A Sunday Thought to Start the Week Off Right
Every Sunday we hear the words of sacred Scripture read at Holy Mass. It's important that we pay attention during these readings. But if, like me, your mind wanders at times, you may not always hear, never mind understand, what's being communicated.
That's just one reason to take some time each day to read Scripture. One simple method I've found quite effective is to spend, let's say, 10-15 minutes a day reading some passages from the following four "parts" of the Bible: Old Testament, the Psalms, the Gospels the other books of the New Testament. My method includes a few minutes for each of these four areas most days. You'd be surprised how much progress you can make doing this consistently. Eventually if you apply this systematically, you will have read the entire Bible. Since I've been at this for a number of years, I've read the Bible more than once.
But more important than getting a gold star for reading the entire Good Book is to learn to read prayerfully. in such a way that you're paying close attention. Sunday presents the perfect opportunity not only to begin the habit of reading Scripture on your own, but also the time to slow down, absorb what you're reading, and let it really sink in.
If you do this, not only will you learn Scripture, which will inform and deepen your faith, but you'll learn about yourself. There are simply so many characters in Sacred Scripture who think and do so many things under so many varied circumstances, you'll no doubt identify with this or that person, what they're thinking, what they do, etc. Lessons will flow from your reading as you recognize similarities to your own life. Not only that, but you'll likely find that certain passages will literally jump out at you and touch exactly what you're feeling or facing in your life at this very moment. Here's a recent example from my own reading of Psalm 101. I've read this Psalm at least 15 or 20 times (I've lost count). Despite past readings, it never specifically connected with me as it recently did. This time was different. It had to do with how I felt at the moment.
I don't know about you, but some days I wake up feeling great, some days not so great. Maybe you experience good and bad swings too from time to time. Recently, a string of particularly tough days had me reeling a bit. Nothing too dramatic or really all that serious; but wearing. Wearing enough where you feel like you just need to take a break from everything. Frankly, I didn't talk about this to anyone. Had I done so, it would likely come out as a complaint about my life. And, really, my life isn't so bad. Besides, it probably would have sounded whiny - not my style.
With all that as background, I just happened to come upon Psalm 101 as part of my normal routine of reading the Psalms in sequence. As mentioned above, Scripture, with its ancient wisdom, helps us understand not only the truths of our Faith, but the truth about ourselves. And the description of this person's state of mind and body in Psalm 101 almost exactly matched my own state:
Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee.
Turn not away thy face from me:
in the day when I am in trouble, incline thy ear to me.
In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily.
For my days are vanished like smoke:
and my bones are grown dry like fuel for the fire.
I am smitten as grass, and my heart is withered: because I forgot to eat my bread.
...My days have declined like a shadow,
and I am withered like grass.
Of course, we know where we should turn when we're feeling like this. But the Psalm naturally doesn't leave any loose ends:
But thou, O Lord, endurest forever
...He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble:
and he hath not despised their petition
...Because he hath looked forth from his high sanctuary:
from heaven the Lord hath looked upon the earth.
That he might hear the groans of them that are in fetters...
First of all, it was rather comforting to read about someone feeling just like I felt. More than that, though, it was encouraging to know that, yep, He hears our groans. And He'll free us from those fetters as well. Now there's something that cheered me up and got me back on track forthwith!
Read Scripture each day and you'll not only develop a deeper understanding of your Faith, but you'll also experience very personal moments like these as well.
Happy Sunday!
That's just one reason to take some time each day to read Scripture. One simple method I've found quite effective is to spend, let's say, 10-15 minutes a day reading some passages from the following four "parts" of the Bible: Old Testament, the Psalms, the Gospels the other books of the New Testament. My method includes a few minutes for each of these four areas most days. You'd be surprised how much progress you can make doing this consistently. Eventually if you apply this systematically, you will have read the entire Bible. Since I've been at this for a number of years, I've read the Bible more than once.
But more important than getting a gold star for reading the entire Good Book is to learn to read prayerfully. in such a way that you're paying close attention. Sunday presents the perfect opportunity not only to begin the habit of reading Scripture on your own, but also the time to slow down, absorb what you're reading, and let it really sink in.
If you do this, not only will you learn Scripture, which will inform and deepen your faith, but you'll learn about yourself. There are simply so many characters in Sacred Scripture who think and do so many things under so many varied circumstances, you'll no doubt identify with this or that person, what they're thinking, what they do, etc. Lessons will flow from your reading as you recognize similarities to your own life. Not only that, but you'll likely find that certain passages will literally jump out at you and touch exactly what you're feeling or facing in your life at this very moment. Here's a recent example from my own reading of Psalm 101. I've read this Psalm at least 15 or 20 times (I've lost count). Despite past readings, it never specifically connected with me as it recently did. This time was different. It had to do with how I felt at the moment.
I don't know about you, but some days I wake up feeling great, some days not so great. Maybe you experience good and bad swings too from time to time. Recently, a string of particularly tough days had me reeling a bit. Nothing too dramatic or really all that serious; but wearing. Wearing enough where you feel like you just need to take a break from everything. Frankly, I didn't talk about this to anyone. Had I done so, it would likely come out as a complaint about my life. And, really, my life isn't so bad. Besides, it probably would have sounded whiny - not my style.
With all that as background, I just happened to come upon Psalm 101 as part of my normal routine of reading the Psalms in sequence. As mentioned above, Scripture, with its ancient wisdom, helps us understand not only the truths of our Faith, but the truth about ourselves. And the description of this person's state of mind and body in Psalm 101 almost exactly matched my own state:
Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee.
Turn not away thy face from me:
in the day when I am in trouble, incline thy ear to me.
In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily.
For my days are vanished like smoke:
and my bones are grown dry like fuel for the fire.
I am smitten as grass, and my heart is withered: because I forgot to eat my bread.
...My days have declined like a shadow,
and I am withered like grass.
Of course, we know where we should turn when we're feeling like this. But the Psalm naturally doesn't leave any loose ends:
But thou, O Lord, endurest forever
...He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble:
and he hath not despised their petition
...Because he hath looked forth from his high sanctuary:
from heaven the Lord hath looked upon the earth.
That he might hear the groans of them that are in fetters...
First of all, it was rather comforting to read about someone feeling just like I felt. More than that, though, it was encouraging to know that, yep, He hears our groans. And He'll free us from those fetters as well. Now there's something that cheered me up and got me back on track forthwith!
Read Scripture each day and you'll not only develop a deeper understanding of your Faith, but you'll also experience very personal moments like these as well.
Happy Sunday!
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