U.S. Bishops' Top 10 List for the Scriptures

I know it sounds silly, but the Bible is making a Catholic comeback!

Now, for 2,000 years of standing firm & holding fast to the traditions by word & by letter (c.f., 2 Thess 2:15), the Church has drawn its very breath from the abiding presence of Christ Jesus in the Scriptures, but the average Catholic of the past few generations perhaps has not. Catholics need to learn their Bible, & when the Faithful - who alredy possess the fullness of the truths of the Faith - are further energized with the Word of God in the Scriptures, what a force for spreading the Gospel will they be!

The Church has provided us with wonderful resources & tools for immersing ourselves faithfully in the Holy Writ. On the U.S. Bishops' web site is this helpful list of points to more fully engage the Scriptures, where Christ Jesus himself waits to meet us:

1. Bible reading is for Catholics. The Church encourages Catholics to make reading the Bible part of their daily prayer lives. Reading these inspired words, people grow deeper in their relationship with God and come to understand their place in the community God has called them to in himself.
2. Prayer is the beginning and the end. Reading the Bible is not like reading a novel or a history book. It should begin with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to the Word of God. Scripture reading should end with a prayer that this Word will bear fruit in our lives, helping us to become holier and more faithful people.
3. Get the whole story! When selecting a Bible, look for a Catholic edition. A Catholic edition will include the Church's complete list of sacred books along with introductions and notes for understanding the text. A Catholic edition will have an imprimatur notice on the back of the title page. An imprimatur indicates that the book is free of errors in Catholic doctrine.
4. The Bible isn’t a book. It’s a library. The Bible is a collection of 73 books written over the course of many centuries. The books include royal history, prophecy, poetry, challenging letters to struggling new faith communities, and believers’ accounts of the preaching and passion of Jesus. Knowing the genre of the book you are reading will help you understand the literary tools the author is using and the meaning the author is trying to convey.
5. Know what the Bible is – and what it isn’t. The Bible is the story of God’s relationship with the people he has called to himself. It is not intended to be read as history text, a science book, or a political manifesto. In the Bible, God teaches us the truths that we need for the sake of our salvation.
6. The sum is greater than the parts. Read the Bible in context. What happens before and after – even in other books – helps us to understand the true meaning of the text.
7. The Old relates to the New. The Old Testament and the New Testament shed light on each other. While we read the Old Testament in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus, it has its own value as well. Together, these testaments help us to understand God’s plan for human beings.
8. You do not read alone. By reading and reflecting on Sacred Scripture, Catholics join those faithful men and women who have taken God’s Word to heart and put it into practice in their lives. We read the Bible within the tradition of the Church to benefit from the holiness and wisdom of all the faithful.
9. What is God saying to me? The Bible is not addressed only to long-dead people in a faraway land. It is addressed to each of us in our own unique situations. When we read, we need to understand what the text says and how the faithful have understood its meaning in the past. In light of this understanding, we then ask: What is God saying to me?
10. Reading isn’t enough. If Scripture remains just words on a page, our work is not done. We need to meditate on the message and put it into action in our lives. Only then can the word be “living and effective.”(Hebrews 4:12).

Scripture Study Tips

[Since one would not normally go straight to the writings of the Fathers when pondering a scriptural text, we will back up, & - as Glenda the Good Witch of the North famously advised - start at the beginning...]

The Second Vatican Council’s document on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum (DV), proposed some guiding principles for the study of Sacred Scripture according to the mind of the Church, which we will discuss in a future post. For now, we propose these 7 basic techniques that will make anyone’s study of the sacred texts more fruitful. Do you have some methods that you find useful? If so, please share them.

1. Ask the Spirit to help you pray the text

Scripture is extremely compelling; every verse courses with the power of God. He wants to teach you, but you must come to the sacred texts humble & empty of pre-existing notions to receive the graces of knowledge & wisdom. Ask guidance & understanding from the Spirit of God who authored the text in the first place. Quiet yourself as in prayer to be able to hear the Spirit speak to you. Approach the sacred texts as Adoration instead of an academic exercise. Yes, there is intellectual knowledge to be gained, but the main purpose of reading, studying, & praying the Scriptures is to encounter God in Christ Jesus.

2. Select a larger passage

DV notes that the sacred texts must be read as a whole to understand them properly. Similarly, do not read just a verse. Read all of the surrounding verses, up to & including the whole chapter, or if necessary, the entire book! Taken a verse at a time, any argument whatsoever can be defended or defeated. Reading a larger passage will help put the verse of interest in the context that the author intended.

3. Read the passage 3 times

At least. The Bible was written over a period of more than a thousand years in distant lands by peoples of various languages & cultures in a variety of literary styles under a myriad of historical circumstances. Thus, the writings themselves may be a bit disorienting. The more you familiarize yourself with the language of the texts themselves, the more comfortable you will be with the customs, history, literary forms, etc. of these ancient, Near-Eastern people called the Israelites. So read, read, & read again.

4. Compare different translations

Are you saying that I should buy a bunch of different Bibles? Not at all. A surprising number of translations are available on-line for free. While the New American Bible (NAB) is the translation used in the Church’s lectionary in North America, there are many other Church-approved translations (listed with a link to its online source, if available) :

New American Bible - US Conference of Catholic Bishops & the Vatican
Revised Standard Version & New Revised Standard Version
Jerusalem Bible & New Jerusalem Bible
Douay-Rheims with Vulgate (Latin) - New Advent
New Vulgate (Latin) - the Vatican
Spanish - the Vatican

We will review all these various possibilities & discuss their merits in another posting. For now, just find a few good Catholic translations & compare passages between them. Different word choices or even a completely different literary style may open up new meanings for you in the sacred texts.

5. Don’t skip the notes or cross-references

Most Bibles are full of information of which most people never take advantage. Besides the usual maps, glossaries, & timelines, many Bibles contain useful introductory notes, commentaries, footnotes, & cross-references.

While not part of the sacred text itself, these resources can certainly help to clarify the meaning of the text. Introductory notes often give the historical or theological background of the book in question. Varying from brief to extensive, commentaries & footnotes may explain passages in light of Church teaching, often with reference to the Fathers, saints, popes, or Church documents. Others may give technical information, like historical background, word meanings, alternative translations, or other text-critical information.

Verse cross-references (usually in the margins or page bottom) will show where words, phrases, or meanings are used elsewhere in the Bible. Since the Old Testament is fulfilled by the New & the life of Jesus gives way to the life of the Church, it’s not surprising that the authors point back & forth to one other.

Similarly, a concordance - a word usage reference - may also be of value. Some Bibles include a limited one of the most commonly-used words; although a separate volume will be more thorough. There are a few online concordances, including a great, new one for the NAB at the Vatican website.

6. Attend to the Readings at Mass

A reading from the second letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians is not a good time to skim the bulletin. God speaks to his people through the Scriptures proclaimed in the sacred assembly. In other words, he is speaking directly to you. Are you really listening? A good way to prepare yourself to receive his message is to spend some time with the readings before you actually arrive at Mass. Doing so may give a new orientation the rest of your week, with Sunday - the Lord's Day - as the promary focus.

There are a great number of sources available for daily Mass readings, both in print & on-line. They are available on the USCCB website, even in Podcast form. Highly recommended is the monthly Magnificat from the Dominicans – an all-in-one missal, breviary, prayer book, & even sacred art commentary. This extraordinary, pocket-sized publication comes in Spanish (among other languages) & there's even a kid’s version!

7. Listen to Jesus

As a follow-up to point 5, if Jesus references the passage under consideration, it goes without saying that it is important & you should see what he has to say. Further, seek him in any passage of scripture you may be considering. Jesus is the Father’s eternal Word that became man for our sake. He is the Father’s message to us. Everything in the sacred texts prepares for him & is fulfilled by him.

So, sit at the feet of the Lord a while & listen to him speak. Choose the better part.