P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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INTENTION : |
That the Word of God may be better known, welcomed and lived as the source of freedom and joy.
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How well do our Catholic faithful know the Word of God? How can we foster a love for the Bible and its assiduous reading? We are recommended to pore over a biblical text for some time, reading it, ruminating on it and squeezing from it all its "juice", so that like water, it succeeds in irrigating life itself. One condition required is that the mind and heart be illumined by the same Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures, and that they be approached with an attitude of reverential hearing.
The Church does not live on herself but on the Scriptures and thus finds anew the directions for her journey. This is a point every Christian must understand and apply to oneself: only those who first listen to the Word can become good witnesses to it in daily life. The Church knows well that Christ lives in the Sacred Scriptures. She has venerated the divine Scriptures in the same way as she venerates the Body of the Lord. (cf Dei Verbum, n 21.)
We are urged to become familiar with the Bible, and to have it in hand so that it can be our compass that points out the road to follow. By reading it, we will learn to know Christ; otherwise, we will end up fulfilling what St. Jerome said in this regard: "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." Those who listen to the Word of God and refer to it always, are constructing their existence on solid foundations. (cf. Mt 7:24)
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