Traveling With the Word of God, Becoming People of the Word

Pope Francis made a "small" but very far-reaching suggestion in yesterday's homily, namely that we carry a small Bible or New Testament with us wherever we go and read a little whenever we have the time. I could not second that suggestion more enthusiastically if I tried. I have written that as human beings we are dialogical at the core of our selves, We are covenantal beings who live from, for, with, and within the Word of God. We should truly take the time to read regularly in the Scriptures. In my own life it is grappling with these (a reverent grappling!) that is one of the most formative things I do, and one of the most important forms of prayer.

For those with Kindles or other e-readers there are a number of good translations available for these; one benefit is the font can be enlarged without carrying a larger book. Many have good indexing now which allow one to find the precise text they want to read. In a regular sized book, one of the more interesting translations available now is by Marcus Borg called, Evolution of the Word. It is arranged in the order the New Testament was written (as close as scholars can determine) and has a decent introduction to each book. Whatever choice you make, please take Francis up on his suggestion. It can change your life in major ways --- and of course it can change the world in which we live as well.