by Will Reaves, Director of Faith Formation and Intergenerational Catechesis
Last week I claimed that having a personal relationship was a necessary part of discipleship, since being a true disciple involves a living connection with and constant feedback from a teacher.
This makes it impossible to be discipled by someone who is dead. Christ is risen, of course, but it still takes effort to have a relationship with Jesus. One of the reasons I devoted so much time to discussing prayer earlier this year was to show how to build up that relationship and how to listen to God’s voice, particularly in scripture.
Those two elements, prayer and Bible reading, form the basic toolkit of our relationship with Jesus. And they work best when they are combined, as in Lectio Divina. (See my bulletin page on March 26, 2023 for a description of Lectio Divina. An internet search for “Lectio Divina” can also give you a good explainer.)
The Bible, however, is a big and sometimes confusing book. Written by multiple authors over hundreds of years, it reaches back to a historical time and context that is unfamiliar to many of us. And so while much of the Bible does remain immediately accessible, and provides a powerful message in our everyday lives, our reading of the Bible can be enhanced through further study.
The famous parable of the Good Samaritan, for example, loses some of its shock value if you are unaware of the animosity between Jews and Samaritans in the time of Jesus.
Sources like the Ignatius Study Bible, the Didache Bible, or the Word on Fire Bible can provide an easy to use commentary as you read. The incredibly popular Bible in a Year podcast provides structure and commentary in a lively audio format.
There are many affordably priced or even free resources out there to assist you in understanding what you read. And once you understand, you can better put what you read into action.
Challenge: How willing are you to make Bible reading part of your regular routine? Look up some of the resources mentioned above and see if they can help you get started.