A double-edged sword
This issue of the magazine has been mostly concerned with education. But, of course, education is not supposed to come to an abrupt end the moment we finish school and step out into the “real world.” It is meant to be a lifelong pursuit. And we are supposed to feed the whole human being in an ongoing way: the intellectual, the physical, and the spiritual. Perhaps that last one has fallen on hard times and, for many, is suffering from malnutrition. How do we go about feeding a little life into it with some spiritual nourishment?
This issue of the magazine has been mostly concerned with education. But, of course, education is not supposed to come to an abrupt end the moment we finish school and step out into the “real world.” It is meant to be a lifelong pursuit. And we are supposed to feed the whole human being in an ongoing way: the intellectual, the physical, and the spiritual. Perhaps that last one has fallen on hard times and, for many, is suffering from malnutrition. How do we go about feeding a little life into it with some spiritual nourishment?
Much hype has been bandied about regarding “read the Bible in a year” programs. I have come across a number of people who have managed to complete this scriptural workout and view it proudly as a lifetime achievement. I don’t think I could entirely benefit from such an exercise since I am such a slow reader. I would probably end up finishing the book of Revelation several hundred years hence in a quiet corner somewhere in purgatory. Nevertheless, it is true that Scripture study is very important to our understanding of how God’s mercies have intervened in human history.
Unfortunately, it can be easy to treat Scripture study simply as an intellectual Everest to climb, not much different from any other cerebral challenge. The author of the devotional classic The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis, has this to say about the life of study:
“If only their lives had kept pace with their learning, then their study and reading would have been worthwhile. How many there are who perish because of vain worldly knowledge and too little care for serving God. They became vain in their own conceits because they chose to be great rather than humble.”
What is most important to our progress along the winding path to our ultimate destination in heaven is not how much chapter and verse we can quote, but whether we have become perfect in love. What really decides whether, in the end, we get to sneak through the pearly gates comes down to how well we have loved God and our neighbor.
St. Jerome, that indefatigable translator of the entire Bible, warned that “ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.” He maintained that Scripture contained “the power and the wisdom of God.” Interesting. Not just the wisdom of God, but his power also. The word of God is not like any other writing that we can study as though it were a secular text. It has real power in it. Exorcists use Scripture all the time precisely because it has power and can be used as a spiritual weapon. Didn’t Jesus use the words of Scripture to refute Satan’s enticements in the desert?
Scripture has the power to change us, but only if we let ourselves be changed. In other words, if we have an ongoing relationship with God, then the words of Scripture feed into that relationship. Often God speaks to us through his word; he speaks into our brokenness and brings healing and hope.
I well remember, years ago, when studying biblical Greek, the thrill of suddenly realizing that I was reading the very words in which the Gospel of Mark had been written 2,000 years ago. It was as if a hand had reached out from the words on the page into my soul and planted the words of life in me. It was as though God was speaking directly to me — which he was.
Thus, Scripture study is most effective if the person studying has a vibrant relationship with God; and our spiritual life is most effective if we bolster it with regularly reading and studying Scripture. Two sides of the same coin. Two crutches to help us on the road to heaven. Two edges of a double-edged sword.
If we have let our reading of Scripture lapse or perhaps have never thought about regular Bible study at all, let’s dive right in and make it a daily practice. Because practice makes perfect, and perfect gets us into heaven.
