St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

Many people last year participated in the Bible in a Year, with Fr Michael Schmitz which he will conduct again this year. I highly encourage all to participate in it. Today’s readings remind us of the importance of the Word of God in our lives and of those who help us to understand it. Our Lord never meant us to try following his Word without help.

In today’s First Reading, the priest Ezra, as part of a liturgical assembly in honor of the dedication of the newly rebuilt Temple in Israel, reads the law for hours to the people to help them to renew the covenant and understand how to live it. It was probably the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The Israelites found their identity in the words of the Law, just as we find it in the Sacred Scripture today, especially in the Gospel.

In embracing the Gospel, we haven’t discarded the Old Testament: God’s Word endures throughout history to guide us and to shape our identity, then in the life of Israel, now in the life of the People of God. The New Testament helps us to understand the Old Testament more deeply. Just as in Ezra’s time, we don’t understand Sacred Scripture just as individuals. We gather to hear and be helped in understanding the Word of God by our sacred ministers: bishops, priests, and deacons.

In today’s Second Reading Paul, envisioning the Church as one great body composed of many members with different functions, strengths, and weaknesses notes that the Church has certain members of the body that help understand the Word of God. As the Church we are one body in Christ: through Baptism, we are incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ. It was one Spirit that moved us to believe in Jesus and seek Baptism—the Holy Spirit—and that same Spirit sustains the unity of the Body, like a soul.

We became a part of this Body after we not only heard the Word of God, eliciting the faith in our souls, but put our love, faith, and trust in the Word—Jesus—completely, through Baptism, making our lives Christian in a way we never could alone. Although we are one Body and have one Spirit in Christ, we don’t all have the same role within the Body, just as the head, the toe, the heart don’t have the same role in a human body. Thanks to the apostles, the prophets, and the teachers were always sure to understand and live the Word of God as He has been communicated to us. The apostles and prophets may now be in Heaven, but their words continue to transmit God’s Word to us.

In today’s Gospel Luke explains to Theophilus that he sought to check and compile all concerning Jesus that had been written or handed down by other “ministers of the word.” Our Lord, too, in today’s Gospel reads from the prophets but presents something new, something that represents His Incarnation and mission and sheds light on all the Word of God. He has come to fulfill everything promised through the prophets, and to give meaning to the history of salvation lived until that moment.

What we call the Bible today was passed along through oral and written traditions, compiled into books at various moments of salvation history, and the Church, aided by the Holy Spirit, established as the canon (rule) of Scripture those books we read and meditate on today. Without God’s Word, we’d soon lose our identity and our way in a world plagued by ignorance, confusion, and evil. Sacred Scripture continues to ensure that we have access to the Word of God, spoken through all of salvation history, and remain united in the Word of God, Jesus Christ. Just like Ezra, Paul, and Jesus Himself, the Lord blesses us with people who conserve and interpret what God has said to us throughout salvation history.

The Church has long believed that there are multiple senses (meanings) in Sacred Scripture, senses that are not incompatible but, rather, “concordant,” as the Catechism describes it. Concordant means they are in harmony, just as chords are meant to harmonize with each other.

The literal sense is the meaning of the Scripture being considered: what does it literally mean? The study of the literal meaning of Sacred Scripture is called exegesis.

The spiritual sense, which is divided traditionally into three senses (allegorical, moral, and anagogical), acknowledges that the realities and events narrated in Sacred Scripture can be signs that go beyond their literal meaning. It’s not just what Scripture says; it’s also what Scripture signifies.

The allegorical sense of Scripture helps to understand the significance of certain events in Christ. For example, the crossing of the Red Sea, which occurred well before Our Lord’s birth, is a sign or type of Baptism (passing through the waters to be saved) and also Christ’s victory over sin (the defeat of Pharaoh’s armies through the waters).

The moral sense of Scripture helps us understand how we should live more justly.

The anagogical sense of Scripture shows the meaning of events and realities regarding their eternal significance. For example, the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem as described by John in the Book of Revelation and should lead us to it.

While sacred ministers help us know the authentic interpretation of the Word of God in Sacred Scripture, they don’t have a monopoly about learning Sacred Scripture.

There are many good commentaries on Sacred Scripture to help us understand the Word of God more deeply and put it into practice: The Navarre Bible, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, and Catholic Study Bible are just a few examples.

Reading a little of the Word of God daily is important, but seeking a little help in understanding it will help you meditate on it even more fruitfully