scripture study p.1 // overview

Catholics are often thought of as Biblical illiterates, people who put their Bibles on the shelf for dust to accumulate or people who don't even have the Bible. Put simply, Catholics are thought of as people who don't read the Bible. But is that an accurate picture of a Catholic's relationship with Scripture?

The Catholic Church is the custodian of Scripture and has always called His people to breathe it. Vatican II earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful to learn, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures, the surpassing knowledge of Jesus (Phil 3:8). Therefore they should go to the sacred text itself, whether in the liturgy or in spiritual reading. Let them remember to accompany this with prayer so that God and man may walk together (Dei Verbum 25).

Catholics are fed with Scripture everyday in the Mass with its daily readings. A Catholic who attends Mass everyday for three years could surely tell oneself that he or she has read the whole Bible. But more than that, the Mass itself is based fully in Scripture. Its richness in words and actions are all Scriptural.

Moreover, Catholics reflect on the mysteries of the Gospel whenever they pray the rosary. You can say it's the Bible of the masses. Also, the Church's rich collection of art points towards the events in Scripture--Scripture in pictures, if you may.

Catholics are bombarded by the Catholic Church with Scripture to call them to understand it -- to lead them to a deeper study of it. But yes, there is some truth in what people perceive the Catholics to be -- most of them neglect to heed the Church's call for them to study it.

But that is changing recently. Most Catholics are forming groups to study the Bible. More and more Catholics are reading it everyday and reading commentaries about it. Yet the question for most of them remain. How do we study the Bible?

The Catholic Church indeed has the richest and fullest understanding of Scripture. She is after all the one who formed the Bible and safeguarded it. But more than that, she is the Church that God gave authority to preach it without error.

This section of CWT attempts to help the Catholic take a step forward towards a deeper understanding of Scripture as taught by the Church. It is meant as a stepping stone towards a deeper understanding of God's Word. You are encouraged to read further the sources used and many other sources for a fuller treatment of what this study discusses. It is by doing so that our growth with the Catholic Church will continue.

Next in this series...
What is the Bible and where did it come from? What do we need to keep in mind when reading it?