Your Bible
The Gospel Acclamation reminded me of something special. In case you did not catch it earlier it states: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all truth and remind you of all I told you.”
Let’s see, guiding us to all truth and all I told you. Where do you find that? The Bible, of course.
We find truth in the Bible because it is what Jesus has taught us. How many times have you referenced your Bible? For some people, their Bible is dogeared, pages are smeared, some pages have lots of highlighted portions, others have worn tabs to show different books of the Bible.
There was one time I thought I would be clever and highlight various phrases. That did not work out so well. After reading about a page and a half, I looked back and nearly everything was highlighted. I decided it would not be helpful to me to light the entire Bible.
Someone suggested I add in notes or thoughts by different passages. You guessed it, pretty much filled up the margins. The page was almost totally black with ink. I have concluded that every time I read a passage, I will find another thought or idea or come to a different understanding. And that is good as we change as we get older.
I have had different Bibles over the years. People ask what Bible should I use? There are so many. From the USCCB website they have a list of approved Bibles. This is the website: Approved Translations of the Bible | USCCB. When I was ordained a priest, I was given an NSRV copy. I like this version. It has very good footnotes. It also references passages from the Old Testament that support verses in the New Testament. No matter which version you choose, make certain it is a Catholic Bible. Our Protestant brothers and sisters have removed several books.
One last thought. Make your copy of the Bible your copy. I am not saying to share with others. Instead, I suggest you buy them a Bible. But keep your Bible your Bible. Maybe you will make a note occasionally. Maybe you will write down a memory. Or share a prayer. I find my Bible often opens to my favorite sections. It also tends to open to a passage that I needed to read at that time. My Bible seems to know me quite well. It always speaks the truth and it reminds of what Jesus said. What more could I want?
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen