Beloved in Christ,
Jesus is the central character of the Bible. On this Sunday, declared by Pope Francis in his motu proprio of 30 September, 2019, Aperuit illis as the Sunday of the Word of God, the church calls us to devote attention precisely to the Sacred Scripture as a source of knowledge about Jesus, the lover and saviour of our souls. The entire Holy Bible, the Old and the New Testaments, in essence, reveals to us the God who loves and saves us through the incarnation of his Son, Jesus Christ, the great light who preaches and invites us into the kingdom of heaven (Mt 4:17).
To help us celebrate, disseminate, and study the Word of God, as Pope Francis teaches in his apostolic letter, I will share with you excerpts from one of my favourite study bibles, the Didache Bible. What follows answers the questions: what is the Bible, what constitutes it, and why we should read it?
The Sacred Scripture is the Word of God addressed to humanity. Though God is the principal author, in composing the Sacred books, "God chose men and while employed by Him they made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through them, they as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted" (in Introduction, Didache Bible). This inspired library of books "forms a sacred deposit, which cannot be changed- the 'canon' of Scripture- and includes forty-six books in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament." The Catholic Bible, therefore, is made up of seventy-three (73) books.
We should read from these inspired books of the Bible daily. Why? "The Bible is a unique book, unlike any other. Through its pages God meets his children with great love and speaks with them (DV 21), and expresses in human language the ultimate truths of his being. Sacred Scripture teaches us that man was created 'in the image of God' (Gen 1: 27), with the capacity to know and love his Creator, and it offers us the way to achieve happiness on earth and in Heaven. 'In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, 'but as what it really is, the word of God.' The Bible is a priceless treasure in which we always find light and a guide for our earthly pilgrimage" (Introduction, The Didache Bible, xiv).
Own a Catholic Bible. Read and pray (lectio divina) the Bible daily. Join others in studying the Bible. Love and live the Bible daily. The Bible is the Word of God addressed to YOU! In it, God makes His everlasting saving love known to you.
In His Joy,
Fr. Alayode, OP
Jesus is the central character of the Bible. On this Sunday, declared by Pope Francis in his motu proprio of 30 September, 2019, Aperuit illis as the Sunday of the Word of God, the church calls us to devote attention precisely to the Sacred Scripture as a source of knowledge about Jesus, the lover and saviour of our souls. The entire Holy Bible, the Old and the New Testaments, in essence, reveals to us the God who loves and saves us through the incarnation of his Son, Jesus Christ, the great light who preaches and invites us into the kingdom of heaven (Mt 4:17).
To help us celebrate, disseminate, and study the Word of God, as Pope Francis teaches in his apostolic letter, I will share with you excerpts from one of my favourite study bibles, the Didache Bible. What follows answers the questions: what is the Bible, what constitutes it, and why we should read it?
The Sacred Scripture is the Word of God addressed to humanity. Though God is the principal author, in composing the Sacred books, "God chose men and while employed by Him they made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through them, they as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted" (in Introduction, Didache Bible). This inspired library of books "forms a sacred deposit, which cannot be changed- the 'canon' of Scripture- and includes forty-six books in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament." The Catholic Bible, therefore, is made up of seventy-three (73) books.
We should read from these inspired books of the Bible daily. Why? "The Bible is a unique book, unlike any other. Through its pages God meets his children with great love and speaks with them (DV 21), and expresses in human language the ultimate truths of his being. Sacred Scripture teaches us that man was created 'in the image of God' (Gen 1: 27), with the capacity to know and love his Creator, and it offers us the way to achieve happiness on earth and in Heaven. 'In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, 'but as what it really is, the word of God.' The Bible is a priceless treasure in which we always find light and a guide for our earthly pilgrimage" (Introduction, The Didache Bible, xiv).
Own a Catholic Bible. Read and pray (lectio divina) the Bible daily. Join others in studying the Bible. Love and live the Bible daily. The Bible is the Word of God addressed to YOU! In it, God makes His everlasting saving love known to you.
In His Joy,
Fr. Alayode, OP
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