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Today is called the Sunday of the Word of God in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis proclaimed, in 2019, that henceforth, the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time would be devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the Bible.
When we read the Bible, there are two ways to do it. We can approach the Bible as a window or as a mirror. Both are good ways to approach the Bible, but both have very different purposes.
When we approach the Bible as a window, we try to answer the question, “What did the original authors of the Bible mean by what they wrote?” Obviously, the only experts in this approach are called Exegetes, Bible scholars who have devoted their whole lives to the study of the Bible. When we approach the Bible as a window, we use an academic exercise called Bible Studies. Fortunately, the Church provides many Bible Studies packages for us.
When we approach the Bible as a mirror, on the other hand, we try to answer the question, “How does the Bible touch my heart? What can I learn from the Bible?” When we approach the Bible this way, the only “experts” are ourselves, for only we can answer the question on how the Bible is affecting us.
Both approaches are useful, but both have very different purposes.
The preacher at Mass, however, must go beyond both approaches and answer the question, “So what?! What does that have to do with us today? How do we put this into practice in the 21st century?”
I’m never impressed with folks who can quote chapter and verse of the Bible. So what?! My computer can do that. I am impressed, however, when I see people living their lives in harmony with Biblical principles, especially with those Jesus taught, principles such as welcoming the stranger; forgiving our enemies; giving to those who ask; and the like.
