Each time I have an idea for a blog, I ask myself the following questions: Who is the audience? Is it a topic, in this age of information saturation, that has already been so thoroughly vetted, I am just proverbially reinventing the wheel? Will the topic make sense and be a helpful resource? Or will it create doubts and skepticism?
Not that it is wrong to have doubts – being reasonably skeptical is necessary to critical thinking – but if any work I produce creates more questions than answers, then that means reworking whatever necessary to make the content relatable and easy to understand (or as much as possible).
Such is the case with the Bible: Since launching my blog site and YouTube channel, “The Reconverted Catholic”, I have been asking trusted friends / peers for feedback about my work: Am I making the point that needs to be made? Is there anything I can do to make my blogs and videos even more useful and as an ongoing resource for Catholics growing in their faith, or for people who are exploring the Catholic faith, yet are also working through their doubts?
And one request so far has been unanimous: “Cee, please explain more about to how to read and understand the Bible”, and “In your weekly Gospel Reflections, please explain (to the best of your ability, and following the Catechism) more about what the reading means.”
Which leads to my next plan:
1.) Share my takeaways here about one of my favorite books (outside of the Catechism) on how to read Scripture — and which is perfectly named, “Making Senses Out of Scripture”.
2.) Create a blog / video series called “The Four Senses of Scripture”; each part will explain a sense, give a few examples from Scripture, and provide links for more information. The Catechism of the Catholic Church and Making Senses Out of Scripture by Mark P. Shea will be the two main references.
3.) Going forward, make the Gospel Reflection blogs and videos a combination of the Lectio Divina method and using the four senses of Scripture to help better explain the point of the reading.
That said, let’s talk about my takeaways from Making Senses Out of Scripture…
If you find yourself scratching your head frequently when reading the Bible, you are not alone. One great example is in Acts 8:27-25: A eunuch from Ethiopia decides to crack open the book (parchment, that is) of Isaiah – and like *us*, he starts scratching his head (so to speak) about how to understand what he is reading. But unlike *us*, he had direct access to Philip, one of Jesus’ apostles, to get the message sorted out. The eunuch then asks, “I beg you, about whom is the Prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?”
Isaiah, as we know from the apostles and the early Church fathers, was referring to Christ. However, that was not so readily apparent to the eunuch. And that can apply to anyone who flips open Scripture for the first time. Further, if they happen to land on Isaiah, how in the world would they know that Isaiah is foretelling the coming of Christ?
Enter Philip, who then explains the meaning of Isaiah’s book and relates it to God’s covenant through His Son, Jesus.
Unfortunately, St. Philip is no longer physically in this world; therefore, we cannot just run to him or any of the other apostles, to get the complete, play-by-play meaning of every passage throughout entire Bible. However, we have an excellent, close to 2000-year-old institution on how to read and discern Scripture: The Catholic Church. More specifically, the Magisterium (teaching office). Which, in turn, gave us the Catechism. Or another way to think of it: The Catholic’s guide to what we believe, how to make sense of what we believe, and how to use the four senses of scripture to interpret Biblical text.
Now, while the Catechism provides a remarkable, quite thorough reference for being Catholic Christian, some people, well, still scratch their heads some when reading Scripture. And that is ok: The Church is not expecting all believers to be rock-star Bible scholars – nor it is that necessary.
In fact, the Church grants some freedom to explore interpretation, providing that it keeps with the Catechism’s guidelines on discerning Scripture. NOTE: The Catholic Church does *not* govern with an iron fist. However, to be Catholic Christian means accepting that the church fathers have accurately explained how to approach Scripture, and that it must be holistic and in accord with the entire theme of the Bible: the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (See link below to “Sacred Scripture” section of the Catechism).
This leads to the book, Making Senses Out of Scripture – which, at the risk of me being biased, is a perfect companion to the Catechism. Why? Because it is an easy, plain English read: Shea knows how to make a clear point without burying it in abstract ideas or overly high-brow language. (I strive to be this way too in my own writing!)
Also, Shea’s humor is on-point throughout the book: I honestly cannot ever remember literally laughing out loud while reading a theology related book. Ok, maybe not side-splitting, you will be gasping for air funny (though that may depend on how easily amused you get), but Shea indeed has a witty way of making a point. It makes the book that much more fun to read.
For instance, in a chapter on understanding the *literal sense* of scripture, Shea adds a light, playful layer of snark to explaining literal interpretation: “Thus, when Matthew tells us ‘Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king’ (Matthew 2:1), his literal meaning in Greek, and allowing for idiom, peculiarities of Hebraic expression, cultural differences, wind shear, curvature of the earth, and expansion of the universe is, ‘Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king’.”
Besides, who says reading about theology should be dull? Or it should only be for stuffy, pipe-puffing, spectacle-wearing professors who contemplate the meaning of life by a roaring fireplace? After all, theology involves our connecting to God’s word. Not just from a scholarship standpoint, or a philosophical standpoint – but from God guiding us toward a meaningful, rewarding relationship with Him.
Part of that relationship means immersing ourselves into God’s Word. We have the Bible for a reason: it captures core revelations from God to humanity. It offers God’s eternal Covenant to us: salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. And when something so tremendously life-changing is revealed to us – and which could mean freeing ourselves from self-absorbed sin mongering, and hurting ourselves and/or others around us – shouldn’t we make the Bible a top priority in our lives?
Now, granted, that means *studying* the Bible. Yet that does not have to be so dry either. Take the four senses of Scripture, for instance: That can sound a bit lofty at first, or that you will need a PhD to get the full meaning of Bible passages. But that is just not the case. And Shea proves that throughout Making Senses Out of Scripture.
By the end of the book, I am confident that many readers will feel a whole lot less overwhelmed when reading the Bible. Imagine having a solid command of the four senses of Scripture? You will get that from this book. Including that Shea dedicates a detailed chapter for each sense. And above all, he weaves the entire book into God’s key Covenants and how to understand their holistic meaning as well.
Can you tell I am *big fan* of this book? Buy it. Read it. Use it. You really will not regret it!