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Understanding Lent and the Penitential Action of Reading Scripture
With the arrival of Lent, many of us find ourselves asking the typical questions: What will I be giving up as a penitential sacrifice? How will I grow closer to the Lord? Choosing to dedicate more time to the reading of Scripture during Lent is something that has a clear relationship to the penitential process. Understanding this will strengthen our consideration for how we integrate Scripture into our routines.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that through Lent we enter into “the mystery of Jesus in the desert” (CCC 540). This is evident when the Church prays these words during the Collect at Mass on Ash Wednesday:
Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ…
When we enter into this mystery in Lent, we find Him in our sacrifices, in our desire for closeness with God, and in our battles with the Tempter.
Pope Pius XII taught that the Church’s return to Lent each year is:
…[to] consider our misery, so that we may be urged to do practical emendation of our lives, detest our sins heartily and expiate them by prayer and penance. For constant prayer and penance done for past sins obtain for us divine help, without which every work of ours is useless and unavailing. (Mediator Dei, 157)
The Second Vatican Council called for the diligent hearing of the Word of God and prayer as part of the Lenten preparation for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 109). In the section on the Sacrament of Penance within, when exploring the importance of the Eucharist and Confession as forms of penance (CCC 1436), but before mentioning Lent as a penitential season (CCC 1438), the Catechism lists other forms of penance with Scripture first. It “revives the spirit of conversion and repentance within us and contributes to the forgiveness of our sins” (CCC 1437). Benedict XVI taught, the “reading of the word of God sustains us on our journey of penance and conversion, enables us to deepen our sense of belonging to the Church, and helps us to grow in familiarity with God” (Verbum Domini, 87).
To allow Scripture to become a more consistent, intentional, reverent, and blessedly fruitful part of your journey, I offer you these eight tips for developing a habit of reading Scripture.
8 Tips for Spending More Time with Scripture this Lent
Step 1: Where to Begin
First, you need to determine where to begin, since the Bible is a collection of books from different genres and moments in history. If you haven’t spent a lot of time with Scripture, you could work your way through one, multiple, or all of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The “Gospels have a special preeminence, and rightly so, for they are the principal witness for the life and teachings of the incarnate Word, our savior” (Dei Verbum, 18). Beginning with the Gospels is an excellent way of preparing for Christ’s mysteries.
Otherwise, you might consider some of the New Testament letters, or read through the Book of Job to contemplate suffering, or Exodus to consider the spiritual slavery of sin and the freedom that comes from God. You might also consider spending time with the Psalms, which are a collection of prayers expressing a wide range of human feelings in relation to God (Verbum Domini, 24).
Step 2: Set Apart the Time
Next, discern when best to spend time with the Lord reading the inspired Scriptures. Having a real goal of how you will make time for your Lenten observances is important. Appealing to St. Jerome, Pope Benedict XVI urged the frequent reading of Scripture. Pope Leo XIV said, “Sacred Scripture illuminates our lives in all circumstances and in every need…Therefore, I encourage you to read it every day, especially the Gospels, and to know it ever better under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”
Step 3: Set a Reminder
Whether it is setting an alarm on your devices, similar to the role of church bells, or having written reminders, anyone that has worked hard to consistently develop a habit knows that it requires a lot of effort and help in the beginning.
Step 4: Don’t Get Discouraged by Scandal
While Scripture is “inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16), not every detail in Scripture is something to imitate. You will come across details of scandalous actions by famous biblical figures in their moments of sin. There is something to be learned from those moments, but their inclusion in Scripture is not a sign of God’s tolerance of such actions. While there are details in Scripture that are explicit prescriptions for what to believe and how to act, some difficult details or events are descriptive of what fallen humans did within Salvation History.
Step 5: Embrace the Journey Towards Understanding
Not everything in Scripture is easy to understand. Sometimes it seems contradictory, but that does not mean it is contradictory. If Scripture is inspired, then either God made a mistake or the appearance of contradiction is due to something not yet resolved for the reader.
You don’t need to settle every issue during this Lenten journey. The key is to remain within the Church: ask your priest questions, keep frequenting the sacraments, and keep learning the Faith. Benedict XVI taught:
The Bible was written by the People of God for the People of God, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Only in this communion with the People of God can we truly enter as a ‘we’ into the heart of the truth that God himself wishes to convey to us…An authentic interpretation of the Bible must always be in harmony with the faith of the Catholic Church. (Verbum Domini, 30)
Step 6: Cultivate Your Interior Disposition
As you enter into the Scriptures and develop your routines, be mindful of how you read. Don’t rush through it or approach it like entertaining novels, such as The Lord of the Rings. Practice acts and dispositions of reverence, wonder, and awe when reading Scripture. In Scripture, we come to know God as He revealed Himself in history (Verbum Domini, 18). St. Jerome is known for saying “ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ,” which also means, knowing Scripture helps you to know Christ.
Step 7: Start Small
It may take a few attempts to get the above going in any sort of routine. If you find it difficult, start small to establish routines. Eventually, you will want to move from intentional, scheduled, reverent readings of Scripture to occasions for more spontaneous, personal, prayerful readings. Pope Benedict XVI in Verbum Domini mentioned how the Church Fathers approached Scripture as a dialogue with God. He quotes St. Augustine: “Your prayer is the word you speak to God. When you read the Bible, God speaks to you; when you pray, you speak to God” (Verbum Domini, 86). He also recommends Lectio Divina. You can find many resources on this prayerful approach to Scripture on Catholic Exchange. (Like this one!)
Step 8: Apply It to Your Daily Life
As you grow in knowledge of, time spent, and prayer with Scripture, allow it to inform your day and how you live. Pope Francis explained that Scripture can be applied to daily life, but also that Scripture can help you discover the meaning of your experiences (Aperuit Illis, 4, 5). Think on it throughout the day, repeat ideas and phrases, return to things that came up in prayer, and discover how your day’s thoughts, words, and actions can then become an extension of that dialogue with God.
The hope is that when you approach the Sacred Liturgies surrounding Holy Week and the Easter season, your Lenten observances have deepened your conversion away from sin and toward the Holy One, progressed your pilgrimage in and toward Him, and allowed the power of the resurrection to transform your way of seeing, thinking, and living.
Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash
