TO ME VOID” says the Lord.

 

[tgerlinger143]

Gabriel of 12:

. I would agree that Catholics dont read their bibles, and need to know that our faith comes from scripture and is lived out based on the commandments of Jesus, example the Eucharist at Mass.
“NOT A WORD OF MINE WILL RETURN TO ME VOID” says the Lord.

Hello., I just posted this in another place (sorry, I am new to online forums). This is where I should have posted this, especially after I read the above entry…

In response to the preceding entry, I believe that we can both read and live the Holy Scripture.

By God’s grace, I have come to love His Word. Reading the bible is now part of my prayer time. I am very blessed to be able to attend an excellent bible class with a priest (my pastor) who is a Scripture scholar, and speaks both Hebrew and Greek and understands the different translations. We are using the Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition) and we do a line-by- line study. That is my study time.

But actually, there is something else I do that has become an intimate part of my prayer time. I read the Mass readings for the next day’s mass at night, but not just the selected verses on the missal but the whole chapters of the readings and the complete psalm, which I read from my bible.

For example, the Gospel reading for today (the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows) is John 3:13-17. I don’t just go to John chapter 3 and just read verses 13 to 17 but the whole chapter, and same thing with the first reading- the 4th chaper of 1 Timothy, and Psalm 111, all the three readings for today. This usually takes about 20-30 minutes a day (shorter than a TV show!)

Anytime a word or phrase touches my heart, I use a yellow highlighter to underline them right on the pages of my bible. (you should see all the yellows all over my bible!). I like following the Church cycle, the readings for the day, because they are thematic and so inter-related. But the best thing is, when I go to Mass prepared with the readings, it deepens my appreciation of the Mass and the it becomes easier to participate in the Liturgy of the Word as preparation for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

I have to say, though, that this love for God’s Word did not develop overnight. I prayed for this gift and before I open my bible, I always ask the Holy Spirit to guide me, to give me the the understanding and to anoint the reading. In the beginning, it was a bit of a drag but I persisted and now (on my 2nd year doing this) I just love this guided Scripture time with the Lord. In fact, I find now that if I have a particular question to the Lord about something in my life, I am often unexpectedly led to an answer right from the day’s readings. This is part two of prayer time-- the time when the Lord actually speaks to our hearts, in His own words.

The following excerpt from an article by Michael Brown shows how amazing the connnection of the daily Mass Scripture readings is to real daily events in our lives, as our own personal prophetic word:​

Let’s take a look at just a few Mass readings from the week of Katrina.

The day of the storm? 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. ("For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from Heaven…).

The Responsorial Psalm that day? “The Lord comes to judge the earth.”

Meanwhile the first reading from the Liturgy of the Hours on August 29, that fateful Monday, was from Jeremiah 19 (“Thus I will smash this people and this city, as one smashes a clay pot so that it cannot be repaired.”)

The day the levees broke? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11 (“Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, ‘Peace and security,’ then sudden disaster comes upon them…”).

And this is all just scratching the surface. If you want to hear more from Jesus, try Luke 21 (or Matthew 24)…
spiritdaily.com/hurricanenotes.htm​

We have such this great opportunity as Catholics to be guided by our daily mass Scriptures-- -this is solely and wonderfully CATHOLIC . ( We will go through the whole bible in three years if we follow the 3-year A,B and C Liturgical cycles!). What a blessing from the Lord!!! So why not read them daily from your bible, in its full length, context and splendor!

Here is an online Mass Lectionary that lists all the day’s readings by the month, including the psalms. Scroll down to the list. It is best to print out the whole list as a guide for daily for daily reference. members.aol.com/exsult2/lc2005.html

God bless you all!
In the love and joy of Jesus
Teresa

 

[Gabriel_of_12]

Greetings Tgerliner143, What a blessing to have a pastor like that. From your post sounds like you are one Catholic who reads the bible. Regarding the topic of discussion ironically how or what can one do to get Catholics to read the bible?

 

[Fidelis]

Gabriel of 12:

Greetings Tgerliner143, What a blessing to have a pastor like that. From your post sounds like you are one Catholic who reads the bible. Regarding the topic of discussion ironically how or what can one do to get Catholics to read the bible?

Good question! Let’s start another seperate thread.

 

[tgerlinger143]

Gabriel of 12:

Greetings Tgerliner143, What a blessing to have a pastor like that. From your post sounds like you are one Catholic who reads the bible. Regarding the topic of discussion ironically how or what can one do to get Catholics to read the bible?

Hello, Gabriel,
My pastor happens to be a bible teacher and he conducts weekly classes at our parish. I know that this is such a blessing and hard to find within a parish context.

But you can find the same opportunity if you watch the Scripture teachings on EWTN. This month, there are two series by Dr. Tim Gray, one- “The Gospel of John”, and the other “The Way to Follow Jesus, the Gospel of Mark”. These are weekly shows. It would be so good if you could commit to this as you would to a real class, with your bible open before the TV and a notebook and pen on hand .

You can also buy tapes and cds by the series on any book of the bible and study by yourself or with a group. Just make sure that they are conducted by good Catholic teachers using Catholic Bible versions. I strongly recommend Dr Scott Hahn, who has a fe thematically the way Dr Scott Hahn does. In fact, speaking of Catholics reading the bible, he has a wonderful 3 part seriies on
" Reading the Bible from the Heart of the Church":
lcchristiansoftware.com/ScottHahn.htm

All this helps. But in my experience, ultimately, what matters is your own quiet time with the Lord when you open your bible and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to enter His Word.

God bless you!
Teresa

 

[JFT]

DON’T GIVE ME THAT HOGWASH! I’ve been reading mine for years, and I’ve NEVER regretted a DAY of it!

 

[Psalm45_9]

I read the Bible, actually it was reading the Bible my senior year of high school that got me interested in the faith again. But I do agree that most Catholics do not read the Bible.

 

[BayCityRickL]

sconea:

Catholics do not need to read the Bible. Unlike protestants who have nothing else, we have the Church to interpret their scriptures for us. While it is certainly commendable to read it, it must be done with a good understanding of Church teaching else you can go astray. It helps to remember that throughout history, until very recently few could read at all.

I know what you’re saying. There are historical trends to be considered.

I don’t know this for a fact, but I think there was a tendency in the Church to discourage reading of anything but the Vulgate in Latin, because that was the official copy, so to speak. So, that put English translations into disfavor.

Lack of reading skills and lack of access to education discouraged many from taking on the task of reading the Bible. In the last 100 years, I think there has been a Catholic backlash against fundamentalism, that takes a number of forms. 1) One form of it is to discourage reading of the Bible (I don’t know of anyone alive who was ever taught that, but the rumors about this are rampant), 2) another form is to tongue-lash everybody about “private interpretation” of the Bible, and 3) a very modern form of anti-scholarship is for a lot of liberals to label anyone a fundamentalist who reads or quotes the Bible.

the latter form of prejudice is what we’d call asymmetric prejudice. It’s asymmetric because the accusers are prejudiced themselves, but they usually are concealing their prejudices while attacking the so-called fundamentalists.

In Zenit news a week or more ago, there was an article about how the Pope has encouraged Catholics to read the bible and meditate on it. I don’t think all the arguments about historicity should skew every conversation about scripture.

When every discussion of the Bible gets hijacked into discussion of 1) who wrote the book 2) when was the book written 3) what is the genre of the writing 4) what is the opinion of skeptical historians about the supernatural events described in the Bible 5) do we know the historical Jesus 6) what was the intent of the human author of the book, etcl. we get thrown far off the subject of what the Bible brings to the discussion and enrichment of our faith.

Further, these side issues are brought up in groups of lay Catholics who have no credentials whatsoever for answering or even investigating the possible answers. And, the reality is, the “scholars” themselves disagree on those subjects. The tactic of raising all these subjects is to throw Christians off the track of actually looking at what the Bible says and focusing on that.

Have at least some confidence, as St. Paul encourages us:

2 Cor 1:13 For we write you nothing but what you can read and understand, and I hope that you will understand completely. NAB

That understanding is certainly MORE complete when we compare the Scripture to the constant teaching of the Church over the centuries.

 

[Fidelis]

BayCityRickL:

When every discussion of the Bible gets hijacked into discussion of 1) who wrote the book 2) when was the book written 3) what is the genre of the writing 4) what is the opinion of skeptical historians about the supernatural events described in the Bible 5) do we know the historical Jesus 6) what was the intent of the human author of the book, etcl. we get thrown far off the subject of what the Bible brings to the discussion and enrichment of our faith.

Further, these side issues are brought up in groups of lay Catholics who have no credentials whatsoever for answering or even investigating the possible answers. And, the reality is, the “scholars” themselves disagree on those subjects. The tactic of raising all these subjects is to throw Christians off the track of actually looking at what the Bible says and focusing on that.

Have at least some confidence, as St. Paul encourages us:

2 Cor 1:13 For we write you nothing but what you can read and understand, and I hope that you will understand completely. NAB

That understanding is certainly MORE complete when we compare the Scripture to the constant teaching of the Church over the centuries.

Amen, amen! Well said. :clapping:

Of the Catholics who have attempted to faithfully read the Bible with the mind of the Church, many have been discouraged by the “study aids” by modern scholars which tend to knock the life out of God’s living Word and suck the wind out out of Spirit which moved those well-intended readers to pick up a Bible in the first place. The various forms of modern biblical scholarship have their place, but that place is not in devotional reading or small group study.

 

[Eric_Hyom]

I used to think that simply by going to mass that I had a good understanding of the Bible, we do hear three passages plus the psalms at each mass. But in essence they are three random passages taken out of context for a purpose.

When you read the Bible in the order that it was written I believe you gain a different perception and it also helps towards a greater understanding.

I don’t believe there is any clash or conflict with the Church by choosing to read it in the way it was written.

peace

Eric

 

[Pug]

BayCityRickL:

think there has been a Catholic backlash against fundamentalism, that takes a number of forms. 1) …[cut]…3) a very modern form of anti-scholarship is for a lot of liberals to label anyone a fundamentalist who reads or quotes the Bible.

I have run into liberal Protestants who do number three as well. If you try to support anything other than God is love out of the bible, you are interpreting it in a fundamentalist attitude. It drives me nuts when people say this to me.

 

[masondoggy]

Tonks40:

I’m in my early 40s, and growing up, going to CCD, we hardly touched a Bible. The most scripture I got was at Mass, and I started becoming more familiar with some of the verses (they repeat in a 3 year cycle).

I just recently enrolled my sons to our parish’s Confirmation preparation class, and the first textbook they issued was…(da-da-da-dah!) - the NAB Catholic Youth Bible! The head of the program told the kids during orientation that this Bible was going to be their text for the next 2 years for preparation. Bring it with you every time you go to class!!!

Maybe the tide on the non-Bible-reading Catholic is turning!!!

I was thrilled also yesterday when I went to the parents meeting for CCD. The director said that she’s a huge Bible lover and made the decision to start giving and using Bibles to the kids in CCD starting in 4th grade rather than in 6th grade (I went to the same parish as a kid, and that’s when I got it). So she’s putting a huge emphasis in the program on the Bible.

This news counteracted the disappointment I felt when I scanned through the textbooks and noticed how inadequate and “watered down” they were. Anybody know of a “CCD homestudy” course, LOL!

 

[Fidelis]

masondoggy:

Anybody know of a “CCD homestudy” course, LOL!

Sorry about your parish program, but here’s a catechesis program from Catholics United For The Faith that we’ve used with great success for several years:

cuf.org/faithandlife.asp

 

[itsjustdave1988]

Fidelis:

…So says a Commision of Catholic biblical experts:

See the whole article:

catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0505102.htm

What are you doing to try and help reverse the trend? I know what I’m doing:

I read the Bible every day and encourage others to do the same.

In fact, Presentation Ministries (presentationministries.com/home/home.asp) gives a link to the USCCB daily Mass readings, via their One Bread, One Body (OBOB) daily reflection email. You can have it delivered to your inbox today. (see here: Sign-up for OBOB daily e-mail )

 

[itsjustdave1988]

masondoggy:

Anybody know of a “CCD homestudy” course, LOL!

Yes, actually. The Knights of Columbus offer two series, the Luke E. Hart Series and the Veritas Series. You can download the material and/or sign up for an online course.

See more here:

Download study material:
The Luke E. Hart Series
The Veritas Series (Some available in Spanish)
Online Courses (Includes chapter tests and instant scoring):

• The Luke E. Hart Series Course
• The Faith Formation Course

You might also consider the Baltimore Catechism, no. 4 as a wonderful study resource (online here: www2.cddc.vt.edu/gutenberg/1/4/5/5/14554/14554.txt )

 

[Ruthie]

I am blessed to live in the Archdiocese of Denver. Teresa G. mentions Dr. Tim Gray’s two series on EWTN.

Dr. Gray is the author/director of the Denver Catholic Bible School, a 4-year course of intensive Bible study, for which college credit can be obtained at Regis.

My hubby and I are taking it - it is fabulous. The first year seems to be the historical books of the OT.

I hear it is spreading beyond our diocese. Hooray! because Fidelis has it right when he says, “When one is familiar enough with the Scriptures to defend his own faith and the bolster the faith of others (like our children), one can be instrumental in preventing the losing of souls to secularism or non-Catholic religions which are always on the hunt for the lukewarm and ignorant in their faith.”

He is right on the marker. You should see the many verses my Baptist, fundamental, and evangelical friends batter me with, trying to change my mind. (I converted in June.) Starting with “Call no man father” (Mat 23:9) up to “Petros means small rock, so Peter’s not the first Pope (cf Mat 16:18).” If I hadn’t already been a Bible student, they might have gotten me to listen; who knows?

We just attended our third RCIA class tonight, and one of the handouts is a list of the Bible books that tell the history of Salvation. A much better way to getting in to Bible reading. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve embarked on the sea of reading the Bible from beginning to end, winding up shiprecked on the dry shore of Leviticus!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, and my eternal gratitude for bringing me “home to Rome!”

 

[angelmessenger]

Hi,

I’m having a discussion with some “born again” believers and they say that the Catholic Church deprived the faithful of the scriptures—Now I know this is not true but I’m having a hard time finding the correct information–ie when was the first Bible written in English etc–

Cant you help in any way please?

God bless

Jan

 

[Pug]

angelmessenger:

Cant you help in any way please?

I own this book and found it quite helpful. I think it is also free to read online, perhaps here. I hope someone else can tell you with something more.

PS I do not always recommend the sites I link to, just that is where I know of the info existing.