Scripture Series
‘WHY READ THE BIBLE?’
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The Bible - God's love letter to us. |
Welcome
to my Bible four-part series. Let us travel together on this journey as
we explore important aspects of reading the bible. Let us begin with the
all-important question:
Why read the Bible?
When
addressing this issue on July 24 1980, the late Pope John Paul 11 gave 5 reasons
for reading the Bible. He said:
1. ‘From
the Word of God we learn, first and foremost the very nature of God, who is
Life, Light, Love, and Trinity. No philosopher can penetrate the essence of
God; only Jesus the Word Incarnate, can reveal and guarantee this fundamental
truth. And because of this we are certain that there is a relationship of love
between God the creator and man: every human being is an eternal heartbeat of
God’s love.’
2. ‘From
the Word of God we know our eternal destiny: only Jesus, with His divine word,
can assure us absolutely concerning the immortality of the soul and the final
resurrection of the body, as a result of which it is worthwhile being born,
living, and projecting our existence beyond time towards endless happiness.’
3. ‘For
the Word of God we learn where the true dignity of man lies: namely in
participation in divine life itself by means of grace. True joy, real greatness
and supreme dignity are found only in the life of grace. John 14:23 supports
this view.’
4. ‘From
the Word of God we learn how we must behave, because He reveals to us that the
will of God is expressed in the moral law and in the supreme commandment of
mutual love. The will of God, in fact, is the absolute determinant between good
and evil, the guideline for correct behaviour and for true pedagogy’.
5. From
the Word of God we know also His presence, always current and alive in time and
in history, by means of the Church, willed and founded by Him which gives us
certainty about the truths to believe and to practice, and offers us the
Eucharist, a mystery of faith and at the same time a supreme manifestation of
love’.
Have you
decided on your spiritual new liturgical year resolution? Perhaps you will come
to know the Lord more deeply this year through reading the Bible.
Now on a
more personal note I now pose the question again in a different way- why
do I read the bible?
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