The Word of God

People have the capacity to carry out acts that are very often premeditated. We act in accordance with our thoughts, as Jesus says: ‘What comes out of the mouth overflows from the heart.’ These acts are guided by our decisions. Consequently, if our hearts are good, our actions will be good. On a World Day of Peace, Pope John Paul II said that the Church’s task is to eradicate hatred from the human heart. But our hearts are very often influenced by society. How many times have we acted out of imitation or because of what others might say? We are influenced by television, novels, magazines, conversations, advice… For many of us, when we encounter Jesus and experience a new life in him, we regret having lived a life of debauchery in the past. We usually say: ‘If only I’d known…’. Thus, ignorance is a major hindrance in our world. St Paul says: ‘Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but let God transform you and give you a new understanding’. If we are not careful, the consequences of our actions will be catastrophic. Those who killed Jesus ‘did not know what they were doing’, even though they were committing the gravest sin in history: killing the Son of God. Knowing God is essential for our lives. We need him to live well. We come to know God through the Scriptures. St Jerome said: ‘Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ’. If we make an effort to read and meditate on the Word of God, we will gradually grow in our relationship with God.

When Saint Jerome began his life as a monk, he preferred to read the works of Latin writers such as Cicero. One day, in a dream, God appeared to him and asked who he was; ‘I am a Christian,’ replied Jerome. ‘You are lying,’ replied God, ‘you are a Ciceronian’ (today we might say, for example, that you are a ‘television-watcher’ or a ‘novel-reader’), for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This dream changed Jerome’s life, and he resolved to study the Bible and to pray with the Bible. He then became a great theologian. It is very regrettable to see Catholic Christians who do not own a Bible and spend their money only on other things instead of buying a good Bible. We emphasise the need for a good Bible because there are bad ones: for example, ‘The New World Translation by the Jehovah’s Witnesses’. Yes, not all Bibles are good. The best Bibles include the deuterocanonical books, such as the TOB and the Jerusalem Bible. The Church urges and exhorts Christians to read the Bible regularly. During the preparations for the Jubilee Year 2000, the bishops of our ecclesiastical province proclaimed a ‘Year of the Bible’. We must have a Bible and read it. We must familiarise ourselves with everything in the Bible through daily reading. We must gradually become able to identify a biblical passage. It is true that it is not easy to memorise every passage in the Bible. However, let us make the effort first to note the author and the chapter we are reading. Then we can memorise important verses. The rest will come in time if we remain faithful to reading and meditating on the Word. It will also often be the case that certain Bible passages do not mean much to us when we read them. Yet, when faced with certain circumstances in life, they will come back to mind.

By reading the Bible regularly, our minds will gradually be transformed and purified. Personally, reading the Bible has always been an extraordinary help to me. St John Chrysostom says: ‘You think that reading the Word of God is the sole preserve of monks. But you laypeople need it even more.” And the Cardinal, Archbishop of Milan, said: “I am convinced that it is difficult, if not impossible, for a Christian today to keep the faith without being nourished by listening to the Word of God, either on their own or with others. In this way, the believer learns to dwell in God’s heart and trains themselves to look upon others and their weaknesses through God’s eyes.”

Some people prefer to open the Bible and read a passage at random. Others prefer the liturgical calendar or a prayer card. Still others choose a passage that corresponds to their current stage of life. In this case, they need a knowledge of the Scriptures. Whenever we pray, it is good to read the Bible because ‘God speaks when we read the Scriptures’ (Vatican II, Dei Verbum 25). And if God speaks, it is so that we may do what He says. Do you have a Bible? Do you read it regularly? Do you pray the Word? Do you put it into practice?

Henri Bayemi