I have been discussing in the past bulletins about the inspiration of the Holy Bible. It is also good to know about some information on how we can read Holy Scripture in a more meaningful way. Most of the instances, when we desire to read the Bible, indicates our hunger to grow closer to God. The Holy Bible can really help us to know God, understand ourselves and others better. Therefore, why not read the Bible for a few minutes every day?
I believe that reflecting on the Sacred Scriptures may be more inspirational if we begin with a prayer. We can pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit before we read the Bible so that our time with the Bible will draw us closer to God. Also, praying for guidance will help us to understand and make the interpretation of a given text. The Gospel of John states, “Yet when the Spirit of Truth comes, he’ll guide you into all truth. He won’t speak on his own accord, but he’ll speak whatever he hears and will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13)
Further, the grace of God will help us to listen to the message of Holy Scriptures with open hearts and minds. It is not simply enough to read the Bible only with one’s intellect. We need to read the Bible using both our intellect and heart. In prayer we need to ask God to touch both our heads and hearts when we read the Bible. Therefore, read the Bible attentively, trusting that God will give us what we need to grow. Growing spiritually is a life-long journey, which occurs as we read and apply the Word of God to our lives. St. Paul in his second letter to Timothy states, “All Scripture is inspired and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17)
Imagine what was going on when the passage was first written. Imagine the context that the particular text of the Bible was written. It is because the Bible was written 3400 to 1900 years ago. By understanding the context, we will find to whom the message was written, why was it written, who wrote it, and the issue that the author was addressing. Also, it is better to have an understanding of the cultural differences. Sometimes depending on the text that we read, we may need to remove our 21st-century lenses and remember the culture of that time. The Catholic Church teaches that in order to interpret the Bible correctly, we need to understand what those human authors of the Bible intended to communicate at the time of their writing. In order to know what God wants to reveal through their language and words, we need to take into account the conditions of their culture and time and then the modes of speaking, feeling, and writing. (The Catechism of the Catholic C. 110)
Then, we need to listen for a deeper voice than our own, which will strengthen us although it will challenge us. The messages of the Holy Bible lead us to experience the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). And so, we can trust that this interpretation is from the Spirit of the Lord. The reflective reading of the Bible can comfort us, sometimes challenge us, and lead us to know what is happening in ourselves.
— Fr. Niranjan Rodrigo, Ph.D.
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