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2. Study and be Awed - Continued
Three Spiritual Senses
When you read the passage with the literal sense, then do you now use the spiritual sense. There are three spiritual senses that we are encouraged to engage and they are the allegorical, moral and anagogical senses.[1]
The allegorical is when we see how the stories of Scripture relate to Christ. What are the connections within the Bible that help to deepen our understanding of Christ? What are the connections between the Old and New Testament passages? Where do we see the sacraments and liturgy in the passage?
The moral sense is reading Scripture to help us understand how to live by God’s will, this will guide us to act justly. How do I live now in my time and circumstance? What do I do and how do I react when I encounter a particular situation? How can I bring God’s love to the people around me?
The anagogical sense is reading the Bible as pointing us to heaven and seeing the rewards that God wishes to bestow upon us in the next life. How should I live so that I will get to heaven? How is the Church a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem?
To help us remember the above spiritual senses, you may analogously relate them to the “past, present and future”. The allegorical relates to the past, where the Bible shows us the plan of salvation that God put into place to prepare for, and is fulfilled by, the coming of Christ. As St. Augustine once observed, the “New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New”. The moral sense relates to the present, where the Bible teaches us how to live our Christian lives now. The anagogical sense relates to the future, where the Bible focuses us forward to our goal of heaven.
Applying the Senses
When we read in Luke 2:7 that Mary laid Jesus in a manger, the literal sense paints us a picture of Mary putting Jesus in the feeding trough for animals and that is all we might glean from the literal sense. This is good because that is the foundational way of understanding Scripture. From the literal sense, we will move into the spiritual sense which might connect in us that Jesus being laid in the manger is being presented as food, an allusion to the Eucharist which is the bread of life (the allegorical sense).
When it comes to the Eucharist, Jesus commanded his followers to “Take and eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). This is a call by Jesus for us to receive the graces to live our lives and it was not an option given but a command, it is something we must do as part of our Christian life (the moral sense). But this gift of the Eucharist is for our benefit, as Jesus emphasized that he is the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever (John 6:51). A reminder of how the Eucharist plays a role in our salvation and everlasting life in heaven (the anagogical sense).
Studying the Bible can be a daunting task especially when you are at the beginning of your own spiritual journey. Ultimately, the question to ask is what is Scripture telling me about how I should live my life in conformity to God’s will. This is a mark of a true disciple who is seeking Jesus in his/her life.
3. Pray and Be Loved
This might come as a surprise to some or many Catholics because you may or may not have heard of praying Scripture before. But it is something we are doing at every mass and embedded in many Catholic devotions.
We will consider the readings at mass, the Rosary, and Lectio Divina.
The Mass
Ever realised that the Mass is filled with scriptural references? Here are some verses that might sound familiar: “The Lord be with you” (Ruth 2:4), “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (Galatians 6:18), “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” (Matthew 8:8), and more. From beginning to the end, we are reciting scripture (who says Catholics don’t know their Bible). Our highest form of worship is not filled with random words that we came up with but pulls the antiphons, responses, and blessings all from Sacred Scripture because the Church knows there is nothing better than the Word of God when it comes to worship.
The Catholic Lectionary is another great gift of the Church. When we go for mass, we are given a series of readings and a psalm that connects to a theme that makes the Scripture come alive for us. How can we better prepare to pray the Scripture at mass? First, read the readings beforehand. Many times, we go to mass without preparation. It is encouraged that we prepare ourselves for mass and one of the things we can do is to read the readings. Using the senses we learnt above, we can start to meditate on the passages, reflect on their meaning and what God is sharing with us. This opens our minds and hearts to hear the words again during mass and also for what we have thought about to be augmented by the homily.
Notice how the readings are linked! Look at the readings for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The first reading is from Revelation 11 where God reveals to John the Temple in heaven which contains the ark who is a woman clothed with the sun. When reading this, we might wonder who this woman is. But when we get to the Gospel (Luke 1:39-56), the Church gives us an answer. The woman is Mary who is the new Ark of the Covenant, Jesus. The Church has made it easy for us to use our spiritual senses of Scripture simply by preparing ourselves when we go for mass.
Mass is the highest form of worship of the Christian life. As disciples, we want to be fully present because Jesus gives us Himself. We need to prepare our hearts and minds to receive Him by reading the readings in advance and reflecting on them.
The Liturgy of the Hours
The Liturgy of the Hours is the public daily prayer of the Church. Like the Mass, it is an official prayer of the Church. The Liturgy of the Hours is a response to Jesus’ command to “pray always without becoming weary” (Luke 18:1). We puncture our day with prayer such that we are praying unceasingly. This prayer uses Sacred Scripture heavily. It taps on the Psalms and the canticles (songs) of the Old and New Testaments. During morning prayer, we will recite the Canticle of Zechariah, the Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79). At evening prayer, we recite the Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). At night, the Canticle of Simeon, the Nunc Dimittis, is recited (Luke 2:29-32). The canticles are songs of praise to God which resonate with life. Even when we are praying the Liturgy of the Hours alone, we are praying it together with all the other members of the Church around the world and we unite ourselves with Christ’s prayer of praise and thanksgiving to the Father using the sacred words of Scripture.
The Rosary
The Rosary has been lauded by so many saints that it cannot be ignored and should be tried. Scripture plays a prominent role in the Rosary through the mysteries that we meditate on in each decade. The mysteries of the Rosary take us through the key moments of the life of Christ and this is why Pope St. John Paul II describes the Rosary as “at heart a Christocentric prayer”. [2]
Before each decade, read the corresponding Scripture passage and meditate on it as you are reciting the prayers of the decade. Think about the passage and what does this particular event in the life of Christ means to us and humanity. When you have gone through all four mysteries, you will have meditated and reflected on the whole life of Christ. No better way to grow in discipleship then to meditate on the life of the Master so that we can imitate him.
Lectio Divina
This is an ancient form of prayer which comes from the monks of the early Church. Lectio Divina in Latin translates to Divine Reading. This practice was used by the monks to meditate on God’s word. The prayer has 4 basic steps, 1) Lectio (reading), 2) Meditatio (meditation), 3) Oratio (prayer), and 4) Contemplatio (contemplation). In recent times, people have recommended a fifth step, Operatio (action), which I think is a good addition to share here.
The first step is to read the texts (lectio). Read it at least twice slowly. Read it out loud if it helps you. Let the words sink into you so that you come to understand what it is saying.
Second, meditate on what you have just read (meditatio). Put yourself into the scene, imagine you are there. What is the text trying to say to you? What is the direction of the text? Approach the text within the context of your life and circumstances.
The third step is prayer (oratio). Meditation leads to prayer. When we have heard God’s Word and it has transformed our hearts, we will want to respond to God. What do you want to say to God? Is it a prayer of thanks or petition? Is it a heartfelt discussion with the God who loves us? What response does the text call from you? Prayer is a dialogue with God. Pause to listen to God and what He is trying to say to you.
The last step is contemplation (contemplatio). This means resting in God. We have heard His Word, spoken to Him, now it is simply being in the presence of the God who loves us. Open our minds to all that God wants to convey to us.
The fifth newest step of action (operatio) encourages us to put into action the fruits of our time in Lectio Divina. This could be a call to repentance, to change our ways, a call to evangelise. Make a practical resolution to bring Christ to others and to encourage them to be disciples too.
Teh-C Peng and Bible-Saturated Catholics
Many of us love ordering our “Teh-C Peng” in Singapore kopitiams. A perfect drink in the morning to accompany your two wobbly dark orange half-boiled eggs and perfectly charred kaya toasts. Or your gravy-licious spicy and savoury Mee Rebus. Sedap!!
Makansutra writes that it was brought to their attention that around 2010, a local newspaper reported that “C” refers to “Carnation”, which is a brand of canned evaporated milk most commonly used by coffeeshops here (although, according to Makansutra, if you ask the Hainanese, they will have a different explanation for the word “C”). However you look at it, the “C” adds sweetness to the “Teh”.
A Bible-saturated Catholic (one who reads, studies and prays the Bible) is like Teh-C Peng – the “C” being Christ, the Word of God made flesh. Without it, Catholics become plain and somewhat bitter like Teh O Kosong (although leaving aside the spiritual analogy, some might argue it is the healthiest choice of drink). Indeed, the Word of God is “more desirable than gold, than a hoard of purest gold, sweeter also than honey or drippings from the comb” (Psalm 19:11), and some say sweeter than Carnation brand evaporated milk.
Yes, a Bible-saturated Catholic becomes an effervescent disciple and matures into an effective discipler. For “All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17 Jerusalem Bible).
Let us all aspire to and ask the Holy Spirit to make us become Teh-C Peng type, Bible-saturated Catholics!
Conclusion
Read and be transformed. Study and be awed. Pray and be loved.
As you are on the journey of discipleship, this is the beginning of getting to know the Bible. There is still so much about Sacred Scripture to find out and get to know. This is only the start of a wonderful journey into God’s Word and we commend you to continue reading, studying and praying Scripture.
Someone was once asked what the best Bible is, and the reply given was the one that you read. As long as you are reading the Bible, it is already a grace given by God.
Closing Prayer
God our Father, you gave us your Word so that it will enrich our lives and bring us closer to you. Be with us as we go deeper into your Word. May the meaning come alive in our lives and allow us to learn more about you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
* Thank you for joining us on the A-Z of DiscipleSHIP. We look forward to having you with us again next month, as we dive into the letter “C”, for the Creed.
Recommended Closing Song
Recommended Readings
Mark P. Shea, “Making Sense Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible as the First Christians Did” (for more in-depth explanation on the four senses of Scripture)
Footnotes
[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 117. [2] Rosarium Virginis Mariae “The Rosary of the Virgin Mary” (2002), 1.
© Presented by the Catholic Theology Network (writers / contributors / sound): Keenan Tan (M.A., Theology, Augustine Institute), Dominic Chan (M.A., Theology, Augustine Institute), Nick Chui (MTS, JPII Institute for Marriage and Family, AU), Debra Dass (Diploma in Theology, CTIS), Marcia Vanderstraaten (Diploma in Theology, CTIS); publicity & design: Chandra Nugraha.