Just the other day, my fiancee and I went to our parish for the "Parish Faith Night." Our Pastor, Fr. George, gave a great talk on the Year of Faith that is beginning this week. He talked about Vatican II and all of the good that it brought to the Catholic Church and he talked about what the Year of Faith means for us as a Parish. But the part of his talk that really caught my interest was when he talked about learning English. Fr. George is from India and he has a very strong accent. He told us that when he was starting to learn English his teacher told him that he should read the Bible. Apparently this is an incredibly common thing to do when learning English, which I think is great! The more people who read the Bible the better! The reason English learners are encouraged to read the Bible is because of the incredibly simple language in which it is written. Of course it can very often be difficult to understand the meaning of the Bible--what it means for us as Christians--but as far as what the words mean, the Bible is written incredibly simply! We don't have to read at the same level as a PhD candidate in order to be able to read the words of the Bible. I think this is great! It makes the Bible accessible to more people.
However I also think that the simplicity of the Bible can work against those who read it. It seems to me that the simplicity of the Bible can cause the reader to question the authority and the truth of what is written there, especially when it comes to the big questions in life, like "How did we get here?", "What is our purpose?" "How do we determine right from wrong?" When we read the Bible, everything is explained in simple terms. This is probably because the Scriptures were not written to provide evidence for the Truths contained therein. The Scriptures were written to pass along what happened, not necessarily how it happened. The inspired writers were not trying to prove to people what had happened, they were simply trying to pass along the story of what happened.
Today, everything is complicated and we are always asking how it happened. Not that asking "how" or"why" is bad; actually is great! But nothing is simple today. As much as technology has made life more simple, it has always made life incredibly more complicated. Even "relationships" on Facebook seem to be tending more toward the "It's Complicated" definition. As we get more and more used to complicated definitions and complicated answers, the simple things tend to seem outdated. This mindset has even seeped into our relaxation time. Our time to "relax" is much more complicated now than it was in the past. When we want to relax now we go on Facebook, or watch TV or play video games. When was the last time you hung a hammock and read a book to relax? Or the last time you laid on a blanket and just stared at the clouds for an hour? Even our relaxation is complicated! That is insane! We claim to hate when things get complicated and yet we seek out complication without even realizing it!
I would like to suggest that it is the simple things in life that bring us the most pleasure and that make us the most happy (not to suggest, of course, that pleasure and happiness are the same). How often do you wish your life was more simple? How much more time did you have to actually relax before you got a smartphone and an iPad and a SmartTV and a bluetooth headset, and whatever toys we deem necessary today? The simple things are the most beautiful: a Sunset, star-gazing, holding hands with the one you love, Curious George books. It really is the simple things in life, especially the Bible, that give life meaning.
God Love You!
