Answer:
The charge has been heard too often that Catholics don’t know the Bible. It is true of Catholics as any other Christian denomination that few followers of Jesus Christ read the Bible with any regularity. My challenge to each of you reading this devotion column is to “touch a Bible every day.”
Touching, reading, or hearing the Word of God are specific acts of devotion. The first step toward a developed plan of study and devotion is to touch the Bible. For some this will entail taking your Bible off the shelf and putting it in a more prominent location in your home. A Bible near your favorite reading chair, or at your bedside, or a place where you usually put the newspaper or mail are suggestions for a Bible to await your daily touch.
Second, a daily devotional touch of your Bible will lead to devotional reading. The touch now becomes an act of turning pages. Most Bibles are printed on thin paper which will tear, wrinkle, or yellow through regular handling. If your Bible pages are worn or yellowed - that’s good! Is your favorite cookbook in mint condition? Does your address book or farm equipment owner’s manual have crisp paper? The human touch will leave a mark not to be erased. The Word of God which you touch daily will leave an indelible mark on your soul.
Next, an extended daily devotional touch while you read the Bible leads to a familiarity with the Word of God. Notice I said familiarity and not understanding. That will come later. We strive to reach a more profound familiarity with Bible through study & prayer under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Catholic Church refers to the nourishment of the Scriptures. “This nourishment enlightens the mind, strengthens the will and fires the heart with the love of God,” said Pope Pius XII in 1950 in reference to Bible reading. A daily portion of Bible reading will be spiritual nourishment. You’ll begin to feel “hungry for the Word” as if you missed a meal should you not touch, read or hear the Word of God each day.
