[kingpins10]

What does Lent have to do with reading the Bible? You don’t need a special occasion to read and understand the Bible? This is what I’ve been talking about. lol.

Ephesians can be read in less than 30 minutes.

[Cronos]

MD I spent several weeks in the summer of ‘09 living and praying with Ephesians. My Lent looks like it’s going to be busy but I’ll see if I can work it to spend 40 days with Galatians.

King -- as MD clearly said, this Lent, MD is devoting to study of Galatians. Like other Catholics, MD takes ever occasion (lent or not) to study the Bible

What you say about Ephesians is just READING it -- which can be done in 30 minutes, but can you say you would completely understand it after those short 30 minutes? I'll just take chapter 1, verse 21 Above all principality, and power, and virtue, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come -- what do you understand by principality or power or dominion in the world to come? It's something to ponder on, right? The Bible is deep

[Mad Dawg]

Thank you, Cronos.

What does Lent have to do with reading the Bible? You don’t need a special occasion to read and understand the Bible? This is what I’ve been talking about. lol

Ephesians can be read in less than 30 minutes.

As Cronos says, some of us benighted Catholics read the Bible daily and study it almost daily. We do not presume to think that 30 minutes is enough to hear all that God is saying in a particular text. Do you?

Do you know what we mean by lectio divina? You might want to look into it.

In what I thought was a gentle response to your gratuitous advice to read what I have read many times (though certainly not 'enough'), I pledged (and I still pledge) to live with Galatians for 40 days, not for 30 minutes. (I was thinking of doing Proverbs, since I think I'm weak in the "wisdom" books and other of the kethubim. But I don't mind putting that off.) I am not sure what you think this is an example of.

I don't know how your time is committed, but I do have a sense of how my time is committed, and of the demands on it. I probably spend too much here and on FaceBook, but most of my days, including prayer, scripture reading, scripture and other studying, are quite full. And not being paid (in cash -- but I am rewarded greatly) for this, I have things like getting in enough wood to heat us during the threatened bad weather to worry about and getting the roof repaired. (I don't do roof clambering any more. Never did much.) I don't think I do enough, but I'm working on it, with the grace and help of God.

For many Catholics, Lent (and Advent) are times for a kind of a "sprint," a pace of prayer and study that we simply could not maintain throughout the year. During that time we support one another in prayer, and we understand that we are all trying to cut back on distractions and other commitments and to pay more than usual attention to explicitly "spiritual" matters.

It's a shame when hostility prevents courtesy and blocks understanding. I took your suggestion extremely seriously. I guess this is an instance of those who cannot take 'yes' for an answer.

[Ann Archy]

You do know that a LOT of HISTORY was written ABOUT the Church that is NOT in the Bible....right???