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Friday, January 24, 2020
1.26.2020
Celebrating the Word of God
The famous 4th/5th century bishop and translator of the Bible, Saint Jerome, once said, “Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.” These are haunting words for Christians and maybe for Catholics in particular, as we are (sadly) not always known for our familiarity with the sacred texts of our tradition. To be fair, Catholics often know their Bible better than they give themselves credit for, as they are exposed to it constantly in the liturgy. There are three biblical readings at every daily Mass (1st reading, psalm and gospel) and four on Sunday (1st reading, 2nd reading, psalm and gospel). By actively participating at Mass and listening attentively to the proclaimed word, Catholics get a lot more of the Bible than they think The fact that we have so much more exposure to the Bible in the liturgy is, to my mind, one of the greatest gifts of the reform of the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council. And so, we may not always be so good with chapter and verse, but we know “it’s in there somewhere,” and certainly the ideas soak in like drops of water on a sponge over the course of our lifetime. Still, there is a need for more intentional, dedicated study of scripture among all Christians. For this reason, Pope Francis recently announced that there should be a special “Sunday of the Word of God” to highlight this need and to encourage the faithful in their reading and study of the Bible. This will be observed in Catholic churches across the globe this Sunday, including here at Christ the King Chapel. Students, faculty, staff and any of our guests are encouraged to bring their own personal Bibles from home with them to Mass. We will bless these Bibles and encourage people to find a place of prominence for them in their home or dorm room, and most importantly, to read them daily. I remember hearing a Catholic speaker several years ago talk about his own particular routine for reading the Bible: “No Bible, no breakfast. No Bible, no bed.” Whether it was just a single passage or a whole chapter, he would read the scriptures daily in the morning and in the evening. Perhaps this is something we should consider. Also, I especially encourage our students to take advantage of the various small group faith sharing and Bible study opportunities led by our Peer Campus Ministers or to take part in Bridge, an interdenominational Bible study that meets weekly in our chapel on Tuesday nights. Whatever form it takes, let’s take this Sunday to rededicate ourselves to our reading and study of God’s inspired word. --Fr. Thom
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The famous 4th/5th century bishop and translator of the Bible, Saint Jerome, once said, “Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.” These are haunting words for Christians and maybe for Catholics in particular, as we are (sadly) not always known for our familiarity with the sacred texts of our tradition. To be fair, Catholics often know their Bible better than they give themselves credit for, as they are exposed to it constantly in the liturgy. There are three biblical readings at every daily Mass (1st reading, psalm and gospel) and four on Sunday (1st reading, 2nd reading, psalm and gospel). By actively participating at Mass and listening attentively to the proclaimed word, Catholics get a lot more of the Bible than they think The fact that we have so much more exposure to the Bible in the liturgy is, to my mind, one of the greatest gifts of the reform of the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council. And so, we may not always be so good with chapter and verse, but we know “it’s in there somewhere,” and certainly the ideas soak in like drops of water on a sponge over the course of our lifetime. Still, there is a need for more intentional, dedicated study of scripture among all Christians. For this reason, Pope Francis recently announced that there should be a special “Sunday of the Word of God” to highlight this need and to encourage the faithful in their reading and study of the Bible. This will be observed in Catholic churches across the globe this Sunday, including here at Christ the King Chapel. Students, faculty, staff and any of our guests are encouraged to bring their own personal Bibles from home with them to Mass. We will bless these Bibles and encourage people to find a place of prominence for them in their home or dorm room, and most importantly, to read them daily. I remember hearing a Catholic speaker several years ago talk about his own particular routine for reading the Bible: “No Bible, no breakfast. No Bible, no bed.” Whether it was just a single passage or a whole chapter, he would read the scriptures daily in the morning and in the evening. Perhaps this is something we should consider. Also, I especially encourage our students to take advantage of the various small group faith sharing and Bible study opportunities led by our Peer Campus Ministers or to take part in Bridge, an interdenominational Bible study that meets weekly in our chapel on Tuesday nights. Whatever form it takes, let’s take this Sunday to rededicate ourselves to our reading and study of God’s inspired word. --Fr. Thom
