Philoptochos Spiritual Enrichment Series

Reading the Bible
Prayer
Shine within my heart, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of my mind that I may understand Your teachings. Amen.		 Vitamin Verse
Your law is my delight…How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. I will never forget Your precepts; for by them You have given me life. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119)
Inspiration 
The Bible is a story of love. It tells about how God expressed His overflowing love through the creation of this magnificent universe and of all life in it. It tells of the history of God's loving actions that correct and lead us to His Kingdom of Love without violating our free will. And so to take the Bible in hand is also an act of love. What response is worthy of God's endless love except love? Jesus Christ teaches, "if a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." This beautiful promise is found in the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verse 24. The Bible is an inexhaustible treasure. Its depth is the limitless wisdom of God and the mystery of His eternal Kingdom. The Apostles, Church Fathers, Saints and numerous great men of all time have built their lives on the Bible. The Church in all its worship, teaching and life rests on the Bible. St. Isaac the Syrian writes the following on the value of reading the Bible:

The foundation of the true way of life consists in accustoming the mind to the words of God. The holy occupation of the reading of the Scriptures…is a fortification of the mind, a cause of prayer, a helper and a companion of vigils, a light of the mind, a guide on the way, and a seed of manifold inspirations during prayer. It is a check against distraction of the spirit and against occupying itself with idle things. It sows in the soul constant memory of God and of the ways of the Saints who have pleased Him. And it causes the mind to acquire wisdom and spiritual subtlety.

St. John Chrysostom is another great Father who held the truth of Scripture at the center of his life and work. St. John sought to anchor the lives of ordinary Christians on the Bible. He saw the Bible as a spiritual weapon to combat the evil one, to struggle against the impulses of the old Adam and to lift up men's hearts from earth to heaven. For many years he held Bible classes two or three times a week to interpret the Scriptures to his flock. According to him ignorance of the Bible is the main cause of evil in the world.

In the Orthodox Church, we adorn the Gospels in ornate gold and set them in a place of honor on the holy altar in order to attest to the importance of God's Word. Today we need to recover that role of the Bible as a spiritual resource for our daily lives. Each Christian can discover and rediscover the Bible through prayerful private reading and group study of the Bible. As the Bible is used in the life of the Church, and as the power of the Bible touches particular lives in both individual and group study the result is spiritual growth and renewal of the entire body of the Church, member by member.

Let our resolution for the Ecclesiastical New Year be a renewed commitment to reading and contemplating God's Word and responding to His love with this simple act of love.
Excerpts taken from Bread for Life: Reading the Bible, by Rev. Theodore Stylianopoulos, Department of Religious Education, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 1980

Reflection
If you attend a Bible study group, reflect on the benefits you receive from these meetings.
The Orthodox Study Bible has an excellent commentary on each page. Pass around a copy for everyone to see.
The Spiritual Enrichment Series is compiled by Presbytera Christine Salzman.   This page is printer friendly.
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