I read something this week from Saint Jerome that I have not been able to shake. He wrote, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Not indifference to Scripture. Not a mild handicap. Ignorance of Christ himself.

That reoriented something in me. I used to treat my Bible reading like a task on a list, something to check off so I could feel like I was doing this whole faith thing right. Jerome is saying something different. He is saying every page is actually an introduction, a chance to know a real person better.

So this week, when I open Scripture, I have been trying to ask a different question. Not “did I read enough today” but “what did I learn about him.” Small shift, but it changes the posture. I am not gathering information. I am getting reacquainted with someone I claim to follow.

Practically, that has meant slowing way down. Some days it is five verses, not five chapters. But I am walking away actually knowing something about Christ I did not know that morning. That is the foundation this whole month keeps pointing back to. Not how much Scripture I have covered. How well I actually know him.

Today’s Bible Study

Paul tells Timothy that “all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16 to 17). I used to read that as a claim about accuracy, that Scripture can be trusted. It is that. But it is also a claim about purpose. Scripture is not just true, it is meant to shape a person into someone capable of good work. Worth asking today. Is my reading actually forming me, or just informing me?

Recommended Reading

If you are looking for a place to go deeper into Scripture without wandering off on your own, I have been leaning on the Bible studies from the St. Paul Center. They read Scripture the way the Church always has, and it has made study feel less like decoding and more like listening.