One of the best things the Fundamental Baptists gave me...

...is a great respect and a great love for Holy Scripture. I just finished reading part one of an article at Zenit called "What is needed for a Bible Comeback?" It's an interview with Cardinal Albert Vanhoye. Here are some quotes that struck me:

"In particular, I studied the theme of faith in John's Gospel, an obviously basic theme. For John faith consists in believing in the Son of God. This is not just adherence to revealed truth, but it is above all adherence to a person, a person who is the Son of God, who does the work of the Father, in union with the Father and who also invites us to do his work."

"My assumptions [in my study of the Bible] are clearly assumptions of faith. The Bible is a text that expresses the faith. To receive it in a serious and profound way it is necessary to be in the current that produced it. So, it is essential to approach the inspired text with an attitude of faith. On the other hand, there is also the conviction that the Bible is a historical book and not simply theoretical. It is a revelation with facts, with events; it is an existential historical reality that must be accepted as such."

"...sacred Scripture is essential for knowing Christ, for conforming to Christ..."

"[The Church needs to educate] the faithful to receive the word of God completely not only in their mind but in their heart and in their life. This is clear. The faithful need to be educated to do this. And on the other hand, in order that this be truly effective, it is indispensable that the faithful meditate on the word of God, reconsider it, reflect on it. And in this way their life will be transformed little by little by the power of the word of God."

"...'lectio divina' is a very serious method of entering into inspired Scripture. But in order for it to have an impact on life it is necessary that the last step be an application to life. It is possible to do a 'lectio divina' that stops at an attentive consideration of the text, and then a meditation. But it must be completed by an effort of the believer to apply it to life, to truly receive the word of God in his life, to make it not only present but operative."

In the last few years I've gotten out of the habit of regular, daily Bible reading, but have taken steps recently to change that by developing a Three Year Plan that will have me read the Gospels four times every year, the Psalms twice every year, and the rest of the Bible once in three years. The Psalms and Gospels have been weak areas for me, but I've gotten much better with the Psalms thanks to the Liturgy of the Hours! I'm looking forward to getting better acquainted with the Gospels.

Here's a link the Coming Home Network's reader's guide to read through the Bible and Catechism in a year (PDF file).

Some other links that may be of interest:

The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures (small selection)

From the Congregation for the Clergy at the Holy See: Biblia Clerus, Reading the Word of God with the Church

Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859 edition. A Catholic Bible Commentary compiled by the late Reverend Father George Leo Haydock, following the Douay-Rheims Bible. (This is the commentary only, not the Biblical text. Bible link here: the Bible at this link has commentary by Bishop Richard Challoner, 1691-1781)

The Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible online.

A short list of Major Church Pronouncements on the Bible.