The Word

The theme of various blogs I have been reading lately all lead to a renewed connection to The Word of God through Holy Scripture. So, when Steph posed the invitation to join her in "The Bible in 90 Days" it seemed like a timely endeavor.

To some it may sound a bit gimmicky, but I have been thinking about it quite a bit and don't think it is (or at least doesn't have to be). Actually I think it's an opportunity to immerse oneself in Scripture, to get soaked (if you will) and then in the days that follow allow the nutrients of God's Word to nourish the soul and re-energize it. That's kind of the way I am approaching it.

In part due to the nature of the work I do on a daily basis, I am what I would categorize as "a quick reader." What I mean by that is I can read volumes pretty quickly to get a picture of the message. As a result, however, I have in some way become a slow synthesizer especially when it comes to messages that are meant to penetrate and transform. So I think the "immerse, soak, and nourish" metaphor I have posed works well for me. That's not to say that I won't also contemplate and meditate daily as I read, but it allows me the benefit of letting The Word linger and work on me over time as well.

I am blessed that in my own religious formation and catechesis I was introduced to Scripture as something to go to. In sixth grade, it was a year of the Bible for religion class (NAV). In high school, there again was Old Testament and New Testament classes and the freshman year, "Jesus of History, Christ of Faith" class that was Scripture-based. However, I am sad to say that since then (not having gone to a Catholic college) that my formal study of Scripture has been limited mostly to building off what I had previously studied and reflecting anew on what I hear and read. I am hoping that this endeavor with the "Bible Blog" team will be an experience of renewed connection to The Word as expressed through Scripture.

Check out the blog where we will be posting the fruits of our contemplation. It's a very diverse group who've stepped forward to take the challenge and keep one another on track. I think it will be very interesting and enlightening to share The Word across our differences and discover commonalities born of the Spirit of The Word.

Bereshit, Hebrew for "in the beginning" and that's where we begin, Genesis 1:1.