Just as important as knowing why we should read the Bible is knowing how we should read the Bible.

        The best guides for this are the holy Fathers, headed by St. John Chrysostom who, in a manner of speaking, has written a fifth Gospel.

        The holy Fathers recommend serious preparation before reading and studying the Bible; but of what does this preparation consist?

        First of all in prayer. Pray to the Lord to illumine your mind — so that you may understand the words of the Bible — and to fill your heart with His grace — so that you may feel the truth and life of those words.

        Be aware that these are God’s words, which He is speaking and saying to you personally. Prayer, together with the other virtues found in the Gospel, is the best preparation a person can have for understanding the Bible.

• Why the Holy Scriptures are so dear to us
• Understanding of the Holy Scriptures
• The inspiration of the Bible
• Original form and languages of the Scripture
• History of the Bible’s emergence
• Bible translations
• Conclusion

• What the Bible contains
• The beauty of the Bible
• Prayerful preparation
• How We should read the Bible
• Seed in our souls
• Words of the Word
• The Grace-filled Word
• The birth-giving word