Why is the Bible important?
Catechism Meditation:
The inspired books teach the truth. “Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures.” ―No. 107
REFLECTION: The Holy Bible is unmatched in importance for learning about God, his plans for us, and how he has worked through human history for our salvation. The challenge we face today is reading the Bible so the basic storyline of salvation history is clearly seen and understood. St. John Paul II wrote, “[Sacred Scripture] is truly divine, because it belongs to God truly and genuinely: God himself inspired it, God confirmed it, God spoke it through the sacred writers—Moses, the Prophets, the Evangelists, the Apostles—and, above all, through his Son, our only Lord, in both the Old and the New Testament. It is true that the intensity and depth of the revelation varies [within the Bible], but there is not the least shadow of contradiction [between different parts of Scripture].” It is important to keep in mind that, while the Bible is a book of seemingly obscure details, it is also a letter written by our heavenly Father. Letters are written to be understood. Since God inspired and confirmed the Bible, we had better know how to read it correctly!
In The Bible in a Year podcast, Fr. Mike Schmitz walks you through the entire Bible in 365 episodes, providing commentary, reflection, and prayer along the way. While acknowledging the difficulties that some may face in attempting to read the Bible, Schmitz speaks of the “narrative throughout the Bible that tells a single story: the story of God’s plan for our salvation.”
PRAYER. Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long.
Timeless Wisdom Quote:
“Our hunger for the infinite is never quieted; even those disillusioned by excess of pleasures have always kept in their imagination a hope of somewhere finding a truer source of satisfaction than any they have tried. Our search for the never-ending love is never ended-no one could really love anything unless he thought of it as eternal. Not everyone gives a name to this infinity toward which he tends and for which he yearns, but it is what the rest of us call God.” ― Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen