By Fr Patrick Fitzgerald - Lombard O. Carm.

The Bible is Holy, for us Christians it is the book which we believe comes from God and tells us about God. It is said that God is the author of the Bible but his authorship comes through the human writers of the different books. Even if the Bible frequently speaks of human behaviour which is far from godly, nonetheless this ancient book is our holy book. Through our humanity in all its richness we are being led to God, a God who reveals himself in these pages, meets us where we are and invites our response so that we share in his life, become holy ourselves. We call the Bible the Word of God. Through this Word God makes himself known, reveals himself to us though what we read. This word is also about God because we come to know him better. Because the Bible is such an old book we do need help in reading it. We therefore read the Bible within the tradition of the Church as well as taking advantage of modern studies. Many may study it simply as an ancient document; we the baptised read the Bible with the eyes of faith.

Reading the Bible therefore becomes prayer. Reading the Bible we are meeting God and responding to him. If we are not familiar with the Bible then it is good to start by reading one of the Gospels. A simple way of praying with the Bible as our Bishop reminded us in his Christmas pastoral letter, is to imagine ourselves as part of the scene. Either we can be an independent observer of what is happening. Or we can take the part of someone in the story, one of the disciples, or even Jesus himself. However, we may find ourselves latching onto a few words within the passage we are reading. Then we need to stop our reading and mull over those words. Just what are these words telling me about God in my life. Reading begins with our minds but for us to really hear scripture we need to bring it down to our hearts and hear the words with love. This prayerful reading of a Bible passage requires time, it must be far slower than our normal reading pace, we need time to meditate on the words. Meditation is how we really hear our reading in our hearts and from our hearts we can respond in prayer to the Father.

For this reading we need to set aside twenty minutes on a regular basis, daily if possible, morning or evening, at a time when we can be alone. A lighted candle may help but plenty of silence is essential. A cycle will develop, when we have got as far as we can with reading and meditating and prayer then we go back to our reading. This reading of the Bible has been a path to holiness since the beginning of the Church. The process eventually became known as Lectio Divina, Latin for Holy Reading. It must be stressed that Lectio Divina is not a method but rather describes a process of prayer. The three stages we have just followed are known as Reading, Meditation and Prayer. In our Lectio the three will become mixed together. Reading comes down to us from God, which we take into ourselves through meditation. Our prayer then rises up to God - and God responds. Often this response of God may not be directly noticeable. At other times, God can give his grace to people directly and powerfully. These people we call mystics. They include great saints like St Teresa of Avila, yet we may be sure that there are many hidden mystics in the Church. We are called to holiness. This fourth stage is known as contemplation and is pure gift of God. His response to our prayer is to rest in his love.

One of the fruits of this prayer is sometimes called a fifth stage: action. Great people of prayer have also acted in great ways for God's kingdom in the Church. What we have received in prayer we cannot keep for ourselves. Having believed and committed ourselves to Christ, then we must bear witness by our lives to what God has called us. In summary, St John of the Cross adapted the Gospel of St Luke (11,19): "Seek in Reading and you will find in Meditation. Knock in Prayer and it will be opened to you in Contemplation."

RECENTLY PUBLISHED BIBLES FOR CHILDREN
These books have been brought to our attention. The descriptions are the publishers.

MV FIRST BIBLE BOARD BOOK
Packed with bright, lively pictures and large, simple text, this is an ideal book to introduce your child to the Bible's most popular stories along with key concepts like counting, colours and shapes to help nourish your child's curiosity. £4.99

MY VERY FIRST BIBLE
From Noah's ark to the Story of Easter, this beautifully crafted book combines some of the Bible's best-loved stories with exceptional expressive illustrations by Diana Mayo. Perfect for reading aloud to your child or grandchild. £9.99

CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED BIBLE
A beautifully illustrated edition of the Bible, in compact format. From the peak of Mount Sinai to the shores of the Sea of Galilee - Old and New Testament stories are brought to life with photographs and maps to put the stories in context. £9.99