Gospel-reading

WE should try our best to develop the habit of reading and

meditating on the gospel regularly, if not daily. It is the living

word of God, the record of Christ’s life and teachings meant to effect

in us our transformation into ‘another Christ,’ Christ who is the

pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity.

            The gospel is not just a historical book nor is it only

some literary piece for our cultural enrichment. It is what the Letter

to the Hebrews describes as: “The word of God, alive and active,

sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing

soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and

attitude of the heart.” (4,12)

            We have to have the proper disposition when reading and

meditating on it. We have to approach it with faith and piety,

convinced that everything that is said there, though historically and

culturally conditioned, has a transcendent quality that makes it

relevant to us at all times.

            Actually reading and meditating on the gospel or the whole

Sacred Scripture is like having an encounter with God, with Christ.

St. Jerome, one of the Fathers of the Church, expressed this truth

beautifully when he said: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of

Christ.” He also said: “When we pray, we speak to God. But when we

read, God speaks to us.”

            We have to understand then that gospel-reading is very

important in our lives. It should be given priority over any other

readings we may have, since it is what would guide us and give us the

proper perspective within which to consider all our other readings.

            It might be good to remit here the text of the Vatican II

document, Dei verbum (11 & 12), that explains or describes the

inspired character of the Bible, particularly the gospel, and how we

should interpret it.

            “Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and

presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the

inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For holy mother Church, relying on the

belief of the Apostles, holds that the books of both the Old and New

Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and

canonical because written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,

they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the

Church herself.

            “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…”

            As to how to interpret the Bible, the same document has

this to say: “Since God speaks in Sacred Scripture through men in

human fashion, the interpreter of Sacred Scripture, in order to see

clearly what God wanted to communicate to us, should carefully

investigate what meaning the sacred writers really intended, and what

God wanted to manifest by means of their words.”

            Given this description about the inspired character of the

Bible and about how it has to be interpreted, we cannot help but

realize that the reading the gospel, while using all technical means

to understand it properly, like examining the “literary forms” that

can be historical, prophetic, poetic, etc., will require us to pray,

to beg the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, etc.

            We have to fight against the usual dangers regarding

gospel-reading. This can be, first of all, laziness, treating it only

as a historical or literary or cultural work, lack of faith, etc.

Definitely, reading and meditating on the gospel will also require of

us a spirit of sacrifice, since it will demand effort and self-denial.

            It might be a good idea to promote this practice of

gospel-reading first of all in the family and in the schools. Children

should be trained in it as early as possible.