Importance of the Scriptures

Message in a Minute for Jan 27:

            Today’s gospel is the beginning of Luke’s gospel, sort of.  If you notice, the pericope is Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21.  So, chapters 1,2, and 3 all come between the first paragraph and the story of Jesus in the synagogue.  Now, we had been hearing those intervening chapters over the last several weeks, since they contain the stories of Jesus’ birth and childhood. Now that we are back in ordinary time, we hear about the proclamation made by Jesus in the synagogue: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

            But, for this week’s MIM I wanted to focus on St. Luke.  He gives us his insights into what he is doing.  He tells Theophilus that he has decided to put together an ordered account of Christ’s life so that he might “realize the certainty of the teachings he received.”  In other words, St. Luke put together this gospel so that Theophilus, and all of us, can grow in our faith.

            This reminded me of the importance of reading the Scriptures.  It might sound basic, but we can’t know about Jesus’ life without reading the Bible.  The Bible is a great gift that God has given us, but it only “works” if we actually read and study it.  I would recommend trying to incorporate Lectio Divinainto your prayer life.  Lectiois a way of reading the Bible that turns it into a wonderful prayer experience.  Here are the basic 4 steps:

            Lectio: read a small passage (out loud works fine if you can). Really understand the words and their meaning.  What kind of passage is it?  (Parable, historical encounter, teaching narrative, etc).  Know what the passage says.

            Meditatio: wrestle with the text a little bit.  What are the major terms in the passage?  What do those terms mean, have we seen them before? For example, what is a shepherd? Who are the sheep?  

            Oratio: take a conscious moment to turn the passage into a prayer.  “Thank you, Lord, for being my shepherd.  Please keep leading me to green pastures, etc.”

            Contemplatio: this step is God’s chance to speak to us while reading the Bible.  We don’t even have to do anything extra.  This step takes place by God working through our prayer time.

            See if you can’t take some time this week to find a passage in the Bible and practice Lectio Divina.  It will help you “realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.”