Page 137 - spiritual_accompaniment_montreal_archdiocese

HOMILIES

Sometimes, when we read the Bible, we are looking for an answer to a specific question that
is on our mind. Maybe we are looking for a specific passage that fits our situation, in this
moment in life.

Perhaps we find it difficult to forgive and we look for scripture passages in which Jesus speaks
of forgiveness or a Bible story that has forgiveness as its theme. Perhaps we long to be able to
pray and we look for passages that speak of prayer.

But you can also simply open the Bible, not knowing what to look for, not knowing what to ask
from God. You are not sure how to say what it is that you seek, but you can simply open the
Bible and read! Even if you do not know on which page to start, just open the Bible somewhere
and start reading.

As we read the Bible, Jesus answers, and he speaks to us. He speaks to us in the concrete situa-
tion that we are in. Even when we do not know where to begin, Jesus knows where we are. He
knows where we find ourselves and he knows how to meet us there. He knows how to reach
us, wherever we are.

Therefore, open the Bible and read it. Read it, even if only for the sake of having done so! Read
it, just so that you can say, “I read the Bible!” Today, I want to add something else to the
simple fact of reading the Bible, which is the importance of not merely reading the Bible but
praying the Bible! But what is this? What does it mean to pray the Bible? How do we do this?

The answer is easy enough. To pray the Bible is to take the time to read it slowly, very slowly.
You could say that reading in this way is to ruminate the Word of God. You read a page, maybe
a paragraph. It is not about how much you read, but you how read. You read a short passage,
and then you read it again. And then you read it another time, calmly.
Perhaps, the first time, nothing caught our attention, nothing was particularly interesting,
no, “Ah, that’s just what I was looking for.”

But when we do not find it at the first attempt, then we calmly read it again. Again, and again
we read it, slowly, gently. Suddenly, a word touches us in a special way and we read the passage
again, twice, thrice, or maybe four times. Eventually, we continue with another passage.

(cont’d)

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 137