How do I read the Bible? Personal reflection: Monsignor Gerard Burns

The Word

11 Mar 201901:33

Summary

TLDRThe speaker reflects on their experience in South America, which transformed their approach to reading the Bible. They advocate for reading scriptures through the lens of the poor and marginalized, a perspective that enriched their understanding of Jesus' teachings and the Old Testament narratives of suffering and resilience. This method offers a fresh insight into the scriptures, highlighting the hope and struggles of those on the societal margins.

Takeaways

🌏 The speaker was encouraged by their time in South America to read the Bible through the perspective of the poor and marginalized.
📚 The speaker comes from a middle-class background with a good education and family life, which contrasts with the experiences of those they lived among in Latin America.
💭 Reading the scriptures with the poor and marginalized gave the speaker a new dimension of understanding to the story of Jesus and the Old Testament.
📖 The speaker realized that many of the Old Testament experiences were about people who suffered, were marginalized, enslaved, or were migrants.
🗣️ Jesus often spoke to people who were in similar situations of suffering and marginalization, which is a key insight from the speaker's experience.
🤔 Being with people in difficult situations and reading the Bible with them provided the speaker with a different and practical insight into the scriptures.
👀 The speaker suggests that looking at the scriptures, especially the teachings and life of Jesus, through the eyes of the marginalized can be very enlightening.
🌟 The hope and questions of people on the margins are highlighted as particularly important when reading the Bible in this way.
🔄 The speaker's experience has led to a shift in how they view the scriptures, even though they are no longer in the same situation as before.
💡 The speaker finds this particular way of looking at the scriptures and the teachings of Jesus to be very helpful in understanding the experiences of those on the margins.

Q & A

What is the speaker's background that they mention in the transcript?
-The speaker comes from a middle-class background, has had a good education, and has experienced a solid family life with many protections.
What was the speaker's experience in South America that influenced their approach to reading the Bible?
-The speaker spent time in South America living with very poor people, which encouraged them to read the scriptures through the eyes of those who are poor and marginalized.
How did the speaker's perception of the Bible change after living in Latin America?
-The speaker's perception of the Bible changed as they realized that many of the experiences written about in the Old Testament and the people Jesus spoke to were about those who had been suffering and marginalized.
What new dimension did the speaker find in the story of Jesus and the people of God after their time in Latin America?
-The speaker found that the story of Jesus and the people of God took on a whole other dimension, as they saw the scriptures through the perspective of those in similar situations of suffering and marginalization.
Why does the speaker find reading the Bible with people on the margins helpful?
-The speaker finds it helpful because it provides a different insight into the scriptures, allowing them to understand the teachings and life of Jesus from the perspective of those who are suffering and marginalized.
What is the significance of reading the scriptures with people who are suffering and marginalized?
-Reading the scriptures with people who are suffering and marginalized allows for a deeper understanding of the experiences and messages in the Bible, as many of the stories and teachings are directly related to their situations.
How does the speaker's experience in Latin America continue to influence their current approach to the scriptures?
-Even though the speaker is not in the same situation now, their experience in Latin America has given them a particular way of looking at the scriptures that continues to be insightful and relevant.
What kind of people did the speaker encounter in South America that affected their reading of the scriptures?
-The speaker encountered very poor people, those who had been made slaves or migrants, and people who didn't have much to live on.
How does the speaker describe the hope and questions of people on the margins?
-The speaker does not explicitly describe the hope and questions but implies that their experiences and perspectives offer a unique insight into the scriptures.
What can readers learn from the speaker's approach to reading the Bible?
-Readers can learn the value of understanding the scriptures from different perspectives, particularly those of people who are marginalized and suffering, to gain a more comprehensive and empathetic understanding.
How might the speaker's approach to reading the Bible apply to other religious or philosophical texts?
-The speaker's approach suggests that reading any text through the eyes of those who are different from us can provide new insights and a deeper understanding of the text's messages and themes.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Reading Scripture Through the Eyes of the Marginalized

The speaker reflects on a transformative experience of reading the Bible from the perspective of the poor and marginalized, inspired by their time in South America. Coming from a middle-class background, they found a new dimension in the stories of Jesus and the Old Testament when read alongside those who have suffered and struggled. This approach has provided a deeper insight into the scriptures, particularly the teachings and life of Jesus, and has been instrumental in understanding the hope and questions of people living on the margins of society.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Bible

The Bible is a sacred text in Christianity, comprising two main parts: the Old Testament, which is the sacred scriptures of Judaism, and the New Testament, which contains the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of reading the Bible through the perspective of the marginalized, which provides a deeper understanding of the scriptures' themes and messages.

💡South America

South America is a continent at the southern end of the Western Hemisphere, known for its diverse cultures and socio-economic conditions. The speaker mentions South America as the place where they gained a new perspective on reading the scriptures, particularly by living among and empathizing with the poor and marginalized.

💡Marginalized

Marginalized refers to individuals or groups who are pushed to the periphery of society and often deprived of rights, opportunities, and resources. The video script discusses how reading the Bible through the eyes of the marginalized offers a unique insight into the experiences and messages of the Old and New Testaments.

💡Middle class

The middle class is a socio-economic group that falls between the working class and the upper class, often characterized by a moderate level of income, education, and social status. The speaker contrasts their middle-class background with the experiences of the poor in South America to highlight the different perspectives one can gain from the scriptures.

💡Education

Education is the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values, and habits. The speaker acknowledges their good education as part of their middle-class background, which contrasts with the experiences of the less privileged, affecting how they interpret and understand the scriptures.

💡Latin America

Latin America refers to the regions where Romance languages, derived from Latin, predominantly Spanish and Portuguese, are spoken. The speaker's time in Latin America exposed them to the realities of poverty and the importance of considering these contexts when interpreting the Bible.

💡Scriptures

Scriptures generally refer to the sacred texts of a religion. In the context of the video, the scriptures are the texts of the Bible, which the speaker reads with a new perspective gained from being with the poor and marginalized in Latin America.

💡Jesus

Jesus is the central figure of Christianity, believed to be the Son of God and the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. The speaker notes that many of Jesus' teachings and interactions were with those who were suffering and marginalized, emphasizing the relevance of these contexts in understanding his message.

💡Old Testament

The Old Testament is the first part of the Christian Bible and the sacred scriptures of Judaism, containing the history and laws of the ancient Israelites. The speaker points out that many of the stories in the Old Testament involve people who were suffering, which resonates with the experiences of the marginalized.

💡New Testament

The New Testament is the second part of the Christian Bible, focusing on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The speaker's reading of the New Testament was influenced by the perspective of the marginalized, offering a fresh interpretation of Jesus' message.

💡Insight

Insight refers to a deep understanding or the ability to grasp a concept or situation intuitively. The speaker gained new insights into the scriptures by reading them in the context of the lives of the poor and marginalized, which enriched their comprehension of the biblical narratives.

Highlights

Reading the Bible through the eyes of the poor and marginalized offers a challenging perspective.

Encouraged by time spent in South America to adopt this reading approach.

The speaker comes from a middle-class background with a good education and family life.

Old Testament experiences relate to suffering and marginalized people.

Jesus often spoke to people in similar situations of hardship.

Living with poor people in Latin America provided a new dimension to understanding the scriptures.

Scriptures offer different insights when read alongside those in marginalized situations.

The speaker finds a new way of looking at scriptures even after leaving Latin America.

Teaching and life of Jesus are especially meaningful when viewed from the margins.

Understanding the scriptures provides hope and answers questions for marginalized people.

The speaker's personal background contrasts with the experiences of the poor and marginalized.

Scriptural themes of slavery, migration, and poverty resonate with the experiences of the marginalized.

Reading scriptures with people in marginalized situations provides practical insights.

The speaker's experience in Latin America has influenced their interpretation of the Bible.

Scriptures are viewed with a focus on the experiences of those who are suffering.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of context in understanding the scriptures.

The speaker's approach to reading the Bible is influenced by their time with the poor and marginalized.