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