“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” —Matthew 24:35

You will be reading the four Gospels in the New Testament and the first three chapters of Genesis (the story of Creation) in the Old Testament. After you read each chapter, rewrite in a journal the essence of what is being said in your own words. This will stimulate in your heart the living words of Jesus Christ. The Bible is not merely a historical record of something that took place long ago but is a handbook for living life now.

The work of the Master Jesus is all-encompassing. Allow His words to live and grow in you as you follow His life.

You begin with St. Matthew and read each chapter. Just as a book is composed of chapters, so the chapters are composed of complete thoughts. Recognize each complete thought, read it all the way through and then write it in your own words in your journal. Then go on to the next chapter. You’re welcome to look up the etymology of some of the words that interest you. The history of words, their origins, and meanings, change over time so this may give you a greater understanding of what was written.

As a medieval scribe once said, “Only three fingers write, but the whole body works.”

There are crucial cognitive benefits to writing your Bible lessons by hand. Scientific studies have shown that when you use a pen instead of a computer, your hand engages more of the neural networks in your brain, thus creating new connections. Also, we generate ideas more easily when writing by hand and it makes for better recall.

If you’re a skilled typist, writing by hand will slow you down, but it will engage you more with the ideas. And it will encourage you to compose your thoughts more succinctly. When we write carefully, we think carefully.

You will experience three effects by doing this exercise:

1. you will become familiar with its teachings
2. you will learn the difference between what it says and what you think it says
3. you will experience the alchemical transformation the Bible was written to produce