The awesome power that lies in reading the Bible

[Christine85]

Hi,
I had a time in my life where I was so into the Bible it was unbelievable. But that came to a stop after I was wrongly institutionalized and told that I had symptoms of religious preoccupation. I was told not to read the Bible daily because it was not good for me.

How can that ever be? The Bible is the truth, the living and breathing Word of God, there for us to cherish and never be afraid to look to to seek guidance, comfort and strength.
I highly regret listening to that nurse and believing reading my Bible was not good for me.
How can someone say that? The Word of God is so powerful against the wiles and temptations of the enemy. Reading the Bible often will help you to know Gods plan for you as a Christian and it will inspire you to be virtuous.
Never let anyone advise you against reading the Bible. God desires for us to read it and learn. Nothing but good can come from meditation on it’s message.

Happy reading!!!

 

[Phyllo]

HI,

I had an incident with a Catholic Priest who told me that Catholics are not a people/religion of the bible. I was so stunned that I didn’t know what to say so I never asked him why.

I was telling him that some protestant quoted me something from the bible and I came back with my own quote and I thought the priest would jump down my throat. He said I shouldn’t quote from the bible because we are not a people of the bible.

People are wary of Christians. And I think especially Catholics. So many want a secular nation and if they are not careful they might get their wish.

 

[may_they_be_one]

Amen! “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ,” said St. Jerome.

I believe almost all the problems in the church today could be mitigated through bible reading, preaching, individual study and meditation…

If only we could identify and reform or remove the priests who were so horribly formed by the liberal seminaries of the mid-20th century!

Gospel of Matthew (18:6) “If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose his faith in me, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be drowned in the deep sea."

 

[Christine85]

How unfortunate a Priest was not supportive of Bible reading. My patron St. Therese was very learned in the Scriptures. In her Autobiography she quoted over 200 verses. And I’m pretty sure she knows these off by heart. Whenever she was seeking wisdom from God she would open her Bible and read and read until she found something that spoke to her.
I think a lot of Catholics fear getting into reading the Bible for fear they may be challenged and possibly because it is not pushed much to read it.
I have made the decision to become a Bible reading Catholic. Imagine having the knowledge and zeal for the Bible Protestants have coupled with the truth of the Church and the power in the Sacraments. Also I think some Catholics rely heavily on certain prayerful devotions and stick to that only. Imagine if you combined it all together, what power and strength you would have in God!!!

 

[Christine85]

HI,

I had an incident with a Catholic Priest who told me that Catholics are not a people/religion of the bible. I was so stunned that I didn’t know what to say so I never asked him why.

I was telling him that some protestant quoted me something from the bible and I came back with my own quote and I thought the priest would jump down my throat. He said I shouldn’t quote from the bible because we are not a people of the bible.

People are wary of Christians. And I think especially Catholics. So many want a secular nation and if they are not careful they might get their wish.

Yes the world seems to hate Christians because we go against the grain. We turn away from the deception of the world to aim at following Christ. The world doesn’t like it if someone is not like them. Therefore be prepared to be persecuted for your faith. Jesus says this. He also says do not fear because they hated me first.

 

[CountrySteve]

Wow, a Priest telling you to not read the Bible, of course Catholics are people of the Bible!
But, I think all Catholics should read the Bible daily, how else are we going to convert the “Bible believing Christians” the best way to convert Protestants is to know the Bible well, and disproof there theology, of course do this in charity. God bless

 

[may_they_be_one]

How unfortunate a Priest was not supportive of Bible reading. My patron St. Therese was very learned in the Scriptures. In her Autobiography she quoted over 200 verses. And I’m pretty sure she knows these off by heart. Whenever she was seeking wisdom from God she would open her Bible and read and read until she found something that spoke to her.
I think a lot of Catholics fear getting into reading the Bible for fear they may be challenged and possibly because it is not pushed much to read it.
I have made the decision to become a Bible reading Catholic. Imagine having the knowledge and zeal for the Bible Protestants have coupled with the truth of the Church and the power in the Sacraments. Also I think some Catholics rely heavily on certain prayerful devotions and stick to that only. Imagine if you combined it all together, what power and strength you would have in God!!!

AMEN!!!

 

[Prairie_Rose]

I agree with this

 

[COPLAND_3]

It angers me when I hear someone say that Catholics are not suppose to read the Bible, and especially if a Catholic or clergyman does!

 

[fhansen]

HI,

I had an incident with a Catholic Priest who told me that Catholics are not a people/religion of the bible. I was so stunned that I didn’t know what to say so I never asked him why.

I was telling him that some protestant quoted me something from the bible and I came back with my own quote and I thought the priest would jump down my throat. He said I shouldn’t quote from the bible because we are not a people of the bible.

People are wary of Christians. And I think especially Catholics. So many want a secular nation and if they are not careful they might get their wish.

If the priest understood Catholic teaching correctly, then he should’ve meant that the Catholic faith is not based first of all on the bible, as most Protestant faiths are. Understanding this can help us avoid some of the pitfalls that come with strictly private interpretations. From the Catechism:

**105 God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit."69

"For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself."70

108 Still, the Christian faith is not a “religion of the book.” Christianity is the religion of the “Word” of God, a word which is “not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living”.73 If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, "open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures."74

113 2. Read the Scripture within “the living Tradition of the whole Church”. According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church’s heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God’s Word, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture ("... according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church"81).

131 "And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life."109 Hence "access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful."110

132 "Therefore, the study of the sacred page should be the very soul of sacred theology. The ministry of the Word, too - pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction, among which the liturgical homily should hold pride of place - is healthily nourished and thrives in holiness through the Word of Scripture."111

133 The Church "forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful... to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.112**

 

[Christine85]

Actually I have always believed our Catholic Faith is based on Scripture and Traditon, taking into consideration their equality in level of importance.

 

[Lancer]

HI,

I had an incident with a Catholic Priest who told me that Catholics are not a people/religion of the bible. I was so stunned that I didn’t know what to say so I never asked him why.

I was telling him that some protestant quoted me something from the bible and I came back with my own quote and I thought the priest would jump down my throat. He said I shouldn’t quote from the bible because we are not a people of the bible.

People are wary of Christians. And I think especially Catholics. So many want a secular nation and if they are not careful they might get their wish.

I bet he was trying to articulate this aspect of our Catholic Faith…and fumbled…rather badly:

**CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SECOND EDITION
**
II. INSPIRATION AND TRUTH OF SACRED SCRIPTURE

105 God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit."69

"For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself."70

106 God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. "To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more."71

107 The inspired books teach the truth. "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures."72

108 Still, the Christian faith is not a "religion of the book." **Christianity is the religion of the “Word” of God, a word which is “not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living”.**73 If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, "open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures."74

Here is what he was trying to articulate…giving him the charitable benefit…

**CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SECOND EDITION
**
Growth in understanding the faith

94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church:

• “through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts”;57 it is in particular “theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth”.58

• “from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience”,59 the sacred Scriptures "grow with the one who reads them."60

• “from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth”.61

95 "It is clear therefore that, in the **supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected **and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."62

Pax Christi

 

[rellanor]

This explains why my catholic friends and coworkers have very little knowledge of the bible they never read it. This truly breaks my heart.

 

[rellanor]

So sad a Preist telling a member of his flock not to read the Word of God–I wonder what his motive was as a former catholic I have a pretty good idea.

 

[Christine85]

Perhaps there is a fear that if one reads the Bible they will therefore rely soley on their own interpretation. We can read the Bible and understand what we read, but the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism is that Catholicism lives under one interpretation of the Bible. It seems Protestantism is divided on interpretations. There is no rule of what exactly words in the Bible mean and the person reading is given the choice to do that for themselves. I am personally much happier to read the Bible according to the Catholic Church understanding. To me it feels more comfortable and true.

 

[COPLAND_3]

This explains why my catholic friends and coworkers have very little knowledge of the bible they never read it. This truly breaks my heart.

It breaks my heart too, though being a former Southern Baptist I have always been saddened by the lack of interest in learning the Bible by my brethren back then. A famine of the Word of God is among us all.

 

[Phyllo]

Perhaps there is a fear that if one reads the Bible they will therefore rely soley on their own interpretation. We can read the Bible and understand what we read, but the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism is that Catholicism lives under one interpretation of the Bible. It seems Protestantism is divided on interpretations. There is no rule of what exactly words in the Bible mean and the person reading is given the choice to do that for themselves. I am personally much happier to read the Bible according to the Catholic Church understanding. To me it feels more comfortable and true.

That could be, but I rely on Scripture and Tradition in communion with the Magisterium. It is also a good idea to ask the HS for some guidance when reading Scripture. I also have some good Catholic commentaries.

It never ceases to amaze me that I can read a scripture today and see something different the next time I read that same scripture. Like an AHA moment. I need to start writing down some of these AHA moments . Chapter and Verse My Memory is not what it used to be.

 

[Christine85]

I recently finished Proverbs and Ecclesiastes I loved it. Second time I’ve read them in a year. I find I kind of pray the Scriptures, like whilst I’m reading it I always find I can apply the words to my life in some way. Journaling is a great idea. Exegesis I did at school on one verse can go for thousands of words. There is so much to learn. Praise God that I’m returning to The Catholic Theology College next year !! Its mostly taught by Priests and there is even a Chapel where they have daily Mass. The library is suberb. But yeah, my zeal for Bible reading has certainly returned… Woohoo!!! Actually it was my Protestant uncle who has inspired me as he knows all these verses off by heart. St. Therese and the Pope have also inspired me
Ps- I wish I could be as learned in Biblical verses as our Protestant brethren. I aim to work on this by the grace of God!!

 

[Christine85]

That could be, but I rely on Scripture and Tradition in communion with the Magisterium. It is also a good idea to ask the HS for some guidance when reading Scripture. I also have some good Catholic commentaries.

It never ceases to amaze me that I can read a scripture today and see something different the next time I read that same scripture. Like an AHA moment. I need to start writing down some of these AHA moments . Chapter and Verse My Memory is not what it used to be.

It is so true each time you read it you get a different message. And reading the Bible helps make my thinking clearer I find. It also strengthens faith and trust in God.

 

[Christine85]

It breaks my heart too, though being a former Southern Baptist I have always been saddened by the lack of interest in learning the Bible by my brethren back then. A famine of the Word of God is among us all.

Yes, people neglect the Bible. I admit I have been doing that for some time. I have heard in a private revelation of Jesus speaking to a Servant of God, that it upsets Him that people can’t even read one page of the Bible a day