Pope Francis: ‘consult the Bible as often as your cellphone’

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Pope Francis: ‘consult the Bible as often as your cellphone’

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Pope Francis: ‘consult the Bible as often as your cellphone’
Pope Francis waves to the faithful from the balcony during the Angelus prayer - AP

Pope Francis waves to the faithful from the balcony during the Angelus prayer - AP
05/03/2017 13:53

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday called on Christians to consult the Bible with the same frequency as they might consult their cellphones for messages.

Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:
media02.radiovaticana.va/audio/audio2/mp3/00572617.mp3

Speaking to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square following his weekly Angelus blessing, the Pope urged those present to give the Bible the same place in daily life as cellphones and asked: “What would happen if we turned back when we forget it, if we opened it more times a day, if we read the message of God contained in the Bible the way we read messages on our cellphones?”

The Bible, he explained, contains the Word of God, the most effective tool in fighting evil and keeping us close to God.

Clearly, Francis said, the comparison between the Bible and the cellphone is paradoxical, but it induces us to reflect.

“If we always carried God’s Word in our hearts, no temptation would distance us from the Father, and no obstacle would take us off the path towards good” he said.

He pointed out that in this first Sunday of Lent, the Gospel of Matthew tells of Jesus’s forty days in the desert and of how he was tempted by the devil.

With his temptations, the Pope said, Satan wanted to divert Jesus from the path of obedience and humbleness – because he knew that this was the way to conquer evil – and he wanted him to take the false shortcut towards glory and success.

**“But the devil’s poisonous darts are all ‘blocked’ by Jesus with the shield provided by God’s Word” **he said, pointing out that **Jesus never uses his own words but only God’s Word, and thus, filled with the force of the Holy Spirit, he victoriously crosses the desert.
**
Pope Francis invited all Christians to follow in Jesus’ footsteps during the forty days of Lent and to confront the spiritual battle against evil with the strength of God’s Word.

“That’s why, he said, it isnecessary to become familiar with the Bible: read it often, reflect upon it, assimilate it. The Bible contains the** Word of God which is always topical and effective”** he said.

Inviting the faithful to carry a pocket-sized Gospel all the time, the Pope concluded with the words: “don’t forget what would happen if we treated the Bible as we treat our cellphone, always with us, always close to us!”

-👍
 
👍
I bought a gently used tiny New Testament Bible the size of a pack of cigarettes for my purse just this past week!

Good News for Modern Man!
 
Amen. What a great man Pope Francis is. We are blessed to have him as Pope.

I have the bible on my phone and ipod .
 
Great points by the Holy Father. Sometimes cell phones and the internet can be a god( we get pleasure every time we pick up a cell phone) good idea to replace it with the Word of God.
 
Does the pope know that some of us read daily and multiple times a day on our cell phones?
I use the laudate app.
 
I have to be honest with y’all, l I have the EWTN app on my phone and the laudate app and occasionally I do read the Bible off my phone but honestly I much prefer to read it in book form. I like reading the Bible in public sometimes because it gets conversations started. Most people aren’t going to look at you funny and some people will actually compliment you. I think in fact with all this talk about the Bible that I’m going to go read it. The thing about people complimenting you though remember don’t be smug about that be humble. Don’t do stuff like that just so people will praise you. Anyway, just my two cents
 
Beautiful said:
👍
I bought a gently used tiny New Testament Bible the size of a pack of cigarettes for my purse just this past week!

Good News for Modern Man!
Click to expand...
I read my tiny pocket size New Testament Bible while waiting for an appointment this morning. This rather than scour my cell phone. :heaven:
 
Beautiful said:
I read my tiny pocket size New Testament Bible while waiting for an appointment this morning. This rather than scour my cell phone. :heaven:
Click to expand...
I like the carry around my RSV-CE Bible in my hoodie sometimes I really should get a case. I remember I used to sometimes before I went to class when I was a student college student I would occasionally take my Ignatius Study Bible and it was weird because a lot of the janitors custodians or whatever would compliment me on it and they would talk to me like they’ve known me for years. I think the main reason I don’t carry around those pocket New Testaments is because I like to read my Bible in the order it is presented to me so I like to start in the Old Testament and read my way through. I know some people that say start at the New Testament I don’t think that’s helpful because you’re not going to know what the things in the New Testament are saying if you start at the New Testament. I mean you’re not going to know what the important prophecies are and how the messiah fulfills them and whatnot. And with that I’m just glad people read the Bible I have my own preferences about how I do it but not everyone is me
 
adamhovey1988 said:
I like the carry around my RSV-CE Bible in my hoodie sometimes I really should get a case. I remember I used to sometimes before I went to class when I was a student college student I would occasionally take my Ignatius Study Bible and it was weird because a lot of the janitors custodians or whatever would compliment me on it and they would talk to me like they’ve known me for years. I think the main reason I don’t carry around those pocket New Testaments is because I like to read my Bible in the order it is presented to me so I like to start in the Old Testament and read my way through. I know some people that say start at the New Testament I don’t think that’s helpful because you’re not going to know what the things in the New Testament are saying if you start at the New Testament. I mean you’re not going to know what the important prophecies are and how the messiah fulfills them and whatnot. And with that I’m just glad people read the Bible I have my own preferences about how I do it but not everyone is me
Click to expand...
Very true
I do have Laudate App on my cell phone if I need to refer to the Old Testament.
My pocket New Testament recently caught my eye at vintage sale/store. For $1 I couldn’t resist buying it and keeping it my purse. It is easy and discreet to read in public and there is nothing like reading from a paper page.
 
kat07 said:
What if you the Bible app on your cell phone too? 😃
Click to expand...
Amusing yet true. I read the “New American Bible” on my cell phone when I have the time. The Psalms in the revised translation read very well indeed. 🙂
 
adamhovey1988 said:
I have to be honest with y’all, l I have the EWTN app on my phone and the laudate app and occasionally I do read the Bible off my phone but honestly I much prefer to read it in book form. I like reading the Bible in public sometimes because it gets conversations started. Most people aren’t going to look at you funny and some people will actually compliment you. I think in fact with all this talk about the Bible that I’m going to go read it. The thing about people complimenting you though remember don’t be smug about that be humble. Don’t do stuff like that just so people will praise you. Anyway, just my two cents
Click to expand...
I was about to type something like this!👍👍👍
 
Beautiful said:
Very true
I do have Laudate App on my cell phone if I need to refer to the Old Testament.
My pocket New Testament recently caught my eye at vintage sale/store. For $1 I couldn’t resist buying it and keeping it my purse. It is easy and discreet to read in public and there is nothing like reading from a paper page.
Click to expand...
I bought my pocket new testament on Etsy for $9 or around there…? Anyway, it is a DR version and had a little boy’s name and date from the early 60’s written in the front cover. I love having it with me always. (And I love that after I looked up that young boys’ name and the area the Bible came from I found out he went on to work for NASA!) Too bad he didn’t keep his Bible.
 
No “smarty” phones do we own, but we do have a “dumb” phone that still plugs into a wall socket.
This is a really inspiring thread that was started. In fact, I feel like digging out our two Catholic Bible’s with in the hour, laying them open on the dining room table, and start to once again read passages daily. 🙂
 
Scepter’s Revised Standard Version New Testament is a great pocket-size. I bought a black leather one and also a burgundy one, and while they’re both nice, I recommend the black leather one.

I love this thread and link, by the way. A fantastic and agreeable idea, no question about it.

scepterpublishers.org/products/pocket-new-testament
 
The pope makes a great point here. While there are many great resources that are available because of my gadgets, I am also addicted to them to some extent.
 
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