YOUR  TOP  10 

BIBLE  TEXTS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Your Top Ten Bible Texts”.

There are various ways to make the Bible one’s own - or to own the Bible.

There are 2 ways to understand that verb, “to own”.

Literalists might say,  when asked if they own the Bible, “Of course, I own a Bible. It’s right there on my bookshelf.” Others might say, “No way. I only own a couple of quotes and stories that are in the Bible.”

How is the Bible part of your life?

I ask these questions - as reflection questions for Lent.

FATHER JOSEPH CHAMPLIN’S BOOKLETS

When someone dies and calls the parish for a Funeral Mass here, they are given not a Bible, but Father Joseph Champlin's Through Death to Life booklet - to help prepare the Funeral Liturgy. It helps the family to pick the first and second reading. Father Joseph Champlin did the booklet that we give couples to pick readings for their wedding as well.

In the early 1970’s I took a course on Liturgy at Princeton Theological Seminary given by Father Joseph Champlin. Nice guy - and he gave me an A.  He died in 2008 at the age of 77 -  from Waldenstrom’s - a bone marrow disease. He was from the Diocese of Syracuse.

I like it when a family or a couple pick Bible readings that are not in those booklets. It often means that they or the loved one who has died has a special Bible text that they really owned - or loved. At the same time some favorite Bible texts for funerals and weddings are in those booklets. 

FATHER FRANK MILES - JESUIT

I am grateful for Father Frank Miles, a Jesuit, who died here in Maryland. He was stationed in the Faulkner retreat house down there in Southern Maryland. I knew him when he was in Wernersville, Pennsylvania. I went to him for Spiritual Direction - as well as making a few directed retreats there.  On directed retreats - after listening to someone for a half hour or so - he would give those he was directing a Bible text to chew on and digest - a text usually right on target. I once asked him how many Bible texts he used. And he said something like, “I own about 75 texts.”

I think that’s where I got this idea of one way to understand the Bible is to see what texts one owns.

There are other ways of reading and using the Bible. To see what texts one owns is just one way.

LENT

If you want one more Lenten practice, try the owning the Bible Question. Simply jot down 10 Bible texts you own. They’re yours. You don’t have to know the Book, Chapter or Verse. Just jot down a favorite text - and then you can find it afterwards. If you have a computer, just type in what you know about the text into Google and go from there.

TODAY’S TWO READINGS

What I just said hit me after reading today’s two readings.

Today's two readings also triggered the following thoughts.

Today’s first reading, Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18, has a list of prohibitions based on the Ten Commandments.

If asked favorite Bible texts some people might say their key text is the Ten Commandments.

What hit me next was this: well then would someone else might say their favorite text is today's gospel - Matthew 25: 31-46. It's the parable of the Sheep vs. the Goats.

Being careful and not wanting to fall into the sin of pride, I would think that if a person says their favorite text is Matthew 25: 31-46 compared to someone who would pick The Ten Commandments, then they might be saying an awful lot about themselves. It would be sort of the same if some one said that the Beatitudes and not the Ten Commandments was key to them. That would be saying an awful lot about a person as well.

To me the difference would be in the area of the struggle of Paul - between outer law and inner law - which he voices loud and clear in Romans 7. It would take us to what Jeremiah 31:31-34 talks about in that text. There is the law written on stone and there is a  law to come that will be written in the human heart.

The difference takes me to what I see Jesus doing with his struggles in Matthew with the Pharisees - especially Chapter 23. I see Jesus  taking us into a whole different realm or Kingdom in my opinion than being a Ten Commandments' Person. They can be like a list on a refrigerator door - or a granite stone with the Ten Commandments chiseled into it standing outside a court house. To be living one’s life putting Matthew 25 into practice that takes a lot of living and experiencing and spiritual growth. To make Matthew 25: 31-46  one’s own - it would take meeting various folks in need and caring for them. That would flesh out Matthew's words into their lives by our service. We would be incorporating our heart and mind with Jesus' heart and mind. Jesus is calling us to visit the sick or serve say on the St. Vincent de Paul team - or be with those folks who visit the prison up on Jennifer Road.

CONCLUSION

So in this homily I’m asking about our top 10 Bible texts - the one’s we own. Or if you want lesser homework: pick the bible texts you want at your funeral. Either way, I’ll give you an A.