THE BIBLE AS ADVENTURE
- A short story to begin with…
Long, long time ago, there was a novice who said to his master: “Father, I read the Biblevery often, but I forget everything immediately”. Then, the Master sent the young noviceto take water from a well with a broken and dirty bucket. An hour after, he asked: Did you get any water from the well? – No, I could not, answered the disciple- everything is gone from the holes. What about the bucket, asked the Master? Ahhhh!!! The bucket iscompletely clean, without dirt and dust!!! Look, said the Master: “this is what thereading of the Word of God does to your life, even though you keep almost nothing in your memory, the Word of God cleans and purifies your soul and, at the same time,cancels the marks of your sins”.
Why to read the Bible?
The Bible is still unknown to many Christians
today, even though it contains thegreatest treasure: the Word of God. This magnificent treasure is not hidden nor has a lock,it’s open to those who are interested and want to spend sometime reading or searching for the truth. We know all the movies, the most famous actors and actresses, all the news,every kind of games (chess, cards, computer, etc.) and many music bands; the Bibleinstead is kept in the drawer of our desk as a protection against dust, dirt and book termites. Some people even say that they have no money to buy a cheap Bible; othersquestion: Why should I read that book? Where is it said that I have to? This is not my business; it’s just for priests and sisters.
The Bible is a meditation or reflection, based on faith, on the universal history
. In itwe find the memories of the past through which the humankind can understand itsdestiny. An example: In certain moments of our life we feel the need to stop and reflectabout the past (how did I get in here?). Some of the memories are blurred. We can ask witnesses about the important events, but everyone remembers according to personalsituations or interests. We can check once more the tracks of the past: pictures, poems,letters, clothes, books, etc. Al these elements maybe will not help us to reconstruct our past history, but they will be very useful in order to comprehend what we had in the heartand mind at that time, our feelings and emotions, and that is the most wonderfuldiscovery. Our goal is not to discover the past history, but recalling the stages of the pastwe understand our present situation (why are we like this?). This is what the Bible is for the people of Israel.
The Bible is an interpretation of history
. When we remember the facts of the past, wealso want to discover their meaning. We want to know why these events took place.2
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Thanks brother