But the seed sown on a rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. -Matt 13:23
Friends,
God is good all the time.
Today, I want to invite you to consider spending some time with the Bible if you are able. I mean that you should sit down with a copy of the Bible or with a Bible app and read it. Remember that whether you read the Bible yourself or listen to it at Mass, it is the Word of God that you come into contact with, and that requires you to prepare yourself for it and meet it with the best intention to seek understanding.
If we pay attention to the interpretation Jesus rendered about the sower’s parable, we notice that approaching the Bible and understanding it is significant to produce the fruits it is intended to bring about in us. The description Jesus gives to both the first and the last groups suggests that we cannot bear fruit with God’s Word unless we understand it, and we cannot understand it unless we deliberately pay attention to the words and think about them, or even repeat the words to ourselves until they are part of our consciousness. That appears tedious, no, it is not; it’s exciting. Jeremiah said, “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight” (15:16).
Scot Hahn mentions in the Introduction
to the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, that approaching the Bible is identical to approaching Jesus. Hence, a prayerful reading of the Bible is needed for encountering the person of Jesus. See in your mind’s eye and have the spiritual imagination of the son of God standing before you as you read the Bible. This attitude is required to pay attention to the details of every word and to understand and believe it.
One more thing, Scot also believes that the same principle that determines how we approach, say, a paycheck, a medical prescription, an appointment with a doctor, or a job interview, holds true for reading the Bible. “What we believe about the Bible will inevitably influence the way we read the Bible. The way we read the Bible, in turn, will determine what we ‘get out’ of its sacred pages,” He says.
If understanding the Bible is what it takes to grow in it and bear its fruit, then approach it from now on with a loving and exciting attitude without being indifferent or disinterested. The Word of God, Jesus, the Word made flesh awaits your encounter with Him each time you decide to read the Bible with a prayerful and hopeful desire to meet Him as you think about the words again and again.
Prayer blessing: Father, save us from all obvious and persistent temptation to ignore your word, but also those that are hidden or come suddenly when we lower our guard. Amen.
But the seed sown on a rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. -Matt 13:23
Friends,
God is good all the time.
Today, I want to invite you to consider spending some time with the Bible if you are able. I mean that you should sit down with a copy of the Bible or with a Bible app and read it. Remember that whether you read the Bible yourself or listen to it at Mass, it is the Word of God that you come into contact with, and that requires you to prepare yourself for it and meet it with the best intention to seek understanding.
If we pay attention to the interpretation Jesus rendered about the sower’s parable, we notice that approaching the Bible and understanding it is significant to produce the fruits it is intended to bring about in us. The description Jesus gives to both the first and the last groups suggests that we cannot bear fruit with God’s Word unless we understand it, and we cannot understand it unless we deliberately pay attention to the words and think about them, or even repeat the words to ourselves until they are part of our consciousness. That appears tedious, no, it is not; it’s exciting. Jeremiah said, “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight” (15:16).
Scot Hahn mentions in the Introduction
to the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, that approaching the Bible is identical to approaching Jesus. Hence, a prayerful reading of the Bible is needed for encountering the person of Jesus. See in your mind’s eye and have the spiritual imagination of the son of God standing before you as you read the Bible. This attitude is required to pay attention to the details of every word and to understand and believe it.
One more thing, Scot also believes that the same principle that determines how we approach, say, a paycheck, a medical prescription, an appointment with a doctor, or a job interview, holds true for reading the Bible. “What we believe about the Bible will inevitably influence the way we read the Bible. The way we read the Bible, in turn, will determine what we ‘get out’ of its sacred pages,” He says.
If understanding the Bible is what it takes to grow in it and bear its fruit, then approach it from now on with a loving and exciting attitude without being indifferent or disinterested. The Word of God, Jesus, the Word made flesh awaits your encounter with Him each time you decide to read the Bible with a prayerful and hopeful desire to meet Him as you think about the words again and again.
Prayer blessing: Father, save us from all obvious and persistent temptation to ignore your word, but also those that are hidden or come suddenly when we lower our guard. Amen.