Homily: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Read Your Bible”
by Fr. William Holtzinger
January 25, 2004

 

Today in Mass we have had the Scriptures proclaimed in our hearing. God inspired men millennia ago to record those things he wanted us to hear. Back then, they wrote on animal skins or tree bark, not paper, and there were no computers. For those who could not read, the Scriptures, the Word of God, were memorized. People would tell each other the stories. Later these stories would be recorded for future generations. And so the Scriptures were held in great esteem and valued beyond all written documents. They were not stored in books like we have now. They used scrolls like this one (show an example of a scroll). This reproduction of the book of Isaiah is much smaller than the original scroll and container.

Today, many can read, and many have a Bible. Yet, how often do we read it? In your hearts answer this question: When was the last time I read the Bible? My guess is that many of us read it frequently. However, I’ll bet that many more of us haven’t read it in a long time. The reasons are many. I wonder if it is because we feel that it is not relevant to our lives. Ezra the priest read the Scriptures to the people and they were overcome with emotion. It was such an amazing event that it was recorded in the Book of Nehemiah, our first reading. We hear in the Responsorial Psalm that God’s words are Spirit and life. But, again, I imagine that many of us struggle with letting God’s Word come alive in our hearts. We all are searching for answers to the problems in our lives. We are all searching to know what God is doing and what he wants. One great way to come to know these things is to read your bible. St. Jerome once said, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” And as Catholics, we must know Christ in a personal way. We do that by celebrating Mass and receiving him in the Eucharist. But, we also receive Christ in the proclamation of the Scriptures. When the lector reads the Scriptures, Christ is speaking
through the lector so that you may hear his voice in your hearts. This Bible, these Scriptures, this Word of God can give you insight into the life of Jesus. This insight is from the Holy Spirit and can change your life. It can help you understand what God is doing in your life. Jesus read the Scriptures regularly. We hear in the Gospel one of those occasions. Why did Jesus come? The Scriptures give us the answer: to set us free from captivity of sin, to give good news to the poor, the recover sight to those blind, and much more. How many have a Bible at home? (wait for hands to be raised). If you don’t have one, look around you and ask someone in your family for one. Don’t start at the beginning in the book of Genesis. No, start in the New Testament. Begin reading in Matthew first, then go on to the other Gospels. Then continue through the New Testament. Then go back and read the Od Testament. Before you begin reading, pray that God will speak to your heart. His Spirit is alive. Reading the Scriptures will give you wisdom and open your heart. Read the Scriptures every day. If you read them every day, after a year, I guarantee you will be changed. And that, my brothers and sisters is definitely Good News!