We may often find that the text of the Bible comes alive in an atmosphere of love, community, and service. Conversely, its meaning is obscured when we allow ourselves to become isolated and concerned only with ourselves. “Religion” cannot, in God’s plan, become a substitute for humanity or community.
Our familiarity with the Bible can never become an instrument of personal power over others to proselytize, coerce, judge, or punish them. The Bible has communion as its goal: our being bonded with God and with our fellow humans. We can be sure that we have understood the Bible if it produces love in us and the fruits of the Spirit. It is equally certain that alienation from others, disunity, and a tendency to condemn come from ourselves; they do not derive from God’s word.
Michael Casey, OSCO
Sacred Reading, p. 44.
