Believe it or not, many protestant Christians are under the impression that Catholics do not read the Bible. I am sure many do not read the Bible, just as I am sure that many protestants do not read the Bible, either. But, the impression that Catholics do not read the Bible seems to be one of those myths that just will not go away.
I am not under the impression that I can erase this myth. But, I can do my best to show that Catholics do, and are supposed, to read the Bible. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
SCRIPTURE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
131 “And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigour, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life.” Hence “access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful.”132 “Therefore, the study of the sacred page should be the very soul of sacred theology. The ministry of the Word, too – pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction, among which the liturgical homily should hold pride of place – is healthily nourished and thrives in holiness through the Word of Scripture.”
133 The Church “forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful… to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”
Well, that should be a good response. But, I am not sure that it would satisfy everyone. So, all that is left for me to do, is to let you know what I did on last Thursday. I am not going to recount my personal time in Bible Study or Lectio Divina. I am going to recount what we read during the Liturgy of the Hours and the Mass. The Liturgy of the Hours is the formalized prayer of the Church. It is made up of:
- Matins
- Lauds
- Non
- Sext
- Terse
- Vespers
- Compline
This is the daily prayer of the Church. It is said around the world by Priests, Religious (people like me), and lay people. Together, as a church, we pray and have been doing it for a very long time. This structure of prayer goes back to the earliest times of the Church. It became more and more formalized over time. But, it has always been there. Augustine spoke of structured forms and gave norms on how his Priests were supposed to pray. In addition to the Liturgy of the Hours, we have Mass daily. The Mass contains biblical readings as well.
Since “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ”. The Church has a daily reading plan. It is contained within the Liturgy of the Hours and the Mass. Last Thursday, the readings were:
- 1 Chronicles 29:10-12
- 1 John 3:23-24
- 1 Kings 2:1-4,10-12
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23
- 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
- Apocalypse 11
- Colossians 1:23
- Hebrews 12:1-2
- Isaiah 66
- Luke 1:68-79
- Luke 2:29–32
- Luke 1:46-55
- Mark 6:7-13
- Psalm 118(119): 153-160
- Psalm 127 (128)
- Psalm 128 (129)
- Psalm 142 (143)
- Psalm 143 (144)
- Psalm 146 (147A)
- Psalm 15 (16)
- Psalm 43 (44)
- Romans 8:18-21
- Wisdom 1:1-2
Wow. That looks like a lot of Bible reading to me. In fact, it is 3381 words, 473 lines of text, or 20 Pages. Every day these readings change. Every day we read new readings. And every day we read about the same amount of Scripture.
I have been to some churches where the bible reading contains 1 sentence that someone talks about for an hour. I am not saying that all Protestant churches are like that. But, the one experience I just mentioned was one of those places I heard that common refrain “Catholics do not read the Bible.”
I don’t mind if someone disagrees with how the Catholic Church interprets scripture. But, please do not say that we do not read the Bible. Every day of the year anyone can hear the Bible read and the Gospel proclaimed in Catholic Churches around the World.
I have attached the text of the Bible readings from Thursday, the 4th week of Ordinary time. Please download it and read it. ThursdayReadings
And please remember, “The Church forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful… to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”
#1 by Cori on February 7th, 2010
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Good job, Michael! It’s true that there are amazing numbers of people who believe Catholics don’t read the Bible. There are also people (one being a person in my close extended family) who believe that Catholics don’t go to Church. Where do they get this misinformation? I already know…they get it from misinformed sources in which they have placed their trust. Thanks for making this one of your subjects. Blessings!
#2 by Tim on June 20th, 2010
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It’s good to hear that some do, but I think the point is that most don’t read the Bible. I know that based on my experiences the first several years of my life as a Catholic (though I am no longer), as well as from other friends / family members who also did not read it. I think one of the most telling evidence of this is that many Catholics don’t seem to believe that faith in Jesus Christ is the way (and the only way) to heaven. Instead they somehow, after years of being Catholics, seem to think that its about being good, whereas the Bible clearly and repeatedly states otherwise. It is faith in Jesus Christ alone that we can be saved from the wage of sin, which is eternal death and separation from God. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
My point here is not to condemn, as I believe members of the Catholic church can obtain salvation. However, its my prayer that those who don’t yet know the Lord and seek His word and guidance, will do so.