What’s your favorite book of the Bible? Do you have one? Do you read it often enough to choose? Or do you find yourself being the stereotypical Catholic who never reads the Bible on his own?
I love the book of Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus. It’s my favorite book of the Old Testament. Not found in Protestant Bibles, Sirach is part of the section known as Wisdom Literature. It contains sage advice for many different areas of life. We often hear readings from Sirach on the feast of the Holy Family.
It’s more difficult for me to choose a favorite from the New Testament. As I child and teenager, I memorized the first 15 chapters of Matthew (minus the genealogy at the beginning). I can still recite most of it.
But I’m really a fan of St. Paul. St. Paul was a brilliant writer, as well as a brilliant theologian. I love the way he interprets the Old Testament in light of Christ, his firm insistence on the truth, and the way he weaves a theme throughout the pages of an individual letter.
Holy Week is the perfect time to start reading the Bible more often, if you haven’t been doing it much lately. If you need some motivation, here’s an early posts of mine on 10 Reasons Catholics should read the Bible.
Now, tell me in the comments what your favorite book of the Bible is and why.
Connie Rossini
Yes, I do read the Bible. I always have trouble choosing favorites, especially one favorite. It would be like choosing your favorite child.
The Book of Ruth is among my favorites, because we share the name Ruth. For my wedding I used a hymn based on her words to Naomi, her mother-in-law, called “Wherever You Go, I Will Go.”
My favorite Scripture story continues to be the one about the woman with the hemorrhage. Why? It’s hard to explain. I have this sense that when I receive the Lord in holy communion I’m doing what she did, just trying to touch Him and be healed.
I am the same way about favorites. Yet I keep asking my readers about their favorites. Oh, well. I love Ruth for her loyalty.
Choosing one is hard. I would say the first one that comes to mind is the Gospel of Matthew. I think it’s arrangment in sermons and activity is one reason, and also that it seems to be the most Hebrew. The sermon on the mount is my favorite part. I also love the letter to the Hewbrews because of its deep theology. In the Old Testament I gravitate to Exodus and the Psalms – the Psalms because that’s what we read in the office every day.
Hebrews is wonderful. I use it a lot in my book on trusting God. I still tend to think of it as written by St. Paul, although I know modern scholars no longer believe it was.
Tough question! My favorite story is that of Abraham and Isaac. I love Abraham’s trust and obedience, the foreshadowing of Christ’s crucifixion, and the knowledge that, while God would never have allowed that sacrifice to take place, He did, indeed, sacrifice his own Son for us. As far as an actual book, I think I’d have to say Luke. As one who questioned the faith in the past, I appreciate Luke’s assertion that he wrote only after “investigating everything anew”. I also love the Marian focus of the beginning of this book, giving us such an excellent example of obedience and selflessness.
Yes, Stephanie! I use that story in my book. I don’t usually hear people name Luke as their favorite Gospel, but you sure give a good reason for doing so.
I, too, am a huge fan of St. Paul. Oh yes indeed! If I could narrow my choices down to only 1 favorite book of the Bible, it would be Philippians AND the Gospel of John (I can’t narrow it to just one!)….. But could I please have the book of Psalms as well :)?
I pray the Psalms daily with the Liturgy of the Hours and they always come to mind at opportune times. I can’t choose one favorite from St. Paul’s letters either. I love Hebrews, Romans, and Philippians.
Connie, As St. Therese once said, “I choose all!” But more to your point: History–Genesis; Wisdom–Wisdom; Prophets–Isaiah; Gospels–St. John; Epistles–Ephesians.
Eagerly awaiting your next book!
Good answer, Isaiah! I can tell you love the Scriptures.
Depends on my mood, but I love Hosea, especially 2:16-25:
“Therefore I will allure her now; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak persuasively to her (some translations say “gently”)…there she will respond to me as in the days of her youth…”
I love all the prophets, they speak with passion about the full spectrum of the human experience…and show that entering into the heart of Jesus is not boring clouds and harps, but a passionate romance.
Oh, I love Hosea too. “When Israel was a child I loved him, and out of Egypt I call my son… I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.”