ONE  MORE  WAY 

TO  READ  THE  BIBLE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 13th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “One More Way To Read the Bible.”

Every once and a while someone tells me they started the Bible on page 1 and then they add, “I didn’t get too far.” They say, they got lost when they ran into begets and begats, talking snakes, and lots of laws and lots of this and lots of that’s. They become confused and too many texts are head scratchers.

Then I meet people who started on page 1 and read all the way through to the last page. I remember a couple from Carlisle PA - who started at the beginning - went to the end 2 times - then the 3^rd time around they started from the last book and went to the first book.  Revelation to Genesis.

In the meanwhile, certainly in the last 60 years or so,  more and more Catholics read the Bible more and more.

I still see rosaries in caskets in the hands of people who have died.  I’ve yet to notice a Bible in someone’s hands in a casket. On top of the casket - I’ve seen many a Bible, yes - along with or just a cross at other times.

KORAN

I like to tell people that a Rabbi at a wedding asked if I had ever read the Koran.  

I said, “No!” 

And he said, “You better.” 

So I bought one and read it all the way through - from page 1 to the end - and bits and pieces at other times.

In English of course - and I didn’t get it. And I heard that it’s much clearer and more of an “I get it” if one can read it in Arabic.

ONE MORE WAY TO READ THE BIBLE.

The title of my homily is, “One More Way To Read the Bible.”

Instead of reading it like a regular book, read it piecemeal.

So my first comment would be is this:  the Bible is a library and very few people would go into a library and go to the first book just inside the door and then read every book in the library in that order.

So take a book - start with a book - a scroll like The Letter of James.

Or read something short like the First Letter of John or the Book of Ruth.

Read one scroll or one book at a time.

TODAY’S READINGS

Or play Bible Bingo. Just open a page and put your finger on some words and see what that says to you.

Or read the Bible like you would read Readers Digest.

Take today’s readings.

Take this section of Genesis starting with Genesis 23: 1-4.

It has some tiny neat little observations.

The first would be Abraham coming up with a piece of land to bury his wife, Sarah. Every family has to plan where they are going to bury their dead - or scatter or keep the ashes.

One commentary mentions that the place Abraham picks for Sarah is the author's way of saying, “We have a right to this land - because Abraham bought of piece of land here - in the land which the Lord promised us.”

One commentary says the person or persons who put together our first reading for today, butchers the text - because it skips form Genesis 23:1-4 to 19, then 24: 1-8, then it concludes with 63-67. In doing this, it leaves out some key ingredients.  Take your Bible and read the whole of Genesis, chapters 23 and 23. Do this and you'll get all the ingredients to the story. 

The Bible doesn’t have the story in other Jewish legends that Abraham married again - this time Hagar - the woman Sarah made him dump - once she got pregnant and had Isaac. Hagar was the woman he was also with who had his son, Ishmael.

Notice the ages of these characters in the Bible. Sarah died at 127 - which is a slight exaggeration. Relax the Bible is loaded with them. Abraham was 175 when he died. [Cf. Genesis 25:7-7.]

There’s a message there with these old ages for Biblical Characters.

We might have heard an old person described as being as old as Methuselah who is listed in Genesis 5:27 - as having lived till he was 969 years old.

Another interesting tidbit is to notice how Rebbecca covers herself a bit when she spots Isaac - who has lost his mommy - and now needs a new mommy. At times I hear losing one's mother is a motive for some marriages.

Great stuff…..

Notice in today’s gospel - how Matthew is telling any rigoristic Christians in his day that Jesus came to call sinners - and I dare say as priest, some people still don’t get that message.

Listen again to Jesus: "People who are in good health do not need a doctor; sick people do."

We’re sinners. This is also a key theme of Pope Francis.

I spotted a poster that said, “I am a sinner who is probably going to sin again.”

Another poster said, “Don’t judge someone just because they sin differently than you.”

Listen to Matthew again and here his whole message from Jesus in context:  "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

CONCLUSION.

So how to read the bible. Another way is to  pick and choose. Cherry pick the Bible. Be a Cafeteria Catholic when you read the Bible. Browse the Bible.