The Bible is a unique book, unlike any other. Through its pages God “Meets his children with great love and speaks with them” ^{(DV 21)}, and expresses in human language the ultimate truths of his being.

Sacred Scripture teaches us that man was created “in the image of God” ^{(Gn 1:27)}, with the capacity to know and love his Creator, and it offers us the way to achieve happiness on earth and in Heaven.

“In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength , for she welcomes it not as a human word, ‘but as what it really is, the word of God'” ^{(1 Thes 2:13; cf. DV 24; CCC 104)}.  The Bible is a priceless treasure in which we always find light and a guide for our earthly pilgrimage.

Since the beginning of time, God spoke to men with works and words, through the created realities, and through the men chosen to transmit what he wanted to say.

But above all God has revealed to us through his Only-Begotten Son, the Second Person of the Trinity.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, is the last and final Word of the Father, who has transmitted everything that God wanted to communicate to men so that we could have life in him.

The Bible contains and gives testimony to the Word of the living God who speaks to us in Christ.  Jesus Christ is the key to understanding the nature and the message of the Bible.  Therefore, the Christian will seek Christ in every page of the sacred books, and especially in the Gospels, which “have a special preeminence” ^{(DV 18)}.

It follows that each passage of the Bible should be read within the context of all the Scriptures with the realization that the Old Testament prepares the New and the New gives effect to the Old.

God is the principal Author of the Scriptures.  The content of each book of the Old and New Testaments has been inspired by the Holy Spirit so the Sacred Authors wrote everything he wanted and nothing more.

This premise—consciousness of its divine inspiration—is necessary to obtain spiritual benefit from the Bible:  if we read it in an atmosphere of faith, with reverence and respect, with the intelligence alert, the Word of God provides light and meaning to our lives: “All scripture is . . . profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” ^{(2 Tm 3:16)}.

Before starting to read the Bible, it is appropriate to ask the Holy Spirit for enlightenment.  This prayer can be used:

Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.  Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.  And you shall renew the face of the earth.

Then we should approach the sacred text with humility.  We can never think that we know the Scriptures adequately or that we have understood them full: Their message is always new and relevant.

Let us read slowly with attention; avoiding haste and routine; it is not a dead script, but the Word “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” ^{(Heb 4:12)}.

The Bible belongs to the Church—since it has been entrusted to her—thus we never read Scripture on our own.  We read it in the context of the faith of the Church, even if we read privately.  We must always look for the sense that the Church gives to the various texts.  The introductions and the commentaries appearing in the Didache Bible (RSV-CE w/CCC text and Church teaching documents) has that intended purpose, hence, the usefulness of their consultation.

Sacred Scripture has been given to us so we love God and our neighbor more and better: with works, not just with words.  Every time we meditate on its pages we should ask ourselves: “According to this passage, how can I love God More? How can I love my neighbor more?”

While we can read the Bible like any other book, it may be more beneficial to spend a short time each day—five or ten minutes—and a longer period at another time of the week—e.g., half an hour on Saturdays or Sundays.

The main purpose is that each person gains a deep knowledge and love of Christ, and through his teachings, of the Father and the Holy Spirit.  To achieve this goal, we recommend daily reading of the New Testament—beginning with the Gospels—and to set aside the Old Testament for the weekend.  If we consider these times as appointments with God, then we will achieve this purpose easily.

Of course, many other methods can be followed, and it is always possible to read a particular book of the Bible or a specific passage when seeking divine guidance for a specific circumstance: What an inexhaustible source of prayer is the Book of Psalms!  How our admiration grows as we contemplate the works that God performed with the people of Israel on liberating them from Egypt!  What great consolation is offered by the Book of Job in moments of pain or grief!  Each and every one of the books of the Bible has an endless wealth and their reading cannot be conditioned by fixed rules.