Last week, I wrote about politics. I might as well write about the other “forbidden” topic this week and talk about religion.
At the beginning of the year, I decided I needed to jumpstart my beliefs and my approach to God. I was in a bit of a lull. I chose to approach this by reading the Bible in a year.
There are a lot of options to do this and plenty of resources out there. I had read through the Bible probably twenty years ago, alternating between a book in the sacred text and novels I wanted to read. This time, however, I wanted to read it chronologically.
Trust me, this is a different way to read the Bible since the books are not anywhere close to chronological order. Sure, the first books of the Old Testament are pretty much in order, but as you progress through those books, a Psalm will be added based on when it was written and in conjunction with what is happening in, say, the Book of Kings.
It gets more complicated when the New Testament arrives. The four Gospels often have the same stories, so one day of reading might include three variations on the loaves and fishes and feeding the 5,000 people. But it is certainly interesting to see how the different Gospel writers portray events and to notice a difference in their writing styles.
I’m nearing the end of the Bible, and it’s been a worthwhile endeavor. I probably shouldn’t wait twenty years to do it again. If you’ve never tried this out, I highly recommend it as a good way to learn more about your faith. It’s really only a ten-minute time commitment every day.
Earlier this year, our previous priest suggested in one of his sermons that we take the time to watch a television show called The Chosen. I kept it in the back of my head until summer and then watched an episode a day for the three seasons that are currently out (with a fourth season coming soon!).
The Chosen started as a crowdfunding show, where it relied on the generosity of others to pay the bills and create a masterpiece about the life of Jesus. There are only about eight episodes per season, and the creators have planned out seven seasons in total.
The beauty of the show is that Jesus is a central person, but the series focuses more on the Apostles, the ones Jesus chose to follow Him closely. Simon Peter might be on screen more than Jesus, and you really get to know the twelve followers, so much so that it’s easy to pick them out by name whenever they appear on screen, which many shows with such a large ensemble struggle to do. Each apostle has his unique characteristics; Matthew stands out from his time as a tax collector to giving everything up to follow Jesus.
There is something special about this show, from its settings to its depictions of events from the New Testament. When Jesus performs miracles, it is very emotional. Seeing water turned into wine or a leper healed or the Sermon on the Mount tugs at you in ways that are hard to accomplish. I’ll admit that I shed tears from time to time from the power of Jesus’ work.
I can’t wait for the new season! This show was considered so important that when the writers and actors were on strike, The Chosen received special dispensation to continue its work on season four. The creator said this season will have some tough moments, but I can’t even imagine what it will be like when they reach the Crucifixion in the sixth season.
I was thinking a lot about religion because our current priest recently gave an interesting sermon about our nation being very un-Christian. We have a lot of problems in our country, and he traced some of that to the fact that fewer and fewer people attend church services or try to live their lives in a Christian way.
This hit home. None of us is perfect; we are all sinners. But what do we do to try to better ourselves from that standpoint? Many people got out of the habit of attending church during the pandemic and have not come back. Our priest mentioned the statistic of only 25% of Catholics attend Mass regularly.
How do we change that? I find it difficult to tell someone they should attend church. I know we should be missionaries and do that, but I’m uncomfortable running a guilt trip on someone for that. Father mentioned that sports and other planned events and even just wanting to sleep in are reasons people give for not coming to church on Sunday. Is it just too easy to find an excuse?
Any time I’ve missed a weekend service, I know I can’t get that back. The pandemic helped me realize how much I need that community and praying with others. I can pray at home, too, but it feels more potent when there is a church full of people, just like a full gym for a game compared to a nearly empty setting.
Jesus often says that he came to save those who have strayed. We can all find our way back to Him. Reading the Bible, watching a religious show, and going to church can all be ways to enhance or return to our Christian roots. I pray we can steer a better course in our lives and our country.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is apanthropy, which is a desire to be away from people, as in, “Jesus felt a sense of apanthropy and went into the desert to pray.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!