Meditation and Sacred Scripture

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**Dear Brothers and Sisters in the SACRED HEART!

I have finally figured out how I SHOULD read the Bible. I was reading :Mother Angelica’s private and pithy lessons from the Scripture. In the private lessons that She gave to Her ecumenical bible study group at the monastery, She stresses the idea of meditation. She tells us that we don’t necessarily have to be theologians (What food they ate at the time, what was the terrain like in that part of the world etc.), but we do have to allow the Word of our LORD touch our hearts. This cannot be done if we read the Bible like a newspaper. For a long time, this is what I was guilty of. I thought that by reading the Bible cover to cover that I was going to read the scriptures as I should. Which is not the case, because Scripture is meant to be meditated on. There is nothing wrong with further study of Scripture (Which is something I plan to do after having read and meditated on all of Scripture, something that is going to take me a long time) however what is most important is this: How does what I’m reading affect my life? I was in the mistaken notion that “speed reading” Scripture was how it was meant to be done. However, if a farmer harvests a field too fast, he will miss the a lot of his crop. The same applies to us. If we “harvest” scripture too fast, we will miss the “seeds of Faith” that are so dearly needed by our souls.

Did anyone else have problems like this? What was your expierence in discovering Scripture? **
 
I think we all go through something of an information hunger where we want to read every story and know all the “facts”. And then perhaps even argue with others about them.

But the real value goes beyond the intellectual. The real value is in what touches the heart and changes the heart. And that can be one verse, one word.
 
Is the book really good? The Mother Angelica one. I think i might read it!
 
Seeing Mother Angelica’s program has really helped me with reading the Bible. That and reading the diary of St. Faustina. For a long time I got frustrated by footnotes, lack of 'em, which translation to read, etc. and still not understanding. Then it finally dawned on me (God is so patient!) that I’m trying to get it into my head and it should be the heart 1st. There’s still a long way to go, but I’ve come to really love the Bible and not get worried as much when something isn’t understood.
 
I have enjoyed her books as well as her show on EWTN. She has a way of teaching the scriptures that I can understand. Another I like is Dr. Scott Hahn Salvationhistory.com
 
MaeganFlinchum1 said:
Is the book really good? The Mother Angelica one. I think i might read it!
Click to expand...
**I Recommend it. Mother Angelica uses a lot of humor as well. She calls St. Paul “the little Shrimp” and St. Peter “the great Bungler” as well as some other nicknames… **
 
mymamamary said:
**Dear Brothers and Sisters in the SACRED HEART!

I have finally figured out how I SHOULD read the Bible. I was reading :Mother Angelica’s private and pithy lessons from the Scripture. In the private lessons that She gave to Her ecumenical bible study group at the monastery, She stresses the idea of meditation. She tells us that we don’t necessarily have to be theologians (What food they ate at the time, what was the terrain like in that part of the world etc.), but we do have to allow the Word of our LORD touch our hearts. This cannot be done if we read the Bible like a newspaper. For a long time, this is what I was guilty of. I thought that by reading the Bible cover to cover that I was going to read the scriptures as I should. Which is not the case, because Scripture is meant to be meditated on. There is nothing wrong with further study of Scripture (Which is something I plan to do after having read and meditated on all of Scripture, something that is going to take me a long time) however what is most important is this: How does what I’m reading affect my life? I was in the mistaken notion that “speed reading” Scripture was how it was meant to be done. However, if a farmer harvests a field too fast, he will miss the a lot of his crop. The same applies to us. If we “harvest” scripture too fast, we will miss the “seeds of Faith” that are so dearly needed by our souls.

Did anyone else have problems like this? What was your expierence in discovering Scripture? **
Click to expand...
Fortunately I was taught to read the scripture using a form of Lectio Divina, rather than “speed reading”. However, I would say that there is no reason to delay your “study”. If a word or a phrase jumps out at you, take the opportunity to look up the words, and read commentaries on the passage to deepen your experience as you meditate.
 
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