Pope recommends summer reading for faithful

(August 04, 2011) During the summer, when we have time to relax, we must rediscover how great it is to read the bible. In the first general audience since his July break, Pope Benedict XVI invited pilgrims at Castel Gandolfo, to use some of their vacation to re-familiarise themselves with the beauty of the bible, and meditate on its meaning. He was speaking during the Wednesday General Audience held on the 3^rd of August. This was not held in Rome, but in the courtyard of the Papal Summer Residence of Castel Gandolfo, just outside Rome, where the Pope is spending his time in the summer. The Holy Father arrived at the Balcony of his residence overlooking the central courtyard at 10.30 am and read the meditation and gave his apostolic blessing. He welcomed various groups of different languages. Large number of people was present at Caste Gandolfo coming from different sections of the Society and Religious Orders. Particularly present in the audience were pilgrims from USA, Australia, Japan, the islands of the Caribbean, Mauritius and other places. The Pope said "each of us needs time and space for meditation, reflection and calm ... Thank God it's so! In fact, this requirement tells us that we are not made only for work but also to think, reflect, or simply to follow a story with our minds and hearts, a story that we can connect with, in a sense 'get lost' in to then find ourselves enriched.” Further the Pope observed, many books "are mostly for escapism." And yet, he added, many are also dedicated to a more challenging reading: "Why not discover some books of the Bible, which are normally unknown? Or of which we have maybe heard some passages during the liturgy, but we never read in its entirety? In fact, many Christians have never read the bible, and have a very limited and superficial knowledge of it. The bible, the Holy Father said, is like a collection of books, "a small library." Some of these books, he said, "remain almost unknown to most people, even good Christians." He mentioned some of these books, such as the "Book of Tobit," on family and marriage, the "Book of Esther "on the power of prayer and the "Book of Ruth", on Divine providence. The Pope also spoke of the New Testament stressing "the beauty of reading one Gospel straight through" as well as the Acts of the Apostles, or Letters. He then reiterated his suggestion to "keep the Bible on hand during the summer or during breaks", " to enjoy it in a new way”.

After the catechesis, speaking in English, the Pope greeted the faithful present there. He said: “I greet all the English-speaking visitors present today, including the groups from the United States of America and from the islands of the Caribbean and Mauritius. My special greeting goes to the young people from Australia and the Japanese pilgrims from Nagasaki. During these summer days, many of us find time to enjoy reading a good book. Today I would like to suggest reading through one of the many books of the Bible, as a way of appreciating the beauty of God’s word and thus growing in knowledge and love of him. May the Lord bless you and your families with wisdom, joy and peace!” After this the Holy Father imparted his Apostolic Blessing.