FROM OUR PASTOR …………

SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD

Pope Francis writes:  “A profound bond links Sacred Scripture and the faith of believers.  Since faith comes from hearing, and what is heard is based on the Word of Christ (Rom 10:17),    believers are bound to listen attentively to the Word of the Lord, both in the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy and in their personal prayer and reflection.  Devoting a specific Sunday of the liturgical year (Jan 22,2023) to the Word of God can enable the Church to experience anew how the Risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of God’s Word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world.”

Consider these benefits of reading the Bible:

1)   THE BIBLE IS GOD SPEAKING TO US.  

          Catholics believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.  All necessary truths that God intended to communicate for the purpose of our salvation are contained in Sacred Scripture.

2)   SACRED SCRIPTURE IS FILLED WITH ENCOURAGEMENT.

          By reflecting on God’s past faithfulness, recorded for our memory in the Scriptures, we can be filled with hope for

          the future.

3)   READING SACRED SCRIPTURE CAN HELP OUR FAITH MATURE.  

          Many Catholics stop studying their faith when they leave school.  This epidemic leaves our adult believers with a stunted faith.

4)   BY READING THE BIBLE, WE WILL KEEP FOCUSED ON WHAT MATTERS.  

          What if everyone spent as much time with the Bible as they do watching the news or listening to podcasts or scrolling social media?

5)   READING SACRED SCRIPTURE TEACHES US TO PRAY.

          The Bible is a school of prayer, a training ground which teaches us how to express the things we hold deep in our hearts.

6)  THE MORE WE READ SCRIPTURE, THE MORE CLEARLY WE WILL  BE ABLE TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE. 

          A suggestion:  make a vow to make Christ the center of your life and to know, live, and transmit God’s Word in everything you think, say and do.