Reflection on Sacred Scripture

Sacred Scripture is a collection of ancient writings that Christians believe are inspired by God to reveal Him to us. Christians believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the many different individual human authors of the Sacred Scriptures. All Scripture reveals truth, but not all in the same way; some reveals actual history, but others reveal theological, moral, metaphysical or metaphorical truths. Scripture is called “the Word of God” because the Holy Spirit inspires and reveals God Himself in an utterly unique and irreplaceable way.

The Scriptures are divided into individual books. The books written prior to Christ are known as the Old Testament and the books written about Jesus Christ are known as the New Testament.

The message of the Old Testament is that God created the world and has a plan for it through the People of Israel. Specifically, God plans to save the world from sin and death.

The message of the New Testament is that God has saved the world through His Son, Jesus Christ.

It is important to understand that the Bible was developed over two thousand years and that it was written by many authors and edited over the centuries until it finally became codified by early Christians. Despite it’s long development and the many hands that went into it, the Holy Spirit was present, revealing God in and through the authors and editors.

The Catholic Church, in it’s earliest days, collected, codified and interpreted the Scriptures from among numerous ancient spiritual writings. The Scriptures began to be venerated because they were seen as authentic revelations of God.

Some Christians err in reading the Scriptures by thinking that the Bible is a history or science book and other Christians err by thinking it is only a collection of myths or moral codes. The Catholic Church resists these two extremes and asserts that Sacred Scripture is the revelation of the Hidden God. God shares truths about Himself through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and His interaction with human authors, who express these truths through a variety of means.

The study of Scripture is very important. Though comprehending the meaning of ancient words, geography of ancient lands, and familiarity with ancient cultures, one’s understanding of Sacred Scripture is enlightened and enriched. Yet, even if one lacks these things, Scripture provides simple and clear messages for all who read it.

St. Jerome says, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” But Christ says, “Seek and you shall find.” If one begins reading Scripture, it will enflame their heart to know Jesus, love Him, and serve Him and it will lead one to be happy with Him forever in heaven.

Questions for reflection: Do I listen to the Sacred Scripture as it is read at Holy Mass? Do I take time to reflect on Scripture’s meaning in my life? Do I seek wisdom from the Word of God?