How do you study the Bible? Fr. Simon preaches about the need for Catholics to study the Bible - which is a basic requirement, not an option, for Catholics.  He states that the Bible should be read prayerfully, because it's God way in which He usually speaks to us directly.  He warns against using the "Higher Criticism" style of Protestant Bible study that has crept into the Catholic Church over the last 60 years - it will not build your faith, but it will destroy it.  He cites some good examples of this.

He also cites some interesting 20th martyrs who gave their lives for Christ, including 34 year old Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, CMF, a Claretian missionary in the Basilan region of the Philippine Islands, became a modern day martyr on May 3, 2000 when he was tortured and murdered by Islamic rebels for refusing to wear Muslim clothing and say Muslim prayers.

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	1st Reading
	Psalm
	2nd Reading
	Gospel
	Written Transcript of Homily
	Footnotes

You know I really had a sermon I was happy with last night.

It was good enough.

But this morning....

Steve wasn't here, and we didn't have any canters....

So I led the singing at Mass....

So I listened to Fr. Ron's sermon.

It was a very good sermon. 

He told a very good story.

So I don't know how my sermon is going to come out now.

Because I was much more impressed with his sermon than mine.

He preached about the idea that God cares for you....

And he didn't mention it....

But he really was talking also about a story....

That really illustrated

"Everyone who acknowledges me..." the Lord says,

"before others.... I will acknowledge before my Heavenly father."

"But..... whoever denies me before others...."

"I will deny for my Heavenly Father."

He told the story about a priest who had been martyred in his part of the Philippines....

You see.... Fr. Ron comes from Mindanao....

And in a place where there is a great Muslim presence.

And there is one parish in the diocese....

That's actually in an almost predominately Muslim part of the island.

And it's very dangerous.

He told stories about nuns and school children who were kidnapped and priests being killed.

And he told particularly this story one priest....

I hope I have the name right, Fr. Rhoel Gallardo....

Who was taken by the Muslims and tortured. 

And in order to convince him to convert to Islam....

Which would have been a coup.... a great triumph....

They pulled off each of his finger nails.

And he refused to deny Christ then.... so they killed him.
 

see story about Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, CMF  a Claretian missionary in the Basilan region of the Philippine Islands

And of course, Fr. Ron comes from there....

And that's ultimately where he will exercise his ministry.

I thought listening to that....

You know if these people are Christian....

Then in what sense am I a Christian?

You know....

I just, I have to honestly think without God's grace....

Without a real grace from God - - - I simply do not know if I could do that.

You know?

In what sense am I a believer.

When I stand compared to those who are regularly martyred.

I mean all of us, if we look back to the 20th century....

(We) are aware of people who lived and died heroic lives for Christ.

You know, you can't go anywhere in the Archdiocese of Chicago without....

You know, you can't walk inside a church without tripping over a Filipino.

I mean, the Filipinos are.... are very Catholic, I've noticed. 

And, it makes sense....

Because, of course, they are people who are in the Philippines who gave their lives....

And who give their lives heroically for Christ. 

And.... the piety of the Filipinos.... I really believe....

Comes from the fact they understand the Gospel....

In a much more profound way then we.... overfed..... 

And I say that personally....

We overfed Americans.

Same as true....

I remember reading wonderful stories about the Romanian martyrs.

Who I mentioned them a few weeks ago....

Who would be in jail for Christ, and tortured, and they would go out, come home with their families, have dinner, and go back preaching on the streets and never be heard from again.

This is an amazing thing.... and Ron said it very succinctly....

That Fr. Rhoel could not deny Christ.... who was his Lord.... and whom he loved.

I mean.... that's ultimately what it is.

I mean.... how could you possibly be a martyr?

How can you go through that?

And.... the answer, of course, is grace.

But, the particular grace is love.

I mean.... 

There are things and people for whom everyone in this church would die, I suspect.

You would probably die for your children.

Rather than see your children suffer terribly....

You would gladly volunteer to take that child's place.

For your spouses....

How many have you said in the illness of your spouse:

"Lord, if you must.... take me.... not him.... not her."

The only good reason to give your life for Christ is for love.

And that brings me back to really what I planned to say.

I was at a priests' convocation and I think it was Cardinal George....

Who quoted.... I think was Pope John Paul....

I think it was Pope John Paul....

Might have been Benedict....

But, who said that the parish should be the school of prayer.

The parish should be the school of prayer.

And, in today's Rev. Know-It-All article, I talked about the Bible....

And that's what I want to talk about, but....

We Catholics read the Bible....

We should read the Bible in a different way than the world reads the Bible.

Or, even as other Christians read the Bible.

It said it should be read prayerfully - - - as reading the Oracles of God. 

Because, you see, prayer is a conversation. 

Our life is destined to be a conversation with God.

That's the purpose of our life.

And most of us don't understand prayer to really be in conversation with God.

When I pray... I'm always telling God what I want and what I need. 

We are like our children, you know?

Children, they can make you crazy.

They tell you:

"I want this, mommy!"

"I need this, daddy!"

"Can you give me this?"

And then they become teenagers....

And they don't talk to you at all.

You know... 

You've never had a conversation with them....

They come to you with their petitions....

And then they ignore you.

Well.... we are.... like they.

That our Heavenly father loves us....

And wants to spend His life in conversation with us.

And we forget that prayer is a conversation.

And.... it's perfectly legitimate....

As you love for your children to ask....

So.... God loves to have you ask.

But, if prayer stops at that....

Then it is not real prayer.

Prayer speaks - - - it listens.

And the normal way of God speaking is the Bible.

That God wants to speak to you.

And the scriptures are an amazing, amazing collection of documents....

Because they are living.

If you enter into the regular reading and study of scripture....

You will be amazed.... as you go along during your day....

How a verse you just read pops into your head.

You know?

I was sitting and watching a bonfire the other night....

And.... things had happened.... 

It had been a typical day....

And you know.... disasters....

I was visiting a family.... you know....

It had been one of those days....

In which it had involved a lot of blood and bandages....

And.... children.... and parents.... it was....

Why should I bother you with my troubles?

Where was I?

Well.... I'm sitting.... looking at this fire....

And, from the Book of Job the verse comes to mind:

"Man is inclined to trouble as the sparks fly upward."

And.... it made sense of the day....

You know, when you have difficulty in life....

"Man is inclined to trouble as the sparks fly upward."

The scriptures are a living document....

They're not like.... it's not like other books....

Because they breath the Holy Spirit. 

And, I say that because....

They are the essential part of the conversation with God that we are lacking. 

And.... to be a Christian....

We don't have the opportunity..... 

Here in this country....

Generally.... to die for Christ. 

But there's a way we cowardly Christians can be Christians, too.

If we cannot die for Him - - - we can live for Him.

We look at our religion as an obligation....

Young people say, "Well, it's boring."

Well, over the past forty years....

There has been a horrible kind of Bible study that has crept into the Church.

Just an evil, evil kind of Bible study.

And I mean that.

Protestantism was devastated in the 19th century by something called "higher criticism." 

And.... after the Second World War.....

We Catholics tried to be ecumenical....

Because, Lord knows, the Church in Europe was flat out.

And, we allow this kind of....

This approach to the Bible to come into Catholic circles.

And I think it was devastating. 

I know the approach to scripture I took was not really Bible study.

The approach I was taught in the seminary....

It was really Hebrew literature and translation. 

And it was much more interesting in analyzing the text....

And proving or disproving whether it happened or not.

The text was never allowed to speak. 

And chances are, if you sign up for a Bible study now, in the Catholic context....

What you're gonna get is something that will not build your faith....

It will destroy it.

Of course, there's higher criticism....

We need to look at the text - - - that's not the problem.

The issue is not.... the text though....

It is - - - "What is God saying to me in this text?"

The scriptures are true.

I remember a story of people criticizing.....

The text about Jesus healing a man at the pool with five porches. 

They pointed out that the building shape.....

The Pentagon building shape with the five sides was unknown in the ancient  world. 

Therefore.... that story must have been a pure fabrication. 

Well... turns out they dug up the porch.....

The pool with five porches.....

And there were one, two, three, four..... then one down the middle.... Five!

You see.... we think.... we in our vantage point....

We believe, somehow, that.....

We are superior to the people who have gone before us....

And that what they recorded as truth was, well, fabrication. 

But, the fact is..... that we are the fabricators. 

Our disrespect for those who have gone before us has divorced us from who we are. 

And the scriptures are true.

Moses passed through the sea.

Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son.

They're true.

These things happened.

And, they speak eternally to us. 

They are, as the Vatican Council said, the Oracles of God. 

Now..... it is essential..... that you and I study the Bible.

And we study it as prayer - - - not simply that we read it.

Somehow, we Catholics, we think that the Bible is optional.

It's not optional.

And..... I'm coming up to my second year....

And, believe it or not, I've been with you for two years.

And you've heard all my sermons and all my jokes by now.

I don't know what I'll do in the next few years....

I'll try.... believe me.

You'll forget the jokes and they'll be new again.

But... I was so struck by those words...

That the parish should be a school of prayer.

And that prayer is a dialog with God.

And unless we have that conversation with God....

We will never fall in love with Him.... enough to live for Him....

And, if need be, to die for Him.

The necessary component in our spiritual life I think that is missing is....

The belief that - - - it is true.

The understanding that God has spoken to the world.

And He wants to speak to me and you.

We cannot be fully Catholic....

We cannot be fully Christian....

Unless we can honestly say:

"Yes. God has spoken to me."

It sounds odd when you think about it.

We hear about people who are insane - who say God talks to them.

Well, yes, they may be crazy....

But, God talks to you, too.

God speaks.

St. Paul said:

"When you were heathen, brethren, you are let astray to mute idols."

Idols that did not speak.... dumb idols.

The fact is.... for Paul...

The point about God was that.... He spoke to him.

He spoke to him on the road to Damascus.

And, Paul's life became a conversation with God.

So, in September, we begin the year of St. Paul.

And, I suppose, that just at the beginning of summer....

I want to give you fair waning.... and to challenge you....

Can you honestly say that God speaks to you in your life?

I mean, our young people may say church is boring. 

Boring? 

If you knew that God was going to speak to you....

How could that possibly be boring?

That people should pass through the sea with dry feet....

That someone should rise from the dead.....

These things are not boring.

But, we diminish their truth.

And, they become boring.

But.... they are true.

And.... God does speak.

And, He wants to speak to me and to everyone here....

So that we might do His will.

And doing His will to become His children.

These things are not boring - - - if we understand that they are true.

So, I challenge you again....

Has God spoken to you?

It isn't for lack of His speaking....

It for lack of our listening that we do not hear Him.

Has God spoken to you?

And, how is it....

How is it that you are studying the Bible....

If you cannot say: "This is how I study the Bible."

Well, then, there is something lacking in your life....

Something important lacking.

We have lots of Bible studies in this parish.

Fr. Welsh has done yeoman service - - - now he's off for the summer.

I'm still teaching the Great Adventure (Bible Study)...

Oh, by the way, I have a meeting with the teachers tomorrow night....

So, I can't have the Bible study tomorrow....

We'll resume a week from Monday.

We have that Bible study....

There are hundreds of other ways to study the Bible.

I don't want you to study the Bible the way I want you to study it.

Study it as you would.

But, I ask the question....

Honestly....

How is it you are studying the Bible?

Well.... I go to the Church on Sunday.

That's studying the Bible?

How is it that you are hearing God speak?

Because, if you do not hear Him speak....

Then, you cannot be said to be praying.

So.....

Take fair warning....

When we start the year of St. Paul in September....

We will start.... the year of St. Paul.

And, pray God, that our Church increased in Holiness.

This is a very holy Church - - - and I've been here for two years.

And, I'm very impressed with the holiness of life of so many people.

But, it is not good enough to be holy - - - we must be holier.

And, our life must be increasingly consecrated to that relationship with God....

Of which Fr. Ron spoke so eloquently at the eight o'clock Mass.

We should be ready to always live for Him....

And, if need be, to die for Him.

We can only do that if we love Him....

And we can only love Him if we hear Him.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.