Daily Reflections - January 26, 2012

Read the Word of God with God

 

“With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.”

The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, acknowledged to be one of the best, if not the greatest preacher on the Word of God, has captivated the American audience on television, expounding on the richness of the Word of God. When he spoke on the Scriptures, the Word of God simply comes alive.

Bishop Sheen narrated once how a young priest approached him and asked him what his secret was. He said, “I never let a day pass without spending an hour before the Blessed Sacrament. I never read the Bible without being in front of the Blessed Sacrament.” The young priest continued, “Can’t I do that in my room or in my study?” Bishop Sheen said, “The words of the Bible literally jump out from the pages, when you read the Bible in front of the One who wrote it.”

To read the Bible “in front of the One who wrote it” means to approach the pages of the Bible with faith that what we are reading are not just words printed in ink. I do not encounter a what but a Who. And when we encounter the One who wrote it, it’s no different from being alone with Jesus and having Jesus explain everything!

As a priest, I have read the Bible, the Gospels in particular, many times over. Many times I read the Bible and not an iota of inspiration comes. But this happens because I approach the Word of God as if it was an academic text I need to expound on. Many times, I find myself reading the Gospel for the next day a few minutes before I celebrate Mass. This I say with shame and embarrassment. The Word of God deserves so much more from me. But when I read the Bible “in front of the One who wrote it,” the inspirations come flooding in and I find myself “confused” which one to pick and expound on. Whenever I open the pages of my Bible, I open it with a disposition that I wish to encounter the One who wrote it. Fr. Joel Jason

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How much time, space and disposition do you invest to make sure your Scripture reading time is a personal encounter with “the One who wrote it”? Do you even have a personal Bible?

 

Lord Jesus, enkindle in me a thirst for the Word of God, but more so, for the One who wrote it.