A Christian camp counselor told some people to read Job first if they were to read the Bible. Would you recommend that also?
No, it wouldn’t my first choice, although it is a great book to read. Instead, I would recommend starting with the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. Focusing on Jesus and His life has to be the center for us Christians. Many people recommend John in particular to start with, perhaps because John is so theological, spiritual, and really challenging to the reader. I think any of the Gospels are good; perhaps Matthew would be good right now since we have our Sunday (and weekday) Mass readings from it.
Another idea is that this year is dedicated to St. Paul, so it would be awesome to read all his letters. They are very powerful, and some can be read in a single sitting if you are motivated.
Yet, another great way which I highly recommend is to read through the Bible in chronological (historical) order. There is a great Bible study program by Jeff Cavins called “The Great Adventure” that was helpful to me in the past. It goes through the Bible historically from the beginning of creation until the spread of the Gospel of Jesus to the world. In this way you can see the big picture and the overall timeline. It helps also to figure out some context of where all the books of the Bible fit in. Plus, to cover the basic story of the whole Bible you only have to read 14 of the 73 books of the Catholic Bible (the Protestant Bible only has 66, but that is a whole different question). The 14 books in order are Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, I Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, II Kings, Ezra, Nehemiah, I Maccabees, Luke, and Acts.
Of course, I do recommend reading the entire Bible. The important part is not as much the “how”, but that you actually do it! Perhaps, the best way is to read some of the New Testament and some of the Old Testament each day (kind of like we do at Mass which is yet another good way to cover most of the Bible). Bible studies are also great because you have some accountability to keep going and support to help you understand and apply what you are reading. Consider also joining Msgr. Charles’ Bible study group which will be starting up soon, or our women’s Bible study, or looking for good Catholic resources to start up your own. Let me end by paraphrasing what one of my seminary teachers always told me. “Read the Bible every day. If you haven’t read it when you go to bed, turn on your light, pick it up and read some. And then at the end of your days, when you close your eyes in death, you’ll open your eyes and will be able to recognize where you are at, and you’ll be thankful!”
-Fr. Greg
If you would like submit a question, please write it out and place it in the “Ask a Priest” box in the vestibule or email me at frgreg@kc.rr.com.
