Reading the Bible in a Year

The most widely sold and arguably most impactful books that has ever been published in the history of mankind is the Bible. The story of salvation history lived out through the millennia, God's inspired words and I haven't (yet) read the whole thing.

Not that I'm unfamiliar. I grew up Catholic, so I learned the stories that were taught in religious education classes, we heard the Gospels preached at Mass and praying the Rosary helped illuminate significant moments in Jesus' and Mary's lives. As a family, we lived out these stories of Jesus during certain times in our liturgical year. During Christmas, a Nativity scene stayed at the forefront of our celebrations. In the center of our empty table on Good Friday, we built a solemn altar with a bust of Christ of Limpias, crown of thorns and dried palms on top of stone and dirt.

Robert Powell

To this day, certain biblical stories from the New Testament will spark an image of a scene with Robert Powell as he portrays Jesus of Nazareth.

In addition to the general seasons of the year, the stories of the Bible were visible each Sunday at Mass. The Catholic Mass contains readings from the Old Testament, New Testament and the Gospels, so growing up, it seemed second nature to learn the stories, even if I didn't read from the book of the Bible.

As I got older, I volunteered to be a lector at Mass, a person who proclaims these readings from the Old and New Testaments. As I read them aloud to the people of my parish, they began to come alive for me. I spent quite a bit of time analyzing the words and the phrases so that they wouldn't remain just words being read aloud, but rather a story or a message from a loving Father to his children. I had heard too many lectors read aloud words that were stale and I felt that God had to have intended more for us than an ancient story that used to be relevant.

It wasn't until my Christ Renews His Parish weekend that I got more serious about reading and encountering Holy Scripture. Through the course of formation as we prepared to put on a retreat, we read the entire New Testament. By spending a little time each day reading these inspired Words, it actually changed me and I began to see the wisdom come alive in small ways during my daily life.

So, I added reading the entire Bible to my bucket list. What a happy coincidence (although you know that there are no such things as coincidences, right?) that Ascension Presents announced a brand new program called Bible In A Year with Father Mike Schmitz.

So, January 1, 2020, I started listening to this podcast on Spotify. During each podcast episode, Father reads a few passages from Scripture, prays and gives a quick reflection on the characters, the storyline and how it applies to our lives today.

And despite the fact that I'm currently behind in listening every day, I cannot say enough positive things about this podcast and how Father Mike's approachable, authentic and encouraging demeanor has actually enhanced my understanding.

The Bible in a Year...where we encounter God's voice and life live through the lens of Scripture.

Before listening to this podcast, I had written off much of the Old Testament as good, but perhaps "less than" in matter of importance compared to the New. But what I'm finding is a richness that I never knew existed. The characters are much more human and relatable than I ever gave them credit for.

Father Mike and theologian Jeff Cavins developed this beautiful reading plan for the Bible in a Year that divides the books of the Bible into themes so that they are more digestible. And throughout the year, the four Gospels are included, out of chronological order, so that we are able to see (sooner) how the story of salvation told in the Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus. Jeff and Father Mike also introduce the stylistic writing used to write each Gospel and why that is important to discerning and learning a new way to understand and encounter the story of Jesus.

It was actually through that conversation that I realized how in love I am with the Gospel of John. As I listened to Father Mike say the words that I've heard my entire life, within the context of writing and history given by Jeff Cavins, I drew into a new closeness to God that I can only describe as beautiful. Now, the next thing to do is a challenge that Jeff articulated:

Discover the Gospel that resonates with you the most and memorize it.

Gospel of John: I'm coming for you.

If you haven't checked out this podcast, you can listen below. I highly recommend starting at the beginning, but even if you come in at a random episode- I promise that God will honor it and teach you something that will impact your life.