Reflection I
It was 1954, nine years before Vatican II. I was completely packed to leave for the Carmelite seminary. My dilemma was that I still had a gift of a large bible. Like most Catholics at the time, I had no interest in the bible. However, I had great love and respect for my parish priest who had given it to me. Love for my mentor won out. I reluctantly took the bible.Over the years, I continued to drag the bible with me until in my final few years of studies, I began to use it. After about a decade of seminary training, I finally began to develop some appreciation and a little enthusiasm for the bible. Slowly, I was learning that my spirituality was completely devoid of the gift of God’s Word. It was only after the teachings of Vatican II began to seep into my consciousness in my first years as a priest that I began a journey leading to true love for the bible. Now, after sixty years as a priest not a day goes by that I do not appreciate the bible more. It is a source of wisdom and light and a guide to daily experience.
One of the keys for me on the journey from ignorance and indifference to love and commitment for God’s Word was this. I began to understand the bible as a story that is, indeed, our story.
The Bible: Communal Wisdom of the Chosen People
The word bible comes from the Greek word for book. The bible, however, is a collection of books. It is more like a library. These books are written in many different styles of language: history, historical novels, poetry, parables, myths and allegories to name just some of the various expressions of literature we find in the Bible.There is no escaping the reality that the Bible is a truly complex gathering of numerous literary styles and expressions. There are far fewer answers than many people proclaim. It lends itself to easy manipulation for the distorted self-interest of many individuals and groups. Yet, the Bible remains the most profound source and guide for the troubling reality that is the human journey through life. How does one let the gift of God’s Word unravel the puzzling experience of making sense of life?
Probably the majority of sincere seekers have sought to read the Bible but have found themselves lost or troubled or even worse. Many surrender to a shallow response of false interpretation driven by self-interest. One important step in developing the will to truly understand the Bible is to grasp that it is a story of salvation.
This story of the Bible, the story of Salvation, was put together by the descendants of Abraham. They continually reflected, shared, and prayed about their experience of God in the midst of life’s struggles. Most of the material in the Bible is the conclusion of the community’s deep discernment of their encounter with God in their lives. This was a steady process of discernment and maturation. The gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit directed the communal journey leading to Jesus, the final and complete Word of God in the flesh. In Hebrews we read:
“In times past God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)
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