| Is our primary objective in life to become | | | | meditating on the sacred word of God because |
| like Jesus? Of course. How do we do it? Well, | | | | it really did reveal God to them. This is |
| ask another one that will take less than | | | | especially important for Christians when |
| fifty books to answer! | | | | meditating on the New Testament. Indeed, |
| | | | Ignatius of Loyola especially has highlighted |
| But there is an important way which can take | | | | the way in which we meet Jesus in a new way |
| us well down the road. Moreover, it is a | | | | through the gospels. God can reach out to us |
| particular and integrated part of the | | | | in different ways when we properly reflect on |
| Catholic tradition: meditation. | | | | the word he has given to us. |
| | | | |
| Not any kind of meditation - and certainly | | | | We do buy the Bible but we seem to make |
| none of the kinds imported from eastern | | | | little use of it.. Why? |
| religions such as Hinduism. It is a Christian | | | | |
| and Catholic traditional way hallowed by time | | | | Why Meditation Is Important |
| and the efforts of saints co-operating with | | | | |
| God's graces. These include such people as | | | | Probably the major reason is that people |
| Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Cross, | | | | often find the Bible to be boring. It is of |
| Therese of Avila and many others. This | | | | little use to tell people that it is not |
| article discusses this powerful approach to | | | | boring if that is their experience. There are |
| prayer. (A fuller discussion can be found in | | | | many reasons for this impression. However, |
| "The Keys To Growing Through Christian | | | | the purpose here is not to explore these but |
| Meditation" at | | | | to suggest that meditation on God's word in |
| | | | Scripture is the major way to discover that |
| Meditating On What? | | | | it is anything but boring - in fact, to find |
| | | | that it is the most exciting book every |
| One of the greatest expressions of God's love | | | | written. And that it is a key to unlocking |
| for us is that he has provided for us a book | | | | our further spiritual growth. |
| which reveals much about himself, the way to | | | | |
| salvation and what he desires of each of us. | | | | We cannot go into a proper instruction here |
| Most of all, perhaps, there lies within it | | | | on how to meditate on Scripture, but we can |
| knowledge of how great is his personal love | | | | make two major points which may encourage the |
| for each of us. | | | | reader to explore further. (e.g. through the |
| | | | present writer's The Keys To Christian |
| That book is, of course, the Bible. Both the | | | | Meditation |
| Old and, especially the New Testament are | | | | |
| there entirely for our benefit. Indeed, in | | | | The first is that Scripture really is God's |
| recent times the Catholic Church has drawn | | | | word to us. The Catholic Church does teach |
| attention on several major ocassion to the | | | | that every word of Scripture is divinely |
| importance of Scripture and of the need for | | | | inspired. Thus theDogmatic Constitution on |
| us to avail ourselves of it. | | | | Divine Revelation says it teaches without |
| | | | error that truth which God wanted put into |
| Thus, for example, the Dogmatic Constitution | | | | sacred writings... If God did this for our |
| On Divine Revelation (promulgated by Pope | | | | benefit, the least we can do is make the |
| Paul VI, 1965) stresses that ... the Father | | | | effort to investigate it. |
| who is in heaven meets his children with | | | | |
| great love and speaks to them; and the force | | | | But secondly, we are missing the whole point |
| and power in the word of God is so great that | | | | if we seek to undertake that for ourselves. |
| it stands as the support and energy of the | | | | This is one, if not the main reason why |
| Church, the strength of faith for her sons, | | | | people find the Bible boring. When we read |
| the food of the soul, the pure and | | | | the Bible, and most of all when we meditate |
| everlasting source of spiritual life. | | | | on it, we need to ask its Author to guide us. |
| | | | That is the Holy Spirit, and it is he who |
| This latter point is of particular relevance | | | | will show us that his book is anything but |
| here: the pure and everlasting source of | | | | boring. |
| spiritual life. Moreover, after the Second | | | | |
| Vatican Council Catholics have had made | | | | Let us understand clearly what this is |
| available to them several translations from | | | | concerned with. We are not talking about that |
| the original languages of the Bible. For | | | | kind of divine revelation which properly |
| example, we have the Jerusalem Bible, the New | | | | belongs to the Church. We are opening |
| Jerusalem Bible and the New American Bible. | | | | ourselves to those personal communications of |
| For those who do develop a love of, and | | | | the Spirit to which so many of the saints |
| interest in Scripture, these are all | | | | have opened themselves. God communicates with |
| available with explanatory footnotes and | | | | his people in all kinds of ways, but this is |
| introductions to the various books of the | | | | one of the most important. And so many of us |
| Bible which put them in historical, cultural | | | | miss it. We may not have lost the plot but |
| and spiritual context. | | | | reading the Book certainly helps us to put it |
| | | | up front. And meditating on it does more than |
| But it is sad that not many more Catholics | | | | merely keep it there. Meditation on Scripture |
| seem to make use of what is available to them | | | | has the potential to bring us into a new |
| through Scripture. The saints mentioned | | | | experiencial knowledge of God and a much |
| above, and many, many others, spent time | | | | deeper understanding of our life of faith. |