Doctrinal Clarity, Not Change: Unpacking the Note on Marian Titles

If you are Catholic, how often have you heard the statement that the early Church and its leadership forbid or discouraged Catholics from reading the Bible? I have heard this statement frequently and I must admit with embarrassment, always assumed it was truthful. This blog has allowed me to sift through declarations like that and search for the truth. What I have found in this instance is that statement is false. In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "The Church “forcefully and specially exhorts all the Christian faithful . . . to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ’ by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures…. Let them remember, however, that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that a dialogue takes place between God and man. For ‘we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him when we read the divine oracles.'" The Catechism should always be the first stop for Catholics looking for the truth about the Church. My search also turned up some material that Catholic apologist Stephen Ray posted on his blog. Ray insists that the Church has consistently urged all Catholics to read the Bible. I think what may still be a stumbling block is going it alone. We feel ill equipped to tackle the Bible on our own. That is an interesting stance since we are Bible people. Each and every Sunday, we hear scripture from the Bible and then the presider speaks about it in depth. If you go to daily Mass, a Catholic wedding or funeral, or just about any event at a Catholic school, you are going to hear scripture from the Bible. In fact, within a three year period of attending weekly Mass, we hear the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Some of the text is omitted but most often that is the less important parts from the Old Testament that talk about sacrifice and ritual instructions. Test yourself and see how much of the Bible you can recite in various situations. I think what many of us feel is since we are unable to quote the verse literally or don't know the book or verse number, we do not know the Bible. What I have found in my friends that are able to do that is they usually have a standard 4-8 phrases they have memorized and they know the book and verse number. They then use these same quotes over and over again making sure to fit it into the situation. This is not bad. In fact, our Bible study group has been trying to memorize scripture including the reference point so that we can use it in our daily life. I very frequently have encouraged people who like a certain passage to then return to the Bible and memorize where it is written. I want to return to what the Catechism urges us in the passage above. Being in prayer while reading the Bible is very important. When we pray, most often we are asking God for help. The Bible, as the Catechism points out, is one of the ways God responds to us. You know this if you have spent time reading the bible. The passages speak to your current situation. God is responding to your questions and concerns through the inspired work of the Bible. During this Lenten season, I hope that you are reading the Bible more. Take this time to reclaim your rightful place as a Biblical people. Read the Word of God to know more about the Word, Jesus.