Do You Read Your Bible?

This Faith Column in the Door County Advocate reaches people of many different faith traditions.  My faith tradition, Roman Catholic, does not have the best reputation of knowing the scriptures.  Individuals belonging to a Church from the Reformation or an Evangelical church know the scriptures quite well and often are able to quote many passages.  Catholics, not so much.  I think that is changing with many different ministries out there putting out Catholic biblical content and trying to increase Catholic biblical literacy.  As I look ahead to the weekend readings of my Faith tradition, and see Jesus’ parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23) the question which I will mull over for the remaining days this week will be, “What is the purpose of the bible?” 

The scriptures are divided into two Testaments, the Old and New Testaments.  The Old contains the history of Israel and is divided into several different types of genre- the Torah, historical, wisdom, and prophetic literature.  The bible contains stories, and I’m sure many people can recall some of the earliest stories they learned as a child—Noah’s Ark, Daniel and the Lion’s Den, David and Goliath, and the list goes on.  Any parent or grandparent might be familiar with these stories because of their children’s bible.  Yet the scriptures are not just stories, but they convey spiritual truths and teachings.  Here are a few purposes of the scriptures:

1. They tell the stories of creation and the world- A few themes that emerge almost immediately- the goodness of creation, the fall of humankind and the rebellion against God.  These themes are still played out in the world today.

2.  The Old Testament contains the story of God’s chosen people- The People of Israel were chosen by God and through their story we see how God works throughout human history.  

3.  The Scriptures are historical- Names of historical figures and rulers throughout time are included and as such the scriptures recount a historical account of civilization. 

4.  The Scriptures teach us how to pray- Read the bible and you will discover many prayers of the people who grace those pages.  David is attributed as the author of many of the Psalms.  Open your bible and read one of the 150 psalms and see how it is a prayer.  Hannah, the mother of Samuel proclaimed a prayer of praise in 1 Samuel 2.  One of my favorite Old Testament prayers is that of Queen Esther found in 4:3-19.  And in the New Testament Jesus teaches us how to pray the Our Father and many figures have short exclamations which are prayers like the blind man- Lord Jesus, have pity on me.

5.  The Scriptures invite us to conversion- The words of the prophets and the teachings of Jesus challenge us to live our lives in new ways, leaving behind the old so that we can live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

What is your relationship with the word of God?  If it’s been a while since you have opened God’s word, crack the bible today and see what God wants to say to you.   

Fr. Edward Looney
Pastor- Brussels, LincolnRosiere
Vice President- Mariological Society of America