About 6 years ago, Pope Francis met with representatives of the American Bible Society at the Vatican. It was more than a courtesy visit. The American Bible Society  had conducted a study on how Americans connect with the Bible,  and American Catholics were part of the study. 

The study’s results are on the American Bible Society website. Though it’s 6 years old,  I don’t think the study’s results have changed much. Let me summarize two things it said about American Catholics. About 50 percent of American Catholics saw themselves engaged in the Bible which they hear at Mass or read privately or online. They saw the scriptures having an impact on their thinking and the way they lived. 

Another 50 percent saw themselves not engaged at all in the scriptures; they had no impact on their thinking and the way they lived. 

When you consider that the Second Vatican Council set the Catholic Church on a course of greater involvement in the scriptures, you see the catechetical challenge those statistics present. The council directed that the treasures of scripture have an increasing role in our liturgy, our Mass and our sacraments. They should be at the heart of our catechesis and have a more important place in our devotional life. “To be ignorant of the scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ”, the council document on revelation said, quoting St. Jerome. 

How do we bring the scriptures to so many Catholics who don’t see them as important? How can we help them engage in the scriptures and see them influencing the way they think and the way they live?

The American Bible Society has promoted the bible and bible study for many years. in the ecumenical climate that developed after Vatican II its relationship to the Catholic Church has grown closer, and so the society now distributes bibles carrying church approval;  its resources and catechetical tools try reach a Catholic audience. It recognizes, for example, a lectionary-based reading of the scriptures and liturgical feasts and seasons as one way to pray the Bible. ( cf. Reading Guide 2024) 

What I like especially about the American Bible Society is its emphasis on helping people to use and pray the scriptures on their own. Though the society provides reflective material on the scriptures, it encourages each person to find in the scriptures what God is speaking to them. You don’t find that personal approach emphasized enough, in my opinion. We may wait too much for “experts” to tell us what the scriptures mean.

One encouraging note from the study of the American Bible Society: Catholics expressed an interest in the scriptures. The scriptures have become a promising meeting ground for the various Christian churches for whom Jesus prayed, “May they all be one.”