Reading the Bible

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Are Catholics encouraged the read the Bible? I ask because I am under the impression that it is the job of the Church to interprete. Should I not read the Bible?
 
Read your bible daily, many times a day even.

Many non-Catholics believe that we cannot interpret scripture, and that is simply not so, least not completely. The Church sets the parameters and we are free from there. There is actually very little in scripture that the Church has officially interpreted (at least this is my understanding) and passed on that we must believe.

So, sit back in your easy chair, grab a hot cup of tea and immerse yourself in scripture.👍
 
ljm9304 said:
Are Catholics encouraged the read the Bible? I ask because I am under the impression that it is the job of the Church to interprete. Should I not read the Bible?
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Bible reading is one way to gain an indulgence. From this link:
A partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who read sacred Scripture with the veneration due God’s word and as a form of spiritual reading. The indulgence will be a plenary one when such reading is done for at least one-half hour [provided the other conditions are met].
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The Church definitely encourages Catholics to read the Bible. The Church would not offer an indulgence for reading the Bible if this was not something that was encouraged.
 
I suggest reading the Bible in the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

He will make sure that you don’t interpret anything wrongly.
 
Dei Verbum is a wonderful document from Vatican II that stresses the importance of Sacred Scripture in the life of the Church and the Christian faithful.

It’s relatively short, and a quick read.
 
I would encourage you to read it every day. But I would also suggest that you take a Catholic Bible study. If you do this, then when you go back and read the bible you will see it in a whole different way. And will also really understand it better. To just pick up a bible and read it is very hard, too hard. You have to know so many things, like who wrote what you are reading, what that author is trying to get across to you. There are also so many bibles. ITs better to get a basic knowledge first, then let loose. And then scripture will talk to you like never before. Also what i would suggest (this is what i do ) I ask God to give me the Grace and Knowledge to see what he is trying to show me personally today. I pray daily for the Holy Spirit to enter my soul and overpower me. And then it seems that whole week he is showing me something on my own thru his word. Hope that helps. God Bless and enjoy the word of God.
 
The idea that only the Church can interpret the Bible means that you cannot read a passage and come up with a unique theological idea that contradicts Church teaching, not that only the Church can physically read the Bible.
 
ljm9304 said:
Are Catholics encouraged the read the Bible? I ask because I am under the impression that it is the job of the Church to interprete. Should I not read the Bible?
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why do you ask? did you find a church teaching someplace that tells you not to read the bible? I doubt it, since there are so many documents instructing Catholics to read the bible, begin with Dei Verbum.
 
puzzleannie said:
why do you ask? did you find a church teaching someplace that tells you not to read the bible? I doubt it, since there are so many documents instructing Catholics to read the bible, begin with Dei Verbum.
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No not at all, the question just popped into my mind.
 
Just make sure you have a Catholic Bible; I suggest Douay-Rheims. It can be a little more difficult to understand, as it’s not written in modern English, but the commentary is excellent!

Don’t forget to ask the assistance of the Holy Ghost!🙂 Many Blessings.
 
I’ve heard that Catholics back in the '40s-'50s were strongly encouraged not to read the Bible. Someone somewhere was badly mistaken. We have a big Catholic “family Bible” from 1950, and not only does it have text strongly encouraging
Bible reading; it also has the indulgences that were listed at that time for reading the Bible.

DaveBj
 
DaveBj said:
I’ve heard that Catholics back in the '40s-'50s were strongly encouraged not to read the Bible. Someone somewhere was badly mistaken. We have a big Catholic “family Bible” from 1950, and not only does it have text strongly encouraging
Bible reading; it also has the indulgences that were listed at that time for reading the Bible.

DaveBj
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I am gonna try this one. Okay perfect example today is the day for it. Okay what color was the cloak Jesus was wearing when the soldiers mocked him and made fun of him and spit on him etc?
 
My husband is a convert from a fundamentalist Baptist denomination, to Orthodox Judaism…and he was always under the impression that Roman Catholics were forbidden to read the Bible.

I explained to him that Catholics were only forbidden to read non-Catholic versions of the Bible, for fear that they would receive erroneous understandings of it. Many of the earlier Protestant translations had errors in them, even when compared with the Jewish version.

He also asked me why in medieval times, they chained Bibles. I explained it was for two reasons: one, the books then were copied by hand (Johannes Gutenberg had not arrived on the scene yet!), and so it took monks many months or years to copy each book. Also jewels were often inlaid into the covers and they ran the risk of theft for that reason as well.

As a Jew I find it helps to understand all religions…it helps prevent ignorance and bigotry. 🙂
 
I was born in 1951. From the time I learned to read, I read the Bible. There were times I didn’t understand what I was reading, but I read it. I still do. The idea that Catholics aren’t supposed to read the Bible makes no sense at all. After all, it was the Catholic Church that decided the Canon of Scripture.
 
ljm9304 said:
Are Catholics encouraged the read the Bible? I ask because I am under the impression that it is the job of the Church to interprete. Should I not read the Bible?
Click to expand...
Read the Bible! But listen to the interpretation of the Church. These links will help you. These are documents from Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XII:

vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_18111893_providentissimus-deus_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_30091943_divino-afflante-spiritu_en.html
 
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