The Greatest Stories

An eight-year-old from a faithful Catholic family told me recently that he didn't know what the Bible says about doing get-backs. He claimed that he had never read the Bible. This same student can speak extensively about story details from computer games and popular TV serials. The lack of Bible knowledge among Catholics is rampant among adults also. A few years ago I taught a weekly Bible study for the elderly at an assisted living facility. As part of the study, I showed them videos that portrayed the mysteries of the rosary. The residents there were quite amazed to learn about those events. Of course, they had heard the Sunday readings all their lives, but Bible events had never become real to them. There is also an attitude prevalent among American Catholics that makes people afraid to read the Bible by themselves for fear that they might misinterpret it!

In contrast to the current attitude toward Bible study among some Catholics, the Church has traditionally promoted Bible reading. St. Jerome, a fourth-century translator, stated that ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. For a hundred years or more the Church has offered an indulgence for fifteen minutes of Bible reading. Today Pope Benedict XVI recommends an emphasis on Bible study.

Of course, the Bible has the best stories. They were written by God himself to lead His beloved people to heaven. Bible stories are action-packed. Animals go into an ark, an angel rescues Isaac at the last moment, Jonah finds himself inside an enormous fish, King David wins on the battlefield, but succumbs to the charms of Bathsheba, Elijah swings to heaven in a fiery chariot, devils make a herd of pigs throw themselves into the sea, and Jesus heals hundreds before dying on a cross and rising again. Stories of His disciples follow and, at last, the powers of heaven and hell engage in an epic struggle on the pages of Revelation. Bible characters with their strengths and weaknesses are so real, that they seem to walk out of the Bible and into our lives.

Bible stories are as colorful, suspenseful, and moving as the fantasy, adventure, and mystery stories so popular with people today. However, there is one gigantic difference between modern tales and Bible stories: Popular stories today tend to be emotionally gratifying and unreal. They enable the reader to escape from real life, not to live life better. The hero always wins in the end; the heroine always gets the most handsome, charming, and richest man; the main characters engage in bad behavior and suffer no consequences; people with problems are ignored and rejected at will.

The experience of introducing Bible stories to my grandchildren has shown me that listening to a realistic story takes a lot more effort than dreaming through a predictable escapist tale. I've noticed that children respond quite differently to Bible stories than to the stories they usually hear. One day I asked two of my granddaughters what the difference is between Bible stories and other stories. The five-year-old pointed out that Bible stories are real, and the other stories are make-believe. Her simple answer made me realize why people seldom read Bible stories to their children, even though many beautiful picture Bibles are now available at a variety of levels. In the Bible God constantly gives people from Noah, to Joseph, to Esther, to Job, to Peter and Mary surprising challenges. When people do God's will instead of their own, they win. When people do their own will instead of God's will, they lose. Bible stories encourage all of us to change our ways and "make straight the pathways of the Lord" as the Baptist once proclaimed.

Reading the Bible instead of relaxing with escapist literature or videos is a difficult choice that takes much effort, practice, and prayer if we want it to become habitual. The road to friendship with God always goes uphill. The rewards, however, are incomparable for us and for our children, now and forever.

Mary Sue Laing, M.Ed.
Resource Teacher, St. Ambrose School
newskill7@msn.com

by Mary Sue Laing, M. Ed., New Skill, Inc. Academic Tutor