I’ve long been an advocate of Catholics reading the Bible. There are certainly guides out there to help you do so. My wife and I used a version of the Bible called The Catholic One Year Bible, which we can’t recommend too much (it’s an odd translation), but it had a good approach: A selection each day from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalm, and Proverb. This gave each day’s readings the flavor of Daily Mass, and kept the readings from being too bogged down by some of the lengthier parts of the Old Testament. Still, it’s easy enough to approximate this approach at home; just take your preferred Bible, look at how many pages are in the Old Testament, divide that number by 365, and read approximately that number of pages a day. Then do the same thing with the New Testament. For example, my daily Bible – the New American Bible (Catholic Mission Edition) – has 994 pages in the Old Testament and 398 pages in the New Testament. So if I read just shy of three pages of the Old Testament and just over one page of the New Testament a day, I’d get through the whole Bible again in a year.
However, if you’re tackling Sacred Scripture on its own, it can be tricky if you don’t have help. For example, in today’s Gospel selection from John, a fair bit of language is a tad confusing for a casual reader. Jesus says things like, “Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son,” and “I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” Fortunately, the Bible I use has a footnote that puts the whole thing into perspective. It says, “This proverb or parable is taken from apprenticeship in a trade: the activity of a son is modeled on that of his Father. Jesus’ dependence on the father is justification for doing what the Father does.”
Suddenly Jesus’ words sprang to life! Jesus is trying into give insight into the nature of the Trinity, somewhat hampered by the fact that only two of the three persons have yet been revealed. (I believe the Gospel of John first discusses the Spirit in Chapter 14.)
Moreover, this is a particularly rich passage because it demonstrates the dangers of focusing on individual sentences and neglecting the big picture. For example, this Gospel selection reiterates a sentiment found in John 3:16 when it says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.” I’ve written here before about my thoughts on what “belief” means, but – in a nutshell – I feel that true belief comes with a change in heart that prompts one to action; in the same way it’s hard to reconcile the beliefs of someone who says, “I love my spouse” but then does nothing but treat the significant other like garbage at every opportunity, so too is it hard for me to reconcile someone who says they “believe” in Christ but doesn’t take any action to feed the hungry, help the sick, and welcome the stranger.
Fortunately, while our Protestant brothers and sisters might focus on the passage I just quoted and feel themselves assured of eternal life, I found evidence to support my view just a few sentences later: “. . . the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.” If belief is all that’s necessary, then why does Jesus specifically mention those who do good deeds will have the “resurrection of life,” while those who committed wicked deeds will endure the “resurrection of condemnation”?
In the same way I’ve argued you can’t look at the Old Testament and New Testament as two separate, unrelated books, no single sentence of Jesus’ was meant to be taken out of the context of the entirety of his teachings. Fortunately, by reading the whole Bible – especially a good study Bible with notes and aids to ease understanding – you can more fully appreciate the richness of Sacred Scripture. I first read the entirety of the Bible starting about seven years ago, and it’s been one of the most important things I’ve ever done for my faith. If you’re still looking for something to do this Lenten season to bring you closer to God, consider taking a year to read the whole Bible. If you start this week, you’ll be finished during the next season of Lent. As we start looking toward the coming Easter Holy Day in a few weeks, it’s not too soon to plant the seeds that will grow into spiritual fruit for next year’s Easter. We know we aren’t defined solely by our faith; sometimes we need to take action to prepare ourselves for the resurrection of life.
Today’s Readings for Mass: Is 49:8-15; Ps PS 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18; Jn 5:17-30
