MATL - My Relationship with the Bible

Prompt:  When were you first introduced to the Bible? If it was as a child, how did your understanding of the Bible evolve throughout your life? Were there any points where your understanding was severely challenged, and what did you do about it? How do you approach the Bible? Does your approach differ according to the context? What are your biggest questions about the Bible? What parts of the Bible are the most difficult for you?

My parents read to us, and told us bedtime stories, since we were infants. I assume my earliest exposure to biblical stories came from these traditions with my parents- some assortment of Little Golden Books and personal narrative. My first clear recollection of a Bible comes from The Children's Bible in 365 Stories.  In addition to containing beautiful illustrations, the book neatly and fairly accurately summarizes the major points of the Bible in a child-friendly format. I used to read the book, cover to cover, like a novel. I remember being particularly enamored by the Old Testament stories…I suspect because that was where the women were.  This became a bigger issue for me later in life, but early on I was just interested in reading stories about people who might be like me. I was fascinated by the drawings of Delilah, Bathsheba, and Jezebel because of their beautiful costumes, but my teachers encouraged me to think about Sarah, Rachel, Leah, and Ruth. I was quite a bit older before I realized why.

My mother, who converted to Catholicism as an adult and after her marriage and first two children, insisted that all of her children understand, accept, and indeed, actually request to participate in the sacraments and refused to march us through according to the standardized guidelines. As such, I was a bit older than many other Catholics when I first received the sacrament of Eucharist and thus my memories of the event and the process are very clear.  My maternal grandparents (a Christian Scientist and a Baptist) presented me with my first Bible- a New American Bible edition emblazoned with "First Communion Bible."   In part due to my mother's diligence,  I realized that the interior looked different from the Bible we used in Religious Education and this was the first time I realized that the Word of God was, possibly, subjective.  We were not raised or educated to believe the Bible was a source of infallible doctrine for literal interpretation, so this realization of subjectivity did not cause a theological crisis, but because it occurred to me as a child it remained an enduring belief into adulthood, which later caused conflict with more conservative Christian perspectives.

Drawing  back to these roots- I encounter the Bible primarily as a human effort to document divine revelation, and I believe it is incomplete, and should absolutely be considered with an acceptance of historical context. I am most comfortable with the Bible as a historical narrative subjected to heavy and judicious editing and censorship. I do not take the Bible literally, although I generally accept the overall importance of the stories. I am not educated enough in Biblical scholarship to know which stories are allegorical and which (if any) are historical, but I would like to find out.  

My interest in reading and studying the Bible in a more disciplined sense renewed about the same time I started at Gonzaga, I encountered an art/journaling form called Illustrated Faith. As a scrapbooker, it appealed to my artistic side, and I thought it would help me embrace a more diligent Bible study method.  The Bibles used for this work are specially made with thicker paper and large margins. I wanted a Catholic version of this journaling Bible so I could follow along with the weekly readings. Everywhere I went, including Catholic book stores, I was met with confusion. "Catholics don't read the Bible like that," was the answer I heard again and again. I finally settled on an NIV with the Apocrypha at the end. I felt frustrated and discouraged that my efforts to expand on and grow my faith were being stymied. Why don't Catholics read the scripture?

I struggle the most with the New Testament excepting the Gospels. I particularly dislike Revelations because it reads like bad science fiction. The epistles are examples of why readers of the Bible must consider authorial intent and historical content to glean the best and truest meaning from the Word - the letters and testimonies are so specially and specifically written and targeted that they cannot retain context and true applicability for the modern reader without translation and interpretation. I enjoy the Old Testament as a passive listener because it is more interesting, and more lyrical so it makes for better music. I particularly love to sing songs drawn from Bible stories…the hymn "Here I am, Lord" reminds me of Samuel, sleeping in the temple and suddenly awakened by a call int he night.