Learning to fully Read the Holy Bible As a Catholic

[LittleLambofGod]

Hello

I’ve had a Catholic education my whole life, but now that I’m in college I’ve felt called to go back to reading the Holy Bible. I’ve noticed that lately I’ve only been reading works written by the saints in living a devout, Christ-like life I have also consecrated myself to Mary and have other devotions to her & Jesus, so I think thats why I geared more towards those type of spiritual books…
And after talking to one of the members here at CAF, it suddenly dawned on me that I should pay more attention to most important book that started it all!!!

I’m very familiar with Proverbs and the 4 Gospels, but I’m not sure which other books to really look into… I think the reason behind this is because I’m sometimes afraid to misinterpret the scripture. Do you have any advice concerning this? Are there any sources out there that will help guide someone in reading the Bible from the Catholic perspective?
:bible1:

Thank you very much! God Bless!

 

[NHInsider]

There are lots of great resources for both devotional reading and study of Scripture - in fact, one of them is this forum, where you can ask questions as they arise.

If you are a reasonably-educated Catholic and staying in touch with the Church (Mass, reading the saints, etc) you are unlikely to fall into a misinterpretation trap.

I like the Ignatius study Bible series, paperbacks with the text and good footnotes - expensive if you were to try and buy them all at once but as individual volumes not too much outlay at once.

The Catholic Study Bible has good reviews, as does OSV’s Catholic Answer Bible, but I wish they had offered them in the RSV as well as the NAB.

 

[awatkins69]

Hey there. I think it is great that you want to delve into the Word of God more. It is infallible. It is God speaking to us. If you were to receive a letter from a king, or the president, wouldn’t you be so excited that you’d rip it open right away? Well, you have before you a message from the most high and infinite King, the Lord of Lords. God speaks directly to us through His Word. That’s why we should read our Bible.

I would say that most important for a Christian is reading the New Testament. I think that in your spare time you should try and simply read through the whole New Testament. Then do it again. After that, try and get into some more in-depth commentary on these books and study them more closely individually. Also, everyday I read at least one psalm, and at least on Sundays I try to read through the OT. The Old Testament books are good because of the many ways they prefigure Christ and the Church, and we can see how God works His salvation through history. But the New Testament is the most important.

It is very important that when we read the Scriptures we are faithful to the Magisterium. If you are concerned that you might misinterpret, then you might want to find a priest who can help you if you don’t understand. To demonstrate this, in Acts, Saint Phillip was converting someone who was trying to read the Scriptures. Saint Phillip asked him “Do you think you understand what you are reading?” The person replied “How can I, unless someone show me?” This is how we should be obedient to the Church and especially God’s ministers.

There are many Bible commentaries that are faithful to the Church. The Navarre Bible is probably the best, but it is very expensive to have the whole thing. For the New Testament, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is very good. Also, if you’re looking for real in-depth commentary on Saint Paul you can find the ones of Saint Thomas Aquinas online as pdf files (if you want, ask me and I’ll send you the link). There’s also a generally good one of the whole Bible by Fr. George Haydock, though it lacks modern scholarship. Still, it’s generally useful for discerning the meaning of the text. You can read it online here:
haydock1859.tripod.com/index.html
If you don’t understand you can pray to the authors of the part you’re readng for help. Remember to do all your reading with Mary. Most importantly, remember to pray to God the Holy Spirit before and after reading the Holy Bible, thanking Him for His Word and grace.

 

[Hiskid1973]

It’s good to read church history and accomplishment of the saints gone on, but it’s the word that the Holy Spirit uses to change us into His image…That’s why we are to hide it in our hearts and study it to show us as approved…Great peace to you as you desire to allow the word to change you into His image…

 

[fhansen]

I’d suggest starting with the New Testament and letting it speak to you. You’ve received the basic tenets of Catholic teaching and have heard scriptural excerpts during catechism and the Mass and it will start fitting together on it’s own as you read the bible as a continuous thread, i.e. in context. The best study guide IMO is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It’s fairly easy to get sidetracked into wrong notions, as the Reformers proved-and continue to prove.

 

[Deb_H]

Hello

I’ve had a Catholic education my whole life, but now that I’m in college I’ve felt called to go back to reading the Holy Bible. I’ve noticed that lately I’ve only been reading works written by the saints in living a devout, Christ-like life I have also consecrated myself to Mary and have other devotions to her & Jesus, so I think thats why I geared more towards those type of spiritual books…
And after talking to one of the members here at CAF, it suddenly dawned on me that I should pay more attention to most important book that started it all!!!

I’m very familiar with Proverbs and the 4 Gospels, but I’m not sure which other books to really look into… I think the reason behind this is because I’m sometimes afraid to misinterpret the scripture. Do you have any advice concerning this? Are there any sources out there that will help guide someone in reading the Bible from the Catholic perspective?
:bible1:

there is a group of us that just started a study of Matthew together … come join us , the guy who started it is posting lots of backround stuff and the questions from the Ignatus study bible … forum.catholic.com/group.php?groupid=671?styleid=18

" A Catholic guide to understanding the bible " was a great book for me as a new catholic trying to wrap my brain around the different types of scripture and re orient myself from my protestant beginnings . There is lots of stuff out there … have fun !

Thank you very much! God Bless!

 

[COPLAND_3]

One thing that I recommend is to read the introductions of the books of the Bible from a good traditional minded Catholic study Bible or Bible commentary. Get familar with who the authors were of each book, who it was written to, the purpose of why it was written etc. That will help tremendously. The Haydock Bible has introductions to every book of the Bible as well as good commentary, and it is free online so you can’t beat the price! I recommend using the NAB for this purpose because the introductions and footnotes are very untraditional.

I have numerous commentaries here litteralchristianlibrary.wetpaint.com/page/Bible+Commentaries-Fathers+and+Doctors

 

[PAboy57]

great advice.

One thing I have started to do is say a prayer specifically to the Holy Spirit to help me understand what I am reading in the way intended. I also ask Him to help me concentrate when I pray and I really feel less distracted and don’t find my mind getting off the purpose.

I believe I heard Fr. Corapi suggest that piece of advice but it may have also been one of the good folks here on the forum.

God Bless and glorious reading and studying.

 

[Cashue]

Hello

I’ve had a Catholic education my whole life, but now that I’m in college I’ve felt called to go back to reading the Holy Bible. I’ve noticed that lately I’ve only been reading works written by the saints in living a devout, Christ-like life I have also consecrated myself to Mary and have other devotions to her & Jesus, so I think thats why I geared more towards those type of spiritual books…
And after talking to one of the members here at CAF, it suddenly dawned on me that I should pay more attention to most important book that started it all!!!

I’m very familiar with Proverbs and the 4 Gospels, but I’m not sure which other books to really look into… I think the reason behind this is because I’m sometimes afraid to misinterpret the scripture. Do you have any advice concerning this? Are there any sources out there that will help guide someone in reading the Bible from the Catholic perspective?
:bible1:

Thank you very much! God Bless!

Maybe go to your church and join the bible study group. That way you don’t have to interpret anything and won’t go wrong.

God bless.

 

[Crumpy]

Hello

I’ve had a Catholic education my whole life, but now that I’m in college I’ve felt called to go back to reading the Holy Bible. I’ve noticed that lately I’ve only been reading works written by the saints in living a devout, Christ-like life I have also consecrated myself to Mary and have other devotions to her & Jesus, so I think thats why I geared more towards those type of spiritual books…
And after talking to one of the members here at CAF, it suddenly dawned on me that I should pay more attention to most important book that started it all!!!

I’m very familiar with Proverbs and the 4 Gospels, but I’m not sure which other books to really look into… I think the reason behind this is because I’m sometimes afraid to misinterpret the scripture. Do you have any advice concerning this? Are there any sources out there that will help guide someone in reading the Bible from the Catholic perspective?
:bible1:

Thank you very much! God Bless!

I’m a little impatient with your fear of misinterpreting the scripture – not you, just this fear of misinterpreting scripture. Why do you think you’re any worse than the rest of us? If you pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance, then you are talking to the right Person.

You are overturning the whole point of the Bible, which is for you to read it. You will undoubtedly interpret every verse you encounter. Get used to it. Just keep an open mind and expect that you will learn more, the more you study.

Who do you think has this interpretation thing down ‘pat’? If you stay within the broad guidelines of the Catholic Church, you will be OK.

It’s going to take you time to read through the Bible with understanding. You may have to read through it a number of times before “meaning” starts to come to you. This is a lifelong pursuit. Don’t expect to find a single absolute interpretation that you’re not going to want to modify in the future.

I hear people say this “afraid” stuff all the time. Where does this come from?

I’m 61 and I’ve heard priests comment on scripture, and sometimes it seems as if they’ve missed the beauty or the significance of the passage. For example, the first beatitude, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

this one priest on EWTN said that it meant “people who are poor in every way.” So, he just took one verse which is puzzling to us and turned it into an interpretation that just adds to our confusion. What did he mean? “poor in every way”?

The accepted interpretation of “poor in spirit” that I like is that it refers to people who have thoroughly put all their trust in and dependence on God alone, trusting in His will.

But, I was waiting literally for years to understand what that verse meant “for sure.” So, I suggest you just keep at it. The advice of the Church is to have a commentary at your fingertips when you are reading scripture. (The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, Pontifical Biblical Commission).

In The Sacred Constitution on Divine Revelation (Vatican II) (Dei Verbum) the Church says that you should read the Bible in its immediate context, in the context of the entire Bible, and, then, be aware of anything the Church has ever said about that verse or subject. Whew! That’s a tall order for an official interpretation. Most of us would never come to an end trying to meet these criteria. But, it also says that scripture is a timeless treasure that gives us constant inspiration. So, “interpretation” is actually not ended.

So, just keep an open mind and jump in like the rest of us. Welcome aboard.

 

[budgie2]

Hello

I’ve had a Catholic education my whole life, but now that I’m in college I’ve felt called to go back to reading the Holy Bible. I’ve noticed that lately I’ve only been reading works written by the saints in living a devout, Christ-like life I have also consecrated myself to Mary and have other devotions to her & Jesus, so I think thats why I geared more towards those type of spiritual books…
And after talking to one of the members here at CAF, it suddenly dawned on me that I should pay more attention to most important book that started it all!!!

I’m very familiar with Proverbs and the 4 Gospels, but I’m not sure which other books to really look into… I think the reason behind this is because I’m sometimes afraid to misinterpret the scripture. Do you have any advice concerning this? Are there any sources out there that will help guide someone in reading the Bible from the Catholic perspective?
:bible1:

Thank you very much! God Bless!

I’d read the Catechism and the GOspel. There’s some dodgy books in the Old Testament namely Kings and Song of Solomon. The latter is written by a raving polygamist who had hundreds of concubines and it’s full of archaic birth control.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Start with any of the gospels, and just read. It is totally different experience than “study.”

Also when you say “fully” read I cannot help but bring up my favorite topic; contemplative prayer and Lectio Divina “Divine Reading.” In Lectio Divina you experience the Word at successively more intimate ways; that is you start with the literal meaning, work through allegorical and other stages, and go all the way to silent union with the Word. It’s a great thing, really, and literally brings us into union with God. For more on the types of prayer see CCC 2700-2724.

Happy reading and/or praying!

Alan

 

[COPLAND_3]

I’m a little impatient with your fear of misinterpreting the scripture – not you, just this fear of misinterpreting scripture. Why do you think you’re any worse than the rest of us? If you pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance, then you are talking to the right Person.

You are overturning the whole point of the Bible, which is for you to read it. You will undoubtedly interpret every verse you encounter. Get used to it. Just keep an open mind and expect that you will learn more, the more you study.

Who do you think has this interpretation thing down ‘pat’? If you stay within the broad guidelines of the Catholic Church, you will be OK.

It’s going to take you time to read through the Bible with understanding. You may have to read through it a number of times before “meaning” starts to come to you. This is a lifelong pursuit. Don’t expect to find a single absolute interpretation that you’re not going to want to modify in the future.

I hear people say this “afraid” stuff all the time. Where does this come from?

I’m 61 and I’ve heard priests comment on scripture, and sometimes it seems as if they’ve missed the beauty or the significance of the passage. For example, the first beatitude, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

this one priest on EWTN said that it meant “people who are poor in every way.” So, he just took one verse which is puzzling to us and turned it into an interpretation that just adds to our confusion. What did he mean? “poor in every way”?

The accepted interpretation of “poor in spirit” that I like is that it refers to people who have thoroughly put all their trust in and dependence on God alone, trusting in His will.

But, I was waiting literally for years to understand what that verse meant “for sure.” So, I suggest you just keep at it. The advice of the Church is to have a commentary at your fingertips when you are reading scripture. (The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, Pontifical Biblical Commission).

In The Sacred Constitution on Divine Revelation (Vatican II) (Dei Verbum) the Church says that you should read the Bible in its immediate context, in the context of the entire Bible, and, then, be aware of anything the Church has ever said about that verse or subject. Whew! That’s a tall order for an official interpretation. Most of us would never come to an end trying to meet these criteria. But, it also says that scripture is a timeless treasure that gives us constant inspiration. So, “interpretation” is actually not ended.

So, just keep an open mind and jump in like the rest of us. Welcome aboard.