HOW TO READ THE HOLY BIBLE (Part II)

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

HOW TO READ THE HOLY BIBLE (Part II)
By Archimandrite Justin Popovic

PRAYERFUL PREPARATION

Just as important as knowing why we should read the Holy Bible is knowing how we should read the Holy Bible. The best guides for this are the Holy Fathers of the Church headed by Saint John Chrysostomos who, in a manner of speaking, has written a fifth Gospel. The Holy Fathers recommend serious preparation before reading and studying the Holy Bible; but of what does this preparation consist?

First of all in prayer. Pray to the Lord toIlluminate your mind — so that you may understand the words of the Holy Bible — and to fill your heart with His Grace — so that you may feel the truth and life of those words. Be aware that these are God’s words, which He is speaking and saying to you personally. Prayer, together with the other virtues found in the Gospel, is the best preparation a person can have for understanding the Holy Bible.
Just before the priest reads the Gospel reading of the day during the Divine Liturgy he reads inaudibly the following prayer:

"Illumine our hearts, O Master Who lovest mankind, with the pure light of Thy Divine
knowledge. Open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of Thy Gospel teachings.
Implant also in us the fear of Thy Blessed commandments, that, trampling down all
carnal desires, we may enter upon a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing
such things as are well-pleasing unto Thee. For Thou art the Illumination of our souls
and bodies, O Christ Our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, together with Thy Father,
Who is from everlasting, and Thine All-Holy, Good, and Life-creating Spirit, now and
ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen."

HOW SHOULD WE READ THE HOLY BIBLE

PRAYERFULLY and REVERENTLY, for in each word there is another drop of eternal truth, and all the words together make up the boundless ocean of the Eternal Truth.

The Holy Bible is NOT A BOOK but LIFE; because its words are "SPIRIT AND LIFE" (John 6:63). Therefore its words can be comprehended if we study them with the spirit of its spirit, and with the life of its life. It is a book that must be read with life — by PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE. One should first LIVE IT, and then UNDERSTAND IT. Here the words of the Savior apply: "Whoever is willing to do it — will understand that this teaching is from God" (John 7:17). DO IT, SO THAT YOU MAY UNDERSTAND IT. This is the fundamental rule of Orthodox exegesis.
At first one usually reads the Holy Bible quickly, and then more and more slowly, until finally he will begin to read not even word by word, because in each word he is discovering an everlasting truth and an ineffable mystery…

SEED IN OUR SOULS

By reading the Holy Bible you are adding years to the dough of your soul and body, which gradually expands and fills the soul until it ahs thoroughly permeated it and makes it rise with the truth and righteousness of the Gospel.
In every instance, the Savior’s Parable about the sower and the seed can be applied to everyone one of us. The seed of Divine Truth is given to us in the Holy ‘Bible. By reading it, WE SOW THE SEED IN OUR OWN SOUL. It falls on the rocky and thorny ground of our soul, but a little also falls on the good soil of our heart — AND BEARS FRUIT. And when you catch sight of the fruit and taste it, the sweetness and joy will spur you to clear and plow the rocky and thorny areas of your soul and sow it with the seed of the word of God…

The beginning of wisdom IS TO LISTEN TO GODS’ WORD (Matthew 7:24-25). Every word of the Savior has the power and the might to heal both physical and spiritual ailments. "Say the word and my servant will be healed" (Matthew 8:8). The Savior said the word — and the centurion’s servant was healed. Just as He once did, the Lord evsen now ceaselessly says His words to you, to me, and to all of us. But we must pause, and immerse ourselves in them and receive them — with the centurion’s faith. And a miracle will happen to us, and our souls will be healed just as the centurion’s was healed.
…He still does this today, because the Lord Jesus "IS THE SAME YESTERDAY AND TODAY AND FOREVER" (Hebews 13:8)…

BE A BROTHER OF CHRIST

In each word of the Savior there is more eternity and permanence than in all of heaven and earth with all their history. Hence He said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Matthew 24:35)… If a man accpts the;m, he is more permanent than heaven and earth, because there is a power in them that immortalizes man and makes him eternal..
Learning and fulfilling the words of God makes a person a relative of the Lord Jesus. He Himself revealed this when He said: "My mother and my brothers are THOSE WHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND CARRY IT OUT" (Luke 8:21)… In learning from the Holy Bible, a certain blessedness floods the soul which resembles nothing on earth. The Savior spoke about this when He said, "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND KEEP IT" (Luke 11:28).

WORDS OF THE WORD

Great is the mystery of the word — so great that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Christ the Lord, is called "the Word" or "the Logos" in the Holy Bible. God is the Word (John 1:1). All those words which come from the Eternal and absolute Word are full of God, Divine Truth, Eternal, and Righteousness. If you listen to them, YOU ARE LISTENING TO GOD. If you read them, YOU ARE READING THE DIRECT WORDS OF GOD. God the Word became flesh, became man (John 1:14), and mute, stuttering man began to proclaim the words of the eternal truth and righteousness of God.
(Resources: The Bible and The Holy Fathers For Orthodox)

____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George