Has this been an issue for anyone else?

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After I left the Mormon Church (been almost 17 years now), and became a prostestant, I read the bible a whole lot. Every day, sometimes hours a day. However, after a few years of this intense reading, I find that unfortunatly, I think that I may have “burned myself out” on Sacred Scripture. I know that I need to get back into it, especially since I’m wanting to become Catholic. I’ve thought about praying to as God to rekindle the fire. Has this happened to anyone else?😦
 
batman1973 said:
After I left the Mormon Church (been almost 17 years now), and became a prostestant, I read the bible a whole lot. Every day, sometimes hours a day. However, after a few years of this intense reading, I find that unfortunatly, I think that I may have “burned myself out” on Sacred Scripture. I know that I need to get back into it, especially since I’m wanting to become Catholic. I’ve thought about praying to as God to rekindle the fire. Has this happened to anyone else?😦
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I had a very similar experience after being converted after leaving the LDS group. Keep praying. Read Thomas, Augustine, the Fathers, Kreeft, Lewis, Haan, Chesterton, Bonhoeffer, etc. There are lots of others you can read who will reignite your desire to read the Bible.

God Bless
 
Interesting point.
I had a similar experience. Partly due to my conversion I had to read a lot of the early church fathers and the councils of the church, and the catechism etc. So scripture reading took a back seat for a while.
However there is great worth in scripture reading. This is evidenced by the church granting a plenary indulgence after only half an hour of scripture reading. I am learning Latin by reading the Latin Vulgate so I reckon that I get my plenary indulgence in only 15 minutes (joking)
 
batman1973 said:
After I left the Mormon Church (been almost 17 years now), and became a prostestant, I read the bible a whole lot. Every day, sometimes hours a day. However, after a few years of this intense reading, I find that unfortunatly, I think that I may have “burned myself out” on Sacred Scripture. I know that I need to get back into it, especially since I’m wanting to become Catholic. I’ve thought about praying to as God to rekindle the fire. Has this happened to anyone else?😦
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I don’t think I have ever come to this point, because there has always been something to do for GOD. Our lives here are meant for building our worthiness to become and stay Children of GOD. Think of it as a lifetime of proving yourself to GOD, so that at the end of this life, when your life is played back to you…you will be proud and assured of all you accomplished during this lifetime, in His name.

Your liberation, salvation and redemption to return back to GODHEAD, depends on all your personal thoughts, actions, and willful behaviors towards humanity, including charity and sacrifices in austerity…seeing the world through these eyes, brings you to another level of self-realization as a perfected spirit soul…a particle of GOD’s Supersoul…the reason for your very existence. Reading scripture is only part of it…
 
batman1973 said:
After I left the Mormon Church (been almost 17 years now), and became a prostestant, I read the bible a whole lot. Every day, sometimes hours a day. However, after a few years of this intense reading, I find that unfortunatly, I think that I may have “burned myself out” on Sacred Scripture. I know that I need to get back into it, especially since I’m wanting to become Catholic. I’ve thought about praying to as God to rekindle the fire. Has this happened to anyone else?😦
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Try listening to the Bible online. Sometimes listening to something is different than reading it. There are numerous online audio versions of the Bible. Sometimes starting with the Psalms or whatever moves you. Sometimes asking a question before you read may do the trick. Sometimes you need a vacation. Take one.🙂
 
batman1973 said:
After However, after a few years of this intense reading, I find that unfortunatly, I think that I may have “burned myself out” on Sacred Scripture. I know that I need to get back into it, especially since I’m wanting to become Catholic. I’ve thought about praying to as God to rekindle the fire. Has this happened to anyone else?
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suggestion
it is more in the Catholic tradition to pray with scripture, that is read it slowly and contemplatively in small doses, and meditate on it, rather than more academic intensive study. The rosary is essentially such a meditation and the best first way to internalize those scriptures and “own” them. That is not to say Catholics don’t engage in deeper bible study, they do, but without the dimension of prayer and contemplation, such as the ancient practice of lectio divina, the academic study availeth little.

Try returning to scripture in small doses. The lectionary readings, or even the gospel alone, from each day’s Mass are a great way to start. Another way is praying with the psalms, in the liturgy of the hours or just one or two a day.

Each and every time you pick up your bible say a short prayer to the Holy Spirit for guidance and enlightenment.

short answer, read less, pray more, and make your reading of your short selection of scripture a prayer. Most of all, listen for the Lord and wait for him to speak. 10 percent of the initiative is your reading the scripture, the other 90 percent is his word to you.
 
batman1973 said:
After I left the Mormon Church (been almost 17 years now), and became a prostestant, I read the bible a whole lot. Every day, sometimes hours a day. However, after a few years of this intense reading, I find that unfortunatly, I think that I may have “burned myself out” on Sacred Scripture. I know that I need to get back into it, especially since I’m wanting to become Catholic. I’ve thought about praying to as God to rekindle the fire. Has this happened to anyone else?😦
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I think it’s safe to say that it happens to everyone.

When someone converts, there is always an early sense of passion and excitement. It’s inevitable that the fire eventually becomes less intense as time goes on. You shouldn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed of it. Just ask God to rekindle the fire.
 
Thank you all for your responses and ideas. They are appreciated.😃
 
I strongly recommend you to read " A message of merciful love to little souls", Anna Cathrine Emmerich wrote wonderful books about lives of Jesus and Virgin Mary.:clapping:
 
batman1973 said:
After I left the Mormon Church (been almost 17 years now), and became a prostestant, I read the bible a whole lot. Every day, sometimes hours a day. However, after a few years of this intense reading, I find that unfortunatly, I think that I may have “burned myself out” on Sacred Scripture. I know that I need to get back into it, especially since I’m wanting to become Catholic. I’ve thought about praying to as God to rekindle the fire. Has this happened to anyone else?😦
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Here’s the great thing about the Catholic Church, we have TONS of scripture read every mass. It’s ok to put it down every once in a while and grab something else (I suggest Benedict XVI’s books on Jesus, which are also really scripture heavy) to recharge the batteries. Trust me, you’re going to get heavy doses of scripture in your Catholic life, so like I said, it’s OK to step outside of it once in a while and grab something else.
 
batman1973 said:
After I left the Mormon Church (been almost 17 years now), and became a prostestant, I read the bible a whole lot. Every day, sometimes hours a day. However, after a few years of this intense reading, I find that unfortunatly, I think that I may have “burned myself out” on Sacred Scripture. I know that I need to get back into it, especially since I’m wanting to become Catholic. I’ve thought about praying to as God to rekindle the fire. Has this happened to anyone else?😦
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Put that knowledge to use. You don’t mention what denomination you are, but I imagine they have a mission board of some type. Call them up and ask to assist some missionaries.

There might be some in your area or, if you’re able, some in another country that could use you for whatever time you have available.
 
Here’s the thing that many Cradle Catholics just cannot understand- us converts have, since the Rebellion, had the (incomplete) Bible, and we generally always misunderstood it. We also had stolen from us, by our ancestors who capitulated to retardation on an eternal level, the vast beauty of the Catholic Church.

In the end, the Bible is not the end all be all. If anything, I’d rather have LESS access to scripture and MORE access to proper teaching so I can then properly read scripture.

A healthy combination eventually results.

It sounds to me like you’re just rediscovering the elements of the true Faith which were stolen from you for so long.
 
You sound perfectly normal to me! “Burnout” can occur with research in general, after all. One of my profs. in university once wanted nothing more than to put down her academic books and read cookbooks. Yep, cookbooks.

I would suggest perhaps reading commentaries on Bible passages, or perhaps you could read about a particular aspect of the faith that interests you (like, I don’t know, the Rosary, or a particular religious order). Then you can go back to reading the Bible with a fresh perspective. Sometimes people overwhelm themselves with so much reading that they just need a break, doesn’t matter if it’s the Bible or People Magazine.
 
For a change of pace read some biographies on the lives of the saints

I suggest St Anthony of Padua or st Padre Pio or st Catherine of Sienna
 
There are two publications but I am not sure which one is Catholic.There is Our Daily Word,and Our Daily Bread.Both are excellent because each day you read a small bible passage which is applyed to a real life situation.Catholic Freebies online also gives away some great stuff.They have a number of discounted books on Catholicism.The Knights Of Columbus I believe also offers Catholic study materials as well as a homestudy course.🙂
 
Yes, I was reading the Bible day and night for many years. The word of God was my spiritual food. Then came the dry desert for many years…then the reading of Jewish roots of our faith…then the reading of the early church fathers… then a return to the Catholic faith…still no daily reading of the holy scriptures. However, ‘refelections’ on certain scriptures are almost a daily occurrence. One needs both the Eucharist and the Word of God.

The Word of God is in you, and when you receive the Eucharistic Word of God, Jesus will call to your remembrance certain scriptures that are already in your heart, in order that we might surrender more fully to the will of our Father.

His peace be with you.
 
batman1973 said:
After I left the Mormon Church (been almost 17 years now), and became a prostestant, I read the bible a whole lot. Every day, sometimes hours a day. However, after a few years of this intense reading, I find that unfortunatly, I think that I may have “burned myself out” on Sacred Scripture. I know that I need to get back into it, especially since I’m wanting to become Catholic. I’ve thought about praying to as God to rekindle the fire. Has this happened to anyone else?😦
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JL: I suggest you take a break. It isn’t unusual to go thru a temporary burn out. It’s like being on forums. I like it but somethimes I just get burn out for awhile and take a break.
 
One of my favorite things about the Catholic faith is it’s richness. I have gone through periods where I read lots of scripture, but then I might pray the Rosary more, or I might get into a specific Saint, and read everything they wrote. Other times, I might focus more on volunteering at Church events or other charities. Sometimes I crave more charismatic worship, other times I become more quiet and contemplative. The Catholic faith is like a diamond with so many facets, we can never exhaust everything in our one lifetime. If you feel burned out from one devotion, it’s okay to focus on another one.
 
My favorite place to study the Word of God is at Mass.

You hear the Word with others, the homily, the feast day, and then Holy Communion.

Then the Word becomes the Word Made Flesh.
 
Dispose of two birds with one stone. Discover the Liturgy of the Hours. The Office of Readings for each day contains a Biblical reading and a textual reading. The Biblical reading is long enough that, with reading it aloud to yourself and reflecting on it, it can constitute your daily bread. Further, you have the recurring themes of the Psalms. Further, it is tied to the seasons of the church year. Good luck in your continued discoveries!
 
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