a priest for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which is exactly where the Lord wanted me.
See what I mean when I say that Scripture is alive with the power of God? God was waiting for me when I opened the Bible to Isaiah, chapter 30. It was His will that I stay on the path I was on and eventually serve as a parish priest. At that time of crisis He was waiting to give me direction about an important decision, but He’s always waiting for me when I open the Scriptures. He’s waiting for you too.
God’s Word Spoken at Mass
There are many ways to make Scripture part of your life. The most important way—one sometimes overlooked—is the proclamation of the Word of God at Mass. Christ comes to us in two ways at Mass: in Scripture (the Liturgy of the Word) and in His Body and Blood (the Liturgy of the Eucharist). The culmination of the Liturgy of the Word at every Mass is the proclamation of the Gospel, the very words and deeds of Christ Himself. This is preceded by a reading from the Old Testament, which tells us of God’s promises and preparation of His people for the coming of His Son, and by a responsorial psalm. This is followed by a reading from the letters of St. Paul, the Acts of the Apostles, and other pastoral letters proclaiming the message of Christ to the early Christian community.
As we said earlier, God’s Word has unique power to do the very thing it proclaims. This is especially true in the celebration of the Mass. Our bishops put it this way:
The Word of God proclaimed in the Liturgy possesses a special sacramental power to bring about in us what it proclaims. The Word of God proclaimed at Mass is “efficacious,” that is, it not only tells us of God and God’s will for us, it also helps us to put that will of God into practice in our own lives.*
Think about that for a moment. At Mass, Scripture does what it’s describing. The Old Testament reading is preparing us to receive Christ. The reading from St. Paul, Acts, or another pastoral letter is proclaiming the message to us personally. The Gospel reading is bringing salvation and healing to us as it tells of the words and deeds of Christ.
So, imagine you are at Mass and the Gospel reading is the parable of the prodigal son (Lk 15:11–32). In the very act of hearing that beautiful Gospel, which describes the merciful heart of our heavenly Father, that very mercy is being poured out on you and made real for you. You are not just hearing about God’s mercy, you are actually receiving it as it’s being proclaimed!
It makes sense then to pay especially close attention to the Scripture readings at Mass, expecting the power of God’s Word to be at work. A good practice is to read these passages ahead of time in order to prepare your heart. Good commentaries can also be helpful in preparing our hearts. The monthly magazine The Word Among Us provides the daily and Sunday Scripture readings with powerful and practical commentaries. You can also get the day’s reading by email every morning from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by signing up at www.usccb.org/bible/readings/.
God’s Word in your Life
To make Scripture a part of your daily prayer, it’s important to work from a good readable translation of the Bible. There are dozens of English translations and hundreds of editions available, ranging from thick scholarly commentaries to small editions of the Gospels that you can slip into the pocket of your jeans. For personal prayer, the two most common translations for Catholics are the New American Bible (which is the translation used at Mass) and the Catholic edition of the Revised Standard Version. Study and application editions are available for both of these that offer footnotes and sidebars that help explain the text.
If you aren’t in the habit of reading Scripture regularly, it might be helpful to start with the daily Mass readings or praying through one of the Gospels. Read for five or ten minutes a day, then more as time permits and the Holy Spirit leads. Focus on Jesus, and as you’re reading, ask: What does He do? What does He say? What kind of a man is He? Be alert to what God is saying to you through the words of Scripture. You’re not reading the Bible in order to get information into your head. You’re reading in order to encounter God personally. What is the living Word of God in Scripture saying to your heart?
A method that helps us read Scripture with our hearts is an ancient practice called Lectio Divina (Latin for “Divine Reading”). This is slow, meditative reading of a single passage several times for the purpose of discerning its inner meaning for us personally. The four traditional steps of Lectio are reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation. The text is first read for meaning. This leads to meditation, where we seek to hear God’s voice in the passage. Then comes prayer, our intimate conversation with God. Finally, the text takes us into contemplation. “Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love” (CCC 2717).
There are many variations to Lectio Divina. Often, the four traditional steps blend into one process of ever-deepening understanding and prayer.
Following the example of the saints, one of the most powerful ways to read Scripture is to use our imagination to construct the entire scene, allowing the Holy Spirit to bring it to life in our hearts and minds. As an example, suppose you are reading the account of the healing of the blind man Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46–52). Place yourself in the scene. You are a bystander in the crowd watching these amazing events take place. You’re sweating in the hot sun. You smell the dust kicked up in the road. You’re jostled by other people in the crowd as everybody strains to see what’s going on. You hear Bartimaeus cry out to Jesus, and you hear the people in the crowd trying to shut him up. Then you keenly watch what Jesus does. You notice His tone of voice, His body language, His gestures as He asks the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” And you imagine Jesus asking you the same question, “What do you want me to do for you?” In that moment, as you respond, your prayer shifts to a deeply personal place in your own heart as you share with Jesus what you most hope and long for Him to do for you.
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