THE BIBLE AND FAITH

A reading from the prophet Isaiah, July 12, 2016

When word came to the house of David that Aram had allied itself with Ephraim, the heart of the king and heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind. “Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field, and say to him: Take care you remain calm and do not fear; do not let your courage fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands, the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans and of the son of Remaliah—because Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned; evil against you. ([7:5] Planned: the plans of those who plot against Ahaz shall not be accomplished. What the Lord plans will unfailingly come to pass, whereas human plans contrary to those of the Lord are doomed to frustration) They say, Let us go up against Judah, tear it apart, make it our own by force, and appoint the son of Tabeel king there. Thus says the Lord GOD: It shall not stand, it shall not be! The head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. ([7:8–9] God had chosen and made a commitment to David’s dynasty and his capital city Jerusalem, not to Rezin and his capital Damascus, nor to the son of Remaliah and his capital Samaria). Within sixty-five years, Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation. Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm! Isaiah 7:2-9*

When reading the Old Testament I often feel that one must possess the knowledge of a biblical scholar to understand the holy Word of God. The Old Testament in its historical setting can be difficult for the average person to grasp. This First reading from Isaiah is a good example. A complete understanding of the historical content of God’s chosen people, the priests, prophets, kings, and the relationship among all of these as the live in harmony or disharmony, as they keep the Commandments God revealed to Moses or as they disregard God’s Commands, an understanding of the culture and beliefs of the surrounding nations, the history of the nations during peace and war, the rules or lack of rules peoples of the different nations live by and much more would seemingly be necessary in order to appreciate the Bible. Yet personal experience tells me it is not necessary to have this indepth historical knowledge to benefit greatly from Biblical reading. When reading the Bible cover to cover for the first time, it’s best to avoid getting too hung up on historical details. Instead we need place our self in the presence of the Almighty as we open our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit. It’s best for us to begin our daily Bible reading by praying to the Holy Spirit asking Him to help us see what God wants us to see as we read with our mind and heart while favoring that which God places in our heart. Later we will be able to grasp more with our mind because it will already be in our heart.

“Come Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts and minds of your faithful servant…”**

On July 12, Father Adam gave us a short homily on this reading from the Book of Isaiah. King Ahaz and his subjects were terrified, “the heart of the king and heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.” The reason for their fear was due to an alliance between foreign Kings against Judah. God sent the prophet Isaiah with a comforting message and a warning for King Ahaz and the descendants of the reign of King David. “Within sixty-five years, Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation. Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm!” God admonishes and encourages Ahaz and the people, reminding them to stand firm in Faith.

Father began his homily with these words: “Isaiah reminded Ahaz and the people that God will keep them safe as long as they have faith.” Father asked us, “What is faith? How do we define it?

Faith is a gift from God to us.

Faith is believing in the teachings of the Church such as our faith in the Sacraments.

Faith is how we act, live, and pray.

Faith is an obligation to the First Commandment of God.”

Then Father told us to think about all these different ways of looking at faith in relation to Ahaz as Isaiah reveals the message from God to him. Father then reminds us to profess our faith, to live our faith and to remember our faith as we pray.

Again, reading of Holy Scripture should never be rushed. Sometimes when I find my mind wandering, I read whole chapters over. Also don’t skip a day of reading. I find that when I skip a day, it becomes 2 or 3 days and, before long, a whole week has passed since I did my daily Bible reading. Make daily Scripture reading a priority. I recommend you read at least three chapters every day. Don’t even count pages. Some chapters will be longer, some shorter. It’ll all work out. Be prepared that it may take a year or longer to finish reading the Bible.

The second time you read the Bible it may take much longer. Plan on reading the Bible for the rest of your life. When you finish reading the Bible, it will feel like a great accomplishment. It is! God wants us to read his Word. When we read the Bible we are doing God’s will. After reading all the way from Genesis to Revelation, give yourself a short break, maybe a week or two. Although after I finished reading the Bible I was hooked and immediately started to read it over again.

Why will it take you much longer to read the Bible the second time? It will take longer to read the Bible the second time because I’m recommending that you get a good study guide Catholic Bible and read the comments and explanations along with your daily reading. As you read the Bible the second time using the study guide along with Holy Scripture, everything will come together more easily. Don’t forget to pray to the Holy Spirit to open your mind and heart before reading each day.

As I read the Bible with the study guide, the Word of God becomes more and more meaningful. I’ve set a goal to read a certain amount every day while still not rushing. And as I continue to read the Old Testament, I don’t feel so far removed from the days when God revealed Himself to His chosen people and to us, and the more I read, the more the gap between the world of Jesus living in the Middle East over 2000 years ago and my world gets smaller and smaller.

* https://www.amazon.com/Bible-New-American-Revised-2011-ebook/dp/B006298622

**https://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/pentecost/pent11.htm