Castel Gandolfo, Italy (National Catholic Register) - Pope Benedict XVI has urged Catholics to read the Bible while on vacation, particularly the lesser known books of sacred scripture.
ìThis seems to be a good thing to do on the holidays: take a book of the Bible, so you have some relaxation and, at the same time, enter into the great expanse of the Word of God and deepen our contact with the Eternal,î said the Pope in his Wednesday General Audience address at his holiday residence of Castle Gandolfo, 15 miles south of Rome, Aug. 3.†
Pope Benedict noted how ìeach of us needs time and space for meditation, reflection and calmî adding ìthank God itís so!î He said this tells us that ìwe are not made only for work but also to think, reflect, or simply to follow a story with our minds and hearts.î Hence many books are read ìmostly for escapism.î
The Pope, however, challenged pilgrims to attempt some slightly ìmore challengingî reading.
ìWhy not discover some books of the Bible, which are normally unknown? Or of which we have maybe heard some passages during the liturgy, but we never read in its entirety? In fact, many Christians have never read the Bible, and have a very limited and superficial knowledge of it.î
The Pope even gave those gathered in the small hilltop townís Liberty Square suggestions as to which books of the Bible to read reminding them that ìthe Bible - as the name implies - is a collection of books, a small ëlibrary,í born over a millennium.î
From the Old Testament he suggested some of the shorter books which ìcan be read through in one hour.î These include, he said, the Book of Tobit ìa story that contains a very high sense of family and marriageî, the Book of Esther ìin which the Jewish Queen, with faith and prayer, save her people from exterminationî and the Book of Ruth, ìa foreigner who knows God and experiences His providence.î
He also emphasized the worth of ìmore challengingî Old Testament books which the Pope deemed to be ìauthentic masterpieces.
ìThe Book of Job, which tackles the great problem of innocent suffering, Ecclesiastes for its disconcerting modernity which questions the meaning of life and the world, the Song of Songs, a beautiful poem symbolic of human love.î
Turning to the New Testament the Pope reminded pilgrims of ìthe beauty of reading one Gospel straight throughî as well as the merits of other books such as the Acts of the Apostles.
In conclusion he suggested that pilgrims keep a Bible ìon hand during the summer or during breaks.î†
ìIn doing so they can become moments of relaxation, as well as cultural enrichment, even nourishment of the spirit, capable of fostering knowledge of God and dialogue with God ñ prayer.î
Todayís brief address continues Pope Benedictís theme of prayer which he has been developing during his Wednesday audiences since earlier this year.
The Pope then imparted his apostolic blessing before descending from the balcony of his papal apartment to personally meet and greet the sick in the town square below.