Beer and Bible

Appreciating the recent resurgence in Bible study

09/30/2024

2 Timothy 3:14-17 Beloved: Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Have you noticed the recent resurgence of Catholics reading the Bible? It used to be said that the Protestants have the Bible while the Catholics have the rosary. But not anymore. Today Catholics carry the Bible in one hand and the rosary in the other, analogous to holding Jesus (the Word of God) by one hand and Mary (the Mother of God) by the other hand. When Jesus and Mary are the company you keep, you will never get lost. The Bible, therefore, is no longer “that Protestant book.” Put humorously, Catholics are learning that BYOB really means “bring your own Bible.”

So what is this recent resurgence all about? For instance, literally millions of people have watched Fr. Mike Schmitz podcast called the “Bible in a Year.” It’s hard for me to listen to Fr. Mike because he talks too fast, and it feels like I am taking a sip from a fire hydrant listening to him. But lots of Catholics have fallen in love with the Bible thanks to his motor mouth.

This coming December 8 (the feast of the Immaculate Conception) Ignatius Press will publish their ginormous Catholic Study Bible edited by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. It consists of no less than 2,320 pages of sacred text and sound commentary. It is my personal favorite version because it is so informative but also because it is the one I used in my Bible studies.

A third option for Bible fans is called “The Word on Fire Bible” produced by Bishop Robert Barron. The first thing you will notice about this Bible is how beautiful it is, not only the book itself – cover and content – but also how it uses art, architecture, and literature to explain the Sacred Scriptures.

Just like a beautiful girl can turn a boy’s head, so a beautiful Bible can inspire us to turn its pages and fall in love with God. The producers of this Bible like to call it “a Cathedral in print.” Just imagine capturing the beauty of this church of the Immaculate Conception in words, and you get the reverse of the idea of the Word on Fire Bible.

Today is the feast of St. Jerome, and he would remind us that this recent resurgence of biblical attention is really part of a recurring resurgence in Scripture study over the years. How so? Well, St. Jerome lived from 342 to 420 and was so enthralled with the Bible he wanted the whole world to read it. At that time the common language was Latin but the Bible was still only available in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

So like Fr. Mike Schmitz, Scott Hahn, and Bishop Barron, St. Jerome tried to make the Bible more accessible and exciting to lay persons and translated the entire Bible into one language, Latin, called the Vulgate. Vulgate comes from the Latin word “vulgatum” meaning common or popular. In other words, this recent resurgence is only the latest wave of Scripture study crashing on the shores of Christian souls trying to covert us to Christ, the true Word of God.

My friends, have you become part of this recent resurgence? Well, why not? There is no longer any rational excuse not to read, study, and meditate on God’s Word. I am so pleased with the tireless work of Surennah Werley who provides many different vehicles and venues for Bible study. Our parish spiritual life committee has launched an on-line Bible study which you couch potatoes can participate in while wearing your cozy pajamas.

Pope Francis is doing his part by designating the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (usually the last Sunday in January) as “The Word of God Sunday.” And why is the recent resurgence so urgent? St. Jerome put it best and famously: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” In other words, our claim to be a Christian rings hollow and empty without a deep and intimate familiarity with the Holy Bible.

St. Paul taught Timothy in the first reading today: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” That is, if we do not become part of this recent resurgence, we will not be “equipped for every good work.” Or, to paraphrase the movie The Godfather, “Leave the beer, take the Bible.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!