bible studies
Bible Studies
"Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." St Jerome.
Powerful and strong words from St Jerome. He was a scholar of the Scriptures and spent his life in the Bible. He said this sentence to end a summary where he said that in knowing the Scriptures he had known the power of God. He said as Christ had commanded: “‘Search the Scriptures, and Seek and you shall find.’ … For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if man who does not know Scripture he does not know the power and wisdom of God.”
St Jerome believed the Bible revealed a person, Jesus Christ. That’s why he would cry out that ignorance of the Scriptures would therefore be ignorance of Christ. To put it in the positive, “The Bible is a love letter from God with your name on it.” (Peter Kreeft) Why would we want to be ignorant of the one who loves us and has written a letter for us?
As Catholics and followers of Jesus we have always been encouraged to know Jesus in the hearing and reading of the Scriptures. These words were proclaimed at the Second Vatican Council:
"To learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the "excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil 3:8). "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." Therefore, they (the faithful) should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional reading, ... And let them remember that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together; for "we speak to Him when we pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying." Dei Verbum 25.
You hear the Scriptures preached aloud at every Mass. If you attend Mass every Sunday then you are basically receiving your rice and water. You can survive on this but you will have the energy to live life to the fullest if you eat and drink of the Scriptures more regularly.
The Scriptures are something incredibly unique. There is no wisdom like it, it is timeless. In fact, there is no book like it. For every other book tells of our search for God or meaning or whatever. But the Bible tells of God’s search for us. God comes looking for us. Moreover, in the hearing and reading of the Scriptures we enter a place where we can encounter the God who searches for us. No other book can do that.
"For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power in the word of God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and everlasting source of spiritual life. Dei Verbum 21
"For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power in the word of God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and everlasting source of spiritual life.
Dei Verbum 21
St Irenaeus said “The glory of God is man fully alive” and what better way to be “fully alive” than to feast on the Divine Word, in the Eucharist and in the Word of God?
We should fill ourselves with these wonderful gifts. Come to Mass every Sunday and receive strength and energy in your spiritual life. Start a habit of reading the Scriptures at home. There are many Bible apps for your smartphone. You can follow the readings used at daily Mass on your phone. Spend 5 minutes each day with God in his word.
In the Parish there is also the opportunity to feast on the Word of God in Bible Studies. Take advantage of these opportunities.
Break open the Scriptures and encounter the living God.
5 reasons Catholics should read the Bible
Parish Bible Study
Every Tuesday during term time. An informal gathering in the Bulbeck Room at 8pm. Come break open the Word of God with others.
