Please Help Me Read The Bible

[123rock]

This is how I start:

Make the sign of the cross, then trace a cross on the front cover of the Bible and say, “Lord, let me hear Your word.” Trace a second cross and say, “Lord, let me be guided by Your word,” and a third cross and say, “Lord, please bless my family.” Then open the Bible and read from wherever you happen to fall.

I have been astounded by where I’ve been led by asking the Holy Spirit to guide me in this way. I hope you will be too.

Hahah, that’s a sure way not to start at Genesis 1:1

 

[Fidelis]

Hello-

Great question–probably one of the most important you could be asking. Reading and interpreting Scripture is incredible b/c contained therein we have have the “Mind of Christ.” (1 Cor 2:16). Therefore, since the Scriptures contain the very mind and breath of God (2 tim 3:16), we can expect that they will be CLEAR. God’s mind is not jumbled, and He never spoke or wrote with a speech impetiment! We can also expect that they will be PROFOUND. As Paul exclaimed, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.”

There are several things we must understand when reading and interpreting Scripture, b/c there are several barriers we must overcome, such as language, history, geography, etc. The Bible was written in a place and time and language much different than ours. But we must understand, that God meant something by what he said, and what He meant made sense to those who originally heard it. Therefore, as we read and interpret Scripture, we must constantly endeavor to go back and put ourselves in the shoes of the people who were the original recipients of God’s Word.

Using these guidelines, the majority of the time we can interpret Scripture LITERALLY. It might surprise you, but there is probably far less metaphor in Scripture than you think. Do your best to understand the Words at face value, and read them just as you would any other book.

Many books have been written to help overcome the language, geography, and history barriers. Probably the best overall help for daily reading is The MacArthur Study Bible.

God Bless

All great advice, MountainBoy11 – until you got to the last sentence. I do not recommend The MacArthur Study Bible for Catholics. While MacArthur is a very talented teacher (I actually listen to him on the radio every morning on the way to work), he is unfortunately a notorius anti-Catholic and his Study Bible reflects his anti-Catholic bias in several places.

(Please don’t turn kellygirl’s thread into a debate about John MacArthur, as I am only bringing him up because his Study Bible was recommended. There are already many threads about this, including here:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=125965&highlight=macarthur)

I have nothing against using non-Catholic Bible material. My bookshelf is full of titles by Zondervan and IVP and they are very useful. But a Catholic, especially one who is just beginning to study the Bible, should primarily rely on good, solid Catholic Bible study aids.